Veterans Day 2015 freebies: Full list of restaurant deals on Nov. 11

WGN Web Desk posted: "Several businesses and restaurants are offering something free to veterans and active duty military personnelon Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The offers range from free breakfast items to complete meals. Note: Offers good at participating location. Uniform or" PhilosFX shared a post from WGN-TV Veterans Day 2015 freebies: Full list of restaurant deals on Nov. 11 by Tribune Media Wire Several businesses and restaurants are offering something free to veterans and active duty military personnel on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The offers range from free breakfast items to complete meals. Note: Offers good at participating location. Uniform or military ID may be required as proof of service. Some of the offers listed below originally found at military.com.  Read more of this post Tribune Media Wire | November 11, 2015 at 7:32 AM | Categories: News | URL: http://bit.ly/1Y4mgpp Change your email settings at Manage Notifications. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://wgntv.com/2015/11/11/veterans-day-2015-freebies-full-list-of-restaurant-deals-on-nov-11/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

100 Reasons You Should Work Out Today

I wanted to share this page from SparkPeople.com: 100 Reasons You Should Work Out Today

Personal Favorites:

Because being fit makes everything in life better
Because if you can do this, you can do anything
Because the only workout you ever regret is the one you skip

MOnday MOrning MOvember MOment #2

MOnday MOrning MOvember MOment #1

A couple of days ago, I got a clean scrape, leaving my bearded face bare for the first time since--well, since last October 31st, when I sat in the mobile barber's chair for a straight razor job at Samuel Beckett's Irish Gastro Pub.  

This is my 5th year supporting MOvember by raising a moustache to call attention to men's health issues. I feel naked and completely unafraid.

Monday, Movember 2d: Day 2 of MO 2015

But here's the real deal. I did not inherit my furry father's thick, dark, Nebraska Centennial award-winning beard. I have never had a 5 o'clock shadow "problem." After a whole month of my best effort, my moustache will look like an eighth of an inch of reddish-grey fuzz on my upper lip. For the first 10 days, most people will simply assume I forgot to shave that morning! How humiliating! 

"Where my MO Go?"

Why do this to myself, year after year? There is a reason for all this potentially embarrassing facial folly. For starters, it's fun to change up my appearance a little. In addition, there is a nervous tension between my being self-conscious and the other person wondering if I am doing this moustache thing deliberately. That tension really does work as a conversation starter. Launching the "men's health issues" conversation is important, so growing a 'stasche--even a light 'stasche--is as effective as it is fun. 

Know why you MO, bro!

Why is the conversation so important? Left alone, most men would never go to a doctor for a check-up. One way to deal with a threat is to ignore it. (I didn't say this was smart, just that it is common!) It's easy for a man to shift his focus from preventing a possible threat to his own health to any other more imminent threat, even if the substitute is far less important. Why are we men so often "addicted" to work or sports or gambling? Could it be that we men push off our fears of mortality by focusing on other battles--ones we have a chance of winning? Do we sometimes manufacture battles and conflicts to take our minds off our own weaknesses and threats outside of our control?  

The fundamental reason for the annual exercise in follicle farming: I want men to live longer, happier lives. 

Yes, of course, I want all people to live longer, happier lives. But there are some threats to health and happiness that men uniquely face:

• Male-specific cancers like testicular cancer and prostate cancer 
• Certain role-based challenges that show up in men as hypertension and depression 
• Certain lifestyle-based challenges--less physical exertion results in diabetes and obesity  

The MO matters because the conversation is important. Intellectually, we men know that we need to get checked, but emotionally, we would rather not face the prospect of bad news. Enter MOvember! Men need the support and encouragement of other men to:

• Understand that it is not "weak" to go to a doctor and get checked for male-specific cancers. Cancer is random! Get thee to thine doctor, dude! 
• De-stigmatize the process of seeking treatment for hypertension and depression. These crippling diseases are all too common! Take time to make sure your brothers are  
• Overcome the inertia of a sedentary lifestyle. Staying physically active is the best weapon against diabetes and obesity! Whether you MOustasche or MOve or both, do something and encourage each other to do MOre.

