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by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, This is Off Topic, but timely. February 14, 2008 Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge? By PATRICIA COHEN A popular video on YouTube shows Kellie Pickler, the adorable platinum blonde from “American Idol,” appearing on the Fox game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” during celebrity week. Selected from a third-grade geography curriculum, the $25,000 question asked: “Budapest is the capital of what European country?” Ms. Pickler threw up both hands and looked at the large blackboard perplexed. “I thought Europe was a country,” she said. Playing it safe, she chose to copy the answer offered by one of the genuine fifth graders: Hungary. “Hungry?” she said, eyes widening in disbelief. “That’s a country? I’ve heard of Turkey. But Hungry? I’ve never heard of it.” Such, uh, lack of global awareness is the kind of thing that drives Susan Jacoby, author of “The Age of American Unreason,” up a wall. Ms. Jacoby is one of a number of writers with new books that bemoan the state of American culture. Joining the circle of curmudgeons this season is Eric G. Wilson, whose “Against Happiness” warns that the “American obsession with happiness” could “well lead to a sudden extinction of the creative impulse, that could result in an extermination as horrible as those foreshadowed by global warming and environmental crisis and nuclear proliferation.” Then there is Lee Siegel’s “Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob,” which inveighs against the Internet for encouraging solipsism, debased discourse and arrant commercialization. Mr. Siegel, one might remember, was suspended by The New Republic for using a fake online persona in order to trash critics of his blog (“you couldn’t tie Siegel’s shoelaces”) and to praise himself (“brave, brilliant”). Ms. Jacoby, whose book came out on Tuesday, doesn’t zero in on a particular technology or emotion, but rather on what she feels is a generalized hostility to knowledge. She is well aware that some may tag her a crank. “I expect to get bashed,” said Ms. Jacoby, 62, either as an older person who upbraids the young for plummeting standards and values, or as a secularist whose defense of scientific rationalism is a way to disparage religion. Ms. Jacoby, however, is quick to point out that her indictment is not limited by age or ideology. Yes, she knows that eggheads, nerds, bookworms, longhairs, pointy heads, highbrows and know-it-alls have been mocked and dismissed throughout American history. And liberal and conservative writers, from Richard Hofstadter to Allan Bloom, have regularly analyzed the phenomenon and offered advice. T. J. Jackson Lears, a cultural historian who edits the quarterly review Raritan, said, “The tendency to this sort of lamentation is perennial in American history,” adding that in periods “when political problems seem intractable or somehow frozen, there is a turn toward cultural issues.” But now, Ms. Jacoby said, something different is happening: anti-intellectualism (the attitude that “too much learning can be a dangerous thing”) and anti-rationalism (“the idea that there is no such things as evidence or fact, just opinion”) have fused in a particularly insidious way. Not only are citizens ignorant about essential scientific, civic and cultural knowledge, she said, but they also don’t think it matters. She pointed to a 2006 National Geographic poll that found nearly half of 18- to 24-year-olds don’t think it is necessary or important to know where countries in the news are located. So more than three years into the Iraq war, only 23 percent of those with some college could locate Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel on a map. Ms. Jacoby, dressed in a bright red turtleneck with lipstick to match, was sitting, appropriately, in that temple of knowledge, the New York Public Library’s majestic Beaux Arts building on Fifth Avenue. The author of seven other books, she was a fellow at the library when she first got the idea for this book back in 2001, on 9/11. Walking home to her Upper East Side apartment, she said, overwhelmed and confused, she stopped at a bar. As she sipped her bloody mary, she quietly listened to two men, neatly dressed in suits. For a second she thought they were going to compare that day’s horrifying attack to the Japanese bombing in 1941 that blew America into World War II: “This is just like Pearl Harbor,” one of the men said. The other asked, “What is Pearl Harbor?” “That was when the Vietnamese dropped bombs in a harbor, and it started the Vietnam War,” the first man replied. At that moment, Ms. Jacoby said, “I decided to write this book.” Ms. Jacoby doesn’t expect to revolutionize the nation’s educational system or cause millions of Americans to switch off “American Idol” and pick up Schopenhauer. But she would like to start a conversation about why the United States seems particularly vulnerable to such a virulent strain of anti-intellectualism. After all, “the empire of infotainment doesn’t stop at the American border,” she said, yet students in many other countries consistently outperform American students in science, math and reading on comparative tests. In part, she lays the blame on a failing educational system. “Although people are going to school more and more years, there’s no evidence that they know more,” she said. Ms. Jacoby also blames religious fundamentalism’s antipathy toward science, as she grieves over surveys that show that nearly two-thirds of Americans want creationism to be taught along with evolution. Ms. Jacoby doesn’t leave liberals out of her analysis, mentioning the New Left’s attacks on universities in the 1960s, the decision to consign African-American and women’s studies to an “academic ghetto” instead of integrating them into the core curriculum, ponderous musings on rock music and pop culture courses on everything from sitcoms to fat that trivialize college-level learning. Avoiding the liberal or conservative label in this particular argument, she prefers to call herself a “cultural conservationist.” For all her scholarly interests, though, Ms. Jacoby said she recognized just how hard it is to tune out the 24/7 entertainment culture. A few years ago she participated in the annual campaign to turn off the television for a week. “I was stunned at how difficult it was for me,” she said. The surprise at her own dependency on electronic and visual media made her realize just how pervasive the culture of distraction is and how susceptible everyone is — even curmudgeons. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

