Friday, July 30, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/30/2010

7/30/1962:
Bringing to an end the brief (four-year) experiment of playing two All-Star Games each year, the American League easily beats the National League, 9-4, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Leon Wagner and Pete Runnels homer for the AL, and Rocky Colavito's three-run homer in the seventh inning proves to be the game's decisive moment. Baseball fans never really warmed up to the idea of a second ASG, and interrupting the regular season twice played havoc with scheduling, so the pension-revenue-producing ploy will be shelved permanently.

Birthdays:
Jim Mandich b. 1948
Billy Pauliz b. 1948
Bill Cartwright b. 1957
Chris Mullin b. 1963
Kate Starbird b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Packers' receiving star Antonio Freeman posted three consecutive 1,000-yard pass-catching seasons in the late 1990s (1997-99).

http://www.rain.org/~philfear/download-a-dinosaur.html
Paper Dinosaurs
Wasting time doesn't always have to mean killing virtual villains in cyberspace. It can also happen in real space, at your desk, with the help of scissors and Scotch tape.

FLIES DIED LIKE PEOPLEAn 84-year-old Russian hero of the war and survivor of Stalin’s Gulag tells the story of himself; his half-brother, Lev; and Zoya, the beautiful Russian Jewish woman they both loved. The brothers end up in a Siberian labor camp, and the depiction of the inhuman depravity of the Soviet Gulag becomes the compelling center of the novel. Martin Amis’s talent for the keen and concise turn of phrase is always delectable: “In the Gulag, it was not the case that people died like flies. Rather, flies died like people.” The Times (London) calls House of Meetings “Amis’s best novel since London Fields.”

HOUSE OF MEETINGS, by Martin Amis (Knopf, 2007)

TRIPEL KARMELIET
Brewery Bosteels, Buggenhout, Belgium

This tripel’s bouquet is full of orange blossom and honey, with a hint of light malt. The palate is light and sweet, in keeping with the style’s best, fiinishing dry at 8%. (That alcohol is actually subtler than you’d think.) Brewed with wheat, oats, and barley, and bottle-fermented in the third pass, this is a wonderful tripel, balanced, fruity and warming. Nutrition for the soul.

FROM THE BREWERY:
“Brewed after the Carmelite (Carmelite Monks) tradition dating back as far as 1679, this Belgian Abbey Style Triple ale has a robust smooth, fruity, three-grain (oats, barley, and wheat) character.”

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/28-29/2010

7/28/1945:
Four-year-old Stymie charges from behind to win the Butler Handicap at Jamaica Racetrack in Queens, New York. It's Stymie's second stakes victory this month after his win at the Brooklyn Handicap. A late bloomer, he didn't win any stakes races until this year but will eventually capture 25 stakes events in 131 starts, ending his career as the richest racehorse in America.

Birthdays:
Barry Ashbee b. 1939
Bill Bradley b. 1943
Vida Blue b. 1949
Doug Collins b. 1951
Manu Ginobili b. 1977

Packers Fact:
Greg Jennings had a string of five consecutive games with a touchdown catch during the 2007 season (weeks 11 through 15).

7/29/2000:
San Francisco 49er immortals Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott headline a list of five inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Both Montana, who earned renown for his cool demeanor under pressure and an endless succession of late-game heroics, and 10-time All-Pro defensive back Lott were m embers of four Super Bowl championship teams. Also honored are Oakland defensive end Howie Long, 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox and Steelers owner Dan Rooney.

Birthdays:
Arnie Ferrin b. 1925
Ted Lindsay b. 1925
Don Carier b. 1926
Flo Hyman b. 1954
Dirk Graham b. 1959

Packers Fact:
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's charter class of 17 enshrinees in 1963 included four Packers: founder and coach Curly Lambeau, Tackle Cal Hubbard, end Don Hutson, and halfback Johnny (Blood) McNally.

http://marbleofdoom.com/
Marble of Doom
If you're a Mac user you dread the marble of doom, that colored spinning wheel that tells you that your life is now on hold for however long it takes your application to load. Now you can share your frustration by adding the minutes to this "doom clock," which represents the time robbed from Mac users that could have been better spent surfing the Web for pictures of kittens or much, much worse.

http://800notes.com/Default.aspx
800's Revealed
Are you bugged by phone solicitors or people who block their identity but refuse to leave a message? Go to this site, type in the number, and find out who those pests are. Then read what experiences others have had with their annoying phone calls and leave your own impressions to help others with their search.

SWEET MYSTERY OF LIFE
Here are 48 Stephen Jay Gould essays, from well-known classics to articles and speeches that have not appeared in print before. Gould’s exuberance, encyclopedic knowledge, clear writing, and infectious sense of wonder made Congress recognize him as a “living legend.” Now, alas, he is no longer living, but this essential collection of his writing shows the scope and depth of his legacy.

THE RICHNESS OF LIFE: THE ESSENTIAL STEPHEN JAY GOULD, by Stephen Jay Gould; edited by Steven Rose (W. W. Norton, 2007)

SPOILED ROTTEN . . . AND LOVING IT
Hooters, Hollywood, Paris couture, the Concorde, plastic surgery, cryogenics, and spas . . . GQ writer-at-large David Rakoff has the gloves off and is landing punchlines right and left. With wit, panache, and a healthy dose of bitterness, Rakoff takes on the Ugly American.

DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE: THE INDIGNITIES OF COACH CLASS, THE TORMENTS OF LOW THREAD COUNT, THE NEVER-ENDING QUEST FOR ARTISANAL OLIVE OIL, AND OTHER FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, by David Rakoff (Broadway Books, 2006)

ST. PETER’S CREAM STOUT
St. Peter’s Brewery, St. Peter’s Hall, Suffolk, England

Black as the ace of spades this one, but you can see clear ruby tints if you really look for them. Light espresso roasted malt and a bit of curaçao orange fruitiness in the aroma . . . “Cream” is not a literal ingredient, but an apt description of the smoothness of flavor and finish here. A pleasant surprise, St. Peter’s Cream Stout is deftly formulated to retain a lightness of body while still providing a satisfying stout experience. One to look for.

STYLE TIP
Milk or cream stouts are typically milder, smoother, and sweeter than other stout styles, but they don’t necessarily contain milk sugar; their sweetness may also come from a lower hop-bitterness level and/or a higher level of unfermentable dextrins.

CZECH REBEL BEER
Mestansky Pivovar Havlickuv Brod a.s., Czech Republic

Bohemian pilsner is one of the most refined of beer styles. A transparent smoothness exposes all ingredients, water included, to close scrutiny. So it’s easy to brew badly—which means that an excellent pilsner should be savored. Czech Rebel fits the bill, and that’s cause for celebration—you couldn’t always find an imported beer of this quality at your corner market. Full gold, with a big, tightly beaded and lasting layer of foam on top, it’s a beautiful sight. As you drink, that foam will lace the glass completely, just as with an Irish stout. Grassy Saaz hops bring a freshness to the aroma, which is perfectly balanced by malt. Malt sweetness edges out hop bitterness in the flavor, but hops catch up in the end, leaving you with a paradoxically smooth and dry finish. Unbelievably good—close to perfect. What Czech pils is supposed to taste like.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/27/2010

7/27/2006:
Corey Pavin birdies eight of the first nine holes (including the first six in a row) to card a PGA record nine-hole score of 26 in first-round play at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. He'll complete this round with a nine-under-par 61 and go on to win the tournament. His 26 strokes on the front nine betters the previous PGA record of 27 for nine holes shared by four golfers: Mike Souchak (1955), Andy North (1975), Billy Mayfair (2001), and Robert Gamez (2004).

Birthdays:
Leo Durocher b. 1905
Mack Calvin b. 1947
Peggy Fleming b. 1948
Hugh Green b. 1959
Alex Rodriguez b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Linebacker A.J. Hawk, the Packers' top pick in the 2006 draft (no. 5 overall), started every game in each of his first two NFL seasons and posted 284 tackles.



WASHINGTON RODE HERE
In 2003 Americans and the world duly celebrated the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark’s 1803 expedition, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson; but our first president started it all 20 years before the great trek. A shrewd judge of real estate, by 1784 Washington had amassed some 49,000 acres in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the fertile Ohio Valley, and he wanted to see them. In a 34-day journey on horseback, he got as far as his property in western Pennsylvania called Washington’s Bottom, 680 miles from the Potomac. A fascinating picture of Washington’s vision for and of the country and of the beginnings of westward expansion.

THE GRAND IDEA: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S POTOMAC AND THE RACE TO THE WEST, by Joel Achenbach (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

GAMBRINUS PREMIUM PILSNER
Gambrinus Brewery, Pilsen, Czech Republic

SHADOW AND FLAME BOHEMIAN PILSNER RECIPE FOR 5 GALLONS
7½ lb. extra-pale malt extract syrup
½ oz. Magnum hops, 60 minutes from end of boil
¾ oz. Spalter Select hops, 15 minutes from end of boil
¾ oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker hops, 5 minutes from end of boil
Bohemian Pilsner lager yeast
¾ cup corn sugar for priming

Dissolve malt extract into 3 gallons of water, add Magnum hops and bring to a boil. Boil 60 minutes, adding hops as directed. Remove from heat and cool. Siphon into primary fermenter with enough cold, pre-boiled water to make 5 gallons. Add yeast when beer is 50–55°F. Ferment for one to two weeks at 50–55°F. Transfer to secondary fermenter and condition at 35°F for two to three months. When finished, dissolve ¾ cup corn sugar into beer, bottle, and age at room temperature for two weeks.

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/26/2010

7/26/1970:
At age 35, Australian Ken Rosewall outlasts 23-year-old Texan Cliff Richey, 7-9, 9-7, 8-6, in the finale of the Western Open tennis championships in Cincinnati. Trailing 2-5 in the deciding set on a rain-soaked clay court surface, Rosewall abandons his baseline strategy to charge the net, knocking off several volley winners to draw even and run out the nearly three-hour-long match. In September, he'll capture his second U.S. Open championship, 14 years after winning his first in 1956, setting a record for the interim between winning two titles at the same Grand Slam event.

Birthdays:
Bob Waterfield b. 1920
Hoyt Wilhelm b. 1923
Tommy McDonald b. 1934
Bob Lilly b. 1939
Dorothy Hamill b. 1956

Packers Fact:
Don Hutson caught 99 touchdown passes from 1935 to 1945. Steve Largent was the first NFL player to notch 100 scoring recpetions. He reached that mark 44 years after Hutson last played an NFL game.

http://www.seattledreamhomes.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=1352444&NF=1
Fun House
Pop surrealist artist Lisa Petrucci lives among the many objects that inspire her paintings. Her house is a museum to pop culture where you can see dolls of every description, B-movie posters, kitchy porcelain cats, tiki bobble-heads, a wall of reproductions of Margaret Keane's "Big Eye" paintings, and a fifties-style room of dollhouse furniture complete with turntable and console TV. After your tour, follow the link to Lisa's website to see how many of these things you can find in her work.