My own brush with cancer was an eye-opener. Early detection, competent doctors, excellent facilities, and well-funded research enabled me to survive my three-year ordeal. But not all men have been so fortunate. If shaving my beard and sprouting a faint little 'stasche is enough to spark 100 conversations and convince just one man to get and keep an appointment for a physical or mental health exam, then the embarrassing folly of farming facial follicles will have been worth it!   

I know why I MO!

An All Hallows L.I.N.K.S. dedicated to The Female Stranger

This edition of L.I.N.K.S. (hyperlinks that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, or Stimulate) is dedicated to the mysterious female stranger, whose tortured soul some claim still haunts Room 8 of Old Town Alexandria's Gatsby Tavern Inn.

The young, unnamed woman, known to history as the Female Stranger, slipped the surly bonds of this earth in Room 8 on October 14th, 1816. Her identity and cause of death shrouded in mystery, she was buried in St Paul's cemetery by a man claiming to be her husband. For nearly 200 years now, rumors and hypotheses have grown like weeds on an untended grave.

Who was the Female Stranger? Why did she come to Alexandria? Why was she so adamant about hiding her identity? How did she die? Who was the man who claimed to be her husband? What secrets did her doctor--sworn to secrecy--carry to his own grave? Why did the doctor agree to protect his patient's identity?

Rumors abound:

• She was escaping an unhappy marriage with a paramour when she became deathly ill. 
• "She" was really Napoleon Bonaparte in disguise. 
• There is no body in that grave. The whole charade was just part of an elaborate disappearing act.

I first heard of this story in October 2014, when Port City Brewing Company released a new beer called Long Black Veil. This is a Black IPA brewed in honor of the Female Stranger who died in the Gatsby Tavern Inn nearly 200 years ago. Yes, the love of beer is a gateway to mystery.

This year, looking for some spooky fun, I visited the Gatsby Tavern Museum on Hallowe'en and took the tour (I highly recommend this tour, by the way! Ask for Laurie.). The tour guide explained that she does not normally mention the Female Stranger, since there are more rumors than facts, and to repeat spurious rumors would be pandering. However, partly at my insistence, and partly because there was a Female Stranger-themed birthday party happening even as we discussed the idea, she agreed to include some aspects of the young woman's story on her tour.

I took photos of Room 8, including the ghostly figure of a number 8 on the door. The story goes that at the moment when the young woman gave up the ghost, the numeral slipped 90 degrees and became an infinity sign.

Our tour guide convinced a birthday partier dressed as The Female Stranger to pose for a photo. Backlit in my photo, the veil-clad young lady appears eerily translucent--almost ghost-like.

I went from the tavern to St Paul's cemetery and searched for a tombstone in memory of The Female Stranger. After a spooky search, I found it!

The nearly 200 year old table-top grave marker is now weathered and difficult to read. I searched the Internet and found this helpful transcription.

"Tomb of a female stranger, Alexandria, Virginia (8597808671)" by Boston Public Library

And so now, with all that as prologue, I offer this collection of L.I.N.K.S., the 14th in the series, this one dedicated to the mysterious woman known to us only as The Female Stranger.

• The Port City Black IPA called Long Black Veil which for me was the starting point for this whole adventure. 
• The blog, Visit Alexandria, has a piece on The Female Stranger 
• Here is a blog piece published by Fair Weather Lewis to the memory of a female stranger
• Connection Newspapers asks, Who was she?
• There are some good insights about the grave of the female stranger published on author Frank Bittinger's blog.
• WAMU-FM addresses the 200-year-old question: Who was the Female Stranger? 
• Archived post about The Female Stranger on Reddit from the Unresolved Mysteries Series 
• WAMU-FM reporter Michael Pope has written a book of ghost stories including one about The Female Stranger 
• Wikipedia has an entry on The Female Stranger 
• The inscription on the Female Stranger's tombstone includes a snippet from Alexander Pope's Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady 
• This is the perfect Johnny Cash song to listen to while visiting the Female Stranger's grave at night, with a growler of Black IPA and two glasses.

