If you happened to be in Canada today, nobody would blink if you went into a bar and ordered yourself a “Bloody Caesar.” That’s because today has been called “The Ides of March” for many centuries and is best remembered as the fateful day – back in 44 BC – that Brutus and a crowd other Roman senators killed Julius Caesar by stabbing him a painful 23 times.
It wasn’t until the late ‘60s when an Italian guy was opening a restaurant in Calgary, Canada, and – knowing how a dish of simmering tomatoes and clams once tasted back in the old country – altered his bars’ recipe for a “Bloody Mary.” He added clam juice and spices to the tomato juice in the popular vodka drink and – get this – in just five years it had become the most popular drink in western Canada.
The Canadians, a number of them known to take a drink, quickly embraced the “Bloody Caesar” and today the concoction is so well accepted that every March 15, or on “The Ides of March,” it is hard to find a bottle of Motts’ Clamato juice in the stores. But if you are going to celebrate Julius Caesar’s immortal words – “Et tu, Brute? – make sure you have a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a slice of lime on hand to help inspire a proper tribute.
Here are so other things you might like to know:
THERE IS A BIG HOUSE in Beaufort, S.C., that “starred” in the movie “The Big Chill” and also “The Great Santini, beautifully framed by live oak trees and Spanish moss, that is now for sale. Built in 1853 and called “Tidalholm,” the seven-bedroom house is advertised for $4.5 million.
AFTER LATOYA WILLIAMS took her daughter to “Christmas at the Midnight Mission” in Los Angeles, there appeared a warm picture in the next day’s LA Times of her handing the child a present that had been donated. Within a few days an anonymous letter arrived at the newspaper’s office, addressed to: “Editor of Human Interest Stuff” with a note that read, “It’s trite, I know, but ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is so true here. It hit me because it is so poignant – and she radiates intelligence, resoluteness, and she’s got it together. Please pass along the enclosed check to her with my wish she’ll do something nice for herself and her baby.” Some Times reporters tracked the woman down and she told them things were definitely looking up. When they handed her the check, she began to cry, later admitting all she had was $7 in her pocket and that her baby had an ear infection.
THE GRAMBLING BASKETBALL TEAM just finished a “not-perfect” season, losing all 28 games and becoming the eighth team in NCAA Div. I history to do so. The Tigers, after four head coaching changes in the last six years, scored over 50 points just twice this season in a program that has been decimated by heavy penalties due to terrible Academic Progress Rate numbers. Other teams that failed to win a game are the NJIT Highlanders (2007-2008), Savannah State Tigers (2004-2005), Prairie View A&M Panthers (1991-1992), The Citadel Bulldogs (1954-1955), Baylor Bears (1944-1945), William & Mary Tribe (1936-1937) and the Dartmouth Big Green (1917-1918).
OUR NEW POPE FRANCIS, the Argentine who just became head of the 1.2 billion who follow the Catholic faith, has only one lung. The other was removed due to an infection as a teenager. And wasn’t it spectacular that after the huge announcement, he went to pay his bill rather than send an underling. “I wanted to properly thank them,” he explained.
OVER SEVEN MILLION people -- in just 48 hours --have now watched the wonderful video of a meek-looking guy who drives a minivan to a car dealership and test-drives a sizzling Chevrolet Camaro. The spoof is part of a Pepsi Max commercial. A couple of terrifying minutes later, when the guy peels off his fake mustache, we see it is race car driver Jeff Gordon but they say the salesman will never been the same. To watch: http://PepsiMAX.com/TestDrive . #GordonTestDrive pic.twitter.com/5PlxIACkCO
A FIGHT OVER TACOS ended badly when the police and medics were summoned in Indianapolis on Monday night. It seems a guy took too much meat for his taco so this woman got mad. Then he threw his meal into her face. The medics were summoned to get the hot sauce washed from the woman’s eyes and the cops knew exactly what to do – they sent patrolman J. Burger to handle the mess.
THE CITY OF DETROIT, already called the worst in America, has just been taken over by the state. The official duties have been turned over to bankruptcy expert Kevyn Orr, who was named as the Emergency Manager. You may remember Orr ushered Chrysler after the infamous bailout which still cost American taxpayers millions.
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