Looks like you can move the Tour de France into the ugly column.
I'd mentioned yesterday that the race leader, Michael Rasmussen, was under a cloud for not being available during a couple of his out of competition drug test days. He said he was in Mexico, and couldn't re-file the paperwork about his whereabouts in time.
Which is all well and good, until another rider sees you bumming around Rome when you were supposed to be on another continent. His team's sponsor, not surprising in the current climate, didn't like that he'd lied to them about something related to doping control, and pulled him out of the race. Deadspin had a good comparison when they noted it'd be like Barry Bonds getting whacked with a drug suspension while rounding the bases.
I didn't watch last night's stage, taking the night off after the Vinokourov affair. Now, I don't know if I'll even bother to tune back in.
Which leads me to this thought: how would the US pro sports leagues look if they had the same doping controls as cycling?
26 July 2007
25 July 2007
Good: Next year will see some form of competition in car insurance rates in Massachusetts. Right now we're the only state in the Union where regulators fix rates, and our last stab at de-regulation in the 1970s didn't go so well (I have very vague memories of this, more from the news than anything with my family).
So, finally, I may be able to get car insurance from a caveman, Cockney lizard or a pink-haired secret agent/robot football player/baseball fan. Given how we're getting jerked around by our current carrier, I'll happily put my fate in the hands (paws?) of one of these folks.
Bad: More doping allegations at the Tour de France, most notably Alexander Vinokourov's reported positive test for homologous transfusions, which led his entire team to drop out. On top of that, race leader Michael Rasmussen missed a couple of test dates outside of racing, which he blames on the process required to notify the sport's governing body of changes to his itinerary (to be fair, it's a little mind-boggling that riders can't make changes on-line somehow).
Cycling is dependent on sponsor money, and doping makes it that much harder to get new ones. Tyler Hamilton's suspension killed a good Phonak team that was transitioning to a new sponsor, and with deals soon to run out with T-Mobile and Discovery, more high-level names getting busted won't help keep current sponsors or find new ones. On the positive side, this may make some room for folks like Team Slipstream and others who are trying to clean things up.
Though I'm concerned about a cycling team powered by Mexican food. Don't get behind their riders in the peleton.
Ugly - this whole Michael Vick thing. Ugh.
So, finally, I may be able to get car insurance from a caveman, Cockney lizard or a pink-haired secret agent/robot football player/baseball fan. Given how we're getting jerked around by our current carrier, I'll happily put my fate in the hands (paws?) of one of these folks.
Bad: More doping allegations at the Tour de France, most notably Alexander Vinokourov's reported positive test for homologous transfusions, which led his entire team to drop out. On top of that, race leader Michael Rasmussen missed a couple of test dates outside of racing, which he blames on the process required to notify the sport's governing body of changes to his itinerary (to be fair, it's a little mind-boggling that riders can't make changes on-line somehow).
Cycling is dependent on sponsor money, and doping makes it that much harder to get new ones. Tyler Hamilton's suspension killed a good Phonak team that was transitioning to a new sponsor, and with deals soon to run out with T-Mobile and Discovery, more high-level names getting busted won't help keep current sponsors or find new ones. On the positive side, this may make some room for folks like Team Slipstream and others who are trying to clean things up.
Though I'm concerned about a cycling team powered by Mexican food. Don't get behind their riders in the peleton.
Ugly - this whole Michael Vick thing. Ugh.
19 July 2007
For those of you willing to help a co-worker out, please check out and rate this video. It was done as some sort of "face of FiOS" promotion that Verizon is doing in Rhode Island. To vote you would have to register, but it appears you could use a dummy address to do so (not that I would advocate that, no siree).
Of course, high ratings for Patrick would be appreciated, as would low-balling those folks who are currently ahead of him.
Of course, high ratings for Patrick would be appreciated, as would low-balling those folks who are currently ahead of him.
13 July 2007
Book Log 2007 #27: Catholic Matters by Richard John Neuhaus
After reading all these books where the Templars come back to life or something, I figured I'd try some actual religion after seeing this title a few times at the library. Neuhaus is a convert to Catholic practice, and has that conservatism/orthodoxy that is said to mark converts. Or at least it seems that way, as I didn't actually finish this book, which lays out his thoughts as to how to reinvigorate the church.
Or at least I think that's what he was doing. It's circticiously written, and for every interesting story about conversion or reflection on being a Catholic in America, there's a lot of theological talk which didn't quite connect. From what I did read I think Neuhaus would very much be in favor of the retrenching against Vatican II that seems to be underway. So in a way I'm glad I didn't finish it.
Not recommended, but it may be more accessible to people with a better grasp of Catholic thought and theology than me (not that that would take much).
After reading all these books where the Templars come back to life or something, I figured I'd try some actual religion after seeing this title a few times at the library. Neuhaus is a convert to Catholic practice, and has that conservatism/orthodoxy that is said to mark converts. Or at least it seems that way, as I didn't actually finish this book, which lays out his thoughts as to how to reinvigorate the church.
Or at least I think that's what he was doing. It's circticiously written, and for every interesting story about conversion or reflection on being a Catholic in America, there's a lot of theological talk which didn't quite connect. From what I did read I think Neuhaus would very much be in favor of the retrenching against Vatican II that seems to be underway. So in a way I'm glad I didn't finish it.
Not recommended, but it may be more accessible to people with a better grasp of Catholic thought and theology than me (not that that would take much).
11 July 2007
Three points about softball:
1. Not allowing walks is a problem when you have teams whose pitchers can't (a) arc the ball or (b) get the ball within three feet of the plate. Without the walk you force hitters to swing at crap, making it to a team's benefit to have a lousy pitcher. I'd rather hit off a tee than spend as much time as I did last night loitering around the plate.
Make the walk six balls or four balls in a row. Something to force at least mediocre pitching.
2. No one likes to lose; as someone much wiser than I once said, winning beats losing. Even so, batting out of order to give the women on your team fewer at bats is one of the lamest cheats going, especially from supposed adults. Worse still is that the women on the team seemed to have no problem with this.
(Oh, and point 2a: umpires should be clued in enough to see this is happening.)
3. I am in no shape to leg out a (defensively-aided) triple. But I did. Good thing we won, I'd have hated to almost kill myself in defeat.
1. Not allowing walks is a problem when you have teams whose pitchers can't (a) arc the ball or (b) get the ball within three feet of the plate. Without the walk you force hitters to swing at crap, making it to a team's benefit to have a lousy pitcher. I'd rather hit off a tee than spend as much time as I did last night loitering around the plate.
Make the walk six balls or four balls in a row. Something to force at least mediocre pitching.
2. No one likes to lose; as someone much wiser than I once said, winning beats losing. Even so, batting out of order to give the women on your team fewer at bats is one of the lamest cheats going, especially from supposed adults. Worse still is that the women on the team seemed to have no problem with this.
(Oh, and point 2a: umpires should be clued in enough to see this is happening.)
3. I am in no shape to leg out a (defensively-aided) triple. But I did. Good thing we won, I'd have hated to almost kill myself in defeat.
08 July 2007
Now that I think about it, the real coda to our trip was the discovery that I'd managed to run my passport through the laundry. I didn't take it out of my jeans when we got home, and didn't think to check the pockets before putting them in the wash. It's pretty beat up, but the pages are all intact and legible. But I still think it's a good thing I don't plan on leaving the country any time soon. More time to flatten it out.
23 June 2007
I got to warm up for my own reunion (yes, I'm going, more on that in a bit) by going to the wife's this past weekend. In a marked contrast to mine, her's was pretty informal, held at a restaurant and bar in the town her high school is in. No set agenda or fancy invitation, other than a variety of emails and a newspaper announcement that was apparently cut and pasted directly from the email my wife sent to them. Of course, not everyone can be the paragon of journalism that is the Whale City Tribune-Fishwrap or even the Manchester Cricket (which has not yet found a web presence to move it into the 1990s).
Anyway, it went surprisingly well for an event where I only knew two people (the wife and a friend of the wife who I've met once). I spent a fair amount of time talking to a spouse in a similar situation as mine, which was helpful. Given that they live reasonably close to us now, we may even see them again. Or at least that's what you say at reunions.
In any case, there was good beer and, eventually, the Sox game, so the awkward pauses were adequately filled when needed.
As for my own impending reunion, it turns out that it's now been moved to the restaurant that runs the hall where we had our wedding reception. Which is all well and good - if you like (or can eat) seafood. Should any fellow reunioneers from the MHS class of 1987 stumble upon this (my apologies if you do), feel free to claim our steamers.
The announcement that the reunion was moving had a list of attendees attached, and while I was happy to see some people I'd not seen in quite some time, there were two or three names I'd hoped to see that were absent. Par for the course, I suppose.
Anyway, it went surprisingly well for an event where I only knew two people (the wife and a friend of the wife who I've met once). I spent a fair amount of time talking to a spouse in a similar situation as mine, which was helpful. Given that they live reasonably close to us now, we may even see them again. Or at least that's what you say at reunions.
In any case, there was good beer and, eventually, the Sox game, so the awkward pauses were adequately filled when needed.
As for my own impending reunion, it turns out that it's now been moved to the restaurant that runs the hall where we had our wedding reception. Which is all well and good - if you like (or can eat) seafood. Should any fellow reunioneers from the MHS class of 1987 stumble upon this (my apologies if you do), feel free to claim our steamers.
The announcement that the reunion was moving had a list of attendees attached, and while I was happy to see some people I'd not seen in quite some time, there were two or three names I'd hoped to see that were absent. Par for the course, I suppose.
21 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #26: Giotto's Hand by Iain Pears
Another in the Argyll - di Stefano series of art mysteries, very much in line with the rest of the series. If you liked those books, you'll like this one, too. There is an office politics subplot that I'd have liked better if there'd been more (or any) set-up in previous books. It's handled reasonably well, just seems a little out of the blue.
Another in the Argyll - di Stefano series of art mysteries, very much in line with the rest of the series. If you liked those books, you'll like this one, too. There is an office politics subplot that I'd have liked better if there'd been more (or any) set-up in previous books. It's handled reasonably well, just seems a little out of the blue.
20 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #25: Future Energy by Bill Paul
I was vaguely disappointed by this book, for a few reasons:
* A major focus of the book is on what companies to invest in to make the most money off of the coming changes in the oil industry. Not a bad idea, and Paul is suited to the task, but I wasn't really in the mood for an investment primer, given that I don't have much free capital on hand. More of a personal issue than anything else.
* Most of Paul's assumptions were based on there being no changes in current individual practices with regards to consumption, and he gave increased efficiency pretty short shrift, too. I'd have liked to have seen some ideas here, too.
* I think I'd have liked more explanation on the technical side, especially on some of the less well-known substitute liquid fuels, especially those converted from coal. There was a pretty bright line between the technology that I knew beforehand and that which was in the book and given a basic explanation.
In any case, it's probably worth a read, at least to get people thinking about long-term energy policy for once.
I was vaguely disappointed by this book, for a few reasons:
* A major focus of the book is on what companies to invest in to make the most money off of the coming changes in the oil industry. Not a bad idea, and Paul is suited to the task, but I wasn't really in the mood for an investment primer, given that I don't have much free capital on hand. More of a personal issue than anything else.
* Most of Paul's assumptions were based on there being no changes in current individual practices with regards to consumption, and he gave increased efficiency pretty short shrift, too. I'd have liked to have seen some ideas here, too.
* I think I'd have liked more explanation on the technical side, especially on some of the less well-known substitute liquid fuels, especially those converted from coal. There was a pretty bright line between the technology that I knew beforehand and that which was in the book and given a basic explanation.
In any case, it's probably worth a read, at least to get people thinking about long-term energy policy for once.
19 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #24: The Eagle's Throne by Carlos Fuentes
Set in a not too distant future, Mexico's communications are cut off by an irritated American government, forcing the players in the Mexican government to do the unthinkable: communicate by written word. As this epistolary novel unfolds, we get to see the palace intrigue surrounding the current president and who will replace him - either at the end of his term or before, depending on who is doing the scheming.
I found it hard to get into this book, given the density of the writing and the somewhat rickety way characters and action have to be introduced due to the format. Once it got going this was less of a problem, though I never feel like I fully connected. Which I guess is appropriate, because with all the scheming and plotting the connections between the characters are never fully formed, either.
Not being particularly well versed on Mexican politics I can't speak to the way the book projects the legacy of the PRI's long-time rule, though I think the idea that the impacts are negative and long-term is pretty accurate. The portraits of what power does to people are pretty familiar, though couched in some well-crafted language.
Not sure if I'd recommend this or not. The format should work well for commuting, but I found myself having to go back quite a bit to remind myself about characters and plot points. Better suited to reading when you have time to focus and aren't distracted by the usual commuting stuff, I think.
Set in a not too distant future, Mexico's communications are cut off by an irritated American government, forcing the players in the Mexican government to do the unthinkable: communicate by written word. As this epistolary novel unfolds, we get to see the palace intrigue surrounding the current president and who will replace him - either at the end of his term or before, depending on who is doing the scheming.
I found it hard to get into this book, given the density of the writing and the somewhat rickety way characters and action have to be introduced due to the format. Once it got going this was less of a problem, though I never feel like I fully connected. Which I guess is appropriate, because with all the scheming and plotting the connections between the characters are never fully formed, either.
Not being particularly well versed on Mexican politics I can't speak to the way the book projects the legacy of the PRI's long-time rule, though I think the idea that the impacts are negative and long-term is pretty accurate. The portraits of what power does to people are pretty familiar, though couched in some well-crafted language.
Not sure if I'd recommend this or not. The format should work well for commuting, but I found myself having to go back quite a bit to remind myself about characters and plot points. Better suited to reading when you have time to focus and aren't distracted by the usual commuting stuff, I think.
17 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #23: The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon
Chabon seeks to put a coda on the career of Sherlock Holmes in this novella, which sees the aged detective retired to the countryside as a beekeeper, only to return to his best-known profession when a lodger at a local boarding house turns up dead. A young refugee displaced by World War II and his pet parrot - who likes to repeat strings of numbers in German - add another layer to the case.
I liked the story, but found the hook on which the murder stood to be a little weak. I don't think that's what Chabon was really focusing on, but making it a bit stronger would have helped the mystery match the great prose surrounding it.
Not sure if Sherlockians would approve of it - perhaps our resident one has read it and will make comment - but for the small investment in time it's more than worth a look.
Chabon seeks to put a coda on the career of Sherlock Holmes in this novella, which sees the aged detective retired to the countryside as a beekeeper, only to return to his best-known profession when a lodger at a local boarding house turns up dead. A young refugee displaced by World War II and his pet parrot - who likes to repeat strings of numbers in German - add another layer to the case.
I liked the story, but found the hook on which the murder stood to be a little weak. I don't think that's what Chabon was really focusing on, but making it a bit stronger would have helped the mystery match the great prose surrounding it.
Not sure if Sherlockians would approve of it - perhaps our resident one has read it and will make comment - but for the small investment in time it's more than worth a look.
16 June 2007
Book Log 2007 Extra: What I Was Reading Four Years Ago
I recently signed up for a new card at the Boston Public Library, and in the process of activating the new card I had to close two dormant accounts: the one I opened when I was in high school, and one that I opened when I was living out at Babson. Except that for the latter account, I also had to pay off overdue fines on five books that I'd taken out roughly four years ago. So what titles appeared in this little time capsule?
* Two, A Walk in the Woods and Notes From a Small Island are Bill Bryson books that I picked up after enjoying his book about Australia, In A Sunburned Country. All are recommended.
* I got less enjoyment out of Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser's follow-up to Fast Food Nation, but I don't think it's the sort of book that's really supposed to be enjoyed. It was interesting, and I think the section on underground labor is worth some thought given the current immigration debate.
* The Harry Turtledove short story collection Counting Up, Counting Down was a mixed bag. I wasn't a fan of the title stories, but I did like "Deconstruction Gang" and a couple of the others not mentioned on this page.
* I'm not sure about the last book, but I think it was Beating the College Blues, which I would have taken out as a reference for a training session I had to give during RA training. I have no idea what that training was, or if it went well. Hope it was worth the $.40 in fines.
I recently signed up for a new card at the Boston Public Library, and in the process of activating the new card I had to close two dormant accounts: the one I opened when I was in high school, and one that I opened when I was living out at Babson. Except that for the latter account, I also had to pay off overdue fines on five books that I'd taken out roughly four years ago. So what titles appeared in this little time capsule?
* Two, A Walk in the Woods and Notes From a Small Island are Bill Bryson books that I picked up after enjoying his book about Australia, In A Sunburned Country. All are recommended.
* I got less enjoyment out of Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser's follow-up to Fast Food Nation, but I don't think it's the sort of book that's really supposed to be enjoyed. It was interesting, and I think the section on underground labor is worth some thought given the current immigration debate.
* The Harry Turtledove short story collection Counting Up, Counting Down was a mixed bag. I wasn't a fan of the title stories, but I did like "Deconstruction Gang" and a couple of the others not mentioned on this page.