RAISING THE BARRE
Raised in poverty in a tiny rural village with five siblings, dancer Li Cunxin was plucked from obscurity by scouts for Madame Mao’s cultural rehabilitations, rigorously trained in the Beijing Dance Academy, and at age 18 awarded a scholarship to train with the Houston Ballet. In 1981 he defected in a dramatic scene at the Chinese consulate in Houston, a move just as audacious as the 1961 defection of Rudolf Nureyev at a Paris airport. There’s much more after that, too, as Li became a principal dancer in Houston and Australia. A remarkable story and a remarkable man.

MAO’S LAST DANCER, by Li Cunxin (Putnam, 2004)


SMALL CRAFT WARNING UBER PILS
Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, Maryland

A pale lager that might be construed as a thematic essay on the pilsener style, this Über Pils starts with a light body and an attractive foam. The chewy drink is bursting with malts, which are followed by an herbal Hallertau-hop character in the finish. Satisfying, with Old World, European nuances—though it would certainly complement a serving of Maryland crab cakes.

FROM THE BREWERY:
“Our brewery is named for the famed clipper ship—a symbol for a strong nautical and maritime heritage with a commitment to craftsmanship of the highest caliber.”

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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Sports Fact of the Day 7/25/2010

Moving from the American League's Minnesota Twins to the National League's New York Mets in 2008, two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana noticed some distinct differences in the two leagues: "American League batters take a lot of pitches and go into deep counts, but National League batters don't want to get to two strikes. Throw a fastball and they'll swing right away."

Birthdays:
Whitey Lockman b. 1926
Nate Thurmond b. 1941
Walter Payton b. 1954
Doug Drabek b. 1962
Billy Wagner b. 1971

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/search
Reading Oracle
If you were uninspired by Art Garfunkel's reading list and would rather rely on your own taste, just fill in the name of a book you liked and you'll get a number of suggestions for what to read next.


MOONSTONE PORTER
Six Rivers Brewery, McKinleyville, California

Unlike many stouts, porter doesn’t hit you over the head with roasted grain. It’s rich and black and full of flavor, but perfectly approachable. Moonstone satisfies like a good cup of coffee, with a big, bold flavor that’s chewy and substantial up front, silky smooth in the finish—no sharp edges or bitterness. Some hops come into the equation, but they’re almost superfluous to the sweet-dry malt interplay in this velvety soft brew.

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/24/2010

7/24/1999:
The world champion New York Yankees explode for 21 hits and 21 runs to demolish Cleveland, 21-1, at Yankee Stadium. Veteran Chili Davis, thoroughly enjoying the final season of his 19-year career, goes 5-for-6 with six RBIs in the rout. Cleveland will deliver some big-time payback to the Yankees, however, on September 1, 2004, when they embarrass New York, 22-0, also at Yankee Stadium, the most one-sided loss ever in the Yankees' meritorious history.

Birthday:
Walt Bellamy b. 1939
Julie Krone b. 1963
Karl Malone b. 1963
Barry Bonds b. 1964
Brian Blades b. 1965

Packers Fact:
Lambeau Field was named in honor of the Packers' founder and long-time coach three months after his death in 1965.

http://www.mazapan.se/games/burnTheRope.php
Burn the Rope
The only way to rid yourself of the big bad boss is to burn the rope holding up the chandelier while he's standing underneath it.


WHERE’S THE REEF?
Apreeminent expert on corals and the Great Barrier Reef, J. E. N. Veron believes that most coral reefs will soon be bleached and dead—with ramifications throughout the food web—unless the present ecological trend toward a mass extinction, like others he describes, is averted. An impassioned and knowledgeable exposé.

A REEF IN TIME: THE GREAT BARRIER REEF FROM BEGINNING TO END, by J. E. N. Veron (Belknap Press, 2008)

SIERRA BLANCA NUT BROWN BEER
Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Carrizozo, New Mexico

This very dark brown ale from beautiful New Mexico is topped by a pleasant layer of foam. Sweet malt and chocolate aroma with a buttery note is followed by a malty sweet flavor, with an interesting hazelnut edge that’s purely a result of dark malts and yeast. No sharp edges in the finish; on the whole exceptionally smooth and long on aftertaste. A big-tasting brown in the English style, with very little mention of hop character throughout.

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Friday, July 23, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/22/2010

7/23/1957
Determined to keep his salary structure low (even for star players), Detroit Red Wings general manager Jack Adams trades union-organizing All-Star Ted Lindsay to the Chicago Black Hawks. The Detroit fan base is outraged by the move, but Lindsay, the heart and soul of four Stanley Cup winning teams, is now 32 and well past his prime. Adams' zeal to teach him a lesson about loyalty (i.e., playing for below-market value) also compels him to include young goalie Glenn Hall in the trade, which proves to be a monumental blunder. Hall will go on to play another 14 seasons in the NHL, at one point playing a record 502 consecutive games, and earn Hall of Fame enshrinement in 1975.

Birthdays:
Pee Wee Reese b. 1918
Don Drysdale b. 1936
Gary Payton b. 1968
Nomar Garciaparra b. 1973
Terry Glenn b. 1974

Packers Fact:
Cornerback Al Harris was the oldest player on the Packers' kickoff weekend roster in 2008. He was 33.

http://www.colorflip.com/
Paper Peeler
A click of the mouse won't do it. You've got to hold down the key to give it enough oomph to keep peeling back the papers. Strangely addicting.


DON’T DRINK MILK WHILE READING THIS
Hillary Carlip found her first discarded grocery list when she was a teenager, and she has been collecting them ever since. She felt that a list of “whole milk, heavy cream, ice cream, cheese, and Gas-X,” for example, said quite a lot about the person who made it. Extrapolating from the lists, Carlip tells us about these shoppers’ loves, tragedies, and ambitions. Her 26 subjects include an ex-porn star, a goth boy, and an octogenarian stand-up comedian. With photographs of the author made up as these characters in action at the market.

