This is the first post in Blast’s new Literary section — aiming to insert a little more culture into our Gen Y world.

Many years ago there lived an Emperor, who was so excessively fond of grand new clothes that he spent all his money upon them, that he might be very fine. He did not care about his soldiers, nor about the theatre, and only liked to drive out and show his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day; and just as they say of a king, “He is in council,” so they always said of him, “The Emperor is in the wardrobe.”

In the great city in which he lived it was always very merry; every day came many strangers; one day two rogues came: they gave themselves out as weavers, and declared they could weave the finest stuff any one could imagine. Not only were their colors and patterns, they said, uncommonly beautiful, but the clothes made of the stuff possessed the wonderful quality that they became invisible to any one who was unfit for the office he held, or was incorrigibly stupid.

“Those would be capital clothes!” thought the Emperor. “If I wore those, I should be able to find out what men in my empire are not fit for the places they have; I could tell the clever from the dunces. Yes, the stuff must be woven for me directly!”

And he gave the two rogues a great deal of cash in hand, that they might begin their work at once.

As for them, they put up two looms, and pretended to be working; but they had nothing at all on their looms. They at once demanded the finest silk and the costliest gold; this they put into their own pockets, and worked at the empty looms till late into the night.

“I should like to know how far they have got on with the stuff,” thought the Emperor. But he felt quite uncomfortable when he thought that those who were not fit for their offices could not see it. He believed, indeed, that he had nothing to fear for himself, but yet he preferred first to send some one
else to see how matters stood. All the people in the city knew what peculiar power the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to see how bad or how stupid their neighbors were.

“I will send my honest old Minister to the weavers,” thought the Emperor. “He can judge best how the stuff looks, for he has sense, and no one understands his office better than he.”

Now the good old Minister went out into the hall where the two rogues sat working at the empty looms.

“Mercy on us!” thought the old Minister, and he opened his eyes wide. “I cannot see anything at all!” But he did not say this.

Both the rogues begged him to be so good as to come nearer, and asked if he did not approve of the colors and the pattern. Then they pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old Minister went on opening his eyes; but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to see.

“Mercy!” thought he, “can I indeed be so stupid? I never thought that, and not a soul must know it. Am I not fit for my office? No, it will never do for me to tell that I could not see the stuff.”

“Don’t you say anything to it?” asked one, as he went on weaving.

“O, it is charming - quite enchanting!” answered the old Minister, as he peered through his spectacles. “What a fine pattern, and what colors! Yes, I shall tell the Emperor that I am very much pleased with it.”

“Well, we are glad of that,” said both the weavers; and then they named the colors, and explained the strange pattern. The old Minister listened attentively, that he might be able to repeat it when the Emperor came. And he did so.

Now the rogues asked for more money, and silk and gold, which they declared they wanted for weaving. They put all into their own pockets, and not a thread was put upon the loom; they continued to work at the empty frames as before.

The Emperor soon sent again, dispatching another honest officer of the court, to see how the weaving was going on, and if the stuff would soon be ready. He fared just like the first: he looked and looked, but, as there was nothing to be seen but the empty looms, he could see nothing.

“Is not that a pretty piece of stuff?” asked the two rogues; and they displayed and explained the handsome pattern which was not there at all.

“I am not stupid!” thought the man: “it must be my good office, for which I am not fit. It is funny enough, but I must not let it be noticed.” And so he praised the stuff which he did not see, and expressed his pleasure at the beautiful colors and charming pattern. “Yes, it is enchanting,” he told the
Emperor.

All the people in the town were talking of the gorgeous stuff. The Emperor wished to see it himself while it was still upon the loom. With a whole crowd of chosen men, among whom were also the two honest statesmen who had already been there, he went to the two cunning rogues, who were now
weaving with might and main without fibre or thread.

“Is not that splendid?” said the two statesmen, who had already been there once. “Does not your Majesty remark the pattern and the colors?” And they pointed to the empty loom, for they thought that the others could see the stuff.