17 years, 9 months

[wine] Think Pink

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, The group often takes big restaurant dates like NYEve and VDay off. Restaurants tend to be full on those days, and limiting the amount of their wine sold is counter to our group's goals. Here's a ditty on Pink Bubbles from the Post. Cheers, Jim For You, a Bouquet of RosÃ©s By Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg Wednesday, February 13, 2008; F05 No need to worry if you've put off planning a special evening with a special someone tomorrow night -- or if you have no such evening planned. A flute of pink sparkling wine is a celebration in a glass no matter whom you share it with, or when. RosÃ©s and sparklers are two of the most food-friendly wine styles around: The former can pinch-hit as either whites or reds, while the latter's crisp acidity and bubbles cleanse the palate. Marry the two, and the match creates the world's single food-friendliest wine. Within the realm of rosé sparkling wines, you'll find variations that run the gamut: from delicate to robust in color, body and flavor, and from dry to off-dry in sweetness. Here you can find a match for virtually any food. Pink sparklers can be as great with "surf," including clams, mussels, oysters, squid, crab, lobster, salmon and tuna, as they are with "turf," such as rare filet mignon, lamb or duck. They also can stand up to creamy mushroom dishes and other rich foods, fried or salty starters and even spicy foods, including chili-laden dishes from Mexican, Hunan, Indian, Sichuan and Thai cuisines. Over the past few weeks, we sipped our way through dozens of bottles of pink sparkling wines made in the traditional method to bring you the best of the bunch. Because readers often seek a wine in a particular price range, we've listed them in increasing order of price -- and into stratospheres that make us blush. (Check out the "Tips" box below for a steal at $11.) >From among our three California sparkling rosÃ© recommendations, Karen netted her pick of the week: The N.V. Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut RosÃ© Sparkling Wine ($27) is the effort of an offshoot of Champagne's Louis Roederer, maker of famed Cristal Champagne. The nose is strawberry cheesecake: ripe, round strawberries with hints of cream cheese, vanilla and graham cracker crust. With its lush body, constant stream of tiny bubbles and long, creamy finish, this is a sparkler with impressive finesse. We found it all the more impressive that it paired so well with food, especially sauteed salmon, which perfectly echoed its color. Although our other two California choices hail from Sonoma's Russian River Valley, they could hardly be more different. The N.V. J Brut RosÃ© ($35) is a relative whisper of a pink sparkler, very delicate in color, body and flavor -- so much so that we worried it would be overwhelmed by food. But we were pleasantly surprised to find that it, too, was an ideal complement to delicate sauteed salmon. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the 2003 Iron Horse Brut RosÃ© ($50), from the Green Valley, is deep ruby-pink in color and equally big in flavor, body and even aroma. (Imagine the scent of cherry Jolly Rancher candies nestled in a haystack.) Although this rosÃ© overpowered the same salmon, it stood up beautifully to sliced rare filet mignon. Those first three choices represented a somewhat narrow flavor band. The N.V. Champagne Taittinger Prestige RosÃ© Brut ($60) is lighter-bodied, with bright, refreshing raspberry and strawberry flavors and streams of fine bubbles. Surprisingly, it paired beautifully with the salmon and the filet. The 2002 Louis Roederer Vintage RosÃ© Champagne Brut ($75) is drier and more delicate than Karen's pick, its California cousin. It is an elegant sparkler with an abundance of fine bubbles and a rich, creamy finish that underscored the salmon's silkiness. Andrew's pick, the N.V. Laurent -Perrier CuvÃ©e RosÃ© Brut Champagne ($80), is a splurge champagne for any occasion that calls for one. He loved its tart red-fruit notes -- cherries, raspberries and strawberries -- on the nose and palate. This was an extraordinary match with the salmon, both with and without a red-pepper sauce. Its distinctive round-bottomed bottle is modeled after those used in the late 17th century, and its salmon hue is the result of the saignee method, wherein the juice is left in contact with red grape skins, which bleed a pink tinge. (More commonly, a bit of red wine is simply added to the finished blend.) If you're looking for something even more over the top in flavor and extravagance, look no further. These two are as different from their champagne brethren as cabernet is from pinot: The 2002 Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or RosÃ© Champagne ($179), which comes in a red velvet gift pouch, is like a big, brooding red with a chocolaty espresso finish. It easily stood up to filet mignon with wild mushrooms. The N.V. Champagne Krug Brut RosÃ© ($189 for 375 ml), which comes in a pearly-pink gift box, was one of a kind: We had never tasted anything like it before. Rather than pair it with food, we sipped it on its own to marvel at its silky texture and its nuanced flavors that -- though some might find this disrespectful -- suggested the world's best strawberry Pop-Tart. With any one of these sparkling selections, you can surprise your date with an all-pink menu: paper-thin slices of smoked salmon, prosciutto or beef carpaccio, or even takeout salmon and tuna sushi. If your date isn't really a date, you can raise a delicious toast to anything you like, such as friendship. TipsTHINKING PINK Look outside the Champagne region for the best values in pink sparkling wines. Spain makes its famed cava sparklers using the same traditional method of secondary bottle fermentation that is used to make champagne. (In fact, cava -- which is Catalan for "cellar" -- was called "champan" until use of the term was nixed by the French.) Cava's flavors tend to be a bit more on the earthy, savory side, and the wines are almost invariably great buys. Our bargain recommendation this week is the N.V. Segura Viudas Brut RosÃ© Cava ($11) from Spain. This bright-reddish-pink bubbly, aged in the bottle for one to two years, has coffeelike aromas. Its Old World earthiness and toastiness are well balanced by robust strawberry and raspberry flavors. To enhance the flavor of rosÂ¿ bubbly even further, serve it very cold (about 45 degrees) and keep it on ice after opening.Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, award-winning authors of "What to Drink with What You Eat," can be reached through their Web site,http://www.becomingachef.com, or atfood(a)washpost.com. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