À LA CART: THE SECRET LIVES OF GROCERY SHOPPERS, by Hillary Carlip; photography by Barbara Green (Virgin, 2008)

BLACK TOAD DARK ALE
Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, Illinois

Black Toad is intriguingly dark, not quite black, and brilliantly clear with a deep red tint when held to the light. The aroma has a nice balance of roast and caramel malts, with just a bit of hop charm. The flavor leads off quite sweetly, with some caramel, roast, and coffee complexities. Grain and hop provide a slight bitterness to fend off the chewy cascade of toffee and malt sweetness, but the finish is still a bit long, decidedly malty. Not a bad thing at all—this is a most pleasantly complex dark ale with lager-like smoothness.

BEER FACT
Black Toad Ale is brewed by Goose Island for Trader Joe’s, and marketed by Black Toad Brewing Co.

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/22/2010

7/22/1911:
In a 1-0 victory for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Washington Park, left-hander Nap (short for Napoleon) Rucker has his bid for a second career no-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth inning on a clean single to right field by Bob Bescher of the Cincinnati Reds. (He had a no-hitter against the Boston Braves in 1908.) The shutout is just one of 38 he'll amass in his 10 big-league seasons, all with Brooklyn. His 38 shutouts out of only 134 lifetime wins (28%) is the second-highest such ratio in baseball history, trailing only Hall of Famer Ed Walsh, who had 195 wins and 57 shutouts (29%).

Birthdays:
Ron Turcotte b. 1941
Sparky Lyle b. 1944
Lasse Viren b. 1949
Tim Brown b. 1966
Keyshawn Johnson b. 1972

Packers Fact:
The youngest player on the Packers' kickoff weekend roster in 2008 was rookie tight end Jermichael Finley. He was 21.

http://bentobjects.blogspot.com/
Border Art
Using bent wire and grocery items, artist and photographer Terry Border creates food creatures in comic tableaux. See an Ore-man posting a missing Oreo poster on a milk carton, the tragic end of Fidel the Fire-eating Circus Peanut, two cornflake men coming upon their mate drowned in milk, and orange snack foods bonding together as the Three Musketeers. With a video interview in which Border demonstrates how he creates his semi-edible wonders.


VOODOO ECONOMICS
Our irrational behaviors are neither random nor senseless—they are systematic,” says Dan Ariely in this eye-opening look at people’s decision making. Ariely’s field is behavioral economics, and he has been using it to study human beings for some 20 years. Did you know that the painkilling effectiveness of aspirin is affected by its price? Or that voters are likely to vote for those at the top of the ballot? His question then is: Can markets know best or work well if the people in them aren’t rational? Entertaining and eye-opening.

PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL: THE HIDDEN FORCES THAT SHAPE OUR DECISIONS, by Dan Ariely (Harper, 2008)

JUMPING COW AMBER ALE
Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, California

Once again, Firestone Walker delivers with a big English-style malt aroma—but this time there’s some hop to it. With a nice reddish-amber color and some off-white foam, this ale is comfortably session strength at 5.5%/vol. In the flavor, a candy-like malt sweetness carries through to lengthen the finish. Hop bitterness makes a valiant effort at balance, but it is vanquished in what is ultimately a good, clean amber ale, though a bit on the sweet side. Marketed by Steinhaus Brewing Co. for Trader Joe’s.

BEER QUOTE
“In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer.”
—A.J.P. TAYLOR, BRITISH HISTORIAN

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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/21/2010

Explaining his self-effacing nature, Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley recalled: "My dad always told me you don't need to tell people how good you are. If that's the case, people will tell you."

Birthdays:
Gene Littler b. 1930
Gene Fullmer b. 1931
Dave Henderson b. 1958
David Carr b. 1979
C.C. Sabathia b. 1980

Packers Fact:
Curly Lambeau led the Packers first NFL (then called the APFA) team in scoring in 1921. The founder and coach also scored a team-best 28 points that season.

http://www.gemueseorchester.org/
Jazz Salad
The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra performs its music solely on fresh vegetables that they turn into musical instruments for each performance, including pepper trumpets, carrot recorders, and leek violins. At this site you can listen to samples of their music, see where they will be performing next, and watch a video that includes preparations that begin at the local produce market.


SNOW, RED, AND OTHER COLORS
Winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature and a score of international literary awards, novelist Orhan Pamuk (Istanbul; Snow) enjoys the essay form and loves writing, the life of a writer, and his life. It all shows in these masterful pieces on his readings, reminiscences, and ruminations from 30 years in the profession. In the Los Angeles Times Book Review, Richard Eder writes, “A voice, part playful and part deadly, whose refracted reality a real nightingale might envy.”

OTHER COLORS: ESSAYS AND A STORY, by Orhan Pamuk, translated from the Turkish by Maureen Freely (Knopf, 2007)

GOUDEN CAROLUS
Brouwerij Het Anker, Mechelen, Belgium

Gouden Carolus’s complex bouquet betrays dark malt, fruit, and nuts—cherries, dried currants, raisins, prunes, dates, and almonds. Warming alcohol, to the tune of 7.5%/vol., balances this sweet brew, though it comes off almost like a dark cherry liqueur. Nothing better on a snowy winter evening.

BEER FACT
Gouden Carolus is another one of the beers named after beer lover and Holy Roman Emperor Charles Quint: It means “Cuvée of the Emperor.”