“What’s this?” thought the Emperor. “I can see nothing at all! That is terrible. Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? That would be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me. O, it is very pretty!” he said aloud. “It has our highest approbation.” And he nodded in a contented way, and gazed at the empty loom, for he would not say that he saw nothing. The whole suite whom he had with him looked and looked, and saw nothing, any more than the rest; but, like the Emperor, they said, “That is pretty!” and counseled him to wear the splendid new clothes for the first time at the great procession that was presently to take place. “It is splendid, excellent!” went from mouth to mouth. On all sides there seemed to be general rejoicing, and the Emperor gave the rogues the title of Imperial Court Weavers.

The whole night before the morning on which the procession was to take place, the rogues were up, and kept more than sixteen candles burning. The people could see that they were hard at work, completing the Emperor’s new clothes. They pretended to take the stuff down from the loom; they made cuts in the air with great scissors; they sewed with needles without thread; and at last they said, “Now the clothes are ready!”

The Emperor came himself with his noblest cavaliers; and the two rogues lifted up one arm as if they were holding something, and said, “See, here are the trousers! here is the coat! here is the cloak!” and so on. “It is as light as a spider’s web: one would thin one had nothing on; but that is just the
beauty of it.”

“Yes,” said all the cavaliers; but they could not see anything, for nothing was there.

“Will your Imperial Majesty please to condescend to take off your clothes?” said the rogues; “then we will put on you the new clothes here in front of the great mirror.”

The Emperor took off his clothes, and the rogues pretended to put on him each new garment as it was ready; and the Emperor turned round and round before the mirror.

“O, how well they look! how capitally they fit!” said all. “What a pattern! what colors! That is a splendid dress!”

“They are standing outside with the canopy, which is to be borne above your Majesty in the procession!” announced the head Master of the Ceremonies.

“Well, I am ready,” replied the Emperor. “Does it not suit me well?” And then he turned again to the mirror, for he wanted it to appear as if he contemplated his adornment with great interest.

The two chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stooped down with their hands toward the floor, just as if they were picking up the mantle; then they pretended to be holding something in the air. They did not dare to let it be noticed that they saw nothing.

So the Emperor went in procession under the rich canopy, and every one in the streets said, “How incomparable are the Emperor’s new clothes! what a train he has to his mantle! how it fits him!” No one would let it be perceived that he could see nothing, for that would have shown that he was not fit for his office, or was very stupid. No clothes of the Emperor’s had ever had such a success as these.

“But he has nothing on!” a little child cried out at last.

“Just hear what that innocent says!” said the father: and one whispered to another what the child had said.

“But he has nothing on!” said the whole people at length. That touched the Emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but the thought within himself, “I must go through with the procession.” And so he held himself a little higher, and the chamberlains held on tighter than ever, and carried the train which did not exist at all.

Michael Dunlap is no stranger to the life of a starving artist.

Four years ago, the 24-year-old one man band who goes by the stage name Totally Michael was driving himself to shows in a 1984 Honda Accord — a “hybrid” in the literal sense, which his stepfather had welded together from two separate vehicles, one blue and one brown. (“When you were inside the car, you could look down and see the ground,” he said. “It was pretty awesome.”)

To make rent, he donated plasma twice a week and participated in clinical trials.

“Once I just had to drink this crappy, chalky liquid, that made me puke,” Dunlap said. “But I got like $1,200. I think it was worth it.”

“I’ve kind of been a bum,” he readily admitted. “I’ve only had one real job in my life, and it was telemarketing, which was pretty horrible.”

Luckily for Dunlap, his musical career appears to be taking hold. His synth-heavy debut album of infectious pop-punk, “Totally Michael,” will be released on October 14. He’s upgraded to a Nissan Sentra (the Accord was totaled in an accident in Phoenix, where he was performing) and is touring across North America this fall, opening for MC Chris.

Growing up in the small town of Cabot, Arkansas (pop. 21,000) as the youngest of eight children, Dunlap spent his youth skateboarding and going to see local bands with friends (“They were pretty crappy bands, but it was awesome to us,” he recalls), before picking up a guitar himself and playing in local punk groups.