* I'm not sure about the last book, but I think it was Beating the College Blues, which I would have taken out as a reference for a training session I had to give during RA training. I have no idea what that training was, or if it went well. Hope it was worth the $.40 in fines.
15 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #22: In the Devil's Garden by Stuart Lee Allen
I liked the concept of this book - a compendium of forbidden or controversial foods listed by its relation to one of the seven deadly sins - but the execution left me bored. I made it through the lust chapter, barely, and quit not too far into the second chapter.
Each chapter started with a menu of foods for each sin, and I think I would have liked the book more had the chapter been more focused on the menu, or at least had some sensible way of adding side material. It all seemed too disjointed, and I never quite got drawn in.
I liked the concept of this book - a compendium of forbidden or controversial foods listed by its relation to one of the seven deadly sins - but the execution left me bored. I made it through the lust chapter, barely, and quit not too far into the second chapter.
Each chapter started with a menu of foods for each sin, and I think I would have liked the book more had the chapter been more focused on the menu, or at least had some sensible way of adding side material. It all seemed too disjointed, and I never quite got drawn in.
14 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #21: The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud by Julia Navarro and Andrew Hurley
This was better written than the usual entry into the religious-themed thriller genre, less formulaic than usual, though with enough secret society, ritual, and people willing to give it all for the truth to keep things from getting too literary. I also thought there was, at times, a clunkiness to the dialog that I'm assuming was from the translation, not having read any of Navarro's other books.
I'd certainly suggest this over the other stuff from the genre I've read, though I do have a vague sense of disappointment about the book. Which I'd be happy to explain if I hadn't actually read the book a month ago.
This was better written than the usual entry into the religious-themed thriller genre, less formulaic than usual, though with enough secret society, ritual, and people willing to give it all for the truth to keep things from getting too literary. I also thought there was, at times, a clunkiness to the dialog that I'm assuming was from the translation, not having read any of Navarro's other books.
I'd certainly suggest this over the other stuff from the genre I've read, though I do have a vague sense of disappointment about the book. Which I'd be happy to explain if I hadn't actually read the book a month ago.
13 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #20: Stolen Masterpiece Tracker by Thomas McShane with Dary Matera
I picked this up based on the subject matter - the memoirs of an FBI art theft specialist who often works undercover - but I should have guessed from the lousy title that the actual writing was going to be a problem.
I didn't make it past the second chapter, thanks to the soft-boiled style of prose that contaminated the page. It didn't help that every page seemed to contain two or three instances of "irony" that, ironically, weren't really examples of irony. It's a shame, too, as I was looking forward to reading about McShane's involvement in the local Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery.
Avoid.
I picked this up based on the subject matter - the memoirs of an FBI art theft specialist who often works undercover - but I should have guessed from the lousy title that the actual writing was going to be a problem.
I didn't make it past the second chapter, thanks to the soft-boiled style of prose that contaminated the page. It didn't help that every page seemed to contain two or three instances of "irony" that, ironically, weren't really examples of irony. It's a shame, too, as I was looking forward to reading about McShane's involvement in the local Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery.
Avoid.
05 June 2007
Book Log 2007 #19: Roma by Steven Saylor
Known best for his series of Roman mysteries featuing Gordianus the Finder, Roma takes a more sweeping look at the city, from its origins as a camp for traders to the seat of Augustus' empire, through the eyes of two of its oldest families and the object that connects them.
While reading this I did think quite a bit of William Martin and Edward Rutherford. Martin writes historical novels of some scope, usually focused on two families and an item or object that is the focus of their conflict. Rutherford writes in even greater historical scope, primarily on English subjects. And as similar as Roma is to the style of their works, Saylor is a better writer.
You don't have to be familiar with Roman history to enjoy the book, though it does help in catching some of the less obvious details. It's a big book, fitting given the subject and scale, but it moves quickly thanks to the pacing of the story, whose chapters are kind of semi-contained by jumping a generation or two from those preceding. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it.
Known best for his series of Roman mysteries featuing Gordianus the Finder, Roma takes a more sweeping look at the city, from its origins as a camp for traders to the seat of Augustus' empire, through the eyes of two of its oldest families and the object that connects them.
While reading this I did think quite a bit of William Martin and Edward Rutherford. Martin writes historical novels of some scope, usually focused on two families and an item or object that is the focus of their conflict. Rutherford writes in even greater historical scope, primarily on English subjects. And as similar as Roma is to the style of their works, Saylor is a better writer.
You don't have to be familiar with Roman history to enjoy the book, though it does help in catching some of the less obvious details. It's a big book, fitting given the subject and scale, but it moves quickly thanks to the pacing of the story, whose chapters are kind of semi-contained by jumping a generation or two from those preceding. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it.
30 May 2007
Book Log 2007 #18: The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten
Steingarten quit his job as an attorney to become the food critic at Vogue, and his lawyerly focus and obsession with food are well documented in this volume of his essays primarly drawn from his work for the magazine. He opens the book by cataloging his own food phobias and his attempts to overcome them, and from there discourses far and wide on food subjects, from his attempts to become proficient at making bread to heading to the four corners of the globe to try something. He doesn't quite go to the cobra heart extreme that closes A Cook's Tour, but Steingarten does go quite a ways to becoming someone who has eaten everything.
That being said, I did find myself getting a little worn out by the end of the book, as there's only so much urbane self-deprecation I can take at one time. There are a few essays whose inclusion confuses me (one on pheremones comes to mind), and some show their age (such as the one on diets which refers the recent Atkins craze - the first one, back in the '80s).
Overall, it's an enjoyable collection, and well-suited to a commute, too.
Steingarten quit his job as an attorney to become the food critic at Vogue, and his lawyerly focus and obsession with food are well documented in this volume of his essays primarly drawn from his work for the magazine. He opens the book by cataloging his own food phobias and his attempts to overcome them, and from there discourses far and wide on food subjects, from his attempts to become proficient at making bread to heading to the four corners of the globe to try something. He doesn't quite go to the cobra heart extreme that closes A Cook's Tour, but Steingarten does go quite a ways to becoming someone who has eaten everything.
That being said, I did find myself getting a little worn out by the end of the book, as there's only so much urbane self-deprecation I can take at one time. There are a few essays whose inclusion confuses me (one on pheremones comes to mind), and some show their age (such as the one on diets which refers the recent Atkins craze - the first one, back in the '80s).
Overall, it's an enjoyable collection, and well-suited to a commute, too.
27 May 2007
I'd not really picked a favorite for the Stanley Cup finals, as once my adopted team (Buffalo) went out, I didn't think I had a BU-related rooting interest. Turns out I was wrong; former Terrier Joe DiPenta plays for the Ducks, though given their short bench I don't know how much ice time he saw during the finals. Even better, the Senators have a player from the dreaded rival on their roster. It's not quite win-win-win, but it's not bad. I can only hope Joe brings the Cup to campus when he has his day with it, but I assume he'll take it home.
24 May 2007
Book Log 2007 #17: The Book of Lost Books by Stuart Kelly
For every book that's still around there are several that have been lost in the mists of time, and Kelly does his best to mention all of them.
It's not a bad book, but it could have used some focus. I wound up bailing out about three-quarters of the way through, beaten back by the volume of information. In some cases the entry is more about the author and his life and times than it is any particular lost work, and as interesting as that could be, it just added more to a book that could have used a little restraint. It did have the commuting benefit of being broken up by author, so there was very little having to stop in the middle of a section. But still, it's probably a better book for browsing or looking at specific authors of interest than as something to read as a whole.
For every book that's still around there are several that have been lost in the mists of time, and Kelly does his best to mention all of them.
It's not a bad book, but it could have used some focus. I wound up bailing out about three-quarters of the way through, beaten back by the volume of information. In some cases the entry is more about the author and his life and times than it is any particular lost work, and as interesting as that could be, it just added more to a book that could have used a little restraint. It did have the commuting benefit of being broken up by author, so there was very little having to stop in the middle of a section. But still, it's probably a better book for browsing or looking at specific authors of interest than as something to read as a whole.
Book Log 2007 #16: Lost by Michael Robotham
Not related to the TV show, Lost is the story of a London police detective who is suffering from amnesia in the wake of being shot and fished out of the Thames. The only clue to what he was doing comes from a photo he had on him of a girl whose disappearance he investigated years previously - a case for which a man was sent to prison. We follow the detective as he puts together just what he was doing in the time before being pulled from the river, and begins to suspect that the missing girl was not, as previously thought, killed. Even as the girl remains lost and the detectives memory are recovered, we're shown other ways in which the detective is lost - to his fellow officers and to his family.
I really enjoyed this one, from the nicely-defined characters to the pace to an ending that made two or three unexpected jumps. Recommended.
Not related to the TV show, Lost is the story of a London police detective who is suffering from amnesia in the wake of being shot and fished out of the Thames. The only clue to what he was doing comes from a photo he had on him of a girl whose disappearance he investigated years previously - a case for which a man was sent to prison. We follow the detective as he puts together just what he was doing in the time before being pulled from the river, and begins to suspect that the missing girl was not, as previously thought, killed. Even as the girl remains lost and the detectives memory are recovered, we're shown other ways in which the detective is lost - to his fellow officers and to his family.
I really enjoyed this one, from the nicely-defined characters to the pace to an ending that made two or three unexpected jumps. Recommended.
19 May 2007
My 20th high school reunion is coming up, and I'm undecided about attending. It's not so much the mixing with former classmates who I rarely see, but the idea that I'd have to pay $110 to do so. With a cash bar on top of that.
There are other logistical issues, too, but I'm finding myself particularly irritated over the cost, perhaps too much so. But comparing this to reunions past (my own and those of friends and co-workers), I think my umbrage is at least partially understandable.
There are a couple of people who I have not seen in ages that I would really like to catch up with, and that would at least give me some justification for coughing up the dough, but there's no guarantee that they'll be there.
So I open the floor to you, dear reader, and your well-crafted and possibly even offered-while-sober advice.
There are other logistical issues, too, but I'm finding myself particularly irritated over the cost, perhaps too much so. But comparing this to reunions past (my own and those of friends and co-workers), I think my umbrage is at least partially understandable.
There are a couple of people who I have not seen in ages that I would really like to catch up with, and that would at least give me some justification for coughing up the dough, but there's no guarantee that they'll be there.
So I open the floor to you, dear reader, and your well-crafted and possibly even offered-while-sober advice.
14 May 2007
Book Log 2007 #15: The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester
Perhaps best known here for his book Krakatoa, here Winchester tells the story of William Smith, whose interest in rock strata led him to create the world's first geological map and helped to found the modern science of geology. A working man, he did much of his work as a side project while building canals or on his own after a rather spectacular fall from grace.
The science in this book is ably supported by its parts on religion (and how Smith's work changed the popular Biblical view of the world's origin) and biography (though I would have liked more personal information about Smith). It can drag a bit - there's a center chapter about a period of Winchester's life as a child which isn't as useful to the overall narrative as I think he believes it is - but it's a decent read, especially if you're interested in geology or the history of science.
Perhaps best known here for his book Krakatoa, here Winchester tells the story of William Smith, whose interest in rock strata led him to create the world's first geological map and helped to found the modern science of geology. A working man, he did much of his work as a side project while building canals or on his own after a rather spectacular fall from grace.
The science in this book is ably supported by its parts on religion (and how Smith's work changed the popular Biblical view of the world's origin) and biography (though I would have liked more personal information about Smith). It can drag a bit - there's a center chapter about a period of Winchester's life as a child which isn't as useful to the overall narrative as I think he believes it is - but it's a decent read, especially if you're interested in geology or the history of science.
04 May 2007
From an AP story about Queen Elizabeth II's recent state visit to the US:
"The queen concluded a rigorous schedule of events marked by frequent changes in dress and a series of colorful hats."
I wasn't aware that the queen was here to put on her one-woman show about Bella Abzug.
"The queen concluded a rigorous schedule of events marked by frequent changes in dress and a series of colorful hats."
I wasn't aware that the queen was here to put on her one-woman show about Bella Abzug.
03 May 2007
Book Log 2007 #14: Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
The first book in a series that's spun off from the Island in the Sea of Time series, the same event that sends Nantucket a couple of millenia back in time impacts the present day by eliminating electricity (and lessening the effects of combustion on things like explosives). As you can imagine, things go downhill pretty quickly as people realize that the juice isn't coming back.
It does help, apparently, to be a Wiccan, a former Marine, or an academic who has studied the Middle Ages. Communities form around characters who are all three, and their formation, growth, and interaction makes up the bulk of the book.
I was a little dubious going into the book, fearing kind of a nerd utopia vision, but enjoyed it more as it went along. I'm still not clear on what can burn and what can't - gasoline seems to work in bonfires, but steam engines can't get up the requisite pressure to function properly. There are other little bits along the way that I found odd, but overall it's a decent book if you're into this sort of thing.
The first book in a series that's spun off from the Island in the Sea of Time series, the same event that sends Nantucket a couple of millenia back in time impacts the present day by eliminating electricity (and lessening the effects of combustion on things like explosives). As you can imagine, things go downhill pretty quickly as people realize that the juice isn't coming back.
It does help, apparently, to be a Wiccan, a former Marine, or an academic who has studied the Middle Ages. Communities form around characters who are all three, and their formation, growth, and interaction makes up the bulk of the book.
I was a little dubious going into the book, fearing kind of a nerd utopia vision, but enjoyed it more as it went along. I'm still not clear on what can burn and what can't - gasoline seems to work in bonfires, but steam engines can't get up the requisite pressure to function properly. There are other little bits along the way that I found odd, but overall it's a decent book if you're into this sort of thing.
29 April 2007
So in the last three minutes I learned that Randy Moss is now a New England Patriot, having been shipped out of Oakland for a fourth round draft pick. That seems like a bargain, except that we're talking about Randy Moss here. He's still a top-level talent, but as he only tries on about half the plays he's even in the game for, I'm wondering if picking him up is such a good thing.
On the plus side, on the plays where he is sufficiently interested to play, the Pats now have a pretty lethal combination in Moss and Donte' Stallworth. The Pats also have a developing track record for being able to host problematic stars, given the recent Corey Dillon era. Moss is a whole level or two above Dillon in being problematic, though.
I guess I'm just very confused. This is either going to be one of the personnel coups of the Scott Pioli era, or Moss is going to obliterate the good karma surrounding the team and they'll finish 4-12, kicking off a new decade of Patriot futility.
On the plus side, on the plays where he is sufficiently interested to play, the Pats now have a pretty lethal combination in Moss and Donte' Stallworth. The Pats also have a developing track record for being able to host problematic stars, given the recent Corey Dillon era. Moss is a whole level or two above Dillon in being problematic, though.
I guess I'm just very confused. This is either going to be one of the personnel coups of the Scott Pioli era, or Moss is going to obliterate the good karma surrounding the team and they'll finish 4-12, kicking off a new decade of Patriot futility.
27 April 2007
I did not watch last night's debate in South Carolina, as it is April 2007 and I am already sick of the 2008 election. It does not help that, out of the eight announced candidates, I cannot get excited about any of them. The best I can do is nominal interest; will 2008 be the year that I - gasp! - vote in the Republican primary?
Probably not. My only motivations there would be to (a) continue my string of voting against Mitt Romney, and (b) being the only guy in Beverly to vote for Sam Brownback. And even then, I think the guy who drives around with the "ARREST ALL CRIMINALIENS" sign on his car may be a Brownback voter.
I was just on the Massachusetts secretary of state's website, and have discovered that it only takes 2500 signatures to get on the Presidential primary ballot. That's tempting.
Probably not. My only motivations there would be to (a) continue my string of voting against Mitt Romney, and (b) being the only guy in Beverly to vote for Sam Brownback. And even then, I think the guy who drives around with the "ARREST ALL CRIMINALIENS" sign on his car may be a Brownback voter.
I was just on the Massachusetts secretary of state's website, and have discovered that it only takes 2500 signatures to get on the Presidential primary ballot. That's tempting.
26 April 2007
Book Log 2007 #13: The Philosopher and the Druids by Philip Freeman
In the first century BC, the Greek philosopher Posidonius wrote about his experiences with the various peoples in and around the Mediterranian, including several Celtic tribes. That work is lost, but through surviving fragments and other writings, Freeman tries to put together what Posidonious would have written about the Celts he encountered.
It's a valiant effort, but I can't say it's a wholly successful one. The book winds up being an overview Celtic life in that time period, which is interesting but not exactly groundbreaking. Biographical information about Posidonius is more interesting, while the reaccounting of how Julius Caesar defeated the Celts that appears at the end of the book is pretty standard. To be honest, I got kind of bored halfway through.
So not something I'd recommend, but it may be worth a look for those with a particular interest in the subject.
In the first century BC, the Greek philosopher Posidonius wrote about his experiences with the various peoples in and around the Mediterranian, including several Celtic tribes. That work is lost, but through surviving fragments and other writings, Freeman tries to put together what Posidonious would have written about the Celts he encountered.
