Potluck Quote of the Day (5 of 10): Muhammad Ali

Today's quote of the day comes from the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) who died earlier this year. We found this quote on a tribute by Keith Knight in his political cartoon series "The K-Chronicles." We are also happy to learn that Knight now resides in Chapel Hill,NC, which puts him in the same state as our good friend Chris Knight (no relation, in fact Keith is black, and Chris is white) who is based in Reidsville.

Ali's legacy continues through the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky.

Here is today's potluck quote of the day: "If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize."

http://www.alicenter.org

http://www.kchronicles.com

http://www.muhammadali.com

We are featuring Ali today as a tribute to the 2016 Rio Olympics. On our sister blog "The Daily Vampire" http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogpsot.com we have a quote from Romanian gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci.

Virtual Postcard from Kentucky- Churchill Downs

Today was one in which I spent much of it on the road as we traveled throughout West Viginia and Kentucky, and we will visit Ohio tomorrow.

I was actually a bit east of Louisville, but Churchill Downs, along with the Kentucky Horse Farm in nearby Lexington, as arguably the most iconic placees in the Bluegrass State.

The next Kentucky Derby, the popular horse race which takes place at Churchill Downs, will be on May 4th and 5th,, 2012.

Animal Kingdom, the current winner of the last Kentucky Derby, is a Brazilian bred stallion. The horse has so far earned 2.37 million dollars in earnings.

Currently, Animal Kingdom has just recovered from surgery and he is scheduled to compete at the 2012 Dubai World Cup.

We certainly wish Animal Kingdom well.

Casualties of Modern Technology (1 of 12)- Swiss Cuckoo Clocks

Well, the Swiss cuckoo clock may not quite be an endangered species as one can find one on a retail site like e-bay for $200 or in a neighborhood antique store for a slightly higher or lower price.

But, in today's world, even the more modern and conventional wristwatch is becoming obsolete as every personal computer, laptop and cellphone tells each of us what time it is, irregardless if one is in Lagos, Nigeria, or Louisville, Ky.

According to Wikipedia, the cuckoo clock is pendulum-regulated, so that a mechanical cuckoo comes out at the top of each designated hour.

The cuckoo clock was first developed in the Black Forest region of Germany in 1629 by Philipp Hainhofer. The chalet/Swiss-style cuckoo clock emerged in the late 1800s. Cuckoo clocks also figure prominently in pop culture. Two examples in film include the classic thriller "The Third Man" (1949) with Orson Welles and the sci-fi cult classic "Blade Runner" (1982) with Harrison Ford. There is also a Cuckoo Clock Museum in Cheshire, England.

Cuckoo clocks, as well as other antique clocks, such as the grandfather clock, frequently comes up for discussion in the PBS show "Antiques Roadshow," which airs in most markets at 8:00 p.m. on Mondays. The episode for this coming week's show was recorded in Raleigh, NC, which is (almost) here in our backyard.

50 Beers From Around the Globe- Niksicko Brivo (Serbia)

One Serbian poster, who may be as 'objective' as Fox News, proclaimed that his country's most popular beer Niksicko Brivo (we think brivo means beer in Serbo-Croatian) was 'the best beer in the world.'

It is apparently quite hard to find in America but one importer in Chicago seems to carry it.

For those wanting a good brew in my hometown of Roanoke, Va., Corn Beef and Company located downtown at 107 South Jefferson Street is a good bet. The establishment also offers $8 lunch specials.

Our followers in Kentucky (presuming there are some of you out there!) may try to seek out The Phoenix Hill Tavern in Louisville on 644 Baxter Avenue. The bar is hosting the band The Dollyroots on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. We have no idea if they play Dolly Parton music or not!

Things We Learned on Twitter Last Night- Bats Bring Out the Bats

The Louisville Bats, a Triple-A level minor league baseball team, battered the visiting Charlotte Knights by a walloping 19-6 margin according to a tweet from the team.

The Bats had an offensive explosion started by Wladimir Balentien who hit a grand-slam homer in the first inning of the play.

The avalanche of runs never let up as the Bats had an amazing 22 hits. Every Bats starter scored at least one run and had at least one RBI.

The two teams face each other again tonight in Lousiville, Ky.

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Orbit

Ay Karamba!

I have like five minutes to post this entry dedicated to Orbit, the mascot of the Akron Aeros in Akron, Ohio.

Akron is also the hometown of the '80s New Wave band Devo, which is actually performing in Ann Arbor, Mich., tonight before playing concerts in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Louisville later in the week. I guess they will play "Whip It."

As for the Aeros, they beat the visiting Trenton thunder 9-3 last night in Canal Park. Tonight, they face the same team at 7:00 p.m. with Aeros pitcher Scott Barnes taking the mound.

Gazooks!

We better get moving.........

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Minor League Mascots

For those of you in Kentucky, the Louisville Bats will have a home game against the Toledo Mudehens at (yikes!) 11:05 a.m. Since when did baseball games start before noon........on a week-day no less?! But, we love the mascot!

Know Your Mayors (21 of 21)- Jerry Abramson of Louisville, Ky.

Those who follow college basketball religiously may think that University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino (pictured here) is the mayor of Derby Town, but that distinction actually belongs to Mayor Jerry Abramson (also pictured here).

The Democratic-mayor is the longest serving mayor in Louisville, Ky.'s 252-year history according to the mayor's web site.

Abramson initially served as mayor from 1986-1999, but he came back to office in 2003, and he has been an incumbent ever since.

Among his major accomplishments is unifying city and county government, overseeing a dramatic transformation of the community in the sectors of public safety, and expanding the city's airport, waterfront and downtown area (according to the mayor's web site).

In 2003, Abrahamson was named local public official of the year by "Governing" magazine.

He has been nicknamed "Mayor for Life."

Abrahamson will be running for lt. gov. along with incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Beshear, who is seeking reelection in 2011.

As for the Louisville Cardinals, they face the University of California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ironically, that school is the alma mater of our last entry in this series Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, Calif., who played for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA.