The first level of Alaska has a Bridge to Nowhere.  You are attacked by pigs with lipstick, and if that is not enough, you are also attacked by women pushing racks of clothes worth 150000 points when you jump on top of them!

Spend some of the time that you used to spend following Election Coverage on this game … you will not be disappointed!

Enjoy this resource while they are free!

This tasting is for those who are looking for that special Christmas dram! The tasting will focus on special, limited-edition, or unique bottlings of whisky from around the world. In past premium tastings, whiskies such as the Balvenie 14 year Rum Wood Single Malt and Compass Box Orangerie Whisky. The menu for this tasting has yet to be created but will definitely contain something for every whisky drinker (and something that every whisky drinker has never seen)!

This tasting will cost £20 per person, payable in cash at the beginning of the event. The tasting is limited to 15 people and will take place in the Skipper Room.

To sign-up for the tasting, please comment below with your name and the number of places that you are booking. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

(PS - When I have more information about the menu, I will update it here …)

The Introductory Tasting is a guided tasting through the world of whisky. It will give you an overview of the tastes and styles of whisky available from around the world (and available from the Whisky Cabinet at the Bar). This is the tasting to attend if you are interested in whisky but are unsure about which whiskies you enjoy. Also, during the course of the tasting, we will cover the basics about distilling and aging and try to answer any questions you may have about whisky.

Cost is £15.00 per person, payable in cash at start of the event. The tasting is limited to 15 people and will take place in the Skipper Room at College.

Menu (Subject to Change):
~ Highland Harvest Organic Scotch
~ Aberlour 10 year old Single Malt
~ Balvenie 15 year old Single Barrel Single Malt
~ Glenkinchie 10 year old Single Malt
~ Laphroaig 15 year old Single Malt
~ Blanton’s Gold Bourbon

To sign-up for the tasting, please comment below with your name and the number of places that you are booking. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Some have mentioned that higher education is a recession-proof industry but it is clear that is not true! California is cutting $65.5 million from the state system, while the University of Florida has reduced academic staff by 430 this year and is expected to cut another 10% from the budget in this next year … possibly cutting even more staff in the next year. According to the NYT, this is not just effecting state systems (where it does have a larger effect) but also private schools (where the demand for financial aid is/will increase).

If the leaders of the world are paying attention to me, I have a solution for improving the economy (both long- and short-term). Increase funding for any/all educational institutions! Why? Educational institutions are great spenders of money … they use large amounts of staff (academics, technical, support, maintenance, etc.), large amounts of resources (everything from apples to xylophones), and result in people who can and will contribute to society (college graduates earn more money). The current economic problems are not going to respond to quick fixes and decreasing the expenditure on education, even for a short period, will only delay finding a set of permanent solutions.

Bicester Village is an upscale outlet shopping experience, nothing like the American outlet mall or ‘mega-mall’ (like Concord Mills near Charlotte, NC). Instead, it is full of high-end retailers and boutiques (see floor plan) … such as Agent Provocateur, Bodum, Hackett, Paul Smith, and Ted Baker. We loved it! Well, actually, I loved it and Jill was annoyed because I was able to find a pair of Timberland boots for £13.00 (originally they were £185!!!).

Besides being so much nicer than its American cousins, many of the stores at Bicester Village sold samples. In other words, they were selling current season fashion (in limited sizes) for a heavy discount. The next time that I need clothes, I am going to go back there and do some serious shopping!

The British Official Publications Collaborative Reader Information Service is a slightly smaller archive but has a much-better developed system of indexing, which makes it easier to use. Unfortunately, it does not cover all papers, like the HCPP does, instead it covers the important papers from sources other than just Parliament.

Anybody doing political, social, or economic history will find these two sites a wonderful resource and a true treasury trove of information!

We had some great sausages from our wonderful local farm, Foxbury, last night. They bred and raise a whole selection of livestock, including some wonderful pork, which they turn into amazing sausages - I would recommend that you try the Old Spot Sausages. If you are in Oxford and cannot get them from Foxbury (they do free home delivery on Thursday), then you can always get quality sausages from David John in the Covered Market or from the Big Bang, the 3rd best place to eat in Britian under £50 (actually most of the dishes are well under £20).

Also, for those who may be slightly cash-strapped, the Big Bang is currently doing a “Credit Crunch Lunch” of sausage & mash for £4.50! If you stop by the Big Bang, make sure and support our local breweries by buying a pint of Hook Norton or Cotswold Lager!

Okay, today I have been experimenting in the kitchen … in Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for More Food is a recipe for Whole Wheat Beer Bread. But, I did not have whole wheat flour or bread flour (and was too lazy to go buy some). So, I searched online till I found a beer bread recipe that I liked … and that I could combine with Alton’s recipe.

Then, the experimenting started … (Note: this is a great way to relieve stress and procrastinate)

Beer Bread Version 1

The Sponge
360g - Flour (I used plain flour, AB’s recipe called for Whole Wheat Flour)
227g (1 cup) - Beer (This time it was Tetley’s Smoothflow Bitter)
227g (1 cup) - Strong, Hot Tea (I used English Breakfast because it was at hand)
1 packet (7 oz) - Instant Yeast

The Dough
105g - Quick Cooking Oatmeal
300g - Flour (I used plain flour, AB’s recipe called for Bread Flour)
7g - Salt (I use sea salt but regular salt would be okay)

The Instructions

The Sponge … mix ingredients together in a bowl or mixer and let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

The Dough … combine sponge with flour and salt in bowl or mixer and mix until a smooth dough forms.

The Rise … remove to a bowl that has been lubricated with veggie oil. Cover and let rise till doubled.

The Second Rise … fold down, cover, and let it double again.

The Final Rise … fold down, shape into oblong or round loaf, move to lightly greased baking sheet, and let rise for about 30 minutes.

The Heat … preheat oven to 400F (200C). Slash loaf 4 times diagonally. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (internal temp of approx. 190F). Remove and cool loaf before slicing.

The Results … (pictured above) are a loaf of bread that smells lovely while cooking and is a wonderful loaf of bread! Making it completely by hand (I don\’t have a mixer), made it a very hearty and reasonably dense loaf … but I do not think that you could make this a very light and fluffy loaf without a lot of changes.

Possible improvements: Running the oatmeal through the blender or giving it a good working-over with a knife to reduce the size of the pieces.

Possible variations:
~ Guinness instead of Tetley’s
~ Coffee instead of Tea (Would need to bum that off of a coffee drinker…)
~ Bread Flour and/or Whole Wheat Flour

Okay … next up on the experimental hit parade … Beer Cornbread …