Tom Waits, George Thorogood, Charles Bukowski, Mike Figgis, Ray Carver and even W.C. Fields have portrayed bourbon as the “binge drinker’s best friend.” But store shelves are now packed with small-batch, artisanal American whiskies — selling at prices that rival the best single malt scotches and finest cognacs.  

It was supposedly the Duchess of Bedford who first introduced the world to afternoon tea. One of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, the Duchess was afflicted - so many were back then - with a 'sinking feeling' everyday at 4 o'clock. So she asked her servants to begin sneaking a pot of tea and assorted breads to her room.  

It takes nature thousands of years to make a brilliant green emerald. It only took Sammy Wulfeck, Brian Kitzmiller, Peter Underhill and Ric Hickey a matter of days to make The Emeralds. And from the start, they were brilliant in spite of being green..   

Frank Leonhartsberger used to scream in his sleep. I knew this from my mother, who lived with him for a while. Born in Allentown, Pa., to immigrant parents, his father died when he was 3 years old. His mother took him back to her family home in Austria, just in time for the Anschluss, the takeover by Nazi Germany.