Cliff Branch is still probably faster than you
My brother just got my son a pair of wide receiver gloves signed by Cliff Branch*. Apparently he was at a Wal Mart in Vegas signing stuff.
Cliff was a rockin awesome receiver who featured prominently in the playground games of my youth. On that field as on the gridirons of the NFL, Cliff dropped a lot of balls as he tried to make those tough catches … he caught a lot of them too.
From Whatever Happened to Cliff Branch?:
What was your favorite route to run?
Cliff Branch: I always like to run to “Cliff’s Corner” as much as possible. Whenever we faced that direction in the Coliseum, it would a deep pattern in the direction of the Cliff’s Corner. For one thing when I used to line up we didn’t flip-flop the receivers so I was always on the left and when we were heading in that direction that would be heading north of the Coliseum so that would always be on the side where John Madden and our team players would be on that side of the bench. I scored a lot of touchdowns in that particular corner. My whole game was playing the team deep and coming up with big plays on deep patterns. It was a good luck corner.
Video: Cliff Branch – Cover Me from RaideRants.
* Hey NFL, can we have just ONE picture of each of your players for Wikipedia? It’s not all about you . Seriously, it’s total BS that there’s a total lack of available media from 1950 on – I get copyright law, but this is ridiculous.
I had never heard of Tristan da Cunha
I am currently sitting on a boat, wallowing in a south Atlantic ocean swell, five cables off the rocky coastline of the most isolated, permanently-populated island in the world.
My fellow passengers have just landed and I swear a few moments ago, through powerful binoculars, I saw my wife waving to me from a sheep-filled meadow.
But I am pinioned here on deck six of the motor yacht Corinthian II, prevented from landing by a very large policeman.
Twenty-four years ago I wrote a few rather innocent-sounding lines in a book and in consequence I have been banned – apparently for life – from the island that lies forbidden before me; the tiny British colonial possession of Tristan da Cunha.
This begins Wallowing of the coast of Tristan, a report that I heard this morning on the BBC. It was a pretty interesting look at a very out of the way place from the perspective of a writer whose great sin that incurred the wrath of the island’s elders was to quote from another book about a secret affair of the heart.
Wikipedia sez that Tristan da Cunha has just one settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement in the world, being over 1,500 miles (2400 kilometres) from the nearest human settlement, on Saint Helena (where Napolean was imprisoned).
About the photo: Bruno Dr. Sanchez-Andrade Nuno a lot of photos from the January 2009 eclipse and information about them on his January 26 Eclipse blog. This particular photo was taken by Leo writes that he climbed up to the “Base”, the mountain surrounding the village and was later able to send these via internet, which arrived on the island about 2 years ago (probably providing a welcome alternative to their one TV station).
Green is the Colour … of beer!
More about green from Michigan in Pictures.
I think that for St Patrick’s Day next year I will brew some green beer.
I looked all over for information about how to make green beer. I found that (gasp) you could use a few drops of green food coloring. Much as I love food coloring, I thought there had to be a better way. I searched and searched and mostly found out about green (as in energy) breweries.
It’s surprising to me that I couldn’t find a recipe for naturally brewing green beer, considering how many foods are green. I thought about a number of options, but settled on using something I only learned about yesterday. Wikipedia sez that Matcha is a variety of fine, powdered green tea used particularly in the Japanese tea ceremony, as well as to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi. I got mine from Angela at Light of Day Organics and I plan to use it in the same way that I used to use when brewing coffee beer.
Here’s the plan:
- Steep about 100-150 grams (1/4 to 1/3 cup) of matcha in a quart or so of water. I will use 150 I think to be sure about the color.
- Brew beer as normal (I will try for a lighter ale with lots and lots of hops).
- At the end of the mash, strain the steeped tea into the wort and then hope it’s green enough.
- If not, there’s always the food coloring and the next year!
Until then it’s probably a Guinness or a fine Michigan microbrew!
The photo is After Work…?! by Jim Crocker and I think that it probably is.
Happy St Patrick’s Day everyone!
Saturday Morning Cartoons: Story of Saint Patrick
You can see more of the Give Up Yer Aul Sins series if you link on through and also at the web site for Brown Bag Films.
Ch-ch-ch-chia & Challenge
It’s been a while since my last post of any great substance, and why stop now. In addition to this rather bizarre Photoshop manifestation, here, in list form and as fast as possible, are my thoughts on the President in Chia Chief:
- Yes we can … grow herbs and sprouts from our President’s HEAD! It’s ChiaObama – $19.99 worth of crunchy and nutritious fun!
- Someone told me yesterday that it was nice to be a nation under adult supervision again, and I think it’s interesting that the Republican Party chose to respond to Obama’s speech with the almost cartoonish response of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal telling us that Katrina says that government can’t help you. Maybe the real message is that a directionless and antiquated government from the 1930s can’t help you. I was shouting at the TV that Gov. Jindal just needed a button-down sweater to get the role of Mr. Rogers. Jon Stewart saw some similarity as well, which you can see in this Daily Show excerpt (warning: graphic baconnaise)
- That Daily Show excerpt and the Word Cloud of Obama’s speech to Congress both come courtesy Jason Morrison, who generated a great Obama v Jondal Word Cloud face-off. He made the cloud at wordle.net and has written about the utility of tag clouds. It’s interesting to look at these small to see the major themes: “Plan now, health economy every time new America” and “Republican need government Washington anything strengthen Congress” jump out at me from 10,000 feet.
I have been full of hope that the massive waves of crisis that are buffeting the world will allow the Obama Administration and people at all levels of society and government to make the really profound changes that are necessary for our growth and survival. I think that’s what Maureen Dowd was getting at in her latest column.- Obama’s radio address seems to show that he is indeed ready for a fight along those lines: The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people. I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November.
- I found the images for this post on a Flickr search for “obama” licensed under the Creative Commons for commercial work. I thought it was interesting that the first five results had the theme or subtheme of buying something Obama-related. The person who posted the framed picture of Obama also has a food blog featuring all kinds of Pacific food including Hawaiian, something I’ve never tried. Can we expect to see chains of Hawaiian eateries springing up?
- I also thought it cool that one of the “Nerds for Obama” was wearing the cool astronaut boombox shirt that one of the girls at the Merc was wearing yesterday. Viviene (pictured above) has started a company called Polka Dot Robot. While PDR doesn’t sell Obama gear, it does offer these Monster Hoodies.
- I made this post into a cloud.
- In conclusion, I’d like to ask what you will grow in your ChiaObama. I think mine will be basil … or hope & change.