It's a valiant effort, but I can't say it's a wholly successful one. The book winds up being an overview Celtic life in that time period, which is interesting but not exactly groundbreaking. Biographical information about Posidonius is more interesting, while the reaccounting of how Julius Caesar defeated the Celts that appears at the end of the book is pretty standard. To be honest, I got kind of bored halfway through.
So not something I'd recommend, but it may be worth a look for those with a particular interest in the subject.
24 April 2007
So like a true friend, I've been sitting on these interview questions from Paul for a couple of months. Thanks for nothing, right? Anyway, here's the interview, and if you'd like to revive this meme leave a comment and I'll send you five interview questions.
1) Now that you've entered into the homeowners club, what do you miss most about being a renter?
Not having to fix stuff. The combination of not being handy and buying a house in need of TLC is a great thing if you like to spend. I worry about getting to the point where we'll put too much money into the house and not at least break even on the resale. Of course, we could stay there for the duration, but that seems unlikely.
2) In your opinion, who is the best former Terrier hockey player that did NOT make it to the NHL?
This is a tough one, given how many former Icedogs had a cup of coffee (which is more of a baseball term, but I'm at a loss for hockey equivalent; feel free to suggest one) in the NHL. I actually went back and looked at some stuff on the Internet Hockey Database (which is a fantastic resource), and have determined that the best player who I've seen play who didn't make it to the NHL was Mike Pomichter, who had three seasons with great point totals, but who left to go pro the season before we won our last title. He then went on to have a long and not particularly successful minor league career.
I'd also considered Petteri Koskimaki for this, as he had a couple of strong seasons while playing on teams loaded with future NHLers (McEachern, Amonte, Tkachuk, among others). He doesn't appear to have played anywhere after BU, even in Europe. That's surprising, though given his senior year numbers I wonder if he took an injury that put him out of hockey for good. I honestly don't remember; the seasons are starting to run together. Google doesn't even return post-BU stats for him.
Another possible answer: Jack Parker. I've occasionally wondered how things would have gone had he actually taken the Bruins job back in the early '90s. I'd like to think he'd have found success, but given that the average tenure of a Bruins coach seems to be about three years, the idea that he'd have wound up back at BU before too long isn't unlikely.
3) Among all your quiz bowl journeys, away hockey games, etc.., what was your best road trip (elaborate)?
In terms of actually getting to see things, I'd have to go with last year's TRASHionals trip to Austin, as we took a couple of extra days and actually saw things in Austin and San Antonio. Usually on these trips you don't see anything more than the host school and your hotel, but on this trip I actually got to see the Alamo and a bunch of other stuff. It was a nice change.
For weekend quiz bowl trips, there's more trips to the Philadelphia area that had at least one funny story than I can remember. For hockey trips, I do fondly recall our fan van trip to Lowell (well, Chelmsford, actually) where we wandered up the street and found that Chinese place. How we didn't get lost or hit by a truck I don't know.
4) If you could design a flavour of ice cream for Ben & Jerry's what would it be called and what would it include?
I was coming up with one when I saw that Dairy Queen kind of beat me to the punch with their Kit Kat Blizzard. But I'll do them one better with Kat Food: dark, milk, and white chocolate Kit Kat pieces in a combo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I was considering cinnamon as a secondary flavoring, which would pretty much make this my standard Angora Cafe frozen yogurt order from about 1993 to 1995.
5) Favorite Seinfeld episode and why?
A tough one given the options. There's "The Strike," which precipitated all the Festivus nonsense late last year. There are also some of the iconic episodes like "The Contest" and "The Chinese Restaurant." And after the two months I've had to come up with something, it turns out I don't have a favorite episode. There are several that I really enjoy, but none quite reigns supreme. Aren't you glad you waited for that answer?
1) Now that you've entered into the homeowners club, what do you miss most about being a renter?
Not having to fix stuff. The combination of not being handy and buying a house in need of TLC is a great thing if you like to spend. I worry about getting to the point where we'll put too much money into the house and not at least break even on the resale. Of course, we could stay there for the duration, but that seems unlikely.
2) In your opinion, who is the best former Terrier hockey player that did NOT make it to the NHL?
This is a tough one, given how many former Icedogs had a cup of coffee (which is more of a baseball term, but I'm at a loss for hockey equivalent; feel free to suggest one) in the NHL. I actually went back and looked at some stuff on the Internet Hockey Database (which is a fantastic resource), and have determined that the best player who I've seen play who didn't make it to the NHL was Mike Pomichter, who had three seasons with great point totals, but who left to go pro the season before we won our last title. He then went on to have a long and not particularly successful minor league career.
I'd also considered Petteri Koskimaki for this, as he had a couple of strong seasons while playing on teams loaded with future NHLers (McEachern, Amonte, Tkachuk, among others). He doesn't appear to have played anywhere after BU, even in Europe. That's surprising, though given his senior year numbers I wonder if he took an injury that put him out of hockey for good. I honestly don't remember; the seasons are starting to run together. Google doesn't even return post-BU stats for him.
Another possible answer: Jack Parker. I've occasionally wondered how things would have gone had he actually taken the Bruins job back in the early '90s. I'd like to think he'd have found success, but given that the average tenure of a Bruins coach seems to be about three years, the idea that he'd have wound up back at BU before too long isn't unlikely.
3) Among all your quiz bowl journeys, away hockey games, etc.., what was your best road trip (elaborate)?
In terms of actually getting to see things, I'd have to go with last year's TRASHionals trip to Austin, as we took a couple of extra days and actually saw things in Austin and San Antonio. Usually on these trips you don't see anything more than the host school and your hotel, but on this trip I actually got to see the Alamo and a bunch of other stuff. It was a nice change.
For weekend quiz bowl trips, there's more trips to the Philadelphia area that had at least one funny story than I can remember. For hockey trips, I do fondly recall our fan van trip to Lowell (well, Chelmsford, actually) where we wandered up the street and found that Chinese place. How we didn't get lost or hit by a truck I don't know.
4) If you could design a flavour of ice cream for Ben & Jerry's what would it be called and what would it include?
I was coming up with one when I saw that Dairy Queen kind of beat me to the punch with their Kit Kat Blizzard. But I'll do them one better with Kat Food: dark, milk, and white chocolate Kit Kat pieces in a combo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. I was considering cinnamon as a secondary flavoring, which would pretty much make this my standard Angora Cafe frozen yogurt order from about 1993 to 1995.
5) Favorite Seinfeld episode and why?
A tough one given the options. There's "The Strike," which precipitated all the Festivus nonsense late last year. There are also some of the iconic episodes like "The Contest" and "The Chinese Restaurant." And after the two months I've had to come up with something, it turns out I don't have a favorite episode. There are several that I really enjoy, but none quite reigns supreme. Aren't you glad you waited for that answer?
23 April 2007
According to Google Maps, the distance from Boston to College Park, Maryland is 435 miles, which, at highway speeds (or perhaps just a shade over them) would take about 7 hours to cover. The return drive to Beverly is a little longer, 455 miles, but at similar speeds would take 7 and a half hours to cover. Of course, the problem is the assumption that you can drive at highway speeds during the entire trip.
This was an especially bad assumption this weekend, as our drives to and from College Park took between 9 and a half and 10 and a half hours.
I blame myself for the delay on the drive down, as given our departure time I should have known that 95 through New York on a late Friday afternoon was an invitation to gridlock. I remember passing the exit that would have taken us to the Tappan Zee Bridge and wondering if I was making a mistake. I did not have to wonder for too long. We entered New York state just at 5 pm, and didn't get on to the George Washington Bridge until after 7 pm.
I'll also assign some blame to AAA, whose Trip-Tik didn't seem to think this would be a problem. On the other hand, it's not like you enter a time for your trip, so perhaps that's a suggestion I should make. In any event, I don't know if the Tappan Zee would have saved us any time, but I can't imagine it would have cost us any more.
And for what it's worth, traffic was pretty bad from New Haven to about Newark, so it's not like this was a New York-only problem. I also encounted what might have been the most empatic stop-and-go traffic ever in New Jersey, as we'd be moving right along at highway speeds and then have to come to a complete halt in about 100 yards. Not good.
On the trip home, the Jersey Turnpike was busy from exit 5 on up, though it moved pretty well from exit 9 to the tolls by the Meadowlands... after which things jammed up nice and tight. It took us about 20 minutes to get from the tolls to the exit for the Vince (perhaps longer), a distance of about two miles. Things didn't really thin out in the time during our stop, but we were at least given good information about the local route being the best way to get back over the GWB. We could have easily added another hour to our trip if we stuck to the "express" route.
I did learn during this trip that I do get agitated pretty easily at driving in such delays, I think from a combination of losing time and not being able to actually drive. On the positive side, I do not then resort to horn honking, multiple lane changes, or driving in the breakdown lane. So I've not completely lost it.
As you can imagine, it was a tiring weekend, but a fun one.
This was an especially bad assumption this weekend, as our drives to and from College Park took between 9 and a half and 10 and a half hours.
I blame myself for the delay on the drive down, as given our departure time I should have known that 95 through New York on a late Friday afternoon was an invitation to gridlock. I remember passing the exit that would have taken us to the Tappan Zee Bridge and wondering if I was making a mistake. I did not have to wonder for too long. We entered New York state just at 5 pm, and didn't get on to the George Washington Bridge until after 7 pm.
I'll also assign some blame to AAA, whose Trip-Tik didn't seem to think this would be a problem. On the other hand, it's not like you enter a time for your trip, so perhaps that's a suggestion I should make. In any event, I don't know if the Tappan Zee would have saved us any time, but I can't imagine it would have cost us any more.
And for what it's worth, traffic was pretty bad from New Haven to about Newark, so it's not like this was a New York-only problem. I also encounted what might have been the most empatic stop-and-go traffic ever in New Jersey, as we'd be moving right along at highway speeds and then have to come to a complete halt in about 100 yards. Not good.
On the trip home, the Jersey Turnpike was busy from exit 5 on up, though it moved pretty well from exit 9 to the tolls by the Meadowlands... after which things jammed up nice and tight. It took us about 20 minutes to get from the tolls to the exit for the Vince (perhaps longer), a distance of about two miles. Things didn't really thin out in the time during our stop, but we were at least given good information about the local route being the best way to get back over the GWB. We could have easily added another hour to our trip if we stuck to the "express" route.
I did learn during this trip that I do get agitated pretty easily at driving in such delays, I think from a combination of losing time and not being able to actually drive. On the positive side, I do not then resort to horn honking, multiple lane changes, or driving in the breakdown lane. So I've not completely lost it.
As you can imagine, it was a tiring weekend, but a fun one.
20 April 2007
Book Log 2007 #12: Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee
In this collection, McPhee turns his eye towards transportation, following an independent long-haul trucker, crews from freight trains and barges, and even himself as he makes a canoe journey in the oar strokes of Thoreau.
The essays are full of his usual beautiful prose, but I never quite felt connected with his subjects as in some of the older books - even when he was his own subject. I'm not sure where the problem lies; in one way I found the people in the books fairly similar in their oddball character, so perhaps there was a repetitive aspect that was turning me off. I'm also not sure if the essays brought about the same sort of revelations that the books on more offbeat subject did.
If you're a fan, you'll probably get something out of this, hopefully more than I did. For a first-timer, though, this may not be the place to start.
In this collection, McPhee turns his eye towards transportation, following an independent long-haul trucker, crews from freight trains and barges, and even himself as he makes a canoe journey in the oar strokes of Thoreau.
The essays are full of his usual beautiful prose, but I never quite felt connected with his subjects as in some of the older books - even when he was his own subject. I'm not sure where the problem lies; in one way I found the people in the books fairly similar in their oddball character, so perhaps there was a repetitive aspect that was turning me off. I'm also not sure if the essays brought about the same sort of revelations that the books on more offbeat subject did.
If you're a fan, you'll probably get something out of this, hopefully more than I did. For a first-timer, though, this may not be the place to start.
Book Log 2007 #11: The Ethical Assassin by David Liss
Liss is better known for historical mysteries with a financial bend, like The Coffee Trader that I'd read previously. But he's also pretty adept at mysteries in the present, as this book demonstrates. It follows a kid whose selling encyclopedias who gets caught up with the sort of Floridian criminal element that Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen have made popular. I don't read much by either of those authors, so it's hard for me to say if my enjoyment would have been diminished by comparison.
Even with that caveat, I'd recommend the book highly. Fun story, good characters, and better written than the usual commuter fare.
Liss is better known for historical mysteries with a financial bend, like The Coffee Trader that I'd read previously. But he's also pretty adept at mysteries in the present, as this book demonstrates. It follows a kid whose selling encyclopedias who gets caught up with the sort of Floridian criminal element that Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen have made popular. I don't read much by either of those authors, so it's hard for me to say if my enjoyment would have been diminished by comparison.
Even with that caveat, I'd recommend the book highly. Fun story, good characters, and better written than the usual commuter fare.
19 April 2007
When I was working in residence life, the one issue that caused more personal discomfort than any other was student mental health. I was OK with the other difficult issues, but psychological issues always made me a little uncomfortable as I'm not a mental health professional. Even with the good guidance and support from other on-call staff, I always felt a little out of sync when working on these cases.
Not surprisingly, I've been thinking about this a bit this week. I've not come to any good conclusions, though. I have had the feeling that securing a college campus is next to impossible, which is hardly comforting. And I'm also pretty cheesed at the Boston Herald for their use of one of the photos sent to NBC as their front page. It's one where the gun is pointed at the camera, so you can imagine how that looks. I didn't need any confirmation that the Herald has lost what little taste it used to have, but there it is.
And to close, I'll pass on a request. The folks at Virginia Tech have asked that people wear orange and maroon tomorrow as a sign of solidarity with their community. That seems like the least we could do.
Not surprisingly, I've been thinking about this a bit this week. I've not come to any good conclusions, though. I have had the feeling that securing a college campus is next to impossible, which is hardly comforting. And I'm also pretty cheesed at the Boston Herald for their use of one of the photos sent to NBC as their front page. It's one where the gun is pointed at the camera, so you can imagine how that looks. I didn't need any confirmation that the Herald has lost what little taste it used to have, but there it is.
And to close, I'll pass on a request. The folks at Virginia Tech have asked that people wear orange and maroon tomorrow as a sign of solidarity with their community. That seems like the least we could do.
12 April 2007
How lucky am I? We're having a phone problem on campus right now that's affecting 16 phones - and one of them is mine. You know this is stealing the karma that was going to land me a major lottery jackpot.
Funny thing is, today's the first day of fall registration using our new information system, and for all of the concern and the late nights put in over the last few weeks, it's working fine (so far). Not that anyone could call me and tell me otherwise.
Funny thing is, today's the first day of fall registration using our new information system, and for all of the concern and the late nights put in over the last few weeks, it's working fine (so far). Not that anyone could call me and tell me otherwise.
11 April 2007
Book Log 2007 #16: The Sack of Rome by Alexander Stille
I'd read Excellent Cadavers, Stille's book about Italy's war against the Mafia in the 1980s and early 1990s, and enjoyed his mix of biography, politics, and story-telling. So I was very pleased to see this book, in which Stille examines the rise and eventual fall of Silvio Berlusconi.
In a way, it's a particularly Italian story, as Berlusconi is able to use the existing system - both legal and extra-legal - to enrich himself and gain control over commercial TV, and then get the system changed so he can take political power. As an object lesson for what can happen to a political system is dominated by such a figure, it's instructive in what's been happening in some of the developing democracies and, to a point, here in the US.
That being said, the book does repeat information a little too much, and it does go on for a bit too long. Even so, the story it tells is engaging, informative, and worth reading. And I'd certainly recommend Excellent Cadavers, too.
I'd read Excellent Cadavers, Stille's book about Italy's war against the Mafia in the 1980s and early 1990s, and enjoyed his mix of biography, politics, and story-telling. So I was very pleased to see this book, in which Stille examines the rise and eventual fall of Silvio Berlusconi.
In a way, it's a particularly Italian story, as Berlusconi is able to use the existing system - both legal and extra-legal - to enrich himself and gain control over commercial TV, and then get the system changed so he can take political power. As an object lesson for what can happen to a political system is dominated by such a figure, it's instructive in what's been happening in some of the developing democracies and, to a point, here in the US.
That being said, the book does repeat information a little too much, and it does go on for a bit too long. Even so, the story it tells is engaging, informative, and worth reading. And I'd certainly recommend Excellent Cadavers, too.
09 April 2007
While I don't support the message that Michigan State is our reigning national champion in (div 1) college hockey, I will admit to a fist pump due to the demoralizing nature of the game winning goal. Anything that helps tar the folks up the street with the "can't win the big one" brush is OK in my book. Can we talk a little bit more about how they went from 1949 to 2001 without winning one, too? And how their rink has a lousy sound system and ample seating without back rests? I don't know how that's related, but it couldn't hurt to throw that in.