17 years, 9 months

[wine] When only the finest champagne will do

by Russell McCandless

Here is Jancis Robinson's 2-8-08 report on the funeral of Bill Baker, the extremely popular and influential, and 400-pound, British wine merchant and gourmand: "I know that many of you wanted to be at Wells Cathedral yesterday but couldn't get there, so here's a very brief account. "The Cathedral is of course stunning but even it could not overshadow the great groundswell of affection from a packed house - about 600? - of friends who had come from as far afield as California and Morocco especially to be there. Bill's teenage daughter Polly was the star of the show with an assured reading of Joyce Grenfell's poem urging us not to be sad. Her younger brother George, the most obvious chip off the old block, wrote the most heart-rending poem called 'If I had One More Day'. Bill's old friend Ian Doherty made a great speech. Kate managed to smile bravely and be nice to everyone (superhuman, surely) and the massed choirs of Wells Cathedral School, not mention glorious trumpets, were quite wonderful. "There was a hiatus at the very beginning of the service as the organist frantically extemporised, the dean looked worriedly down the nave and we all wondered what was going on. Turned out they had never had to get such a wide coffin - and ten pall bearers - through the door of the cathedral and it just wouldn't fit. Cue search for a trolley etc. Bill would have loved it. The coffin was carried out, not before ten different grimaces as it was hoist aloft, to Elgar's Nimrod. "Apparently limitless magnums of Pol Roger 1998 were served in the choir school afterwards, although Joe Schoendorf, a California-based friend and good customer of Bill's, had taken the precaution of arriving on our doorstep for the drive to the depths of Somerset with a large silver bucket of ice and water and a magnum of Dom Perignon Rosé 1990. Plastic cups in a car park is probably not how winemaker Richard Geoffroy envisaged this wine being drunk but we felt as though we were at least keeping the quintessentially greedy and discerning spirit of Baker alive as we carried them up Wells high street towards the service." [More details available at jancisrobinson.com, decanter.com, and various other UK wine sites.]