A quasi-quarterlife crisis prompted Dunlap, at the age of 20, to pick up and move to Bloomington, Indiana after he attended a three-day music festival there.

“I had lived with my mom for 20 years and I was just like, ‘I gotta get the fuck outta here. … I should probably stop mooching,’” he said. “(Bloomington) was pretty much the only place I had ever seen besides Arkansas, so I was like, yeah, I’ll move here.”

He began making music on his own with computer recording software and reveled in his newfound musical autonomy.

“(In previous bands) there were always creative differences, and not everybody would agree on certain parts in songs,” he says. “What I liked about doing it by myself is that all of the creativity is on my part. … I never have anybody telling me they didn’t like what I was coming up with, or telling me to change something. That’s probably the best part of it so far.”

For now, Dunlap’s stage shows involve just him, a guitar and an iPod (“I used to bring up my laptop, and then realized people throw beer a lot, and it wasn’t the best decision,” he explained). Crowd participation also plays a role, with Dunlap often fostering a pep rally vibe by dividing his audience into two sides for the competitive ode “Cheerleader vs. Drillteam.”

“I’ve thought about getting other musicians … to make me seem less like a dumbass,” he said. “But at this point I’d probably go broke real quick.”

He cites fellow laptop guru Girl Talk as an influence, as well as Dan Deacon, Japanther and Matt & Kim, and said he tries to model the at times irreverent tone of his songs after Blink-182.

“I think they were fuckin’ amazing,” Dunlap said. “They could write pop songs that were slightly humorous and they did it really well.”

With a nasally delivery reminiscent of Offspring’s Dexter Holland and melodies similar to the likes of Bowling for Soup, Dunlap manages to get away with singing about high school gossip fodder, despite being in his mid-20s, on songs like “Prom Night” and “Cheerleaders vs. Drillteam.” His channeling of a nervous, disaster-prone date on the former is nothing short of endearing. “I’ve got my baby blue tuxedo but my tie has vanished from the scene / I guarantee this won’t be the last headache I face tonight,” he laments.

“I never did any writing at all, and I definitely think that kind of shows,” Dunlap says. “I don’t want to take myself too seriously. … Lyrics are always the last part of my songs. I hate them. I just want to write melodies.”

It’s true that the strength of Dunlap’s songs lies in their hooks. But while the songwriter may downplay his poetic abilities, his lyrics are, at their least impressive, typical of similar pop-punk bands (“I’m the number one topic in her diary / When you look away she’ll be all over me”), and at their most, laugh-out-loud zingers. Take this gem of a refrain from the gleeful ‘80s throwback “Winona,” his love letter to the actress 12 years his senior: “I’m not a high-class retail outlet / But I’d love for you to steal my heart.”

Lyrically speaking, the only excessively sophomoric track is the still-catchy “Casual Satisfaction,” which describes the physical effects of attraction with lyrics too graphic for me to feel comfortable typing out.

Taken at face value, “Totally Michael” is a fun collection of accessible singalongs. It’s made all the more impressive by the fact that Dunlap’s is the sole guiding hand behind every facet of each track.

“When it first started, it was all for fun,” he said. “I had no idea I would even make any money at all doing it. Even now, if I wasn’t making any money at all, I wouldn’t stop. I love touring and making music.”

But as it turns out, things may be looking up. Dunlap has been counting small victories over the past few months — starting with his transportation.

“I can tour in my car and get, like, 30 miles per gallon,” he said brightly. “And it has A/C. It’s the only car I’ve ever had that has A/C.”