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

LeBron is not like MIke :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Rick Morrissey

LeBron is not like MIke :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Rick Morrissey

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/19-20/2010

7/19/1997:
Surpassing the record of 8:01.08 held by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, Kenya's Daniel Komen cracks the eight-minute barrier for the two-mile run with a new world record of 7:58.61 at Hechtel, Belgium. Seven months from now in Sydney, Australia, Komen will run another sub-eight-minute two-mile run, just a tad slower than his record-setting time. More than a decade later, these back-to-back, sub-eight-minute two-mile times will remain unsurpassed.

Birthdays:
Alex Hannum b. 1923
Ilie Nastase b. 1946
Billy Olson b. 1958
Teresa Edwards b. 1964
David Segui b. 1966

Packers Fact:
In 2007, Packers fullback John Kuhn and long snapper Rob Davis were the only two NFL players from their college, Shippensburg (PA) University.

7/20/1986:
Australian golfer Greg Norman shoots a 1-under-par 69 in the final round of the British Open to win his first major championship after several near misses. The Great White Shark cards an even-par 280 over the links course in Turnberry, Scotland. Gordon Brand is second, five strokes behind while Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer tie for third. Norman will win the British Open again in 1993, but he'll experience more than his share of heartbreak in Grand Slam events, finishing as the runner-up eight other times in major championships.

Birthdays:
Ted Schroeder b. 1921
Chuck Daly b. 1930
Tony Oliva b. 1940
Mel Daniels b. 1944
Ray Allen b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Among qualifiers, Bart Starr is the only Packers' quarterback to post a passer rating of more than 100. He had a mark of 105.0 in 1966, when he passed for 2,257 yards and 14 touchdowns, with only 3 interceptions.

http://mistupid.com/food/butcher.htm
Chop Quiz
Here's something educations that might stimulate your appetite for beef tonight. Drag the cuts of meat to the part of the cow you think they come from. If you're stumped, the site will reassemble them for you and tell you exactly what comes from where, so you'll be an expert the next time you go to the butcher's shop.

http://www.thefeejeemermaid.com/index.htm
Sailor's Nightmare
Inspired by the famous FeeJee Mermaid hoax, artist Juan Cabana constructs mermaids and other fanciful aquatic beings that look like zombies of the sea. Using real fish fins, skin, and teeth, his creatures are combinations of skeletons, birds, monkeys, dragons, bats, and fish, many with lifelike human faces that make them all the more grotesque, all of which might make you think twice before setting foot in the ocean.



THIRD IN THE THRILLOGY
Silva completes his trilogy (The English Assassin; The Confessor) with Gabriel Allon, art restorer and Mossad agent, leaving the side of a beautiful Bellini altarpiece to take care of unfinished business in Vienna. The assignment not only involves the death of an old friend, it calls up difficult memories of the episode there that claimed the lives of his wife and child. Furthermore, when Allon stumbles on a cover-up of a political candidate’s family’s Nazi past, old vendettas and unsettled scores surround him. A satisfying climax to an impressive series.

A DEATH IN VIENNA, by Daniel Silva (Putnam, 2004)

A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME
House Thinking is not just another home decorating book. Winifred Gallagher is a cultural critic who has conferred with architects, designers, psychologists, and sociologists to find out what constitutes a successful home. She shows us examples from prominent places—the entryway of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, the bedroom of Hugh Hefner—as well as changes she has made to her own home. Gallagher believes that it isn’t only how a place looks that matters, it’s also how it feels and whether it supports us in our daily lives.

HOUSE THINKING: A ROOM-BY-ROOM LOOK AT HOW WE LIVE, by Winifred Gallagher (HarperCollins, 2006)



CHARLES QUINT
Brewery Haacht S.A., Haacht, Belgium

A very sweet brown ale with a pleasant caramel fragrance and aftertaste, Charles Quint is heavily laden with layer upon layer of malt sweetness and a full mouthfeel, with no hint of hops. Though it’s a strong one at 7%/vol., the finish is still almost cloyingly sweet. This beer could use a bit more hops . . .

BEER FACT
This ale is one of many named for Charles Quint, Holy Roman Emperor. According to legend, the beer-loving, wine-averse Charles enjoyed an ale in the village of Olen.

MOEDER OVERSTE
Brasserie Lefebvre, Quenast, Belgium

This pleasant but challenging tripel has an aroma that’s phenolic and musty, bordering on medicinal. Heady with alcohol, the nose gives way to a strong, sweet flavor with some definite yeast character. There are honey undertones here, quite a bit of alcohol warmth, and a medium bitterness, some of which might be yeast-borne. The brew is hazy yellow in color, with ample carbonation; finish is yeasty and chalky.

BEER FACT
Abbey beers are brewed by commercial brewers who license their name from abbeys. Those abbeys may be authentic and thriving, they may be defunct, or they may even be fictitious. Their brewers seek to follow in the footsteps of Trappist ales, hugely popular since World War II; like Trappist ales, abbey beers are usually strong, made in the dubbel or tripel style.

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Sports Fact of the Day 7/18/2010

7/18/1948:
White Sox outfielder Pat Seerey becomes only the fifth big leaguer since 1876 to join the MLB four-homers-in-one-game club as he leads Chicago to a 12-11 win in 11 innings at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Seerey hits consecutive blasts in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and then wins the game with a solo shot off Lou Brissie in the 11tt. Not a great average hitter or a gifted glove man, he'll be gone from the majors by early next year. The other members of the club (to date) are Bobby Lowe, Ed Delahanty, Lou Gehrig and Chuck Klein.

