What Shakespeare Drank

William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon

In celebration of the 447th anniversary of the Bard of Avon's baptism on April 26, I present this interesting article published Oct 17, 2009 in Beer Connoisseur: HERE

Interesting that ale and beer were once considered two distinctly different beverages. These days, beer is the umbrella term. Two major types of beer are top-fermented ales and cold, bottom fermented lagers. Interesting, too, that the practice of adding hops to beer as the Germans did was resisted for so long by the English.

Bill would've turned his nose up at my favorite hop-bomb! To each his own, I suppose. Or, as the great Bard himself may have said, "But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes."

Iconic 1966 Harley-Davidson Electra-Glide

1966 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide

1966 was the year Harley-Davidson Motor Company introduced the electric starter, hence the name Electra-Glide. The new, more powerful "Shovelhead" engine replaced the venerable Panhead. This new engine earned its nickname because the valve covers look like inverted shovel blades.

Harley-Davidson: big and beefy, loud and proud. It's America on two wheels!

Buying Rare Beer on eBay

RateBeerian G. T. Wharton has just posted an interesting article entitled "Market Behavior for Rare Beer: eBay Auction Prices in Review." The article is available here:  HopPress.

The article is well-researched and presented with clear graphics and a sparse, academic language free of jargon and emotion. The author makes the observation that the market for rare beer on eBay has some unintended consequences. For one, a new group of people is showing up at brewers' release parties. No longer the exclusive domain of beer geeks, these release parties are being attended by an increasing number of profiteers who only want to obtain bottles to sell on eBay for up to 10 times what they paid. Another: counterfeiting. Who would have thought that someone would carefully open a bottle, "remove" the contents, refill the empty bottle with something else (presumably a less rare beer of similar style), recap the bottle, and offer said refilled bottle for sale? A third: false advertising. Actually, this is pretty obvious and should be expected. The only recourse is to address false claims in the buyer's review of the seller. A seller's reputation is jealously protected, and most sellers are pretty honest. Most.

The 13-month analysis of beers bought on auction provides insights into buyer behavior and the gray market price some of these rare beers can claim.  Before reading this article, I was not aware of people spending $200, $300, even upwards of $500 per 12 oz of beer--erm, for a collectible bottle with incidental contents possibly containing alcohol .

For my part, I would rather trade collectible bottles with people I trust. Trading something of comparable value with a friend is a good way to dispose of excess inventory and obtain something difficult to acquire, while avoiding the risks associated with online auctions.


Of course, there is always the risk that your shipper will not buy the claim that the box contains only  collectible bottles....

Daily Schedule

I ran across this interesting template for daily living. Ben Franklin was a complicated man: successful, worldly, and wise. His method of arranging his days, and the types of activities with which he filled those days, is worth a second look.

Hat tip to Nathan at Flowing Data http://bit.ly/i21mFm

I have pulled the Angels of the Hours into my own daily template. Have a look (and listen) at Angels of the Hours on Gratefulness.org http://bit.ly/gtiqrq 

Change the Way You "View" This Site

You can play with the way this site appears. Just go to the address bar and append "/view" to the URL. You will be transported to a new view of the blog. There's a drop-down menu and you can choose from 5 alternatives. I like Flipchart. This trick will work on all other blogs on blogger. Enjoy!

OCD Poster

Designer Patrick Smith has developed a series of simple graphics to illustrate mental disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

I think the OCD poster shown above is the most successful of the group. If I admitted how much time I spent trying to "fix" it, one might get the impression that I'm slightly, well, OCD...

Patrick's site is here: http://bit.ly/fB2uts

Hat tip to Nathan at Flowing Data: http://bit.ly/i21mFm

RIP Dave Duerson, November 28, 1960 – February 17, 2011

Sad to learn of Notre Dame classmate Dave Duerson's recent untimely death at age 50. I remember getting to know Dave in our Psychology 101 class. As a freshman, Dave was already a starting defensive back for Dan Devine's Fighting Irish football team. (Another football team member who went on to play in the pros, offensive lineman Tom Thayer, was in Prof Smith's Psych class, too.)  Dave was already a standout player but I got to know him as a bright, upbeat, and intellectually curious student. He went on to star at ND, serving as team Captain our senior year.

David Russell Duerson (November 28, 1960 – February 17, 2011) was an American football safety in the National Football League who played for the Chicago Bears (1983–1989), the New York Giants (1990), and the Phoenix Cardinals (1991–1993)....Duerson was selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1986 to 1989 in his career, and won two championship rings, with the Bears (Super Bowl XX), and with the Giants (Super Bowl XXV). --Wikipedia 

Dave died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Before he died, he sent a message to his family explaining he wanted his brain to be used for research at the Boston University School of Medicine, which is conducting research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease found in individuals who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. A variant of the condition, dementia pugilistica, is primarily associated with boxing. CTE has been most commonly found in professional athletes participating in gridiron football, ice hockey, professional wrestling and other contact sports, who have experienced head trauma, resulting in characteristic degeneration of brain tissue and the accumulation of tau protein. Individuals with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy may show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression which may appear within months of the trauma or many decades later. --Wikipedia

I knew Dave personally as an upbeat, energetic, bright, and positive man. I loved watching him on the field as a member of the Fighting Irish and then as a Pro-Bowl player for the Chicago Bears. When he received accolades for his charity work, I felt proud of him. It saddens me to learn that at the end of his shortened life he was in such physical and emotional pain. Yet I am proud of my classmate for thinking of others in his last moments, and preserving his brain for research that may lead to preventing or curing CTE.

I understand the Church's teaching on suicide--that taking one's own life is a sin. I understand, too, that the basis for this teaching is a solemn respect for the immeasurable value of each human life, and the belief that faith in God is sufficient to endure all trials. Suicide is always sad, but unlike the Church I cannot condemn it. I do believe in the immeasurable value of each human life, but I do not comprehend a God that would say, "Let's give Dave CTE and see how he does with it." I only hope Dave's suicide is viewed as a self-sacrifice, a last act of self-less service by a truly remarkable, successful, and gifted man.