20th Century: Libra by Don DeLillo. It's billed as "a novel," and rightly so, though it depicts the contested life history of Lee Harvey Oswald. Bursting with invention, in the best sense of the word. 19th Century: Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane. Probably DQ'd because Fontane was born in P...

Given that the person in the photo is evidently a kid, I can understand the misgivings. But people with disabilities are allowed a sense of humor, too -- and it's sometimes self-deprecating. I had a classmate with severe deformities who would challenge his peers (jokingly) to meet him "at the bike r...

That SCTV skit is a real chestnut ["Such a long way to gooo . . . "]. I always figured that about thirty people ever saw and appreciated it. Guilty pleasure on a related (?) note: David Bickler, who used to sing for Survivor, has proven to be a good sport. October always means stupid beer ads, and h...

Angus: Agreed -- It was a bad pitch that happened to hit the knob of Dye's bat. But for the sake of consistency, this is always ruled a foul ball, regardless of intent on the batter's part. It's kind of a bullshit rule because in nearly every case the batter is clearly bailing out, and it's a huge s...

"Waterloo Sunset" "Satellite of Love" "Visions of Johanna" Okay, so that's three. I'd be more than happy with any of 'em. "Satellite," in particular, helps me stay calm during the rough patches: ["Bop bop baa/ Satellite of love . . ."]. It's much more soothing than an endless loop of "La Cucaracha."

Astros fans have got to be having fits over this. (Bucky Dent, anyone?) No doubt there will be endless whining about the blown call on Dye's foul ball, but none of this was automatic. The Sox managed to hit the ball over the fence when they had a chance to do so. What a fantastic game. So far, I've ...

Jeremy - Wish I'd seen your post sooner, as it's Saturday night already. Nevertheless: Triple Rock, Luce, and especially Nye's are all good bets. Come Sunday, downtown will be a total zoo (Packers v. Vikings). This might be a good day for some record shopping. The aforementioned Treehouse Records is...

Ce <<general discussion thread>> entirement en francais, j'ai en attende longtemps! Pour le plupart, j'ai oublie mes lecons (depuis vingt ans). Je peux parler un peu de la langue, mais pas facilement. Pardonnez-moi, s'il vous plait, tous le suivant: Je me souviens un nuit pres de la ville Fontenay l...

Today at the liquor store I found a surprising array of beers in 5-liter casks. They ranged from the familiar [Grolsch, Heineken, Bell's Oberon] to the esoteric [Kostriker, Bitburger, and various other German brands]. They were all in the $18 - $22 range. By my calculation, each of these kegs would ...

"As a hornet approaches the nest in an attempt to kill honeybees, a hundred or so will guard the nest entrance in an attempt to draw it on."

Shouldn't that read, "Bring 'em on"?