Birthdays:
Joe Torre b. 1940
Nick Faldo b. 1957
Dan O'Brien b. 1966
Anfernee Hardawayy b. 1972
Teril Hunter b. 1975

http://millionnumbers.com/

Own Your Own Number
999999 is a very popular number and, sorry to say, it's already taken. So has 666-it belongs to someone called "Diablo." If you act soon, you can still get your pick of many of the best numbers between one and a million, and the best part is they won't even cost you a cent.


TRIPLE MOINE
Brewery Du Bocq, Purnnode, Belgium

A very pale, strong triple, heavily spiced with coriander. This one is slightly vegetal in both aroma and flavor. It finishes with a lingering spiciness, dry, not too sweet and without the overwhelming alcohol content and taste of many triples (though still strong at 8%/vol.). With a slightly smoky aftertaste, Moine has a similar perfume aroma to many saison beers.

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Saturday, July 17, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/17/2010

7/17/1989:
It's a good night at the office for young left-hander David Wells at SkyDome. Still working in relief early in his career, Wells receives credit for both victories as the Toronto Blue Jays sweep a twi-night doubleheader from the California Angels, 6-4 and 5-4. Wells works a total of 4-2/3 scoreless innings for his dual triumph.

Birthdays:
Lou Boudreau b. 1917
Johnny "Red" Kerr b. 1932
Daryle Lamonica b. 1941
Connie Hawkins b. 1942
Calbert Cheaney b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Second-year fullback John Kuhn made his first career start when the Packers played Detroit in the 2007 regular-season finale. He caught 1 pass for 5 yards and also helped spring Brandon Jackson for a 46-yard run by making a key block.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQrC_C6SexI
Roller Coaster Bowling
Did the designers of those virtual amusement park construction programs think people would always keep the trains on the tracks?

A ROSE WAS A ROSE WAS A ROSENew Yorker writer Janet Malcolm has produced a work of mystery, biography, criticism, and morality. It begins with the question of how two Jewish-American lesbians managed, without leaving or hiding, to survive in a Europe overrun by Nazis. By the end she has thrown light on Gertrude Stein’s and Alice B. Toklas’s lives, their work, and much that has been written about them, giving them due reverence while revealing their deepest secrets.

TWO LIVES: GERTRUDE AND ALICE, by Janet Malcolm (Yale University Press, 2007)

BELGISSIMUS
De Hopduvel, Gent, Belgium

Pears, persimmons, papayas, guava, and passion fruit. Strawberry, perhaps? With a light flavor for all the fruit in the aroma and a dry, light and somewhat bitter finish, Belgissimus is somewhat of a surprise—must be that 9% ABV drying everything out. A refreshing if volatile beer that shares much in common with a sparkling wine.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/16/2010

Using his own litmus test to evaluate when a young player is ready for a steady job in the majors, manager Joe Torre insists: "Players become big leaguers when you find out how they handle failure."

Birthdays:
Joey Giardello b. 1930
Margaret Smith Court b. 1942
Miguel Indurain b. 1964
Claude Lemieux b. 1965
Barry Sanders b. 1968

Packers Fact:
Before Jim Taylor's string of five consecutive 1,000-yard rushing years beginning in 1960, Tony Canadeo was the only Placers' player to reach the 1,000-yard mark in a season. He gained 1,052 yards in 1949.

http://www.revfad.com/flip.html
Flip It
You sometimes feel like you live in a topsy-turvy world. This will just get you there faster.


CYBERPUNK NO MORE
Following up on his successful bestseller Pattern Recognition, William Gibson gives us a spiky meditation on America as it lurches into the 21st century. Three characters (a writer, a Chinese-Cuban immigrant, and an amphetamine junkie) get involved with spies and criminals while they search for a missing freight container. As the plot slowly unfolds we take in the dystopia that seemingly awaits us. Washington Post Book World calls Spook Country “a devastatingly precise reflection of the American zeitgeist.”

SPOOK COUNTRY, by William Gibson (Putnam, 2007)


BLUE HERON PALE ALE
Mendocino Brewing Co., Ukiah, California

Blue Heron Pale Ale has been a solid favorite for decades, though the brewery changed hands some years ago—fortunately the quality has largely remained consistent. It’s still bottle-conditioned, for one, though the globby white yeast of yore seems to have been replaced with a more powdery strain. Pale yellow with a good white crop of foam, this brew boasts lots of those California hops—salty, grapefruity, pungent and unabashed. After the aromatic assault, the flavor is moderately hoppy and devoid of harshness.

BEER FACT
Mendocino Brewing Company was started in Hopland, California, in 1983, but soon expanded with another, larger brewing facility in Ukiah. Additional restructuring resulted in the company’s purchase of the Olde Saratoga Springs Brewing Company in New York, which brews for East Coast markets.

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/14-15/2010

7/14/1941:
Brooklyn Dodgers player-manager Leo Durocher inserts himself as a pinch hitter in the last of the ninth inning in a scoreless game with the Cubs. With the bases loaded and only one out, Durocher perfectly executes a suicide squeeze bunt to drive in the winning run. Ducky Medwick breaks for home on the pitch and Chicago hurler Vern Olsen has no play. Brooklyn pitcher Kirby Higbe is rewarded for his efforts, tossing a two-hit shutout, part of a career-high 22-win campaign, which helps the Dodgers win 100 games and capture their first pennant in 21 years.