17 years, 9 months

[wine] 2008 restaurant wine trends

by Russell McCandless

An interesting current article on this topic appears on Wine & Spirits magazine's web site: http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/pages/UnWG2008.html

17 years, 10 months

[wine] Brdx Grapes at Erte

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Lori has decided we should meet at Erte this week. I will make the reservation on if there's enough interest. Brdx Grapes from anywhere. e.g. cab, merlot, cab franc and/or blends of the same. Cheers, Jim Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:28:19 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Alternate driving directions.... 94 west (north) to Broadway. East accross the river to Uni. N. to Erte. 35W is closed. Can't exit from Hwy 280 to Broadway. 280 to Hennepin is an option. ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 09:01:12 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Greetings, WAG (Wild Guess) list of CITs (Cats In Attendance) Lori Jim Joyce may join us on her way home. Good seats available. Whites, sparkling, stickies, ringers always welcome. Erte Restaurant. 329 13 Ave NE, Mpls 55413 612-623-4211 6:30 on Thursday. Cheers, Jim ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

17 years, 10 months

[wine] CA cult pinot allocations

by Russell McCandless

If anyone is interested in some Radio Coteau or Kosta Browne pinots from the late Winter 2008 allocations, please let me know.

17 years, 10 months

[wine] Cafe Maud

by l.ames＠juno.com

I have made a reservation for Thurs. Feb. 21 at Cafe Maud. We will be ordering off the menu and not be charged ANY corkage. Please put this on your calendars and let me know who will be joing us. I know this is out there a bit, but getting a larger group in was a little more difficult. Lori _____________________________________________________________ Need Basketball Tickets? Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3l1H8CbVIS2BbdtOj2yJ3VOqL…

17 years, 10 months

[wine] Syrah/Shiraz at JPs

by Jim L. Ellingson

Greetings, Group is going to JP's on Thursday. Wine is Shiraz. I am going to the ZAP festival in San Fran. SO call Bob and let him know if you're attending. I have "no's" from Alicia and Louise. Cheers, Jim ----- Forwarded message from "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> ----- Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 14:08:10 -0600 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:55:23 -0500 From: "Jim L. Ellingson" <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> To: wine(a)thebarn.com Greetings, Vins du jour: Ringers, sparklings, dessert wines, etc. always welcome. Thursday at 6:30 at JPs Bistro. Call Bob (612-672-0607), e-mail the list (wine(a)thebarn.com) or Please trim the articles form your replys to me or the list. Bob Betsy Bill Russel Ruth Lori JP's American Bistro 2937 S. Lyndale 55408 (612) 824-9300 Lot of consctuction on Lyndale, so side streets may be a better option. Parking: Meters were free after 6 or 6:30. Side streets may be an option. Pay lot behind the restaurant. Cheers, Jim

17 years, 10 months

[wine] Re: this Thursday - Cafe Ena

by Alicia Anderson

Hi - I just changed the rez to 10 peoples, no problemo. My email cut and paste skills leave something to be desired....Karin, sorry again! Karin Nicolai Bob Dave T Ruth Betsy Louise Jim Alicia Lori See you there or be without Cab n' Boeuf. Alicia On Jan 17, 2008 1:35 PM, Karin Teder <karin(a)umn.edu> wrote: > Hi: > > I rsvped to Alicia, as she sent the note, and am not on the yes list. > Are you able to change the number to 10??? > > Karin and Nicolai > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [wine] Re: this Thursday - Cafe Ena > From: Alicia Anderson <sauternes76(a)gmail.com> > To: Jim L. Ellingson <jellings(a)me.umn.edu> > CC: wine(a)thebarn.com > Date: 1/17/08 9:48 AM > > > Hello Cab Lovers - > > To review, tonight at 6:30, we are whining and dining at Cafe Ena, > > located at 46th & Grand in MInneapolis. At the website, you will find a > > map or can get driving directions, however I would take HEED of my > > notes* below. http://cafeena.com/. > > As far as I'm aware we are at 8 persons- per Jim's list: > > > > Bob > > Dave T > > Ruth > > Betsy > > Louise > > Jim > > Alicia > > Lori > > > > Cafe Ena > > Latin Fusion Cuisine > > Address: 4601 Grand Ave So - MPLS > > Phone: 612.824.4441 > > > > *This location is ideal because it is on the bus line from downtown, but > > I would warn that the exits for 46th from 35W ARE CLOSED, both North and > > South. Yet the 46th bridge is OPEN. Depending upon from which direction > > you come on 35W, take the 54th or 35/36th street exits. Of course, Grand > > Avenue is accessible from Uptown and Downtown via Lyndale west of 35W or > > Portland on the east side to 46th. Parking is iffy...there is no parking > > lot...street parking is necessary. I suggest carpooling if possible. > > > > Cafe Ena has quite a few beef-inspiried main courses that range from > > $20-26 each, which should go quite nicely with Cabs from around the > world. > > > > Cheers and I'll see you tonight. > > > > Alicia > > > > On Jan 16, 2008 11:45 PM, Jim L. Ellingson <jellings(a)me.umn.edu > > <mailto:jellings@me.umn.edu>> wrote: > > > > Hi Alicia, > > > > Do you have the head count? > > > > Vin du jour is Cab? > > > > Can you post the adress, phone number, driving directions > > and parking tips? > > > > Cheers, > > Jim > > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 10:48:10PM -0600, Jim L. Ellingson wrote: > > > Hi Alicia, > > > > > > I usually track the on line folks and Bob > > > handles the phone traffic. > > > > > > I often call Bob on Thursday to touch base w/ the > > > final head count. He adjusts the reservation as needed. > > > > > > Here's what/who I know. > > > > > > Bob > > > Dave T > > > Ruth > > > Betsy > > > > > > Louise > > > Jim > > > Alicia > > Lori > > > > > > > > > > > > > Best, > > > Jim > > > > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 02:28:27PM -0600, Alicia Anderson wrote: > > > > Hi Folks, > > > > > > > > I just made a 8-person rez for Cafe Ena on Thursday, > > January 17 at 6:30 > > > > p.m. for the group. The theme is Cabernet, per Bob's request > > from last > > > > week. There is a $5 per head corkage fee. Here's a link to > > the website: > > > > http://www.cafeena.com/. > > > > > > > > Jim - are you tallying who is coming? or is it my job? Please > > let me know. > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > Alicia > > > > > > -- > > > ------------------------------ * > > > * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu > > <mailto:jellings@me.umn.edu> * > > > * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 * > > > * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN > > 55104 * > > > > -- > > ------------------------------ * > > * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu > > <mailto:jellings@me.umn.edu> * > > * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 * > > * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 > * > > > > > >

17 years, 10 months

[wine] Re: this Thursday - Cafe Ena

by Jim L. Ellingson

Hi Alicia, Do you have the head count? Vin du jour is Cab? Can you post the adress, phone number, driving directions and parking tips? Cheers, Jim On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 10:48:10PM -0600, Jim L. Ellingson wrote: > Hi Alicia, > > I usually track the on line folks and Bob > handles the phone traffic. > > I often call Bob on Thursday to touch base w/ the > final head count. He adjusts the reservation as needed. > > Here's what/who I know. > > Bob > Dave T > Ruth > Betsy > > Louise > Jim > Alicia Lori > > > Best, > Jim > > > > On Mon, Jan 14, 2008 at 02:28:27PM -0600, Alicia Anderson wrote: > > Hi Folks, > > > > I just made a 8-person rez for Cafe Ena on Thursday, January 17 at 6:30 > > p.m. for the group. The theme is Cabernet, per Bob's request from last > > week. There is a $5 per head corkage fee. Here's a link to the website: > > http://www.cafeena.com/. > > > > Jim - are you tallying who is coming? or is it my job? Please let me know. > > Thanks, > > > > Alicia > > -- > ------------------------------ * > * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * > * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 * > * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *

17 years, 10 months

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