Totally Michael tour dates:

Oct 3      Bloomington, Indiana            Uncle Fester’s
Oct 8      Belleville, Illinois                   TBA
Oct 9      Lawrence, Kansas                   TBA
Oct 10    Denver, Colorado                   TBA
Oct 11    Salt Lake City, Utah                TBA
Oct 12    Missoula, Montana                 TBA
Oct 13    Spokane, Washington             Women’s Club
Oct 14    Seattle, Washington                Chop Suey*
Oct 15    Eugene, Oregon                      WOW Hall*
Oct 16    Arcata, California                    Humboldt Brews*
Oct 18    Santa Cruz, California             The Catalyst Atrium*
Oct 19    San Luis Obispo, California     Downtown Brew*
Oct 20    Los Angeles, California           Roxy Theatre*
Oct 21    Anaheim, California                Chain Reaction*
Oct 22    Tempe, Arizona                       The Clubhouse*
Oct 23    New York, New York                NYU CMJ Showcase
Oct 25    Brooklyn, New York                 Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct 26    Fort Worth, Texas                    The Aardvark*
Oct 27    Austin, Texas                          Red 7*
Oct 28    Baton Rouge, Louisiana           Spanish Moon*
Oct 29    New Orleans, Louisiana          The Parish @ House of Blues*
Oct 30    Birmingham, Alabama             Zydeco*
Nov 3     Atlanta, Georgia                      The Masquerade*
Nov 4     Tampa, Florida                        Orpheum*
Nov 5     Orlando, Florida                      The Social*
Nov 7     Jacksonville, Florida                Jack Rabbits*
Nov 8     Charleston, South Carolina      The Music Farm*
Nov 10   Wilmington, North Carolina     The Soapbox Laundrolounge*
Nov 12   Nashville, Tennessee               Exit/In*
Nov 13   Louisville, Kentucky                 Headliner’s Music Hall*
Nov 14   Bloomington, Indiana               Rhino’s*
Nov 15   Cleveland, Ohio                        Peabody’s DownUnder*
Nov 16   Chicago, Illinois                       The Abbey*
Nov 18   Ann Arbor, Michigan                Blind Pig*
Nov 19   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania          Club Cafe*
Nov 20   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania       First Unitarian Church*
Nov 21   Baltimore, Maryland                 The Ottobar*
Nov 22   Northampton, Massachusetts  Pearl Street (downstairs)*
Nov 23   Allston, Massachusetts            Harper’s Ferry
Nov 26   New York, New York                 The Knitting Factory*

*opening for MC Chris

This game is different for one reason: It’s the first game that we know of that let’s you play beer pong (or Beirut for your New Hampshire folk) — though they don’t call it by any sort of alcoholic name. They cleverly call it ping cup so that the parents don’t get mad.

You don’t need me to tell you that you’ve probably played most of these games before. In fact, you can play most of these games for real at any drunken men’s social club outing, including bet the bean bag toss, horseshoes, shuffleboard, darts, and puck bowling. But somehow that makes us like the game more.

The graphics aren’t very good, and we note that this doesn’t use Nintendo’s new Motion Plus accessory. But who cares. Game Party 2 doesn’t game itself very seriously, and that’s why we like it so far.

Plus, it’s got beer pong!

Game list: horseshoes, bean bags, shuffleboard, skill/skeeball, arcade hoop shoot, puck bowling, lawn darts, baseball bar darts, QB challenge, trivia, and ping cup (beer pong).

Game Party was Midway’s top-seller with 1.3 million copies sold since last year.

Game Party 2 is $20 and hits shelves today.

Boys Like Girls will be releasing a new DVD, Read Between The Lines on November 4. It’s over 100 minutes long with 10 live performances, and it tells the band’s story from their very beginning through headlining their hometown on the recent Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour. There are also interviews with all the members and behind-the-scenes antics.

They’re doing a northeast loop tour that began in Northampton, Mass, is headed down to North Carolina now, and will end in Boston October 13 at a show at Northeastern University.

They are touring with Cute is What We Aim For and Lights.

Tour dates

10/3: Northampton, Mass., Smith College

10/4: Hempstead, N.Y., Hofstra University

10/5: Morgantown, W.V., University of West Virginia

10/8: Greensboro, N.C., UNC-Greensboro

10/10: Millersville, Penn., Millersville University

10/11: Pittsburgh, Penn., Gravity

10/12: Rochester, N.Y., Rochester Institute of Technology

10/13: Boston, Mass., Northeastern University

These two products are essentially the same, even though they don’t look it and the PlayStation 3 version uses the original internal battery, and 360 version uses a Nyko replacement battery. They’re both meant to give you an externalized recharge of your controllers.