Post Script: L.I.N.K.S. is a recurring feature here at PhilosFX. You can find and enjoy previous editions of L.I.N.K.S. (hyperlinks that Lure, Intrigue, Nurture, Kindle, or Stimulate) by using the search term, L.I.N.K.S. Enjoy them all!

Top Brewery Road Trip, Routed Algorithmically

"This is now on my bucket list."

Comes now a new Road Trip story, this one via Nathan Yau and his fantastic work on Flowing Data.

Well, let's see: I love beer and brewers and breweries, I love road trips, and I love Nathan's Flowing Data site. Triple win!

I would like to see a similar map for a bicycling tour of Belgium.

Actually, I would also love to see a similar map for the top 70 breweries within 100 miles of the US Capitol Building.


H/T: SN

RIP Radio Legend Ed Walker

Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ed Walker
 April 23, 1932 – October 26, 2015

I've been enjoying Ed Walker's nostalgic Sunday evening radio show since moving to the DC area in 2000. For 15 years, The Big Broadcast was appointment radio for me. I loved the show because it offered a glimpse into family life during a simpler time when radio was the main source of entertainment--the '30s, '40s, and '50s. When I was young in the '60s, TV was already popular. I remember watching Gunsmoke, Dragnet, and the Lone Ranger on TV with my family the way my parents and grandparents had probably listened to Fibber McGee and Molly or the Jack Benny Show. Through The Big Broadcast, I came to appreciate that the lineage of the shows we watched in the '60s went back to popular radio broadcasts long before the television era.

Despite Mr. Walker's status as revered co-founder of WAMU-FM and long-time host of his popular Sunday evening show, I really did not know much about the man himself until he decided to retire earlier this month. At the age of 83, Mr. Walker received a cancer diagnosis. He announced his decision to retire so he could focus on his health, and people in the listening audience and the wider WAMU community responded with news and stories commemorating his accomplishments and his character. That is when I began learning more about Mr. Walker. For example, I learned something that listeners of radio would have no way of knowing--that Mr. Walker was born blind. He was the first blind student accepted at American University.

His friend and fellow WAMU broadcaster, Ray Bamberger, guest-hosted Ed's show on October 18th, the first Sunday after Ed stepped down. Ray also announced that he would continue guest-hosting until a full-time host for The Big Broadcast was chosen. Meanwhile, Ed's family encouraged Mr. Walker to record one final broadcast. The report I read indicated that he really did not want to, as he felt weak and his voice was raspy. But his family convinced him to put together one final show. At the time, they probably did not realize that this final show would literally be Mr. Walker's Swan Song.

Recorded in his hospital room. the final show was different from previous shows. Rather than try to play what his audience wanted to hear, Ed set out to play his personal favorites. As you listen to the show, you can hear his raspy voice, a little quieter than usual, but his thoughts, insights, and recollections are every bit as colorful and lively as ever. Rather than simply airing the next episode in the Johnny Dollar series, Ed played his favorite episode. There were Christmas-themed shows, not because the season was right but because the content touched his heart. The sadness as he bade farewell was palpable.

The final broadcast aired on Sunday, Oct 25th, from 7 to 11 p.m. Surrounded by his family, Ed listened to the broadcast in his hospital room. You can listen to the broadcast by following this LINK. We learned today the sad and poignant news that within a few hours of hearing his signature sign-off, Ed Walker slipped into a deep and permanent sleep.

        What a bittersweet story...

              Rest in peace, Ed Walker.


Ed Walker (April 23, 1932 – October 26, 2015) was a Washington, D.C., radio personality. He hosted a weekly four-hour Sunday night program, The Big Broadcast, on WAMU-FM, featuring vintage radio programs from the 1930s to 1950s, such as Gunsmoke,The Jack Benny Show, The Lone Ranger, Fibber McGee and Molly, and Superman. Walker began hosting The Big Broadcast in 1990 when his friend John Hickman discontinued hosting due to illness; the show, which started in 1964 as Recollections, has been the longest running program on WAMU. The show ranks first in its time slot, and its audience is "remarkably young for a public radio crowd."