| Music mix masters
If you were a DJ, not so very long ago, you were either of two things: an on-air radio host or a forlorn and pitiable figure eking out a living on popular culture's corners, spinning theme records at birthday parties or playing The Hokey-Pokey at suburban roller rinks. Then came disco. And hip-hop. And electronica. Music for dancing, music that could be shaped, scratched and manipulated solely for the purpose of unabashed rump-shakery. The people behind such manipulation ceased to be wage earners cranking the gramophones of others - they became artists in their own right. In a three-decade blink, the person behind the decks went from afterthought to "star." And Denver has its own constellation. There are those who spin the uber-latest party hits, those who write, record and perform their own mixes, those who have abanoned vinyl for the ease of a computer.
Food culture comes full circle on 'terroir'
Many years ago, I lived in Madrid. Already married with children, I ate mostly at home, often cooking meals myself. That, of course, meant shopping at, among other places, my neighborhood fish market. Having moved to Spain from years of graduate school in the Midwest, I found the fish -- and other seafood -- a wonder. Most wondrous of all was the fact that I could pick between North Atlantic and Mediterranean fish, all perfectly fresh. Madrid is located in the center of Spain, a good distance from any ocean. The local cuisine is about veal, beef, lamb, pork -- as well as beans and vegetables. Closest fish is trout -- and I ate many a fine trucha a la navarra. But in the country's capital, residents demanded fish from all the coasts of the Iberian peninsula, flown in fresh every day.
Vino, Ale-Jet and Valverde among stars converging in Valencia
The early season Spanish racing calendar continues this week with the five-stage Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana. With riders anxious to put some racing miles in their legs ahead of the approaching spring classics, the race is enjoying a fine field with top sprinters and classics-hunters looking to hone their form. .
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