I currently have Nyko’s Wii Charge Station, and the PS3 and 360 charge stations all sitting next to each other on a shelf.

The 360 and PS3 controllers can each be charged using USB, or with the 360 by removing the battery and sticking it in a separate charge station. The Nyko charge stations are nice because you can basically just store your controllers on them when they aren’t being used.

This is a good place to use Lithium Ion batteries. Even if there’s still some juice left, you can recharge them on the fly, as opposed to older technologies that do better if you let them completely die before charging them.  This makes the life of the battery less important since you will have it charging when your not playing, and as long as you don’t do a marathon gaming session the battery will never run out on you.

The problem that Nyko had to deal with when designing the Charge base was figuring out how to charge conveniently the PS3 and the 360 controllers, which weren’t designed with a simple plug in interface. With the 360 they just were able to add their own batteries with convenient contacts for charging, much like the Wii base.

The PS3 since it has a non-removable battery required them to be more creative. They came up with an interesting solution of placing an adapter on the USB port of the PS3, but this method adds a small part to their product that can be easily lost.

My main disappointment with the Charge Base, specifically with the PS3 version, was that it’s not compatible with Nyko’s owns Zero controller. If it was a different company’s part then I wouldn’t be
surprised, but I would have expected Nyko to make sure it works with their own controller, which they were heavily encouraging people to buy when it hit the market as the first rumble controller for the PS3. Unfortunately though the adapters don’t fit on the Zero, so it must still be charged by plugging the controller into a USB port.

Overall, if you use official controllers for your game systems either Nyko Charge Base is a great accessory, especially the PS3 one since the PS3 turns off its USB ports when it’s off, (the time when I
would expect most people to charge their controllers.)

My only real big complaint was that it doesn’t support their own controller.

If an American needs any further excuse to sit down and watch a British drama, Mobile is it. Mobile will convince you.

A seeming madman starts blowing up cellphone towers all over England and shooting people in cold blood simply because they were talking on their mobile phones — messages graffitied nearby proclaim the phones to be the work of the devil.

The four-part series brings together three main interlocking plots. A former telecom engineer with a terminal brain tumor comes under suspicion for the bombings. The plot then turns to two executives, Sir James Corson (Keith Allen) and David West (Michael Kitchen) who take turns trying to ruin each other’s careers. Enter Maurice Stoan (Jamie Draven) a former army sharpshooter who misses out on his chance to become a third generation warrior (the 2003 invasion of Iraq — perfect parallel to modern history) when his wife and child are killed by a hit-and-run driver, sending him home on bereavement leave.

The three plots culminate in the fourth and final episode. It’s explosive. It’s dramatic. It’s got guns, sex and betrayal. You just know some American film company is going to steal the plot and make an awful Hollywood movie out of it.

Before that happens, you need to watch Mobile.

Mobile’s stars — British veterans Kitchen (Foyle’s War) and Allen (BBC America’s Robin Hood) and a younger up and coming Jamie Draven — perform their roles with typical British dramatic perfection. Two female costars may be familiar to Americans — Samantha Bond (Moneypenny in the Pierce Brosnan Bond films), as the wife of the telecom executive and Julie Graham (Bonekickers, At Home with the Braithwaites) as the wife of the engineer.

The 2007 series was a big TV hit in the U.K. but has never been seen publicly in the United States yet. Mobile won a Silver World Medal at the 2008 New York Festivals International Television Broadcasting Awards.

Many of us may be too dependent on over-the-counter painkillers to treat the occasional headache, especially given the side effects of such drugs. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can increase the risk of heart and circulation problems-including heart attack and stroke-and is also tough on the digestive tract. Too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) has been linked to nausea, diarrhea, and kidney and liver problems. Many natural health care practitioners disparage drugs for merely masking the symptoms of larger problems.

