Rough Edges

After years of gaining fans the old fashioned way - self-produced albums, incessant touring - the time came in the summer of 2009 for Dr. Dog to graduate from low-fi psychedelic folk group to a fully formed band, with the confidence to rise above knock-off Beatles comparisons. Around then, the Philadelphia sextet left tiny Park the Van Records for the much larger ANTI- label, and producer-extraordinaire Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) signed on for the group's next record.

After 15 years, Mango Grove shut its original Columbia location last August and reopened nearby on Valentine's Day. That's only six months — a quick turnaround in restaurant time — but it must have felt like much longer for fans of Mango Grove's terrific Indian cuisine. Vegetarians must have been especially desolate. For them, Mango Grove was a serene retreat, with an atmosphere just fancy enough to qualify as a date night. Just think: six months without those well-tempered vegetable curries and all that time without a single dosai.

After scoring double digits in goals in each of its first two contests - something that hadn't happened in 2011 - Princeton's offense returned to earth in a 10-8 loss to No. 2 Johns Hopkins. The No. 20 Tigers' day was exemplified by a disastrous second quarter in which the unit failed to take. Coach Chris Bates said of the team's five possessions in that period, the first four ended in turnovers. “We didn't feel like we were firing on all cylinders,” he said Monday.

After years of gaining fans the old fashioned way - self-produced albums, incessant touring - the time came in the summer of 2009 for Dr. Dog to graduate from low-fi psychedelic folk group to a fully formed band, with the confidence to rise above knock-off Beatles comparisons. Around then, the Philadelphia sextet left tiny Park the Van Records for the much larger ANTI- label, and producer-extraordinaire Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck) signed on for the group's next record.

There's no doubt that Courtney Love has undergone one of the entertainment industry's most remarkable makeovers.Five years ago, it was hard to find anyone who had anything good to say about her. Even though she had her own band, Hole, she was criticized within the alternarock world as an opportunist who leeched off the fame of husband Kurt Cobain. She was denounced in Vanity Fair as a drug addict and unfit mother, and portrayed in other profiles as a vengeful egomaniac.Even after Cobain's suicide in 1994, weeks before the release of Hole's last album, "Live Through This," Love got little slack.

It's a relief to be able to recommend a wine that's both inexpensive and widely available. This is not one of your blockbuster California zinfandels. It's a medium-bodied, fruity red wine with no rough edges and plenty of easy charm. It offers straightforward, smooth blackberry and herb flavors and a smooth texture. It's not a wine to ponder over, just to drink and enjoy. 2007 Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Zinfandel From: California Price: $8 Serve with: Pizza, burgers, pasta

1992 Fabre-Montmayou Malbec, Mendoza ($10).There are some rough edges to this big Argentine red, but if you like wines that really take charge, this is one of them. It's packed with black-currant and smoked-meat flavors, slightly tamed with a generous dollop of oak, and quite long in the finish. It would be even better with some cellar age, but it's hard to say how long it would last.Pub Date: 2/22/98

1998 J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($15). The reliable J. Lohr winery has produced a fine cabernet sauvignon from the erratic 1998 vintage. It's a rich, chunky, red wine with generous flavors of black raspberry, black currant and herbs. There are some rough edges that smooth out quickly when this cabernet is served with food. It should smooth out and gain character with a few more months in the bottle, but it offers a lot of character and impact for a wine of this price.

No conductor since Leopold Stokowski had been as interested in the technology of recording as the late Herbert von Karajan. But where Stokowski's interest in recording was almost purely aesthetic, Karajan's interest was almost purely selfish: He wanted to preserve his legacy and ensure that his performances would always be on the cutting edge and remain a buyer's first choice.Four years after his death in 1989, the great Austrian conductor is still at it. That accounts for Deutsche Grammophon's "Karajan Gold" -- 20 CD reissues (available as a set or individually)