(I know, I said I wasn't going to watch, but between the game, a Sox game that went from uninteresting to laughable way too quickly, and a desire not to embarras myself at spades yet again, I had no choice.)
Easter, for what it's worth, was about as much fun as it can be. We went to the church where we'd gone the last couple of years for Christmas, and it was interesting in that:
1. They get a much bigger crowd for Easter than for Christmas, though there are more options at Christmas. That being said, we somehow got a whole pew to ourselves. Either we were too recognizable as outsiders or we should have sat at an end rather than in the middle.
2. While this church has a regular priest, I don't think we've ever seen him. He has three parishes to tend to, so I think we keep getting a pinch hitter while he's off at one of the other churches. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - we actually had a couple of great subs at one of the Wellesley churches - but this guy was, well, rambling. I am still not sure I understand the theme of the homily, even when he revisited it before the benediction. He also called for a hymn before that that wasn't listed as part of the day's music; given the relative lack of confusion among the musicians, though, I'm assuming it was planned. It certainly made more sense in context than the homily did.
3. Kids at midnight Mass tend to sleep. Kids at Easter Mass have clearly dipped into their Easter baskets. Chocolate before 10 am is problematic in kids under five. Or over five, I suppose.
4. During Communion, one of the servers ran out of wafers. I don't think I've ever seen that. This led to several minutes delay (all while I was trying not to think about how badly padded the kneelers are) while they tried to find some more. In the end, the priest gave the server some out of his bowl, and resorted to snapping the ones he had left in half. A good solution, albeit a little tardy.
Wrapping up Easter and the Lenten season, my attempt to give up swearing was better than the last one, but not particularly successful. Part of it was that while I didn't say as many swears, I thought more of them. Anyone who wants to give a ruling on the spirit versus the letter of the thing is welcome to do so.
I was also marginally more pleased with the recurring personal bit, as there were more interesting stories and less talking about someone who may not have actually existed. Plus, I got to talk about an inappropriately sexy children's TV host and a cadaver that was put on trial, so how bad could have it have been? I just have to find a way to combine the two for next year.
(I know, I said I wasn't going to watch, but between the game, a Sox game that went from uninteresting to laughable way too quickly, and a desire not to embarras myself at spades yet again, I had no choice.)
Easter, for what it's worth, was about as much fun as it can be. We went to the church where we'd gone the last couple of years for Christmas, and it was interesting in that:
1. They get a much bigger crowd for Easter than for Christmas, though there are more options at Christmas. That being said, we somehow got a whole pew to ourselves. Either we were too recognizable as outsiders or we should have sat at an end rather than in the middle.
2. While this church has a regular priest, I don't think we've ever seen him. He has three parishes to tend to, so I think we keep getting a pinch hitter while he's off at one of the other churches. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - we actually had a couple of great subs at one of the Wellesley churches - but this guy was, well, rambling. I am still not sure I understand the theme of the homily, even when he revisited it before the benediction. He also called for a hymn before that that wasn't listed as part of the day's music; given the relative lack of confusion among the musicians, though, I'm assuming it was planned. It certainly made more sense in context than the homily did.
3. Kids at midnight Mass tend to sleep. Kids at Easter Mass have clearly dipped into their Easter baskets. Chocolate before 10 am is problematic in kids under five. Or over five, I suppose.
4. During Communion, one of the servers ran out of wafers. I don't think I've ever seen that. This led to several minutes delay (all while I was trying not to think about how badly padded the kneelers are) while they tried to find some more. In the end, the priest gave the server some out of his bowl, and resorted to snapping the ones he had left in half. A good solution, albeit a little tardy.
Wrapping up Easter and the Lenten season, my attempt to give up swearing was better than the last one, but not particularly successful. Part of it was that while I didn't say as many swears, I thought more of them. Anyone who wants to give a ruling on the spirit versus the letter of the thing is welcome to do so.
I was also marginally more pleased with the recurring personal bit, as there were more interesting stories and less talking about someone who may not have actually existed. Plus, I got to talk about an inappropriately sexy children's TV host and a cadaver that was put on trial, so how bad could have it have been? I just have to find a way to combine the two for next year.
06 April 2007
Sioux lose, Hyph wins. With North Dakota losing a wild national semifinal to Newton College, our Frozen Four pool ends with the points unchanged from the last update. So ends a less than enthralling year of the pool.
It doesn't help that this year's Hockey Christmas (tm Craig Barker) has turned into Hockey Passover, with many of us who were in the pool playing the role of the Egyptians. Going into the title game, I have no options: can't root for NC for obvious reasons, and was turned off enough by Sparty in its native environment to not want to root for them, either. I'm reduced to rooting for rolling blackouts or some sort of non-lethal disruption that would force them to call things off. It's a sad day when that's the best we've got.
On the other hand, I now have three free hours tomorrow, so I've got that going for me.
It doesn't help that this year's Hockey Christmas (tm Craig Barker) has turned into Hockey Passover, with many of us who were in the pool playing the role of the Egyptians. Going into the title game, I have no options: can't root for NC for obvious reasons, and was turned off enough by Sparty in its native environment to not want to root for them, either. I'm reduced to rooting for rolling blackouts or some sort of non-lethal disruption that would force them to call things off. It's a sad day when that's the best we've got.
On the other hand, I now have three free hours tomorrow, so I've got that going for me.
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Italian Renaissance master and turle namesake Raphael, who was both born on and died on this day, both of which were, like today, Good Friday. On the less holy side of things, Georgio Vasari claimed that his death at age 37 came about when he developed a fever after a night of "excessive" lovemaking with a woman named Margherita who was the subject of La Fornerina, and not wanting to tell that to doctors was given the wrong cure, which killed him. I don't know which I find more amusing, Vasari's explanation of Raphael's illness or the idea that any of the usual 16th century cures would have done anything but hasten the artist's demise.
And even though he died young, Raphael left behind an expansive body of work. He's best known for painting, of course, but also worked as an architect and provided designs for some early engraved prints.
Today's person is Italian Renaissance master and turle namesake Raphael, who was both born on and died on this day, both of which were, like today, Good Friday. On the less holy side of things, Georgio Vasari claimed that his death at age 37 came about when he developed a fever after a night of "excessive" lovemaking with a woman named Margherita who was the subject of La Fornerina, and not wanting to tell that to doctors was given the wrong cure, which killed him. I don't know which I find more amusing, Vasari's explanation of Raphael's illness or the idea that any of the usual 16th century cures would have done anything but hasten the artist's demise.
And even though he died young, Raphael left behind an expansive body of work. He's best known for painting, of course, but also worked as an architect and provided designs for some early engraved prints.
05 April 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who is best known for producing the James Bond movies. Born on Long Island, his family moved to Florida when he was young, but he moved back to New York after his father died. Living with his grandmother in Queens, Broccoli held a number of jobs before getting a job as a gofer on the set of The Outlaw, where he met Howard Hughes for the first time.
After a stint in the Navy, Broccoli moved to Hollywood, where he worked for a talent agency. In the 1950s he moved to London, and soon thereafter formed EON Productions, benefitting from government subsidies for films made in Britain with British cast and crew. Interesting fact: the only non-Bond movie from EON was the Bob Hope film Call Me Bwana (an advertisment for which is seen on a wall in From Russia With Love - it is co-star Anita Ekberg's mouth that serves as a bolt-hole for a baddie shot by Bond and Karim Bey.)
Broccoli spent the rest of his life involved with EON and the Bond franchise (with a side interest in thoroughbreds), up until his death in 1996. He was often noted as being a kind and generous person, which is interesting given his implication in the 1937 death of actor Ted Healy. Healy was apparently beaten to death by three men outside the Trocadero nightclub on the same night his wife gave birth to their first child. While the beating was blamed on "college boys," it's been thought that the actual assailants were Broccoli, actor Wallace Beery, and thug Pat DiCicco. Healy, for his part, was a heavy drinker and there were reports that he picked a fight with the trio, so it's not the most clear-cut case of violence out there. If he only had an umbrella that doubled as a rifle...
Today's person is Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who is best known for producing the James Bond movies. Born on Long Island, his family moved to Florida when he was young, but he moved back to New York after his father died. Living with his grandmother in Queens, Broccoli held a number of jobs before getting a job as a gofer on the set of The Outlaw, where he met Howard Hughes for the first time.
After a stint in the Navy, Broccoli moved to Hollywood, where he worked for a talent agency. In the 1950s he moved to London, and soon thereafter formed EON Productions, benefitting from government subsidies for films made in Britain with British cast and crew. Interesting fact: the only non-Bond movie from EON was the Bob Hope film Call Me Bwana (an advertisment for which is seen on a wall in From Russia With Love - it is co-star Anita Ekberg's mouth that serves as a bolt-hole for a baddie shot by Bond and Karim Bey.)
Broccoli spent the rest of his life involved with EON and the Bond franchise (with a side interest in thoroughbreds), up until his death in 1996. He was often noted as being a kind and generous person, which is interesting given his implication in the 1937 death of actor Ted Healy. Healy was apparently beaten to death by three men outside the Trocadero nightclub on the same night his wife gave birth to their first child. While the beating was blamed on "college boys," it's been thought that the actual assailants were Broccoli, actor Wallace Beery, and thug Pat DiCicco. Healy, for his part, was a heavy drinker and there were reports that he picked a fight with the trio, so it's not the most clear-cut case of violence out there. If he only had an umbrella that doubled as a rifle...
04 April 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Pope Formosus, who was Pope from 891 to 896. Trouble seemed to follow him, as he ran into trouble before, during, and after his reign.
He was bishop of Portus (a suburban area of Rome), but left the city due to "political complications," and was ordered to return to Rome by Pope John VIII to face a variety of charges, from leaving his bishopric without permission to despoiling the cloisters of Rome, or be excommunicated. Formosus avoided excommunication by promising to never return to Rome and to not act as a priest again.
But then John VIII died, and Marinus I OKed Formosus to return to Portus. This favor seemed to last, as witnessed by Formosus being elected Pope.
That favor quickly turned, as Formosus was embroiled in struggled for the crowns of Rome and France, the usupration of the patriarchy of Constantinople, and a dispute by a couple of bishops over the see of Bremen.
You would think things would have quieted down for Formosus when he died, but Pope Stephen VI had his own plans. A year after he died, Formosus was exhumed, dressed in papal regalia, and tried on the charges leveled by John VIII. Formosus was found guilty, had his robes torn off, three of his fingers cut off his right hand, and his corpse was thrown in the Tiber (where it was recovered by a monk). Stephen nullified all of Formosus' acts and orders.
Then Stephen died, and Formosus was quietly reburied in St. Peter's. A few years later Sergius III reaffirmed the findings against Formosus, and demanded that the bishops consecrated by Formosus be reconsecrated. Which led to the question of whether or not they'd have to redo everything they'd done, like ordain priests and such. Confusion, as you might imagine, was widespread.
Eventually, Formosus would have his work reaccepted, and for good measure trying corpses was given an official stamp of disapproval. Just a little too late.
And no, Formosus wasn't Polish, but it's hard to pass up a story where a corpse goes on trial.
Today's person is Pope Formosus, who was Pope from 891 to 896. Trouble seemed to follow him, as he ran into trouble before, during, and after his reign.
He was bishop of Portus (a suburban area of Rome), but left the city due to "political complications," and was ordered to return to Rome by Pope John VIII to face a variety of charges, from leaving his bishopric without permission to despoiling the cloisters of Rome, or be excommunicated. Formosus avoided excommunication by promising to never return to Rome and to not act as a priest again.
But then John VIII died, and Marinus I OKed Formosus to return to Portus. This favor seemed to last, as witnessed by Formosus being elected Pope.
That favor quickly turned, as Formosus was embroiled in struggled for the crowns of Rome and France, the usupration of the patriarchy of Constantinople, and a dispute by a couple of bishops over the see of Bremen.
You would think things would have quieted down for Formosus when he died, but Pope Stephen VI had his own plans. A year after he died, Formosus was exhumed, dressed in papal regalia, and tried on the charges leveled by John VIII. Formosus was found guilty, had his robes torn off, three of his fingers cut off his right hand, and his corpse was thrown in the Tiber (where it was recovered by a monk). Stephen nullified all of Formosus' acts and orders.
Then Stephen died, and Formosus was quietly reburied in St. Peter's. A few years later Sergius III reaffirmed the findings against Formosus, and demanded that the bishops consecrated by Formosus be reconsecrated. Which led to the question of whether or not they'd have to redo everything they'd done, like ordain priests and such. Confusion, as you might imagine, was widespread.
Eventually, Formosus would have his work reaccepted, and for good measure trying corpses was given an official stamp of disapproval. Just a little too late.
And no, Formosus wasn't Polish, but it's hard to pass up a story where a corpse goes on trial.
03 April 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Hanna Suchocka, who to date is the only woman ever to serve as Prime Minister of Poland, holding the position for a little over a year in the early 1990s during Lech Walesa's presidency. From what little I've read it seems like she was a compromise choice for the job, but she replaced and was replaced by the same guy, so it doesn't seem like much of a compromise.
She was named Poland's ambassador to the Vatican in 2001, a role she still fills.
Hmm, maybe I'll make this an all-Polish week to wrap things up.
Today's person is Hanna Suchocka, who to date is the only woman ever to serve as Prime Minister of Poland, holding the position for a little over a year in the early 1990s during Lech Walesa's presidency. From what little I've read it seems like she was a compromise choice for the job, but she replaced and was replaced by the same guy, so it doesn't seem like much of a compromise.
She was named Poland's ambassador to the Vatican in 2001, a role she still fills.
Hmm, maybe I'll make this an all-Polish week to wrap things up.
02 April 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Pope John Paul II, who went to meet the boss on this day two years ago. I'll spare you the career recap, as you likely know the bullet points (so to speak, given how 1981 went for him). If you don't, I'd suggest you watch the news every once in a while.
What I am going to mention is the drive to make JP2 ineligible to appear in future editions of this feature. At a ceremony held today in Rome, five cases of documentation were sealed in preparation for their delivery to the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, who will take up the investigation. Most notable in their work will be seeing whether or not the French nun who claims to have had her Parkinson's disease cured by praying to (or for, I've read both) John Paul beat the disease by medical or theological means.
If they determine that what happened was a miracle, and if they agree that JP2 led a virtuous life, they'll pass his case on to Benedict for beatification. And considering that he already mader reference to hearing John Paul's voice among the communion of saints, I think we know how that will go. JP2 would not be canonized as a saint until they come up with a second miracle attributable to him, which probably won't take too long, either.
As you may be able to tell, I'm a little uncomfortable with the speed of things, which is ironic given that the usual problem with the Vatican is their glacial pace. There have been several assurances given that the investigation will follow all of the usual steps, but when I see the current Pope already hears JP2's voice among those of the saints, I'm not sure I'm buying it. Then again, John Paul was a driving force behind the simplification of the saint-making process given work he did in 1983. So I suppose I shouldn't begrudge him being judged by his own rules, even if in an expidited fashion.
Today's person is Pope John Paul II, who went to meet the boss on this day two years ago. I'll spare you the career recap, as you likely know the bullet points (so to speak, given how 1981 went for him). If you don't, I'd suggest you watch the news every once in a while.
What I am going to mention is the drive to make JP2 ineligible to appear in future editions of this feature. At a ceremony held today in Rome, five cases of documentation were sealed in preparation for their delivery to the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, who will take up the investigation. Most notable in their work will be seeing whether or not the French nun who claims to have had her Parkinson's disease cured by praying to (or for, I've read both) John Paul beat the disease by medical or theological means.
If they determine that what happened was a miracle, and if they agree that JP2 led a virtuous life, they'll pass his case on to Benedict for beatification. And considering that he already mader reference to hearing John Paul's voice among the communion of saints, I think we know how that will go. JP2 would not be canonized as a saint until they come up with a second miracle attributable to him, which probably won't take too long, either.
As you may be able to tell, I'm a little uncomfortable with the speed of things, which is ironic given that the usual problem with the Vatican is their glacial pace. There have been several assurances given that the investigation will follow all of the usual steps, but when I see the current Pope already hears JP2's voice among those of the saints, I'm not sure I'm buying it. Then again, John Paul was a driving force behind the simplification of the saint-making process given work he did in 1983. So I suppose I shouldn't begrudge him being judged by his own rules, even if in an expidited fashion.
31 March 2007
Book Log 2007 #10: Monopoly - The World's Most Famous Game and How it Got That Way by Philip Orbanes
As a former Parker Brothers executive and current president of Winning Moves Games, Orbanes has a unique vantage point to write about gaming in America, and I really liked his book about Parker Brothers, The Game Makers. Orbanes has also previously written about Monopoly, and serves as a judge at the major Monopoly tournaments. So I was happy to see this book, and looked forward to the history of America's most famous board game.
This happiness turned to tedium as the book progressed, as it felt a little thin. The early history was very good, discussing the precursors to Monopoly and the people who invented them. But many chapters included large sections about what was going on in the world at the time, which didn't quite mesh with the game history. The book was written without input from Hasbro, who bought out Parker Brothers, so I wonder if this extraneous writing was to make up for planned story lines that couldn't be written without Hasbro's help.