All headaches are not the same and gobbling down pain pills will not address the causes, whatever they may be. Some headaches are caused by tension; others stem from sinus congestion, caffeine withdrawal, constipation, food allergies, spinal misalignment or lack of sleep. And then there are migraines, which researchers think are neurological in nature: The brain fails to constrict the nerve pathways that open the arteries to the brain, resulting in a pounding headache as blood flows in unchecked. Assessing what kind of headache you may have can help lead the way to a solution beyond deadening the pain with a pill.

To make tension headaches go away, the Farmers’ Almanac recommends applying an ice pack to the neck and upper back, or, even better, getting someone to massage those areas. Also, soaking the feet in hot water can divert blood from your head to your feet, easing any kind of headache pain in the process.

Another all-natural headache cure is acupressure (like acupuncture, but without the needles), which promotes healing throughout the body by stimulating channels of energy known as meridians. Victoria Abreo, alternative medicine editor for the website BellaOnline, says that anyone suffering from a tension headache can employ a simple acupressure technique to help relieve the pain: “With one hand, press the shallow indention in the back of the head at the base of the skull. Simultaneously, with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, press firmly into the upper hollows of the eye sockets, right where they straddle the bridge of the nose and meet the ‘t’ of the eyebrow bridge.” She says to press softy at first, and then more firmly, holding for three to five minutes.

As for migraines, avoiding certain trigger foods might be key to staving them off. Abreo says migraine sufferers should try steering clear of dairy products, processed meat, red wine, caffeine and chocolate. New research has shown that some people with specific dietary deficiencies are more prone to migraines.

According to Dr. Linda White, who writes about natural health for Mother Earth News, some recent clinical trials have shown three nutritional supplements-magnesium, riboflavin and coenzyme Q10-to be particularly effective at reducing the frequency and severity of migraines. Also, a number of herbs-including feverfew, butterbur, lavender, gingko biloba, rosemary and chamomile-have proven track records in preventing or stopping migraines. Since herbs can be potent and are not regulated or tested, headache sufferers should consult a trusted doctor or naturopath before using alternative remedies.

CONTACTS: Farmers’ Almanac, www.farmersalmanac.com; BellaOnline, www.bellaonline.com; Mother Earth News, www.motherearthnews.com.

Dear EarthTalk: Are there any electric bicycles or scooters that make for a nice cheap, green-friendly commute? – Sean Foley, Nashua, NH

Bicycle commuting has long been a symbol of greener living, and it is great exercise, too. But most people are probably not up to commutes much beyond five or 10 miles one-way in the interest of time and in not arriving at work too pooped (or sweaty) to pop.

Now a number of battery-powered two-wheelers are coming on the market that won’t get you your exercise but will get you from point A to B and back with minimal environmental impact. Consumers can start greening up their commutes on such vehicles for as little as $1,500 plus about 25 cents a day in electricity costs-not bad at all when you consider that a new car costs thousands of dollars more up front and chugs mass quantities off expensive and polluting gasoline.

Many of us conjuring up images of electric bikes and scooters may envision the finicky mopeds of the 70s and 80s, but today’s offerings are much improved and quite diverse.

Those who want to go fast but stay green should check out some of the electric scooters made by Miami-based EVTAMERICA. Each of the company’s three models tops out at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour-respectable even on the highway. “People want to go at least 40 mph,” says the company’s co-owner, Fernando Pruna. “Everything built before could only do 25 or 30.”

Meanwhile, eGO of Somerville, Massachusetts makes electric bikes that can speed along at 25 miles per hour in “go fast” mode, but also have a “go far” mode, which trades off speed for distance (some 24 miles on a single charge). While eGO’s bikes may look diminutive, they are known for their strength. “Our bikes are powerful enough to tow a car,” says Kevin Kazlauskas, the company’s operations manager. “These are not toys, and customers aren’t treating them like toys.”