Birthdays:
Rosey Grier b. 1932
Lee Elder b. 1934
Robin Ventura b. 1967
Erick Dampier b. 1974
Tim Hudson b. 1975

Packers Fact:
Korey Hall, in 2007, was the first rookie to start for the Packers at fullback since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

7/15/1990:
Playing the final 36 holes of the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday because of an earlier rainout, defending champion Betsy King makes up 11 strokes over the last 32 holes to overtake faltering Patty Sheehan by one stroke at the Atlanta Athletic Club. King shoots a steady 70-71-141 for the final two rounds, hitting 31 of 36 greens in regulation. Meanwhile, Sheehan stumbles to 75-76-151, mirroring her collapse in last year's Open when she posted a 79 in the final round and allowed King to win that event as well. She'll surmount her final-round travails in U.S. Open play by going on to win this tourney in 1992 and '94.

Birthdays:
Donn Clendenon b. 1935
Alex Karras b. 1935
John Stallworth b. 1952
Barry Melrose b. 1956
Sammy Winder b. 1959

Packers Fact:
Ahman Green already held the Packers' single-season rushing record heading into the 2003 finale against Denver at Lambeau Field. He added the single-game mark, too, by gaining 218 yards on the ground in a 31-3 rout.


http://frankensteinia.blogspot.com/
Friend...Good!
Pierre Fournier, a comic book writer and Frankenstein devotee, explores every aspect of Frankenstein culture at this site including the book in its many editions, the movie and stage versions, characters in the Frankenstein universe, and Frankenstein posters, toys, stamps, and costumes, including one for your dog. With links to other Frankenstein resources on the Web including Thomas Edison's 1910 film.

http://www.doitmyself.org/2003/10/thorax-cake.html
Thorax Cake
This is not a dessert for the squeamish. This site gives you step-by-step instructions for confecting an anatomically correct cake that reproduces the entire thoracic cavity with white chocolate ribs surrounding the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and other organs, which are each separate sauce-filled cakes that "bleed" when cut. Really appetizing if you're a fan of C.S.I.

MURDER, AND ROMANCE, MOST VICTORIAN
Was it the gardener? The Gypsy laundress? The (no, really?) butler? In 1886 someone kills Lady Julia Gray’s husband, Sir Edward. Julia joins forces with a private investigator, Nicholas Brisbane, to track down the murderer. Their relationship blossoms as they uncover dark secrets in some unsavory precincts of Victorian London. Kirkus Reviews says, “Smart and stylish: Bring on the sequel.”

SILENT IN THE GRAVE, by Deanna Raybourn (Mira, 2007)

ORIGINS
For those of us who have been following the irascible barrister Horace Rumpole these many years both on television and in print (12 story collections are out now), John Mortimer has at last gratified our curiosity not only about the oft-cited Penge Bungalow murder case that made Rumpole’s reputation, but also about such crucial matters as how he first came to represent his most reliable clients, the Timsons; and how he met and married “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” Hilda Rumpole. If none of this makes sense to you, go find a Rumpole book, any Rumpole book, and get ready to smile.

RUMPOLE AND THE PENGE BUNGALOW MURDERS, by John Mortimer (Viking, 2004)

SPRECHER PUB BROWN ALE
Sprecher Brewing Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A delicious and subtly complex pub-style English brown—ironically, not the type of ale you’re likely to encounter in England. Thank you, Sprecher, for this great American session brown. Clean caramel malt emerges without clobbering the palate—the brew is extraordinarily smooth, with a terrific hop balance. The sudsy foam atop is lusciously attractive. With a light body and mild herbal hop character, this beer would refresh in any season.

BEER FACT
Sprecher is also famous for its gourmet sodas: Root Beer, Cream Soda, Orange Dream, Ravin’ Red with cherry, cranberry and ginseng, Ginger Ale with a hint of oak, Puma Kola with real vanilla, Lo Cal Root Beer, and Cherry Cola.


LIEFMANS OUD BRUIN
Liefmans, Oudenaarde, Belgium

A sharp-finishing, less malty version of oud bruin, this brew is very quaffable. One of the tartest of the Flanders brown ales, it’s lightly buttery and fruity in the nose, with plenty of sour malt in the palate. Another unsurprising success from the master brewers at Liefmans—a beer we’re very fortunate to be able to find on North American soil!

STYLE TIP
Flanders red and brown ales were historically brewed as provision beers, developing a bit of sourness as they aged due to naturally occurring bacteria like Lactobacillus and acetobacter. Many are still given a period of aging in oak barrels, but may now undergo a faster souring process via the addition of acidulated malt in the mash, or the encouragement of Lactobacillus (the latter is also known as sour mashing)

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/13/2010

7/13/1996:
The Cleveland Indians bat around in the fifth and sixth innings and thrash the Twins, 19-11, at the Metrodome. Albert Belle goes four-for-four with three RBIs for Cleveland; Jeromy Burnitz accounts for five RBIs and Kenny Lofton adds three doubles for the Tribe. In all, the Indians pound out 22 hits, including an American League record-tying 12 doubles. They'll lead the AL in hits, team batting average and on-base percentage this year.

Birthdays:
Jack Kemp b. 1935
Bob McKillop b. 1950
David Thompson b. 1954
Michael Spinks b. 1956
Spud Webb b. 1963

Packers Fact:
In 2007, the Packers became the first NFL team in 11 years to open the season with two rookie starters in the backfield (running back Brandon Jackson and fullback Korey Hall).

http://www.bigthings.ca/
Big Things in Canada
Even if you're not planning a road trip to Canada, you should still visit some of its greatest man-made wonders at this site, which showcases huge monuments like a nineteen-foot potato, a 205-foot hockey stick, giant flowers and fruit, a whole herd of giant moose scattered across the country, and the world's largest Easter egg in Vegreville, Alberta.



A BANANA WITHOUT A REPUBLIC
A terrifying real story of a tiny, hip political consulting firm named Sawyer Miller that started out in the Pepsi–Coke wars, which it won with Miller’s catchy “Coke is it” campaign, and ended up amid the rubble of governments and campaigns it had helped ruin for its clients, in part through its GNP-size fees. A surprising number of political news stories over the past two decades involved these men (and one woman), and the tightening noose around their bloated self-image gives increasing piquancy to the thought of how many of these stories could have turned out differently.

ALPHA DOGS: THE AMERICANS WHO TURNED POLITICS INTO A GLOBAL BUSINESS, by James Harding (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)

OLD VISCOSITY
Port Brewing Co., San Marcos, California

Old Viscosity is the sort of beer that turns traditional styles on their heads. It’s not really an English Old Ale, but it shares the caramel-malt tones and the aging process. It’s not really an Imperial stout, but it definitely has the black color, the brown foam, and a bit of roastiness. It’s not really a barley wine, but it has the imposing 10%/vol. strength, and some pruney, fruit cake malt notes. And then there’s the viscosity, a velvety texture nicely balanced with hop and roast malt bitterness, ending with enough alcohol to leave a slight impression of dryness after all the engine-oil thickness. Lots of paradox here, and all of it good. Surprisingly, bourbon-barrel aging doesn’t contribute any tartness, but it does add a mellow vanilla tone to the roast malts.

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 7/12/2010

7/12/1948:
Ike Williams (92-10-4) defends his world lightweight championship with a sixth-round knockout of Beau Jack (70-13-4) at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Jack, a former two-time lightweight champion before World War II interrupted his career, was forced to lose several pounds to make the 135-pound weight limit and quickly runs out of steam against Williams' unrelenting assault. While Jack's fighting style of always pressing forward earned him a legion of admirers, tonight his punches have little effect and only serve to leave him in easy range for Williams' forceful replies, which end the bout in its early stages.

Birthdays:
Ron Fairly b. 1938
Paul Silas b. 1943
Gilles Meloche b. 1950
Julie Cesar Chavez b. 1962
Kristi Yamaguchi b. 1971

Packers Fact:
Najeh Davenport spent most of his four years with the Packers (2002-05) backing up Ahman Green, but he ran for 178 yards in a 45-17 victory over the Rams in 2004 in his first career start.




http://thisisindexed.com/
Indexed
Jessica Hagy uses mathematical diagrams, formulae, or graphs to make hilarious observations on every aspect of daily life, such as "Still a Mess," a Venn diagram in which the common ground between Mighty Putty, OxiClean, and health insurance is "they never work like you thought they will and/or they were sold by Billy Mays" and "Unless you've got backup," in which the second baby will be the nail in the coffin of your career.


THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAGEDY
“What the hell is wrong with doing things right?” demands the suffering “Swede” Levov as, for him, the American dream turns into the American nightmare. Levov had it all, including a Miss New Jersey of 1949 wife and an apple-of-his-eye daughter. But in the 1960s the daughter became radicalized by the war and got involved in a terrorist bombing that resulted in the deaths of innocents. Author Philip Roth’s familiar alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman, narrates Levov’s tragedy. American Pastoral won Roth the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

AMERICAN PASTORAL, by Philip Roth (Vintage International, 1998)


BROUCZECH PILSNER
Nová Paka Brewery, Nová Paka, Czech Republic

Never heard of Nová Paka? Neither have many, but it’s time to fix that now. Nová’s Bohemian Pilsner pours a light bronze with white foam, brilliantly clear. The nose is full, with caramel malt and a smoky character that’s almost ham-like. Bacon beer to round out your breakfast? Sounds too good to be true! In the flavor, a pleasant maltiness with none of the aforementioned meaty bits; while hops have been conspicuously absent up to this point, they finish things off with an abruptly bitter finish. Nice pivo, with a good balance and just a couple of odd moments.

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Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Persistence pays off for partners behind new Syfy series - KansasCity.com

Persistence pays off for partners behind new Syfy series - KansasCity.com

Sunday, July 04, 2010

UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON, by Geoffrey C. Ward (Knopf, 2004)

Ron Hunt, recalling the 245 times during his career he was hit by a pitched ball: "Some people give their lives to science; I gave mine to baseball."

Birthdays:
Al Davis b. 1929
Digger Phelps b. 1941
Emerson Boozer b. 1943
Bobby Cremins b. 1947
Pam Shriver b. 1962

Packers Fact:
In 2007, rookie wide receiver James Jones became the 43rd different Packers' player to catch a touchdown pass from Brett Favre.

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/fireworks/
Art of Explosion
See how Cai Guo-Qiang created a fireworks show for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., from design to ignition at this site. Plus create your own 30-second spectacular using up to five different fireworks per second.

THE FIRST GREATEST
One hundred years ago this Sunday, in the “Fight of the Century,” Jack Johnson defeated James J. Jeffries (one of a number of Great White Hopes) for the heavyweight championship of the world. Johnson’s victory sparked race riots in 25 states. Geoffrey Ward’s well-researched book is the first about Johnson in 15 years, and it shows us one of the first great black athlete heroes: a man of audacity and unyielding individuality. Unforgivable Blackness is an amazing American story.

UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS: THE RISE AND FALL OF JACK JOHNSON, by Geoffrey C. Ward (Knopf, 2004)

BELLE-VUE KRIEK
Brewery Belle-Vue, Brussels, Belgium

Like the gueuze from Belle-Vue, this is an excellent starting point for those curious about lambic beers. It has quite a bit of cherry flavor, and it’s sweet enough for the average drinker—nothing like the fiercely sour traditional versions, but with a nice moderate tartness. The cherry flavor isn’t quite as elegant as in other krieks, but as a straightforward cherry beer with a nod toward lambic, it fits the bill.

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