Some of the later chapters could have been more detailed as well. The accounts of Monopoly's world championships were good, but could have been more engrossing with better detail of game play and stuff from behind the scenes.
So while it's worth a browse, I don't think this is the best history of Monopoly that could be written. Hopefully, Orbanes and Hasbro will get together and come up with something definitive.
As a former Parker Brothers executive and current president of Winning Moves Games, Orbanes has a unique vantage point to write about gaming in America, and I really liked his book about Parker Brothers, The Game Makers. Orbanes has also previously written about Monopoly, and serves as a judge at the major Monopoly tournaments. So I was happy to see this book, and looked forward to the history of America's most famous board game.
This happiness turned to tedium as the book progressed, as it felt a little thin. The early history was very good, discussing the precursors to Monopoly and the people who invented them. But many chapters included large sections about what was going on in the world at the time, which didn't quite mesh with the game history. The book was written without input from Hasbro, who bought out Parker Brothers, so I wonder if this extraneous writing was to make up for planned story lines that couldn't be written without Hasbro's help.
Some of the later chapters could have been more detailed as well. The accounts of Monopoly's world championships were good, but could have been more engrossing with better detail of game play and stuff from behind the scenes.
So while it's worth a browse, I don't think this is the best history of Monopoly that could be written. Hopefully, Orbanes and Hasbro will get together and come up with something definitive.
Book Log 2007 #9: The Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell
The continuation of Cornwell's series on Alfred the Great, although Alfred barely appears in this installment. Rather, we get to follow Uhtred as he travels to the north of what is now England as he travels to the north to work on some unfinished business, such as finding his step-sister and settling the score with some enemies.
Clearly this is going to be more than a trilogy, as there's still a fair bit of Alfred's reign to go (not to mention Uhtred's drive to regain his rightful inheritance). Looking at the website, it appears that this is now a series called the Saxon Stories, so it may be more in line with the Sharpe books as far as how long it'll go. In any case, it's a solid story, I'll be back for the next one.
The continuation of Cornwell's series on Alfred the Great, although Alfred barely appears in this installment. Rather, we get to follow Uhtred as he travels to the north of what is now England as he travels to the north to work on some unfinished business, such as finding his step-sister and settling the score with some enemies.
Clearly this is going to be more than a trilogy, as there's still a fair bit of Alfred's reign to go (not to mention Uhtred's drive to regain his rightful inheritance). Looking at the website, it appears that this is now a series called the Saxon Stories, so it may be more in line with the Sharpe books as far as how long it'll go. In any case, it's a solid story, I'll be back for the next one.
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Knute Rockne, who is best known for his stint as the head football coach at Notre Dame, where from 1918 to 1930 he ran up a record of 105-12-5. He won six national titles, and coached the Four Horsemen, George Gipp, and future Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy.
Rockne is credited with introducing the backfield shift and popularizing the forward pass, which was being used regularly by several midwestern teams. His interest in the pass was evident in his playing days, as he and quarterback Gus Dorias used plays they'd drawn up the previous summer in their 1913 win over Army, who ND bested 35-13.
Rockne died on this day in 1931, when a wing on the Fokker Trimotor came apart in mid-flight. While it was initially thought that the crash was caused when the plane flew through or near a thunderstorm, investigation showed that moisture had invaded the plane's wood laminate wing, weaking the glue holding the pieces together. A wing spar failed, allowing the wing to flutter to the point of coming off the airplane.
The crash led to all US airlines taking the Fokker out of service, which almost put TWA, who operated Rockne's fatal flight, out of business. It also spurred the development of all-metal airplanes (such as the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2), and led the Civil Aeronautics Authority (a forerunner of the FAA) to abandon its policy of keeping crash investigation results secret. So Rockne helped to advance civilian air travel as well as football, though at the highest price.
After his death, a town in Texas allowed its children to vote on whether or not to rename the town after Rockne or Joyce Kilmer. The story goes that all the boys voted for Rockne and all the girls for Kilmer (wonder how many of them knew he wasn't a woman?), resulting in a tie. One of the girls changed her vote the next day, and the town of Rockne, Texas came to being.
And while you wouldn't expect a guy born in Norway to be Catholic, he apparently converted. There a quote saying that he was sick of being the "lone Norwegian Protestant among the Catholic Hibernians," and he apparently converted in time to make his First Communion at the same time as one of his sons.
Today's person is Knute Rockne, who is best known for his stint as the head football coach at Notre Dame, where from 1918 to 1930 he ran up a record of 105-12-5. He won six national titles, and coached the Four Horsemen, George Gipp, and future Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy.
Rockne is credited with introducing the backfield shift and popularizing the forward pass, which was being used regularly by several midwestern teams. His interest in the pass was evident in his playing days, as he and quarterback Gus Dorias used plays they'd drawn up the previous summer in their 1913 win over Army, who ND bested 35-13.
Rockne died on this day in 1931, when a wing on the Fokker Trimotor came apart in mid-flight. While it was initially thought that the crash was caused when the plane flew through or near a thunderstorm, investigation showed that moisture had invaded the plane's wood laminate wing, weaking the glue holding the pieces together. A wing spar failed, allowing the wing to flutter to the point of coming off the airplane.
The crash led to all US airlines taking the Fokker out of service, which almost put TWA, who operated Rockne's fatal flight, out of business. It also spurred the development of all-metal airplanes (such as the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2), and led the Civil Aeronautics Authority (a forerunner of the FAA) to abandon its policy of keeping crash investigation results secret. So Rockne helped to advance civilian air travel as well as football, though at the highest price.
After his death, a town in Texas allowed its children to vote on whether or not to rename the town after Rockne or Joyce Kilmer. The story goes that all the boys voted for Rockne and all the girls for Kilmer (wonder how many of them knew he wasn't a woman?), resulting in a tie. One of the girls changed her vote the next day, and the town of Rockne, Texas came to being.
And while you wouldn't expect a guy born in Norway to be Catholic, he apparently converted. There a quote saying that he was sick of being the "lone Norwegian Protestant among the Catholic Hibernians," and he apparently converted in time to make his First Communion at the same time as one of his sons.
29 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Issue number one: today's person is John McLaughlin. After earning a Ph.D. from Columbia, McLaughlin was ordained as a priest and taught at a Jesuit high school in Connecticut.
Issue number two: In 1970, he asked for permission from the order to run for the US Senate in Rhode Island. His request was turned down, but he ran anyways, losing to the incumbent.
Issue number three: His friendship with Pat Buchanan led to an offer of a White House job as a speech writer for Nixon, but Jesuit rules forbade him from being in the society and holding a political job. Given his options, McLaughlin left the priesthood.
Issue number three, part two: For good measure he would then marry his campaign manager, Ann Dore; she would later serve as Reagan's last Secretary of Labor. They divorced in 1992, but he's remarried since.
Issue number four: McLaughlin took the reins of his signature show, The McLaughlin Group, in 1982. His panel was a mix of talking heads from both sides of the aisle, from Buchanan and Fred Barnes on the right to Eleanor Clift on the left.
Issue number five: His freewheeling style and creative use of language made the show an excellent target for satire, most notably on Saturday Night Live. McLaughlin himself appeared in one of these skits, playing the Grim Reaper.
Issue number one: today's person is John McLaughlin. After earning a Ph.D. from Columbia, McLaughlin was ordained as a priest and taught at a Jesuit high school in Connecticut.
Issue number two: In 1970, he asked for permission from the order to run for the US Senate in Rhode Island. His request was turned down, but he ran anyways, losing to the incumbent.
Issue number three: His friendship with Pat Buchanan led to an offer of a White House job as a speech writer for Nixon, but Jesuit rules forbade him from being in the society and holding a political job. Given his options, McLaughlin left the priesthood.
Issue number three, part two: For good measure he would then marry his campaign manager, Ann Dore; she would later serve as Reagan's last Secretary of Labor. They divorced in 1992, but he's remarried since.
Issue number four: McLaughlin took the reins of his signature show, The McLaughlin Group, in 1982. His panel was a mix of talking heads from both sides of the aisle, from Buchanan and Fred Barnes on the right to Eleanor Clift on the left.
Issue number five: His freewheeling style and creative use of language made the show an excellent target for satire, most notably on Saturday Night Live. McLaughlin himself appeared in one of these skits, playing the Grim Reaper.
28 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
We move northward today with Juan Bautista de Anza. Born in New Spain (in the current Mexican state of Sonora), he joined the military and, in 1772, proposed to lead an expidition into Alta California (which includes the US state of California and territory reaching up into what is today Wyoming). Starting in Tubac (now in Arizona), he went west along the current US-Mexican border until he hit the coast, then went north to Monterey, getting there in April, 1774.
Upon returning to Tubac, he was promoted and ordered to bring colonists into Alta California to help counter the growing Russian presence. He led the colonists Monterey, arriving in Monterey. He then led a small scouting party and, on this day in 1776, founded the sites of the Presidio and Mission San Francisco de Asis. They'd be built later, as would Mission Santa Clara and the town of San Jose de Guadelupe, which he also sited (the latter being current-day San Jose).
Upon his return from this trip, de Anza was made governor of New Mexico, and initiated a series of battles against the Comanche, whom he eventually defeated, leading to their migration to Oklahoma and Texas.
Once his term as governor ended, he returned to Sonora and was named commander of the Presidio in Tubac, but he died before he could take command.
We move northward today with Juan Bautista de Anza. Born in New Spain (in the current Mexican state of Sonora), he joined the military and, in 1772, proposed to lead an expidition into Alta California (which includes the US state of California and territory reaching up into what is today Wyoming). Starting in Tubac (now in Arizona), he went west along the current US-Mexican border until he hit the coast, then went north to Monterey, getting there in April, 1774.
Upon returning to Tubac, he was promoted and ordered to bring colonists into Alta California to help counter the growing Russian presence. He led the colonists Monterey, arriving in Monterey. He then led a small scouting party and, on this day in 1776, founded the sites of the Presidio and Mission San Francisco de Asis. They'd be built later, as would Mission Santa Clara and the town of San Jose de Guadelupe, which he also sited (the latter being current-day San Jose).
Upon his return from this trip, de Anza was made governor of New Mexico, and initiated a series of battles against the Comanche, whom he eventually defeated, leading to their migration to Oklahoma and Texas.
Once his term as governor ended, he returned to Sonora and was named commander of the Presidio in Tubac, but he died before he could take command.
27 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Maria da Graça Meneghel, known to millions the world over - but mostly in Latin America - as the minimally-dressed children's star Xuxa.
Prior to hitting it big with the kids, Xuxa was a model, Miss December 1982 for the Brazilian edition of Playboy, and starred in a movie where she played a prostitute who seduces a 13 year-old boy (the rights to which she's apparently bought in order to keep it from distribution). She also had a six year relationship with Pele after meeting him at a photo shoot in 1980.
For whatever reason, a Brazilian TV exec made the mental leap from nymphette to children's host, much like PBS did with Fred Rogers. Her first show was a hit, and the folks at Globo TV picked her up. Her Show da Xuxa made her a star across Latin America, and allowed her to broaden her international appeal with shows in Spain and the U.S, where she taped 65 episodes of Xuxa in 1993.
All this exposure (so to speak) proved a bit much, and Xuxa re-focused her career in Latin America. She still hosts TV shows, sings, and appears in movies (she's apparently starred in the nine highest-grossing Brazilian films of all time, many of which involve no plot and a lot of singing and celebrity cameos).
Apparently, Xuxa's penchant for skimpy dress isn't a big deal in most countries, but it was at best confusing to those of us up here who are used to Captain Kangaroo and the like. She was parodied on The Simpsons episode where the family goes to Brazil and is exposed to the show Teleboobies, whose host jiggles quite a bit and favors pasties as work attire.
Today's person is Maria da Graça Meneghel, known to millions the world over - but mostly in Latin America - as the minimally-dressed children's star Xuxa.
Prior to hitting it big with the kids, Xuxa was a model, Miss December 1982 for the Brazilian edition of Playboy, and starred in a movie where she played a prostitute who seduces a 13 year-old boy (the rights to which she's apparently bought in order to keep it from distribution). She also had a six year relationship with Pele after meeting him at a photo shoot in 1980.
For whatever reason, a Brazilian TV exec made the mental leap from nymphette to children's host, much like PBS did with Fred Rogers. Her first show was a hit, and the folks at Globo TV picked her up. Her Show da Xuxa made her a star across Latin America, and allowed her to broaden her international appeal with shows in Spain and the U.S, where she taped 65 episodes of Xuxa in 1993.
All this exposure (so to speak) proved a bit much, and Xuxa re-focused her career in Latin America. She still hosts TV shows, sings, and appears in movies (she's apparently starred in the nine highest-grossing Brazilian films of all time, many of which involve no plot and a lot of singing and celebrity cameos).
Apparently, Xuxa's penchant for skimpy dress isn't a big deal in most countries, but it was at best confusing to those of us up here who are used to Captain Kangaroo and the like. She was parodied on The Simpsons episode where the family goes to Brazil and is exposed to the show Teleboobies, whose host jiggles quite a bit and favors pasties as work attire.
26 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
After a too-long hiatus, we return with Curtis Sliwa, who went from being a night manager at a McDonald's to the founder of the Guardian Angels, the red beret and white T-shirt wearing volunteer crime-fighting (or vigilante, depending on how you look at it) group. Formed in 1979, there are now units in cities worldwide.
Sliwa is also a talking head, as he's had a radio show in some fashion since the early 1990s. His first show allegedly got him in a little trouble with the Gotti family, as remarks about the Teflon Don may have led to an assassination attempt. John Gotti, Jr. was tried three times on attempted murder charges, with each ending in mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. Not surprisingly for the founder of the Guardian Angels, Sliwa has occasionally subbed for the likes of Sean Hannity.
Sliwa is also a fan of stickball and competitive eating. In the latter, his favored food are pickles, apparently holding the current world record by eating 4 and three-quarter pounds worth in under 10 minutes. Talk about a Renaissance man.
After a too-long hiatus, we return with Curtis Sliwa, who went from being a night manager at a McDonald's to the founder of the Guardian Angels, the red beret and white T-shirt wearing volunteer crime-fighting (or vigilante, depending on how you look at it) group. Formed in 1979, there are now units in cities worldwide.
Sliwa is also a talking head, as he's had a radio show in some fashion since the early 1990s. His first show allegedly got him in a little trouble with the Gotti family, as remarks about the Teflon Don may have led to an assassination attempt. John Gotti, Jr. was tried three times on attempted murder charges, with each ending in mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. Not surprisingly for the founder of the Guardian Angels, Sliwa has occasionally subbed for the likes of Sean Hannity.
Sliwa is also a fan of stickball and competitive eating. In the latter, his favored food are pickles, apparently holding the current world record by eating 4 and three-quarter pounds worth in under 10 minutes. Talk about a Renaissance man.
Your Frozen Four pool standings, which may be a misnomer given how few of us actually have teams still standing:
Harper-Nixon 11
Coen, M. 9
Coen, S. 9
Hight 9
DeVeau 9
Rosenberg 8
Crowley 7
Martindale 7
Bruce 6
Sorenson 5
And it turns out I was wrong (again) about this being over. Should the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota top that team from Chestnut Hill, Chris Rosenberg will take his four points and eke out a win. Should that not happen, Matt Harper-Nixon will take the title. And as much as I count him as a friend, I really hope that the second scenario is not the one that plays out. I can get through the father-in-law's ribbing if Maine wins this thing, but the media aspect of a Newton College win is something I would like to avoid. I can only hope that Dice-K's first start is on April 5.
Kind of funny to look back at last year's results and see how many people scored over 20 points, as opposed to this year when we will have, at most, two in double digits. I suppose that happens when too few people call the upsets and no one has a champion left.
Moving on to a different sport, I have set up a Baseball Challenge group for those who are interested:
Name: Macho BC Donkey Wrestler
Password: donkey
Harper-Nixon 11
Coen, M. 9
Coen, S. 9
Hight 9
DeVeau 9
Rosenberg 8
Crowley 7
Martindale 7
Bruce 6
Sorenson 5
And it turns out I was wrong (again) about this being over. Should the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota top that team from Chestnut Hill, Chris Rosenberg will take his four points and eke out a win. Should that not happen, Matt Harper-Nixon will take the title. And as much as I count him as a friend, I really hope that the second scenario is not the one that plays out. I can get through the father-in-law's ribbing if Maine wins this thing, but the media aspect of a Newton College win is something I would like to avoid. I can only hope that Dice-K's first start is on April 5.
Kind of funny to look back at last year's results and see how many people scored over 20 points, as opposed to this year when we will have, at most, two in double digits. I suppose that happens when too few people call the upsets and no one has a champion left.
