From the sports desk...

This just in: the Blackhawks signed John Madden (no, not that one) to a one-year deal. I'm pleasantly surprised by this, since adding a defensive-minded forward complements their signing of Marian Hossa (to a long-term contract I'm a tad suspicious of, but oh well...) yesterday.

The downside? Madden's 36. Springy in step...er, skate, sorry...he's probably not.

On the Bulls front, I'm not seeing a whole lot on the NBA, Bulls or Pistons sites confirming or denying whether a certain Ben Gordon has packed his bag for Auburn Hills, but my guess is that the ink's not dry yet, or...well, hey, feel free to google that attempt to obtain Kobe Bryant from a while ago. 'nuff said.

Proof positive that coming off as a total wackjob can be a job requirement

I've had that theory about self-appointed TeeVeeLand pundits for a long time, but Glenn Beck seems to have gone into all-out Nuclear Moron mode in order to prove it.

Likewise, my guess is that Al Franken will be declared the Antichrist by someone on the tube the day he's sworn into office.

"You called me a quack!" said the litigious duck...

The folks over at Sense about Science are correct, but keep in mind that British libel laws are different than American libel laws and that's part of the problem. Simon Singh is still getting hosed by the British Chiropractic Association, regardless.

A question to others who like to quaff a pint or two...

I heard this bit of ugly news from a friend while we were buying supplies for a going-away party for a couple of friends:

One of these friends is of Scottish descent, so I was looking for an appropriate brew to bring to the party that (1) is actually brewed in Scotland and (2) was less pricy than, say, Traquair or Ola Dubh.

After looking at the shelf section where the Scottish stuff normally would be, I noticed that the McEwan's Scotch Ale was completely gone. Period. 

Apparently, McEwan's has lost their distribution rights in the US..

Aaaaaaaaaaargh.

My question to fellow microbrew/import fanciers is this - is this story true? If so, what are the details?