The Capital Ale House chain of beer bars in Virginia (Downtown Richmond, Innsbroock, Midlothian, and another coming soon in Fredericksburg) is all about the advancement of beer culture. Their motto is: “Good beer, good food, good conversation.” Apparently they’ve struck a chord that resonates with a whole lot of people because all three locations have opened in the last six years. Continue Reading »

Goat cheese is a dairy product derived from the milk of domesticated goats. History tells us that this tangy, spreadable food has survived the test of time. Legendary Greek king Ulysses ate goat cheese during his reign. How? He dipped it directly into olive oil: a combination usually used these days in goat-cheese dips.

In modern times, the use for goat cheese has evolved in a variety of ways. From salad toppings to pizza filling, goat cheese is a part of the human diet from east to west. For this reason, most people only have one question about it: “Which brand should I buy?” Below are five goat cheese brands that will delight your taste buds. Continue Reading »

What fellow has time to wait for Christmas? When it comes to “must have” electronics, any day is a holiday. Here are a few suggestions that are easy on the wallet, too:

You need not purchase a luxury car to have one of those neat Global Positioning System gizmos. The Web site ritzcamera.com offers, among others, the Magellan Maestro 4000 4.3 at $152.69 with rebate. If you don’t like reading directions — or if you have that “typical guy thing” of not asking for directions — this is for you. There are 1.5 million preprogrammed points of interest, plus loads of AAA information. Save on gas and avoid toll roads and pretty soon your Maestro will pay for itself. Continue Reading »

Is the idea of raking up all of those fresh Fall leaves getting you down? Or, maybe it’s the hustle and bustle of increased traffic and expensive school supplies. Well, let these new artists carry those cares away with a much-needed, musical break from reality.

Eric Hutchinson is a singer-songwriter straight out of Maryland. His debut album, “Sounds Like This,” caught the attention of the public after blogger Perez Hilton sang his praises on the Internet. What happened next? Hutchinson’s folk-pop album became one of the most downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store. Thank goodness the man can actually sing. Continue Reading »

As soon as the national conventions are finished, the presidential contest between John McCain and Barack Obama begins in earnest. Each man approaches the final stretch of the campaign with their own strengths and weaknesses.

As of this writing, the Democratic National Convention is all but concluded and the Republican National Convention looms. Past experience tells us that any bounce in the polls a candidate gets from his party’s convention pretty much fades after a few days and, in any case, is canceled out by the other candidate’s convention bounce. So John McCain and Barack Obama go into the Fall campaign neck and neck.

After the conventions, there are only three ways that the course of events can change dramatically. The first is something happening at one of the debates. The second is an external event that benefits one side or the other. The third is a gaffe on the campaign trail. Continue Reading »

Red wine need not be so traditional.

Ecco Domani Liquid Style
Ecco Domani Liquid Style, which has become America’s leading Italian import, offers a creative and refreshingly different approach this fall that can help you surprise and delight your companions. These are “winetails,” short for wine-based cocktails. It is simple to add seasonal fruits and flavors. Continue Reading »

The 2008 Fall movie season features plenty of action, death traps and appearances by Agent 007 and President George W. Bush.

“Eagle Eye” (Sept. 26)
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Azizi and Billy Bob Thornton
A woman with a sinister agenda blackmails a young man and woman into helping with a political assassination.

“Appaloosa” (Oct. 3)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall and Lance Henriksen
After two lawmen start to clean up an Old West town, a beautiful woman threatens to destroy their friendship. Continue Reading »

There is nothing like a western experience at a dude ranch, where you can be a pretend cowboy for a while, roping, riding and what not while relaxing in the relative comfort of a resort setting. Many dude ranches advertise an “authentic” cowboy experience, which may be in the eye of the beholder. Too authentic would be too unpleasant and uncomfortable for the city slicker looking for a different kind of vacation. But a good dude ranch should have just enough of the Old West to cause the visitor to look back upon his or her experience fondly. Here are a few of the best: Continue Reading »

For some, two days of football a week is not enough. Fantasy football gives those fans a chance to obsess over players, stats and match-ups with every free moment they have. Fantasy football leagues are organized by individuals, groups and even large organizations. There are many cost-free leagues, with the prize being bragging rights mainly. Still other leagues charge entry fees, with cash or prizes going to top performers. Continue Reading »

Recently I’ve been getting a number of questions from part-time entrepreneurs and those with an idea they want to pursue on the criteria they should use in making the decision to quit their current day-job to pursue their entrepreneurial dream full-time. Clearly this is a very personal decision but it comes down to how prepared you are. There are 3 reasons most businesses fail: First, it wasn’t a good enough idea with a big enough market; second, the company ran out of cash before they could gain traction, third, really lousy timing because of external factors beyond their control. Continue Reading »