Moving on to a different sport, I have set up a Baseball Challenge group for those who are interested:
Name: Macho BC Donkey Wrestler
Password: donkey
24 March 2007
Hockey pool, with half of the Frozen Four set:
Harper-Nixon 11
Coen, S. 9
DeVeau 9
Hight 9
Coen, M. 7
Bruce 6
Crowley 5
Martindale 5
Sorenson 5
Rosenberg 4
And while it's not quite over, I think Hyph is actually going to wind up winning this, given his lead and how everyone who has a champion left has Minnesota. But I screwed up trying to predict this last year, so I'll give it a better check when the Frozen Four is set after tomorrow's games.
Harper-Nixon 11
Coen, S. 9
DeVeau 9
Hight 9
Coen, M. 7
Bruce 6
Crowley 5
Martindale 5
Sorenson 5
Rosenberg 4
And while it's not quite over, I think Hyph is actually going to wind up winning this, given his lead and how everyone who has a champion left has Minnesota. But I screwed up trying to predict this last year, so I'll give it a better check when the Frozen Four is set after tomorrow's games.
21 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Staying with the world leaders, today we look at Benito Juarez, who was born on this day in 1806. The only indigenous person to serve as president of Mexico (he was Zatopec), he is widely recognized for his role in La Reforma, the liberalization of Mexican government and move towards a more capitalistic economy. He also served as president during the French intervention that saw the breif reign of Emperor Maximillian, and was (not surprisingly, as president) deeply involved in defeating Maximillian's forces.
Part of the liberalization involved ending the hold that two groups specifically held in influencing previous governments - the military and the church. And to think we were happy to have them stop saying the Mass in Latin.
Plenty of people to choose from today - Charles Martel defeated Ragenfrid at the Battle of Vincy, Henry V took the throne of England, Pius VII became Pope and had to be crowned with a tiara made of papier-mache because the French had taken the real one. Lots of good stories, and it was hard to pass up The Hammer or getting to quote the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V, I will say.
Staying with the world leaders, today we look at Benito Juarez, who was born on this day in 1806. The only indigenous person to serve as president of Mexico (he was Zatopec), he is widely recognized for his role in La Reforma, the liberalization of Mexican government and move towards a more capitalistic economy. He also served as president during the French intervention that saw the breif reign of Emperor Maximillian, and was (not surprisingly, as president) deeply involved in defeating Maximillian's forces.
Part of the liberalization involved ending the hold that two groups specifically held in influencing previous governments - the military and the church. And to think we were happy to have them stop saying the Mass in Latin.
Plenty of people to choose from today - Charles Martel defeated Ragenfrid at the Battle of Vincy, Henry V took the throne of England, Pius VII became Pope and had to be crowned with a tiara made of papier-mache because the French had taken the real one. Lots of good stories, and it was hard to pass up The Hammer or getting to quote the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V, I will say.
20 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is birthday boy Brian Mulroney, who turns 68. A Progressive Conservative from Quebec, Mulroney gained leadership of the party in 1983 and led it to a majority in the Canadian Parliament the following year. The party would have the largest majority in Canadian history, winning 211 seats while no other party won more than 50. Even with this clear mandate, Mulroney had difficulty charting a direction for the country, as he inherited a massive debt. He also made his own trouble with patronage-related gaffes and an inability to quiet Canada's regionalism, a pet issue.
The Tories were returned to office in 1988, but with a smaller majority. During this term in office, things really turned south for him, as he took personal heat for introducing a national sales tax (which replaced a manufacturing tax) and the Bank of Canada's adoption of a zero inflation policy, which exacerbated the effects of an ongoing recession. During this time Mulroney also saw his various attempts to amend the Canadian constitution fail, and his closure of cod fishing grounds made him even more unpopular in the Maritimes.
This unpopularity hurt his party as the 1993 elections approached. The Bloc Quebecois broke off from the PC, and a 1992 poll reported an 11 percent favorability rating for Mulroney. In a position similar to that of Pierre Trudeau, Mulroney decided to retire, leaving Defence Minister Kim Campbell to be Prime Minister for the scant months between Mulroney's final departure from office and the election. Needless to say, she did not find this very helpful, as she had little time to either rally the party or make changes as the head of government.
The 1993 election resulted in the greatest loss of seats for one party in Canadian history, as the PC went from 151 seats to just 2 in Commons. The party would never recover, eventually merging with the Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party) to become the Conservative Party of Canada, which currently is in power in a minority government.
After retirement, Mulroney went back into law and consulting, and was caught up in a scandal regarding payments by Airbus as "commissions" for Air Canada's purchase of Airbus jets. He also survived a bout with lung cancer, and became one of only two former foreign heads of state to eulogize a US President when he did so at the funeral for Ronald Reagan, with whom he had a good working relationship.
Mulroney remains one of the least popular PMs in Canadian history, although he has been noted as one of its most environmentally-friendly PMs.
Today's person is birthday boy Brian Mulroney, who turns 68. A Progressive Conservative from Quebec, Mulroney gained leadership of the party in 1983 and led it to a majority in the Canadian Parliament the following year. The party would have the largest majority in Canadian history, winning 211 seats while no other party won more than 50. Even with this clear mandate, Mulroney had difficulty charting a direction for the country, as he inherited a massive debt. He also made his own trouble with patronage-related gaffes and an inability to quiet Canada's regionalism, a pet issue.
The Tories were returned to office in 1988, but with a smaller majority. During this term in office, things really turned south for him, as he took personal heat for introducing a national sales tax (which replaced a manufacturing tax) and the Bank of Canada's adoption of a zero inflation policy, which exacerbated the effects of an ongoing recession. During this time Mulroney also saw his various attempts to amend the Canadian constitution fail, and his closure of cod fishing grounds made him even more unpopular in the Maritimes.
This unpopularity hurt his party as the 1993 elections approached. The Bloc Quebecois broke off from the PC, and a 1992 poll reported an 11 percent favorability rating for Mulroney. In a position similar to that of Pierre Trudeau, Mulroney decided to retire, leaving Defence Minister Kim Campbell to be Prime Minister for the scant months between Mulroney's final departure from office and the election. Needless to say, she did not find this very helpful, as she had little time to either rally the party or make changes as the head of government.
The 1993 election resulted in the greatest loss of seats for one party in Canadian history, as the PC went from 151 seats to just 2 in Commons. The party would never recover, eventually merging with the Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party) to become the Conservative Party of Canada, which currently is in power in a minority government.
After retirement, Mulroney went back into law and consulting, and was caught up in a scandal regarding payments by Airbus as "commissions" for Air Canada's purchase of Airbus jets. He also survived a bout with lung cancer, and became one of only two former foreign heads of state to eulogize a US President when he did so at the funeral for Ronald Reagan, with whom he had a good working relationship.
Mulroney remains one of the least popular PMs in Canadian history, although he has been noted as one of its most environmentally-friendly PMs.
18 March 2007
I know most folks are wrapped up in basketball's March Madness, but the real madness starts on Friday with the regional tournament that will decide the Frozen Four.
As usual, I am running a free and (hopefully) fun bracket pool for the NCAA divison I men's hockey tournament. You can check out the bracket over at US College Hockey Online, and email me your picks by Thursday at 2 pm EDT.
I will again be using upset points in each round of the tournament, but as with last year it'll only be using regional seeding. So if Minnesota is once again vanquished by the champions from Atlantic Hockey (Air Force this time around), and you were smart/crazy enough to call it, you'd get 3 points.
Wins per round are scored 1-2-4-8. Ties will be broken by number of winners picked, and if we're still tied after that it'll be by number of upset points earned. If there's still a tie after that, well, you'll stay tied. It's not like there's any money running on this.
As usual, I am running a free and (hopefully) fun bracket pool for the NCAA divison I men's hockey tournament. You can check out the bracket over at US College Hockey Online, and email me your picks by Thursday at 2 pm EDT.
I will again be using upset points in each round of the tournament, but as with last year it'll only be using regional seeding. So if Minnesota is once again vanquished by the champions from Atlantic Hockey (Air Force this time around), and you were smart/crazy enough to call it, you'd get 3 points.
Wins per round are scored 1-2-4-8. Ties will be broken by number of winners picked, and if we're still tied after that it'll be by number of upset points earned. If there's still a tie after that, well, you'll stay tied. It's not like there's any money running on this.
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Patrick McCartan, who today was named the winner of the 2007 Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame. Not conincidentally, McCartan is the chairman of Notre Dame's board of trustees. It seems that he's won it for how his leadership of the school's board has put ND on its current course. I don't know if that qualifies under the medal's purpose of honoring an American Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity," but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
McCartan is a senior partner at Jones Day, and is nationally-recognized for his work as a trial lawyer.
The Laetare Medal is awarded each year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, known as Laetare Sunday, from the phrase "Laetare Jerusalem" or "Rejoice, O Jerusalem" that appears at the start of the day's Mass. Laetare Sunday is supposed to be a break from the rigors of Lent, kind of a day off that helps people focus for the rest of the season. Its marked in Mass by the appearance of flowers on the altar, priests wearing rose vestments rather than purple, and increased use of organ music during the ceremony. It is also the day that the Pope blesses any golden roses that he awards to churches and Catholic royalty for their devotion to the faith.
Sorry to say I'm not getting any medals or roses today. I suppose musing on a Tom Brady - Mother Angelica union didn't quite enrich the heritage of humanity.
Today's person is Patrick McCartan, who today was named the winner of the 2007 Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame. Not conincidentally, McCartan is the chairman of Notre Dame's board of trustees. It seems that he's won it for how his leadership of the school's board has put ND on its current course. I don't know if that qualifies under the medal's purpose of honoring an American Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity," but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
McCartan is a senior partner at Jones Day, and is nationally-recognized for his work as a trial lawyer.
The Laetare Medal is awarded each year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, known as Laetare Sunday, from the phrase "Laetare Jerusalem" or "Rejoice, O Jerusalem" that appears at the start of the day's Mass. Laetare Sunday is supposed to be a break from the rigors of Lent, kind of a day off that helps people focus for the rest of the season. Its marked in Mass by the appearance of flowers on the altar, priests wearing rose vestments rather than purple, and increased use of organ music during the ceremony. It is also the day that the Pope blesses any golden roses that he awards to churches and Catholic royalty for their devotion to the faith.
Sorry to say I'm not getting any medals or roses today. I suppose musing on a Tom Brady - Mother Angelica union didn't quite enrich the heritage of humanity.
17 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today we look in on Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien, the current Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, who is celebrating his 69th birthday today. He's held that post since 1985, and was made a cardinal in 2003. He worked up from a parish priest to posts of a more administrative nature, and was for a time the rector of a Scottish seminary.
He's also been noted as supporting Scottish independence, noting the positive impact self-determination has had in smaller countries. This apparently didn't make him many friends with the Labour party (which, perhaps not surprisingly, is pretty tight with Scottish Catholics).
Today we look in on Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien, the current Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, who is celebrating his 69th birthday today. He's held that post since 1985, and was made a cardinal in 2003. He worked up from a parish priest to posts of a more administrative nature, and was for a time the rector of a Scottish seminary.
He's also been noted as supporting Scottish independence, noting the positive impact self-determination has had in smaller countries. This apparently didn't make him many friends with the Labour party (which, perhaps not surprisingly, is pretty tight with Scottish Catholics).
16 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today you get Patsy Donovan, born on this day 1865 in Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland (where I've been!), who moved to the US and broke into baseball in 1886 with the New England League's team in Haverhill, Massachusetts (where I've been!). He'd eventually make the majors and play 17 seasons with the Pirates, Cardinals, Senators, and Superbas (and served as player-coach for a few, too).
At his retirement, Donovan held the major league record for games played by a right fielder. He was a career .300 hitter, and was in the top 10 career for games played, assists, and double plays.
After retirement, he was a scout and manager for the Red Sox. In the scouting role he was key in the team landing Babe Ruth, as he got tipped off from one of the Xaverian brothers at the Babe's orphanage. So, in a way, he's to blame for everything.
Sullivan died on Christmas Day in 1953. I'm willing to bet that wasn't on his list.
Today you get Patsy Donovan, born on this day 1865 in Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland (where I've been!), who moved to the US and broke into baseball in 1886 with the New England League's team in Haverhill, Massachusetts (where I've been!). He'd eventually make the majors and play 17 seasons with the Pirates, Cardinals, Senators, and Superbas (and served as player-coach for a few, too).
At his retirement, Donovan held the major league record for games played by a right fielder. He was a career .300 hitter, and was in the top 10 career for games played, assists, and double plays.
After retirement, he was a scout and manager for the Red Sox. In the scouting role he was key in the team landing Babe Ruth, as he got tipped off from one of the Xaverian brothers at the Babe's orphanage. So, in a way, he's to blame for everything.
Sullivan died on Christmas Day in 1953. I'm willing to bet that wasn't on his list.
On-package advertising that I would only notice during Lent:
"Now Even More Lentils!"
Not surprisingly, this was being used to tout Progresso's lentil soup in the microwavable bowl. And while I don't have previous lentil soup-eating experience to make a comparison, there were no shortage of lentils.
I've been trying to come up with the most unusual/funniest item you could advertise with this phrase. So far the best I've been able to come up with is Massengill's most famous disposable product. Do your worst.
"Now Even More Lentils!"
Not surprisingly, this was being used to tout Progresso's lentil soup in the microwavable bowl. And while I don't have previous lentil soup-eating experience to make a comparison, there were no shortage of lentils.
I've been trying to come up with the most unusual/funniest item you could advertise with this phrase. So far the best I've been able to come up with is Massengill's most famous disposable product. Do your worst.
15 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Born on this date in 1905, Berthold Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg was the oldest of three brothers born into an aristocratic German family from Wurttemburg. He went into law, and was a professor of international law at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. He joined the navy in 1939 as a staff judge and advisor on international law.
But as noble Prussians, Berthold and his family and friends weren't too keen on the Nazis, and a group of them planned to assassinate Hitler (with many of the meetings taking place in Berthold's apartment in Berlin). Berthold's brother Claus was the only one of their group with access to Hitler, and on July 20, 1944, he brought a bomb (hidden in his briefcase) into a staff meeting where Hitler was in attendance. The bomb went off, but Hitler escaped with minor injuries.
The Stauffenbergs, along with their fellow co-conspiritors, were not so lucky. Roughly 200 people were executed, though that includes a number of folks who the Gestapo just wanted to get rid of, and saw this as a good pretext. Many of the central plotters were hanged and killed by slow strangulation. Berthold was somewhat luckier, as he was executed by firing squad.
Born on this date in 1905, Berthold Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg was the oldest of three brothers born into an aristocratic German family from Wurttemburg. He went into law, and was a professor of international law at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. He joined the navy in 1939 as a staff judge and advisor on international law.
But as noble Prussians, Berthold and his family and friends weren't too keen on the Nazis, and a group of them planned to assassinate Hitler (with many of the meetings taking place in Berthold's apartment in Berlin). Berthold's brother Claus was the only one of their group with access to Hitler, and on July 20, 1944, he brought a bomb (hidden in his briefcase) into a staff meeting where Hitler was in attendance. The bomb went off, but Hitler escaped with minor injuries.
The Stauffenbergs, along with their fellow co-conspiritors, were not so lucky. Roughly 200 people were executed, though that includes a number of folks who the Gestapo just wanted to get rid of, and saw this as a good pretext. Many of the central plotters were hanged and killed by slow strangulation. Berthold was somewhat luckier, as he was executed by firing squad.
Unless Stanford does something really impressive, I am going to start the men's tournament 0-3. Which may lead you to ask why I took Davidson, Texas Tech, and Stanford. All good questions. The only one that has a good answer is Texas Tech: I took them because they were playing Chestnut Hill College. Otherwise, I just like the upsets? Sure, we'll go with that.
There's a bit of a hullabaloo (or is it a foofraw?) coming in the near future for college hockey, centering around the disposition of College Hockey America, a five-team conference that will likely disband at the end of the season. The problem arises with where these teams will go, as they're pretty diverse geographically (New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and Alabama) and the closest leagues to some of them are pretty full already (the ECAC and CCHA having 12 teams already).
Oh, and there's also a problem that, with 59 division I teams, one league is going to have to have an odd number of teams.
Of course, I've worked up a modest proposal, which I will bore you with now. Note that I make no claims to this being based in reality, though I'll try to keep close.
Hockey East would see the least change, only adding UConn, which currently plays in Atlantic Hockey. Given that all the other flagship state university campuses play in Hockey East, it's a logical fit. The UConn women's team also already plays in Hockey East.
This makes Hockey East the conference with the odd number (11), but they went for a few years with 9, so they've at least had some experience with the scheduling issues this would raise.
Teams: BU, BC, Northeastern, Providence, Vermont, UNH, Maine, UMass-Amherst, UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, UConn
The ECAC currently has 12 members, six who are otherwise in the Ivy League and six who are not. This suggests a couple of moves.
First move - split the six Ivies into an Ivy League hockey conference. Six is the minimum number needed, and given the reputation of the schools I think they'd be able to pull this off.