Dell's new super laptop for gaming, the XPS M1710, demolishes all but the most elite desktop systems when it comes to gaming prowess. And it's portable enough that you can tote it to LAN parties or park it on the kitchen table. While there are a few minor drawbacks with the M1710, none are stoppers. The starting price of the least expensive version of the M1710 is $2,600. The rig we tested, with a Special Edition Formula Red case that screams taste and subtle sophistication, has a considerably higher price tag ($3,875)

After scoring double digits in goals in each of its first two contests - something that hadn't happened in 2011 - Princeton's offense returned to earth in a 10-8 loss to No. 2 Johns Hopkins. The No. 20 Tigers' day was exemplified by a disastrous second quarter in which the unit failed to take. Coach Chris Bates said of the team's five possessions in that period, the first four ended in turnovers. “We didn't feel like we were firing on all cylinders,” he said Monday.

Over the past decade, more and more well-made, premium-varietal wines are finding their way into the bag-in-a-box format, which practically guarantees against the ruinous effect of tainted cork. This South African blend of merlot and pinotage is one of the best boxed wines I've tasted, and its $16 price tag for the equivalent of four regular bottles works out to a great bargain. It's an explosively fruity, medium-bodied red wine with ripe plum and blackberry flavors with a hint of black pepper.

Dell's new super laptop for gaming, the XPS M1710, demolishes all but the most elite desktop systems when it comes to gaming prowess. And it's portable enough that you can tote it to LAN parties or park it on the kitchen table. While there are a few minor drawbacks with the M1710, none are stoppers. The starting price of the least expensive version of the M1710 is $2,600. The rig we tested, with a Special Edition Formula Red case that screams taste and subtle sophistication, has a considerably higher price tag ($3,875)

NEW YORK - The rapper DMX is a self-described "hood and a fiend." Put him in front of an interviewer, and things can go awry. Sarcastic responses, foul language or, worse, details about the stabbings and shootings he's been connected with over the years. Sometimes, even the hardest man in hip-hop needs a little polishing around the edges. That's where Angelo Ellerbee comes in. Ellerbee runs a charm school, though he's not too fond of the term. But it's a fairly accurate description of what he provides for some of the rap and R&B world's elite, including DMX, Mary J. Blige and Fabolous.

We are so eager to protect our children from sadness and fear that we sometimes deprive them of the very things that might give them comfort. How many of us remember our own childhoods as filled with nothing but sunny glades and babbling brooks? But for some reason, we persist in believing we can create that world for our daughters and sons. We act as though chaos and terror and rage are invaders from the outside. Sometimes they are, but just as often, those forces are generated within even the youngest of us. That's my problem with sanitized versions of classic fairy tales, and that's why I've never been crazy about the Disneyfication of Beauty and the Beast.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - When actor Anthony Quinn died earlier this month, his family turned to Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. to tell the world. It turns out Zorba the Greek and Zorba the Mayor were friends. There is little physical resemblance between the late actor and the short, stocky Cianci, but they were in many ways kindred spirits. Like Zorba and Quinn, Buddy Cianci is openly passionate about food, drink, laughter and life itself. Like the famous character from the 1964 film, he's a free spirit who has a way of dancing around the rules.

"Divided We Stand: How Al Gore Beat George Bush and Lost the Presidency," by Roger Simon. Crown, 321 pages, $25. Roger Simon's look back at last year's presidential election doesn't qualify as deep political analysis. Nor does it search for profound truth. Rather, it's a quirky, episodic set of tales from the front, spiced with barbed and sarcastic asides. The most useful way of looking at modern campaigning, writes Simon, is as an attempt to make emotional connections with strangers.

"Divided We Stand: How Al Gore Beat George Bush and Lost the Presidency," by Roger Simon. Crown, 321 pages, $25. Roger Simon's look back at last year's presidential election doesn't qualify as deep political analysis. Nor does it search for profound truth. Rather, it's a quirky, episodic set of tales from the front, spiced with barbed and sarcastic asides. The most useful way of looking at modern campaigning, writes Simon, is as an attempt to make emotional connections with strangers.