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Red wine like beer is an acquired taste. Years ago I did a lot of backpacking in the Sierra's with a writer friend and we took our kids up to introduce them to the outdoors. We would pack in a bottle of wine each, and then let them cool off a bit in a mountain stream ...., then pop open and let them breathe. Start a campfire, watch the wood snap and spark against the dark sky, and decide which wine was the best.

Red wine tastes much better and has a better bouquet in the thinner air high in the montains.

On a hot day, gimme a beer.

When the wine tastes good, it can be pretty good.

"Actually," said Allan Sherman, "she'd have been better off with a box of cheap 'quaffing wine' like White Zinfandel, what with all that leftover bread to consider."

Although the 1972 Summit Series produced eight extraordinary games and was a huge success, it did little to resolve the dispute between the CAHA (Canadian Amateur Hockey Association) and the IIHF. Canada had withdrawn from international hockey in 1970, and after the Summit Series, it remained inactive until 1977. There was to be one more exception, one that was part of the breakthrough in tension about the use of amateur and professional players in international events.

The Happy Hollisters” presents the idyllic white-picket-fence family characteristic of the 1950s. Devoted fans of such memorable shows as “Leave it to Beaver” will enjoy taking a trip down memory lane with this book. The nostalgic blue, black, and white illustrations enhance the classic feel of the story. If noticeably lacking in exciting plot structure, “The Happy Hollisters” nevertheless evokes fond reminiscences of halcyon days gone by for older readers, while a younger audience can enjoy a happy resolution to the story while learning about life during their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

After helping James with his campaign for class president, Marlene begins to disagree with his political philosophy, and decides she should run against him instead. James looks forward to his upcoming 16th birthday and hopes to get a car as a gift. His uncle decides to give him a night with a call-girl instead. Shunning that situation, James falls in love with a Swedish foreign exchange student and loses his virginity.

On one hand, the story of the Cowsills is a typical fame to wreckage story. The documentary reveals that they grossed an estimated $20 million in 1970s dollars during their three-year run of hit records and 200-plus live performances per year. And all that money disappeared, with no one knowing exactly where it went. Older brother Bob remembers that it took him ten years to reconcile with the IRS, paying taxes and penalties on income and gains he never saw.

Anybody ever hear the Christmas Eve show by Oedipus?