Teams: Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale
Second move - with the remaining six teams, add RIT (who has just made the jump to divison I and was this year's regular season champ in Atlantic Hockey) and Niagara. They'd both fit in well with the ECAC's core of New York teams.
Teams: Clarkson, St. Lawrence, RPI, Union, Quinnipiac, Colgate, RIT, Niagara
Atlantic Hockey stands pat as an eight-team league after losing RIT and UConn. I've kept Air Force in the league as they intentionally joined so they could play Army each year. Of course, they moved from College Hockey America, so in a way this is all their fault.
Teams: Army, Air Force, AIC, Bentley, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Canisius, Sacred Heart
The CCHA keeps most of its current membership, divesting itself of its two most outlying members - Nebraska-Omaha and Alaska - and taking on Robert Morris and Wayne State. The latter is a no-brainer, given its Detroit location. Robert Morris is a bit more of a stretch, but Pittsburgh is a more CCHA-friendly location than Omaha or Fairbanks, so I figure it would work.
Teams: Michigan, Michigan State, Ferris State, Western Michigan, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Ohio State, Miami, Bowling Green, Notre Dame, Wayne State, Robert Morris
The WCHA gets a pretty radical makeover, in one of two options:
Option 1 sees the league take on Alaska, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama-Huntsville, and Bemidji State and grow to a 14 team league. There is actually a decent way to split into two seven teams divisions:
Teams in the Upper Midwest Divison: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minnesota State, Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud State
Teams in the Everywhere Else Divison: North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama-Huntsville
Option 2 would take the two Alaska schools, the two Colorado schools, Omaha, and Huntsville and make a conference out of them (which I'm dubbing the Rocky Mountain Hockey Association; if Air Force can play in Atlantic Hockey, Huntsville and Omaha can play in the RMHA). Everyone else stays in the WCHA.
This would help to counter-balance the creation of another "Eastern" league with the Ivies spinning off. Still, the second option here would lead to seven conferences, with two of them having the minimum number of members. I did work out a plan with six conferences, but it's ugly. Let's just say the resulting Great Lakes Hockey Association is more of an organizing principle than geographic fact (and even then sees the three teams in the Buffalo area spread over three leagues).
I'm sure some of you have better ideas than me on this, so please share!
Oh, and there's also a problem that, with 59 division I teams, one league is going to have to have an odd number of teams.
Of course, I've worked up a modest proposal, which I will bore you with now. Note that I make no claims to this being based in reality, though I'll try to keep close.
Hockey East would see the least change, only adding UConn, which currently plays in Atlantic Hockey. Given that all the other flagship state university campuses play in Hockey East, it's a logical fit. The UConn women's team also already plays in Hockey East.
This makes Hockey East the conference with the odd number (11), but they went for a few years with 9, so they've at least had some experience with the scheduling issues this would raise.
Teams: BU, BC, Northeastern, Providence, Vermont, UNH, Maine, UMass-Amherst, UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, UConn
The ECAC currently has 12 members, six who are otherwise in the Ivy League and six who are not. This suggests a couple of moves.
First move - split the six Ivies into an Ivy League hockey conference. Six is the minimum number needed, and given the reputation of the schools I think they'd be able to pull this off.
Teams: Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale
Second move - with the remaining six teams, add RIT (who has just made the jump to divison I and was this year's regular season champ in Atlantic Hockey) and Niagara. They'd both fit in well with the ECAC's core of New York teams.
Teams: Clarkson, St. Lawrence, RPI, Union, Quinnipiac, Colgate, RIT, Niagara
Atlantic Hockey stands pat as an eight-team league after losing RIT and UConn. I've kept Air Force in the league as they intentionally joined so they could play Army each year. Of course, they moved from College Hockey America, so in a way this is all their fault.
Teams: Army, Air Force, AIC, Bentley, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Canisius, Sacred Heart
The CCHA keeps most of its current membership, divesting itself of its two most outlying members - Nebraska-Omaha and Alaska - and taking on Robert Morris and Wayne State. The latter is a no-brainer, given its Detroit location. Robert Morris is a bit more of a stretch, but Pittsburgh is a more CCHA-friendly location than Omaha or Fairbanks, so I figure it would work.
Teams: Michigan, Michigan State, Ferris State, Western Michigan, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Ohio State, Miami, Bowling Green, Notre Dame, Wayne State, Robert Morris
The WCHA gets a pretty radical makeover, in one of two options:
Option 1 sees the league take on Alaska, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama-Huntsville, and Bemidji State and grow to a 14 team league. There is actually a decent way to split into two seven teams divisions:
Teams in the Upper Midwest Divison: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minnesota State, Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud State
Teams in the Everywhere Else Divison: North Dakota, Denver, Colorado College, Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama-Huntsville
Option 2 would take the two Alaska schools, the two Colorado schools, Omaha, and Huntsville and make a conference out of them (which I'm dubbing the Rocky Mountain Hockey Association; if Air Force can play in Atlantic Hockey, Huntsville and Omaha can play in the RMHA). Everyone else stays in the WCHA.
This would help to counter-balance the creation of another "Eastern" league with the Ivies spinning off. Still, the second option here would lead to seven conferences, with two of them having the minimum number of members. I did work out a plan with six conferences, but it's ugly. Let's just say the resulting Great Lakes Hockey Association is more of an organizing principle than geographic fact (and even then sees the three teams in the Buffalo area spread over three leagues).
I'm sure some of you have better ideas than me on this, so please share!
14 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's victim is Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne, who was the military leader of the Catholic League during France's Wars of Religion. On this day in 1590, he led his troops against Protestant forces led by Henry of Navarre. Charles had the edge in numbers, but that was reduced early in the fight when his mercenary troops, sympathetic towards the Protestants, put down their weapons. The fight continued, but when the Protestants were able to best Charles's cavalry things were pretty much done.
Things would not get easier for Charles after this. He managed to raise the siege of Paris that Henry laid on after Ivry, but faced dissention in the League from a radical wing that wanted to accept the help - and claim to the throne - from Spain. Charles would eventually present this claim to the Estates-General, but at the same time was negotiating with Henry to take the throne once he completed his conversion to Catholicism. A truce was signed in 1593, allowing Henry to take the throne as Henry IV. Charles didn't get to live peacefully until 1595, given continued League strife.
Interestingly, Charles turned down support to claim the throne for himself, opting instead to back the League plan to install Cardinal de Bourbon as Charles X. This may have worked out better had the cardinal not died after the loss at Ivry.
Today's victim is Charles de Lorraine, duc de Mayenne, who was the military leader of the Catholic League during France's Wars of Religion. On this day in 1590, he led his troops against Protestant forces led by Henry of Navarre. Charles had the edge in numbers, but that was reduced early in the fight when his mercenary troops, sympathetic towards the Protestants, put down their weapons. The fight continued, but when the Protestants were able to best Charles's cavalry things were pretty much done.
Things would not get easier for Charles after this. He managed to raise the siege of Paris that Henry laid on after Ivry, but faced dissention in the League from a radical wing that wanted to accept the help - and claim to the throne - from Spain. Charles would eventually present this claim to the Estates-General, but at the same time was negotiating with Henry to take the throne once he completed his conversion to Catholicism. A truce was signed in 1593, allowing Henry to take the throne as Henry IV. Charles didn't get to live peacefully until 1595, given continued League strife.
Interestingly, Charles turned down support to claim the throne for himself, opting instead to back the League plan to install Cardinal de Bourbon as Charles X. This may have worked out better had the cardinal not died after the loss at Ivry.
13 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today we've got Victor IV, born Gregorio Conti, who was elected antipope on this day in 1138. He took over for Anacletus II, who actually has the more interesting story.
When Honorius II lay dying in 1130, a group of cardinals put the succession vote in the hands of a commission led by Haimeric, chamberlain to Honorius. They elected Innocent II, who was consecrated as pope the day after Honorius died.
This didn't sit well with the majority of cardinals, who elected Anacletus. Innocent wound up fleeing Rome, and was in reality the antipope in this situation. At least until he won the backing of several European royals, leaving Anacletus with little support. Anacletus was reasonably well liked, but couldn't command much power, staying in Rome until his death. At which point Innocent returned to Rome and, a couple months later, had Victor IV submit to him thanks to the intercession of Berard of Clairvaux.
(The Catholic Encyclopedia gives more info on both Innocent and Anacletus, and differs on some points, such as Innocent being consecrated the day after Honorius died. Anyway, more detail there for those who want it.)
Today we've got Victor IV, born Gregorio Conti, who was elected antipope on this day in 1138. He took over for Anacletus II, who actually has the more interesting story.
When Honorius II lay dying in 1130, a group of cardinals put the succession vote in the hands of a commission led by Haimeric, chamberlain to Honorius. They elected Innocent II, who was consecrated as pope the day after Honorius died.
This didn't sit well with the majority of cardinals, who elected Anacletus. Innocent wound up fleeing Rome, and was in reality the antipope in this situation. At least until he won the backing of several European royals, leaving Anacletus with little support. Anacletus was reasonably well liked, but couldn't command much power, staying in Rome until his death. At which point Innocent returned to Rome and, a couple months later, had Victor IV submit to him thanks to the intercession of Berard of Clairvaux.
(The Catholic Encyclopedia gives more info on both Innocent and Anacletus, and differs on some points, such as Innocent being consecrated the day after Honorius died. Anyway, more detail there for those who want it.)
Book Log 2007 #8: A Taste for Death by P. D. James
Another good Adam Dalgliesh, as he and his newly-formed squad try to solve what may be a double homicide involving a government Minister.
Unlike some of the other books I've read in this series, I got more background about Dalgliesh and his associates, making a nice balance with the mystery. It was a case where I wish I was reading these in order, as I get the feeling there are details that would have helped me when the book dealt with personal matters. There's also part of me that would have liked an approach here more in line with A Certain Justice where the book focuses mainly on those involved in the case. I'd have liked to known more about what the Minister went through in the day or so before his death, and his noble family could have easily carried a book by themselves.
Anyway, recommended as always.
Another good Adam Dalgliesh, as he and his newly-formed squad try to solve what may be a double homicide involving a government Minister.
Unlike some of the other books I've read in this series, I got more background about Dalgliesh and his associates, making a nice balance with the mystery. It was a case where I wish I was reading these in order, as I get the feeling there are details that would have helped me when the book dealt with personal matters. There's also part of me that would have liked an approach here more in line with A Certain Justice where the book focuses mainly on those involved in the case. I'd have liked to known more about what the Minister went through in the day or so before his death, and his noble family could have easily carried a book by themselves.
Anyway, recommended as always.
I used to run a March Madness pool. It was reasonably successful, with a number of entries in the teens. I spent the two weeks watching games, going over brackets, and working out situations where my best bracket could still lead to victory. Let's just say that the infernal Christian Laetner shot against Kentucky is still something I care not to watch.
But as years passed, and as the usual pool entrants have moved along, I've stopped running the pool. Too hard to collect the money, and given what little I watch of college hoops now it feels like throwing money away even moreso than usual.
Even so, I find that I've used four of my five ESPN.com bracket entries. One went to Craig's group (info on his blog), one to the Deadspin group (info on their blog), one to the default group of BU fans, and one to a group set up by Matt Harper-Nixon. He said to invite anyone along that might be interested. I assume that includes some of you.
Group name: Blind Guessing is the Key
password: timesuck
I may do my last entry for fun in the "which mascot could defeat the other?" style. Learning today that buckeyes are poisonous for many creatures puts a new spin on things, for certain.
But as years passed, and as the usual pool entrants have moved along, I've stopped running the pool. Too hard to collect the money, and given what little I watch of college hoops now it feels like throwing money away even moreso than usual.
Even so, I find that I've used four of my five ESPN.com bracket entries. One went to Craig's group (info on his blog), one to the Deadspin group (info on their blog), one to the default group of BU fans, and one to a group set up by Matt Harper-Nixon. He said to invite anyone along that might be interested. I assume that includes some of you.
Group name: Blind Guessing is the Key
password: timesuck
I may do my last entry for fun in the "which mascot could defeat the other?" style. Learning today that buckeyes are poisonous for many creatures puts a new spin on things, for certain.
So as bothersome as it might be to have a hymn stuck in your head, I've been going most of the day with parts of "Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood making regular appearances. It was the last song we heard on the radio driving home last night, and like virus it incubated overnight before overwhelming whatever parts of the brain cause a song to get stuck in your head.
That being said, I think it's pretty clear that Mary Magdalene could shoot the whiskey and a combo. Probably in short order, too.
That being said, I think it's pretty clear that Mary Magdalene could shoot the whiskey and a combo. Probably in short order, too.
11 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Sister of Mercy Suzanne Toolan. Born in Michigan, she moved to Hollywood while in her teens. She's lived in California ever since, and in her calling has been involved in prison ministry and, most notably, liturgical music. Among the many contemporary hymns to her credit is "I Am the Bread of Life," which was our communion hymn today and has been stuck in my head for most of the afternoon.
Sister Suzanne also has some connection to the Taize movement, an offshoot of an ecumenical Christian community in France.
Today's person is Sister of Mercy Suzanne Toolan. Born in Michigan, she moved to Hollywood while in her teens. She's lived in California ever since, and in her calling has been involved in prison ministry and, most notably, liturgical music. Among the many contemporary hymns to her credit is "I Am the Bread of Life," which was our communion hymn today and has been stuck in my head for most of the afternoon.
Sister Suzanne also has some connection to the Taize movement, an offshoot of an ecumenical Christian community in France.
10 March 2007
Ran across this and thought it was amusing. Consider yourself tagged.
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next three sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
6. Tag five other people to do the same.
"To be effective a team must be clear on its roles (who does what?) and goals (what are they trying to accomplish?). Norms are the assumptions or expectations held by group members that govern the kinds of behaviors that are appropriate or inappropriate in the group. They are the ground rules which regulate the group's behavior."
(from The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams by Ken Blanchard, Donald Carew, and Eunice Parisi-Carew)
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next three sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
6. Tag five other people to do the same.
"To be effective a team must be clear on its roles (who does what?) and goals (what are they trying to accomplish?). Norms are the assumptions or expectations held by group members that govern the kinds of behaviors that are appropriate or inappropriate in the group. They are the ground rules which regulate the group's behavior."
(from The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams by Ken Blanchard, Donald Carew, and Eunice Parisi-Carew)
09 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Tom Brady, a nice Catholic boy who not only has led the New England Patriots to three Super Bowls, but who, by the end of the year, will be the father of children by former girlfriend Bridget Moynihan and, if reports are to be believed, uber-rebound girl Gisele Bundchen.
Which leads to the question, who's next in line to sow the seeds of love and earn a Brady bump? I've got some ideas.
Britney Spears - she's an obvious choice, given her single status, celebrity, and apparent willingness to couple with anyone. But she's kind of the pace-setter, to use a horse racing analogy. She'll burn out early and not be around at the end. Oh, wait, I just described her career.
Anyway, there are some impediments to this happening, such as Britney's kit bag full of crazy, her Flowbee-on-crack hairsyle, and the public familiarity with her labia. Plus, does Tom really want to go in the footprints (so to speak) of K-Fed? Not the best idea for a guy who, based on past results, doesn't like to wear a raincoat. Odds of hitting her with a baby one more time: 500 to 1.
Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Tara Reid, Hillary Duff - to continue with the horse racing analogy, this is the field. None of them really has a a better chance than the other, and none have a really great chance at that. Of course, if this were actually a horse race, I'd have included Ashlee Simpson.
The only way anyone in this group gets that knocked up feeling is if Tom hits them all at once. And do you doubt he could do that? Odds of hitting the reciever in stride: 250 to 1. Special odds of making step-quints: 80 to 1.
The entire female population of Lehi, Utah - Utah has the highest birth rate of any state in the US, and Lehi has the highest birth rate of any city in Utah. Seems like a pretty fecund place, just the location where Tom can plant his flag. Repeatedly. I have complete faith in Tom's superhuman loins; I just worry that the Roman faith will clash with the Mormon faith. Odds of some really Big Love: 837 to 1.
Rachael Ray - she's popular, has her own career, and with her recent deal to promote Dunkin' Donuts, she's got ever greater cachet for New Englanders. Tom could easily make a 30 minute meal of her, and she won't be yelling "Yum-O" due to their pre-coital repast. Only thing is, I'm not sure Tom is willing to get with someone who vaguely looks like a Muppet. Odds of bunning her oven: 50 to 1.
Mother Angelica - she's Catholic, unmarried (temporally), and clearly doesn't fool around. But she's also over 80 and clearly doesn't condone fooling around. That and she no longer wears an eye patch, which limits the pirate nun fantasies that Tom may have had in his head. Still, if he has faith... Odds of a Maculate Conception: 666 to 1.
A woman named Jennifer - Aniston, Hudson, that girl you know who works at the Starbucks. Could be any one of them. Tom could take care of business during a TV time out and get back in the huddle with time to spare and water bottles for his teammates. He's that good. Odds of zygoting: 40 to 1.