Another option might be an electric scooter made by Houston-based Veloteq. These scooters only go 20 miles per hour at top speed, but they can cover up to 50 miles on a single charge, which is more than enough distance to get most commuters back and forth to work, as long as they can avoid fast-moving highways along the way. A side benefit of the speed limitation on Veloteq’s vehicles is that they are typically exempt from licensing, registration and insurance regulations in most jurisdictions-yet another way to save money over those car drivers still mired in their 20th century car commutes.

Opting for one of these new scooters or bikes over a car commute will take a big bite out of your carbon footprint, but the future promises even greener versions. The lead-acid batteries that most models use today will soon be replaced with greener and more efficient varieties, lithium ion and nickel zinc being two of the more promising formats. These new fangled batteries will make the vehicles cost more, at least initially, but they will also trim bike weight significantly and provide a lot more distance per charge. And eGo is working on a model with a small solar array behind the seat to extend the bike’s range once its electric charge starts to run low.

CONTACTS: EVTAMERICA, www.evtamerica.com; eGO, www.egovehicles.com; Veloteq, www.veloteq.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

Plus we just love saying the name!

Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest Lager is a distinct fall brand, brewed with three malts: Munich, caramel and a blend of two-row Pale malts.

We found the beer to be a great fall BBQ drink. It doesn’t remind you too much of the cold weather by filling and warming your stomach like some other season beers, but it’s definitely not the fruit-infused summer beers we’ve come to know and love. It’s Indian summer, early autumn, New England foliage (though they’re a Wisconsin company) beer.

Pair it with an everything hot dog and some cheese-flavored chips and pretzels.

Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest is available in 6-pack bottles at supermarkets and liquor stores nationally and on draft at some bars and restaurant (we didn’t see any in Boston).

Six-packs retail at $7.99. Leinenkugel’s is currently available in 48 states. Oktoberfest is 5.1 percent alcohol by volume.

Here’s a little treat that definitely will fill your stomach:

Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest-Infused Brew Brats

1 dozen brats
1 dozen brat buns
Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest, to cover
1 medium large sweet onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 ounces butter

Place brats in a Dutch oven with sliced onions, peppers and butter, cover the brats with Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until brats are cooked. Remove brats and set aside remaining beer mixture. Grill brats until golden brown and return to beer mixture until ready to serve. Serve brats on fresh brat buns with your favorite toppings (sauerkraut, onions, peppers, ketchup, mustard).

The boy also beat an assortment of lizards to death with a large rock, some of which he fed to the croc.  The boy, who jumped the security fence at the Outback zoo to commit the crime, killed 13 animals in total including a turtle and bearded dragons.

The crocodile’s name was Terry.

“It’s unbelievable. In my day he’d get a big boot up the arse,” zoo center director Rex Neindorf told Reuters.

A big boot indeed.  No word yet on the mental condition of this child.

Some of the animals are apparently quite hard to replace and valued at over $5000.

The parents of the child could possibly be sued by the zoo.

Nuts.

Today I happened to be searching for new developments regarding ancient Egypt and came across a story about two fetuses that were found with King Tutankhamun’s body. Experts are saying the fetuses could have been his twin children, while some believe they were buried with him as a symbol to allow the king to live on as a newborn in the afterlife. So cool.

One of the twins’ blood groupings was compared to those of King Tut in the 1970s.  The results favored a relation between them.  It is now believed that the fetuses were twins, and were carried by King Tut’s wife, Ankhesenamun.

The “boy king” who supposedly died at the age of 19 is one of today’s most popular pharaohs.  The mystery surrounding his death has evolved since his finding; initially it was believed that he was murdered since experts found what they thought was evidence of a blow to the back of his head.

In 2005, scientists concluded that there was no evidence of any foul play regarding his death, and that the injury to his head was caused by a drill during the embalming process. After much debate, the Egyptian team of scientists concluded that King Tut died of gangrene after an infection ravaged a fracture in his leg.

Ancient Egyptian societies, in my opinion, are the most fascinating and creative in history.  The combination of monarchies, rulers, conspiracies, and architectural brilliance make our political and social lives seem all the more mundane.

Of course it was much less civilized, but as an outsider looking in, it’s very, very cool.