1 July 2011: Holiday

  • Anthropologist requests access to Shakespeare's grave to, among other things, ascertain if he was a pothead.
  • Americans didn't win total independence: There's no getting rid of the weeds and grasses introduced by the first European settlers.
  • Washington was not in a UFO cult. Let's fix American history, starting with Dazed and Confused.
  • Nation to try its luck out West.
  • Chairman Mao's favorite American remembers Cultural Revolution, two Chinese prison stints.
  • China admits faking a photo in which officials appeared to levitate.
  • Op: Diving is the dark art of tennis--when defeat looms, a crash, the trainer visit, and an MRI can turn the tide.
  • Jimmy Connors used to bounce the ball four times, but when he was down 15-30 or 15-40, he'd bounce it 14 times.
  • Mike Tyson was a champion to others; to himself he only achieved being a "fake somebody" instead of "real nobody."
  • A guy is a professional boxer and gets knocked out too many times. Book ideas I've been told.
  • Ruth Franklin on the world of the bestseller: fickle, poorly recorded, and despite everything a staple of literary culture.
  • How James Curtis used a bloody London murder to invent modern crime reporting.
  • From "poison squads" braving fraud to E. Coli outbreaks, bad food has plagued humanity for ages.
  • World's foremost beer researcher studies beer containers to help recreate ancient drinks.
  • Full-service bar to open next month on the Ohio Capitol's lower level.
  • Please note, TMN is on holiday until Monday, July 11, 2011. See you then.