QB Quiz: The Rams Kurt Warner is off to a phenomenal start in
the passing yardage department and if he were to average 400
yards a game for the season, he would obviously shatter all
existing records. Of course, a projected 6,400+ yards in a single
season isn”t doable. Dan Marino holds the record with 5,048 in
1984.
1) Who”s number 2 on this list? [It”s not Marino, again.]
2) Who led the NFL in passing yards last season? [It”s not
Warner.] Answers below.
Evidence of the Flood
Archaeologists and biblical scholars rejoiced this week as the
story hit that Robert Ballard, leader of an expedition financed by
the National Geographic Society, said that he and his team had
discovered the remains of a man-made structure more than 300
feet below the surface of the Black Sea. Ballard, and others,
believe that this provides evidence of an apocalyptic flood 7,500
years ago that inspired the Biblical story of Noah.
The Black Sea is oxygen free below 500 feet so organic material
can lie untouched in the sterile water. Earlier this year,
Columbia University geologists William Ryan and Walter
Pitman published “Noah”s Flood” which suggested that the
Black Sea was formed 7,500 years ago when melting glaciers
raised the sea level until the Mediterranean breached the natural
dam of the Bosporus. [Now I”m not an expert on any of this
stuff but according to the reports, the heavier salt water would
have plunged to the bottom of the existing fresh water lake and
then it would have begun to fill the basin like a bathtub.] The
rising lake then inundated everything for thousands of square
miles; killing people, animals, destroying whole villages, etc.
In an article for the Washington Post, Guy Gugliotta explains the
importance of Ballard”s finding.
Scholars have long pegged the book of Genesis and the story of
Noah as between 2,900 and 2,500 years ago. Gugliotta quotes
Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review.
“Critical biblical scholars are almost unanimous in regarding the
flood story as a legend. On the other hand, legends arise not out
of imagination but from an experience. I don”t think we”ll ever
know what flood that was.”
Sydney / The Clarks
For the first time in U.S. track and field history, a family swept a
single event when Joetta Clark Diggs, her sister Hazel, and their
sister-in-law Jearl Miles-Clark, took the first 3 spots in the 800
meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Now the three will be in
Sydney, seeking to make more history.
Joetta and Hazel grew up in East Orange, New Jersey (near the
world headquarters of StocksandNews.com). Jearl”s husband,
J.J., is the Clarks” brother and also their coach. The father is
none other than Joe Clark, the former school principal
immortalized in the book and film, “Lean On Me.”
“What makes me feel most proud,” said Mr. Clark, “is that for all
the things I”ve accomplished, all the honors, the cover of Time
magazine, all of it, I see the children I”ve raised and they are
good people, honest people, people of character and merit.”
Clark steered his kids from sprints into middle distances because
it “builds character, discipline and tenacity. The idea that
African-Americans couldn”t compete in those races was a
terrible, terrible stereotype, and I wanted my children to be able
to disprove that.”
Joetta Clark, at age 38, is appearing in her 4th Olympics. On
Tuesday, she was voted captain of the women”s track team in a
vote of her peers. Despite being a 12-time national indoor and
outdoor champion, however, she has never won an Olympic
medal. Anything can happen in the 800. Having the Clarks in
the event should make for one of the better stories of the Games.
The most decorated U.S. Olympic family is the Joyners – Al, his
late wife Florence Griffith Joyner, and sister Jackie Joyner-
Kersee, who combined for 7 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze between
1984-96.
[Sources: Mike Vaccaro and Pat Borzi / Star-Ledger]
Sydney / Dara Torres
In the swimming competition, one of the great stories is that of
Dara Torres. Torres was a gold medalist in the 1984 and 1992
Olympics (4 X 100 freestyle relays). Now, at the ripe old age of
33 (ancient for a competitive swimmer), Torres has come back
from a 7-year absence to become a favorite in the 50 and 100-
meter freestyle events. She will be the first American swimmer
to compete in 4 different Olympics. Kind of makes this editor,
age 42, want to at least go for a jog…ya know what I mean?
*To give you a sense of how spectacular it would be if Dara won
a medal at 33, Janet Evans was just 16 when she took 3 golds at
the 1988 Games.
Ben & Jerry”s and Sludge
The Weekly Standard had a terrific piece recently about Ben &
Jerry”s, the ice-cream mavens, or, as the Standard put it, “the
famous Vermont-based cult movement.”
The company recently sought attention when they advertised that
the “World”s Best Vanilla” would no longer be sold in containers
made from bleached paper. Instead, it would be packed in
unbleached stuff.
The problem, you see, was that bleached paper is often
contaminated with dioxin. Since dioxin has been linked to
various serious potential health risks, the company trumpeted this
wonderful public service.
Well, two scientists, Michael Gough and Steven Milloy
conducted their own study. They were curious as to what Ben &
Jerry”s might now be selling inside its hyped bleach-free paper.
What they found was that a pint of “World”s Best Vanilla”
contained 80 picograms of dioxin per single serving of ice cream.
I”ll let the Standard pick up the story (no author was listed).
“Is (80 picograms) a lot? Yes and no. No, Gough and Milloy
were quick to point out, there isn”t actually a drop of clear
evidence that dioxin – even in much higher concentrations than
Ben & Jerry”s contains – causes anything more serious than
temporary acne. But, they went on, yes, the ice cream does
include quite a lot of the junk. If, that is, you remain
superstitiously concerned about the alarmist warnings of…well,
for example, the people who make that ice cream. And the
Environmental Protection Agency…has established a ”safe dose”
level of daily human dioxin consumption, beyond which, the
agency cautions, people run a serious increased risk of cancer. A
couple of scoops of ”World”s Best Vanilla” have 200 times this
much dioxin.” So how do you feel now?
Da Bears
Well, New Jersey called off its first bear hunt in 29 years as
Governor Christie Whitman suspended the proposed hunt for one
year. Animal rights activists celebrated. Our StocksandNews
microphone (we only have one) went to the northwest section of
the state to gain some perspective from the bears, themselves.
“Heh, heh.”
Top 3 songs for the week of 9/15/62: #1 “Sherry” (The 4
Seasons) #2 “Sheila” (Tommy Roe) #3 “Ramblin” Rose”
(Nat King Cole)
QB Quiz Answer: 1) Dan Fouts, 4,802, 1981. 2) Steve
Beuerlein, 4,436. [Warner had 4,353.]
Next Bar Chat, Monday…if you keep it where it is.
