Beyond According to Jim: Sports blogs are replacing the real deal

Thanks to sports blogs, I'll never go to ESPN.com ever again. I'm not sure the general population are aware of the Internet and sport's best kept secret, but if they don't then somebody needs to tell them.

I first disovered sports blogs when a good friend of mine introduced me to Deadspin (www.deadspin.com). It changed my life. With a combination of humor, sports and the audacity to drop the politics of the game and finally "go for it," Deadspin showed me what writing about sports really means. Perspective, that meant nothing before I found sports blogs. It was like finding Jesus.

Then, I found Jesus like 10 or 11 more times. There are more amazing blogs out there than I can keep track of. The Fan House, Kissing Suzy Kolber, True Hoops, With Leather, these are all sites that I truly cannot get enough of and they offer more insight than ESPN could ever attempt (not including "Page 2" on ESPN.com, Bill Simmons is too good for ESPN).

I love blogs so much that I even have one of my own (www.jimmyburch.com). It surely doesn't see the traffic of Deadspin but just the thought that I could offer the same kind of insight and opinion to America gets me going. I could let my life waste away reading nothing but sports blogs.

Oh, and humor blogs, too. I strongly recommend What Would Tyler Durden Do (www.wwtdd.com) and I dare you to read Maddox (xmission.maddox.com) or Tucker Max (www.tuckermax.com) without laughing uncontrolably.

- Jim Burch

Harry Potter and the Conservative Blush

Actor Daniel Radcliffe has finally cast off his Harry Potter cloak - literally - and a group of Murray State theatre students will get to see it.

Theatre and Dance Lecturer Lissa Graham-Schneider will take a group of students to London during Spring Break, and in between sightseeing and shopping, they plan to see Radcliffe star in the stage show "Equus." It premiered last week, and the young Hogwartz prodigy received rave reviews for his portrayal of a troubled boy who blinds horses. The show has create a buzz for a few months now, because the play requires the 17 year-old teen role-model to perform a scene completely in the buff. Soccer moms are up in arms.

Reviews are mixed, though. Critics boast on Radcliffe's gutsy performance, but they say the play - written in 1973 - is now outdated and doesn't support the actor's talent. Graham-Schneider's crew probably will enjoy it though, and I have to admit, even though I really never want to see Harry Potter's magic, I'm a little jealous of their chance to witness the controversy.

~Casey

Lord, what fools these mortals be ...

I'm not going to lie - I don't always understand Shakespeare's writing. Sometimes, Elizabethan English might as well be German to me, but once I watch an actor portray the characters and once I hear Shakespeare's flawless cadences and poetry spoken, I'm hooked. I know 450-year-old poetry isn't for everyone, but it deserves a chance. It's full of beautiful sentences like "Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds towards Phoebus' lodging: such a wagoner as Phaethon would whip you to the west,and bring in cloudy night immediately." Words like those just aren't uttered enough anymore.

Murray is currently holding its annual Shakespeare festival. We'll publish an article about it Friday, but by then, it will be over. Therefore, I urge readers to check it out before then.

David Lee Miller from the University of South Carolina will be giving a lecture tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Clara M. Eagle Art Gallery titled "The Voice of Caesar's Wounds." It's free. Enough said.

The Blackfriars Stage Company will perform "Julius Caesar" at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Lovett Auditorium. It's not free, unfortunately. It costs $7 for students and $10 for adults, but that means you can get a taste of culture for the price of a pizza.

Tuesday night, the Blackfriars will perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at 7 p.m. in Lovett Auditorium. Again, tickets cost $7 for students and $10 for adults. It's a light, fun comedy, and - excuse the pitiful joke, I can't resist - missing it would be a true Shakespearean tragedy.

~Casey

We want YOU

Friday, College Life will run a story about student opinions of the War in Iraq. The article will cover both sides of the issue, citing people who stand behind President Bush's decisions as well as people who think believe the leader of the Free World is one crayon short of a full box (to put it nicely.) I want to give anyone who has something to say an opportunity to voice their opinion. If you want to give a shout out to G-Dub, comment on this blog, and we might call you for more quotes. Or, if your greatest wish is to camp out in a tree on the White House lawn until they bring the troops home - again, comment on the blog. The only catch is we lay out the paper on Wednesday, so you have to get your comments in before, say, 6:30 that night. Otherwise, you might have to limit your cheering or cursing of the war to Facebook notes.

~Casey

Oh, Paolo

This morning, my roommate introduced me to Paolo Nutini. It was a beautiful moment.

Paolo Nutini is a Scottish singer/guitar player who would sound like John Mayer with a cold. His voice is gritty and slightly horse, and his album sets poetic lyrics to predominantly mellow music. The combination is magic. I would like to think of myself as a person on the forefront of the music scene now - someone who knows of an obscure and wonderful artist. However, I just found out that one of his songs is playing on the radio. That puts a bit of a damper on my day - knowing that I'm not quite as hip or savvy as I thought I was - but the CD is still good. It's called "These Streets," and it's great background music for a rainy day. Coincidentally, it's been raining a lot lately.

-Casey

A Food the Microwave was Made to Make

What characterizes Christmas for me - besides the birth of Christ, the presents and the crappy holiday TV specials - is puppy chow. It's a dessert constisting of Chex Mix smothered in melted chocolate, peanut butter and butter, and covered in powdered sugar. (It might seem out of place to be talking about Christmas food in the middle of February, but I'm going somewhere with this - I promise.) This food is wonderful because it's quick, it's simple and it only requires a microwave, so hungry students can make it in their dorm rooms any time. Plus, it makes a great subject for Org Comm demonstration speeches.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
8 cups Crispix cereal
2 cups powdered sugar


Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter together. Pour over the cereal in a large kettle or bowl and stir well. Pour the powdered sugar into a large plastic grocery bag and add the cereal. Seal the top of the bag with a twist tie and shake well to coat evenly. Enjoy.

Casey

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Playhouse in the Park is currently showing the award-winning play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Made famous by a film starring Jack Nicholson, the show centers around McMurphy, a sarcastic criminal who opts to serve a short sentence in a mental hospital rather than in a prison. While there, he infuriates the head nurse, leads a rebelion, stages a party and succeeds in making a previously mute Indian speak. Eventually, the events culminate into a twisted ending that leaves audiences stunned. The play stars several Murray State students and runs Feb. 15 through 25.

Showtimes and ticket info can be found at Playhouseinthepark.net.