Reese Witherspoon - Reese may be a little on the nose for Tom, as she's an actress who is older than him. On the other hand, her career is more equal to his than Bridget's was, and Reese already has two kids. She probably wouldn't even notice another. Problem here is that Reese has been linked with Jake Gyllenhaal. I don't think the universe could withstand a confrontation between that much man-pretty. Think of humanity, Tom! Odds of making a sweet home in Alabama: 25 to 1. Odds if Jake is still in the picture: 2.4 quadrillion to 1.
Tom Brady - If you want perfection, you keep the job in-house. Sure, there are hurdles - Tom doesn't have the lady parts to make a baby, and even if he did he'd have to figure out a way to knock himself up - but does anyone doubt that Tom could do this if he put his mind to it? You can almost see Peyton Manning futiley trying this after Tom has self-sired a dozen strapping young sons. Odds of self-service Brady production: 1.00000004 to 1.
Today's person is Tom Brady, a nice Catholic boy who not only has led the New England Patriots to three Super Bowls, but who, by the end of the year, will be the father of children by former girlfriend Bridget Moynihan and, if reports are to be believed, uber-rebound girl Gisele Bundchen.
Which leads to the question, who's next in line to sow the seeds of love and earn a Brady bump? I've got some ideas.
Britney Spears - she's an obvious choice, given her single status, celebrity, and apparent willingness to couple with anyone. But she's kind of the pace-setter, to use a horse racing analogy. She'll burn out early and not be around at the end. Oh, wait, I just described her career.
Anyway, there are some impediments to this happening, such as Britney's kit bag full of crazy, her Flowbee-on-crack hairsyle, and the public familiarity with her labia. Plus, does Tom really want to go in the footprints (so to speak) of K-Fed? Not the best idea for a guy who, based on past results, doesn't like to wear a raincoat. Odds of hitting her with a baby one more time: 500 to 1.
Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Tara Reid, Hillary Duff - to continue with the horse racing analogy, this is the field. None of them really has a a better chance than the other, and none have a really great chance at that. Of course, if this were actually a horse race, I'd have included Ashlee Simpson.
The only way anyone in this group gets that knocked up feeling is if Tom hits them all at once. And do you doubt he could do that? Odds of hitting the reciever in stride: 250 to 1. Special odds of making step-quints: 80 to 1.
The entire female population of Lehi, Utah - Utah has the highest birth rate of any state in the US, and Lehi has the highest birth rate of any city in Utah. Seems like a pretty fecund place, just the location where Tom can plant his flag. Repeatedly. I have complete faith in Tom's superhuman loins; I just worry that the Roman faith will clash with the Mormon faith. Odds of some really Big Love: 837 to 1.
Rachael Ray - she's popular, has her own career, and with her recent deal to promote Dunkin' Donuts, she's got ever greater cachet for New Englanders. Tom could easily make a 30 minute meal of her, and she won't be yelling "Yum-O" due to their pre-coital repast. Only thing is, I'm not sure Tom is willing to get with someone who vaguely looks like a Muppet. Odds of bunning her oven: 50 to 1.
Mother Angelica - she's Catholic, unmarried (temporally), and clearly doesn't fool around. But she's also over 80 and clearly doesn't condone fooling around. That and she no longer wears an eye patch, which limits the pirate nun fantasies that Tom may have had in his head. Still, if he has faith... Odds of a Maculate Conception: 666 to 1.
A woman named Jennifer - Aniston, Hudson, that girl you know who works at the Starbucks. Could be any one of them. Tom could take care of business during a TV time out and get back in the huddle with time to spare and water bottles for his teammates. He's that good. Odds of zygoting: 40 to 1.
Reese Witherspoon - Reese may be a little on the nose for Tom, as she's an actress who is older than him. On the other hand, her career is more equal to his than Bridget's was, and Reese already has two kids. She probably wouldn't even notice another. Problem here is that Reese has been linked with Jake Gyllenhaal. I don't think the universe could withstand a confrontation between that much man-pretty. Think of humanity, Tom! Odds of making a sweet home in Alabama: 25 to 1. Odds if Jake is still in the picture: 2.4 quadrillion to 1.
Tom Brady - If you want perfection, you keep the job in-house. Sure, there are hurdles - Tom doesn't have the lady parts to make a baby, and even if he did he'd have to figure out a way to knock himself up - but does anyone doubt that Tom could do this if he put his mind to it? You can almost see Peyton Manning futiley trying this after Tom has self-sired a dozen strapping young sons. Odds of self-service Brady production: 1.00000004 to 1.
08 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today we look at three guys named John of God, or more accurately Joao de Deus, as all three are from Portuguese-speaking countries. One is a Portuguese friar turned saint, so the only thing I'll mention about him here is that he was born and died on March 8, which I assume wasn't what he wanted for his 55th birthday.
The second, also born March 8, is apparently considered Portugal's greatest mid 19th century poet. He also dabbled in politics and education reform.
The third is a faith healer living in Brazil. I don't think he's very Catholic, so that is all I have to say about that.
Today we look at three guys named John of God, or more accurately Joao de Deus, as all three are from Portuguese-speaking countries. One is a Portuguese friar turned saint, so the only thing I'll mention about him here is that he was born and died on March 8, which I assume wasn't what he wanted for his 55th birthday.
The second, also born March 8, is apparently considered Portugal's greatest mid 19th century poet. He also dabbled in politics and education reform.
The third is a faith healer living in Brazil. I don't think he's very Catholic, so that is all I have to say about that.
07 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today we look at Stephen Tempier, the bishop of Paris who, in 1277, published a list of 219 condemnations, philosophical and theological ideas and theories that were not to be taught at the University of Paris due to their deviation from Church orthodoxy. He'd previously published 13 other condemnations, and several more would be issued from the University of Paris in the coming century.
From what (admittedly little) I've read on this, it's hard to tell how much of this was Tempier's idea and how much it was influenced by Rome. Most of what I've read paints this as an important event for philosophy moreso than religion, given its impact on the development of philosophy as an independent field of study.
In any case, click here for a much better discussion of the event than I can give.
Today we look at Stephen Tempier, the bishop of Paris who, in 1277, published a list of 219 condemnations, philosophical and theological ideas and theories that were not to be taught at the University of Paris due to their deviation from Church orthodoxy. He'd previously published 13 other condemnations, and several more would be issued from the University of Paris in the coming century.
From what (admittedly little) I've read on this, it's hard to tell how much of this was Tempier's idea and how much it was influenced by Rome. Most of what I've read paints this as an important event for philosophy moreso than religion, given its impact on the development of philosophy as an independent field of study.
In any case, click here for a much better discussion of the event than I can give.
06 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Michaelangelo, who was born on this day in 1475. David, Pieta, the Sistine Chapel paintings, the dome of St. Peter's, Julius II's tomb, and so on.
And while there's all that connection between religion, art, and architecture, what may be less well known is Michaelangelo's poetry. Probably because much of his written work was penned for younger males. That's something they didn't really hit on in The Agony and the Ecstacy.
Today's person is Michaelangelo, who was born on this day in 1475. David, Pieta, the Sistine Chapel paintings, the dome of St. Peter's, Julius II's tomb, and so on.
And while there's all that connection between religion, art, and architecture, what may be less well known is Michaelangelo's poetry. Probably because much of his written work was penned for younger males. That's something they didn't really hit on in The Agony and the Ecstacy.
05 March 2007
Book Log 2007 #7: The United States of Arugula by David Kamp
This books seeks to chronicle how, in roughly 50 years, we went from a nation of Jell-O salads and processed everything to one that, while still too happy to buy processed crap, has McDonalds talking about the 16 greens they put in their salad.
It starts with the "Big Three" of post-WWII gourmandism: James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Claiborne. Kamp tracks how their influence over what Americans ate (and what they read and watched about what they ate) led to a new generation that took the traditional fine dining and took it back to its roots, simplifying technique and presentation while looking for the freshest local ingredients. It's here that we're introduced to Alice Waters, Chez Panisse, and the rise of California cuisine.
It's at this point that the book veers away from the broad analysis of American foodways and into celebrity chef territory as we hop from Waters to Wolfgang Puck to the current crop. There are some side trips (notably organic farming and the rise of specialty stores like Dean & DeLuca), but for the most part the latter half of the book is more about how the top chefs and their restaurants than ways in which their influence trickled down. There is a stab at this at the end with talk of sustainable agriculture and a movement to educate American kids about food during lunch, but there's fertile ground left unsowed.
Still, it was an interesting read. If nothing else it's rekindled an interest in reading bios on Beard and Child.
This books seeks to chronicle how, in roughly 50 years, we went from a nation of Jell-O salads and processed everything to one that, while still too happy to buy processed crap, has McDonalds talking about the 16 greens they put in their salad.
It starts with the "Big Three" of post-WWII gourmandism: James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Claiborne. Kamp tracks how their influence over what Americans ate (and what they read and watched about what they ate) led to a new generation that took the traditional fine dining and took it back to its roots, simplifying technique and presentation while looking for the freshest local ingredients. It's here that we're introduced to Alice Waters, Chez Panisse, and the rise of California cuisine.
It's at this point that the book veers away from the broad analysis of American foodways and into celebrity chef territory as we hop from Waters to Wolfgang Puck to the current crop. There are some side trips (notably organic farming and the rise of specialty stores like Dean & DeLuca), but for the most part the latter half of the book is more about how the top chefs and their restaurants than ways in which their influence trickled down. There is a stab at this at the end with talk of sustainable agriculture and a movement to educate American kids about food during lunch, but there's fertile ground left unsowed.
Still, it was an interesting read. If nothing else it's rekindled an interest in reading bios on Beard and Child.
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today's person is Karl Rahner, who is considered one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century (if not the most influential). An ordained priest who spent most of World War II tending a congregation in rural Bavaria, he spent most of his life as a professor and writer.
While he wrote on many topics, and combined the writings and thoughts of Aquainas, Heidegger, and Kant, his most influential theory had to do with the individual's knowledge of God. He posited a natural knowledge of God which was incomplete, and that complete knowledge could only come through a supernatural revelation. Grace plays a role in there, but I have to admit I'm lucky that I was even able to make what I've written to this point sound coherent. No theologian, I.
Rahner was also appointed as a theological expert to Vatican II, and apparently exerted a fair amount of influence.
P.S.: Given that it's the first Monday in March, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Casimir Pulaski, the Polish hero of the US Revolutionary War, whose holiday is being celebrated today. I figured he'd be OK to mention given that Poland is one of the more uniformly Catholic countries out there, but his bio is in the Catholic Encyclopedia, so I'm taking that as confirmation.
Anyway, a happy day off to our friends in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Today's person is Karl Rahner, who is considered one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century (if not the most influential). An ordained priest who spent most of World War II tending a congregation in rural Bavaria, he spent most of his life as a professor and writer.
While he wrote on many topics, and combined the writings and thoughts of Aquainas, Heidegger, and Kant, his most influential theory had to do with the individual's knowledge of God. He posited a natural knowledge of God which was incomplete, and that complete knowledge could only come through a supernatural revelation. Grace plays a role in there, but I have to admit I'm lucky that I was even able to make what I've written to this point sound coherent. No theologian, I.
Rahner was also appointed as a theological expert to Vatican II, and apparently exerted a fair amount of influence.
P.S.: Given that it's the first Monday in March, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Casimir Pulaski, the Polish hero of the US Revolutionary War, whose holiday is being celebrated today. I figured he'd be OK to mention given that Poland is one of the more uniformly Catholic countries out there, but his bio is in the Catholic Encyclopedia, so I'm taking that as confirmation.
Anyway, a happy day off to our friends in Illinois and Wisconsin.
No good excuse for the past weekend's radio silence, just found other stuff to do. Sadly, none of it was particularly more exciting than posting here, just the usual chores that dot a weekend with no planned events. Kind of nice, actually.
We did not go out to visit the USS John F. Kennedy, probably a smart move given that (on Saturday, at least) they capped the line at about 9:30 am. By that point it was roughly a mile long and four people across.
There was also some talk of going to New Bedford and taking in the various whaling and maritime sites before seeing if Wentworth could best nationally-ranked UMass-Dartmouth for the ECAC Northeast crown and a trip to the NCAAs. This plan died mostly of inertia - though Saturday would have been a nice day to mill around a waterfront - and the realization that it'd be odd to head down there while the New Bedfordian (New Bedfordite? New Bedfordvillian? New Bedfordianite?) we best know is in Florida (and his better half is likely out at Amherst watching their hockey team sweep two games from Maine).
(FWIW, Wentworth couldn't quite get it done, losing 4-3. However, former employer Babson College knocked off New England College to win the ECAC East crown and make the national tournament. Their reward is a game against Manhattanville, the second-ranked team in the country. Good luck!)
Anyway, quiet weekend. At least we got to enjoy the higher temps before we get back into the deep freeze this week.
We did not go out to visit the USS John F. Kennedy, probably a smart move given that (on Saturday, at least) they capped the line at about 9:30 am. By that point it was roughly a mile long and four people across.
There was also some talk of going to New Bedford and taking in the various whaling and maritime sites before seeing if Wentworth could best nationally-ranked UMass-Dartmouth for the ECAC Northeast crown and a trip to the NCAAs. This plan died mostly of inertia - though Saturday would have been a nice day to mill around a waterfront - and the realization that it'd be odd to head down there while the New Bedfordian (New Bedfordite? New Bedfordvillian? New Bedfordianite?) we best know is in Florida (and his better half is likely out at Amherst watching their hockey team sweep two games from Maine).
(FWIW, Wentworth couldn't quite get it done, losing 4-3. However, former employer Babson College knocked off New England College to win the ECAC East crown and make the national tournament. Their reward is a game against Manhattanville, the second-ranked team in the country. Good luck!)
Anyway, quiet weekend. At least we got to enjoy the higher temps before we get back into the deep freeze this week.
02 March 2007
Book Log 2006 #6: The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
Another in the spate of post-Da Vinci books about the Templars and their ilk, this one involves a female archaeologist who is witness to an odd theft during a show of Vatican artwork. She winds up teamed with an FBI agent, who is not thrilled at her becoming more of a partner than a witness. They risk life and limb in a race against those who would like to reveal the secret of the Templars and bring down the modern Catholic church.
It's all pretty standard for the genre. Not as dopey as Da Vinci but not exactly crackling prose, either.
Another in the spate of post-Da Vinci books about the Templars and their ilk, this one involves a female archaeologist who is witness to an odd theft during a show of Vatican artwork. She winds up teamed with an FBI agent, who is not thrilled at her becoming more of a partner than a witness. They risk life and limb in a race against those who would like to reveal the secret of the Templars and bring down the modern Catholic church.
It's all pretty standard for the genre. Not as dopey as Da Vinci but not exactly crackling prose, either.
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
We're back with someone who, unlike JFK, wielded power both political and religious: Pierre Guérin de Tencin, who died on this day in 1758. He went to Rome to assist a cardinal during the election of Innocent XIII, and stayed on for several years as the French representative to the Vatican. During this time he was made a cardinal, and was given the see of Lyons in 1740, two years before becoming French minister of state. He'd retire to his diocese in 1752.
Part of the reason for his retirement, and a certain curb on his power generall, was his sister Claudine. A former nun, Claudine would form a literary circle and become a novelist in her own right, but prior to that she was a courtesan whose influence in political affairs initiall helped her brother, but would ultimately hurt it given her affairs, whose results included an illegitimate son and a suicide of a former lover. I can't imagine there were a lot of family reunions.
We're back with someone who, unlike JFK, wielded power both political and religious: Pierre Guérin de Tencin, who died on this day in 1758. He went to Rome to assist a cardinal during the election of Innocent XIII, and stayed on for several years as the French representative to the Vatican. During this time he was made a cardinal, and was given the see of Lyons in 1740, two years before becoming French minister of state. He'd retire to his diocese in 1752.
Part of the reason for his retirement, and a certain curb on his power generall, was his sister Claudine. A former nun, Claudine would form a literary circle and become a novelist in her own right, but prior to that she was a courtesan whose influence in political affairs initiall helped her brother, but would ultimately hurt it given her affairs, whose results included an illegitimate son and a suicide of a former lover. I can't imagine there were a lot of family reunions.
01 March 2007
Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day
Today it's John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States and only Catholic to hold the office. He's also in no danger of being canonized any time soon.
I'm going with JFK because of two ties to today. The first is that it was on this day in 1961 that he authorized the Peace Corps, one of the highlights of his administration. The other is that today, the USS John F. Kennedy pulled into Boston harbor for a weekend visit, the last before it is decomissioned. It is either the last or next to last conventionally-powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy (I've read both).
Today it's John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States and only Catholic to hold the office. He's also in no danger of being canonized any time soon.
I'm going with JFK because of two ties to today. The first is that it was on this day in 1961 that he authorized the Peace Corps, one of the highlights of his administration. The other is that today, the USS John F. Kennedy pulled into Boston harbor for a weekend visit, the last before it is decomissioned. It is either the last or next to last conventionally-powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy (I've read both).
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