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Simply Orange juice is actually not all that simple. The taste of the the Coca-Cola-owned brand is governed by a complex algorithm that allows for the 600+ juice flavors to be tweaked throughout the year to ensure consistency.

From Jason Kottke, here is more.  And from The Atlantic, here is further explanation:

The algorithm is designed to accept any contingency that might affect manufacturing, from weather patterns to shifts in the global economy, and make adjustments to the manufacturing process accordingly. Built into the model is a breakdown of the 600-plus flavors that are in orange juice that are tweaked throughout the year to keep flavor consistent and in line with consumer tastes. Coke even sucks the oxygen out of the juice when they send it to be mixed so that they can keep it around for a year or more to balance out other batches. Doug Bippert, Coke’s vice president of business acceleration, calls it “a flight simulator for [Coke's] juice business.” (Funnily enough Delta uses the same algorithm to balance its books.) “If we have a hurricane or a freeze,” Bippert added, “we can quickly replan the business in 5 or 10 minutes just because we’ve mathematically modeled it.”

Paul Kevin Curtis, the eccentric celebrity impersonator previously suspected of sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama, appeared on CNN 's Piers Morgan Live yesterday, shortly after of being released from seven days in prison. "I heard the word 'ricin' for the first time in my life by a federal agent...

A man who apparently summoned the courage to rob a Montana pizzeria changed his mind as the clerk started to hand him money, broke down crying, and ended up leaving with a pizza to feed his hungry family. Just after midnight one night this week, a man wearing a hooded...

A little over a year ago, Netflix made TV lovers’ dreams come true with the announcement that they’d be reviving Arrested Development for a ten-episode season. The word came as even the most diehard fans had lost all hope of ever seeing the Bluths again, no matter how optimistically creator Mitch Hurwitz talked up the movie sequel. Today’s news can’t quite top that initial announcement, but it’s pretty sweet nonetheless.

The streaming service has agreed to bump up the original order by two to five more episodes, bringing the Season 4 total up to 12 or 15. Production is currently paused while Hurwitz adjusts for the expanded season, which is still on track to debut this spring. More details after the jump.

We first got word of the possibility of extra episodes in August, when star David Cross dropped a hint during a Rolling Stone interview. “I think it’s going to be 13 episodes, not 10,” he said at the time. “There’s too much story.” The next day, Netflix responded to Cross’ comments by stating that the show would hit in spring 2013 with “at least” ten more episodes. The company still isn’t confirming the exact episode count, but Deadline reports they’ve begun making adjustments for them behind the scenes.

The additional episodes came about when Hurwitz wound up with more material than he’d planned on and started coming up with ideas for additional story arcs. He approached Netflix, who agreed to bump up the order. More episodes means more work, of course. Production has already run over its slated post-Thanksgiving end date by a few weeks, and is now going on hiatus until late January so Hurwitz can rework the episodes for new scenes and plotlines.

Once Hurwitz has his plan figured out, the studio will arrange for the actors’ return. One of the challenges will be working around their schedules, since they may be tied up with other television or film projects. As of now, though, we’re still expecting all 12-15 episodes of Arrested Development Season 4 to hit in the spring.

• TV Bits: ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Revolution’, ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’, ‘The League’, ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’
• TV Bits: ‘Breaking Bad’, ‘Legned of Korra’, ‘Falling Skies’, ‘Firefly’, ‘Homeland’, ‘Dexter’, ‘Arrested Development’
• Mitch Hurwitz Talks ‘Arrested Development’ on Netflix, Hints at Possibility of Additional Seasons
• Cinematic TV Bits: Hulu and IFC Eyeing ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Mr. Ed’ Heads to Big Screen, ‘Universal Solider’ Coming to Small Screen
• Showtime/Netflix in Talks for Ten Episode ‘Arrested Development’ Miniseries, Set-up For Big Screen Movie
• LOL: ‘Arrested Development’ Creator Explains How to Get a Sitcom Canceled

Folks, we’ve been alerted that some scuzzballs are pretending to be us on Instagram. What’s worse is that they are posting screen caps from Season 12.

Let’s give em’ hell! (I recommend throwing a Whitey Whacker): http://instagram.com/eye_on_springfield

Standing up against the 1% of people who like Google+

Here is more on the CFTC’s attack on Intrade:

Why doesn’t Intrade just obey the complicated law and become a licensed exchange? They tried, but the CFTC won’t give them a license. When an established, licensed U.S. commodity exchange applied for permission to do what Intrade does, the CFTC turned them down, too.

Most importantly, in rejecting Nadex’s application to trade “political event derivatives contracts” the CFTC said this:

As a result of reviewing the complete record, the CFTC determined that the contracts involve gaming and are contrary to the public interest…

Thus the CFTC’s attack on Intrade is not about following or not following a particular regulation; it goes much deeper, the CFTC is arguing that all such markets are against the public interest.

Addendum: Kenneth J. Arrow, Robert Forsythe, Michael Gorham, Robert Hahn, Robin Hanson,
John O. Ledyard, Saul Levmore, Robert Litan, Paul Milgrom, Forrest D. Nelson,
George R. Neumann, Marco Ottaviani, Thomas C. Schelling, Robert J. Shiller,
Vernon L. Smith, Erik Snowberg, Cass R. Sunstein, Paul C. Tetlock, Philip E. Tetlock,
Hal R. Varian, Justin Wolfers, and Eric Zitzewitz disagree with the CFTC (among others).

The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, founded in 1964, is an annual international showcase for the very best nature photography. Owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide, the contest includes 18 individual categories, ranging from birds and mammals to "Creative Visions" and "Nature in Black & White." This year's competition drew more than 48,000 entries from 98 countries. The winning photos will be on exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London until March 3, 2013. The owners and sponsors have been kind enough to share the following 10 images from their group of overall winners. Be sure to visit their website to see all of the winners and find out more about he competition. [10 photos]

Commended. Photographer Richard Peters sat in his car and from a distance watched the fox hunting, just enjoying the performance. He was in Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming, and there was snow on the ground. The fox was listening for rodents under the snow, then leaping high to pounce down on the unsuspecting prey. It was too far away to photograph, and so when it disappeared and suddenly reappeared, on a snow bank level with the car window, Richard was taken by surprise. "It was already in pounce position, and I barely had time to lift the camera before it leapt up into the air almost clean out of my field of view. I managed to get a sequence of the leap, but I love this quirky image best, which gives a real sense of just how high these wonderful animals can jump." (Richard Peters/Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012)

You have to give New York Giants' rookie running back David Wilson credit for having confidence in himself. After what Wilson said to Bob Glauber of Newsday this week, however, you have to think he is getting ahead of himself. Way, way ahead of himself.

"I think at the end of my career, I'll be in the Hall of Fame," he said. "I know myself, and I know [when] I have guys around me that feel the same way, which I feel I do. When I get my opportunity, the sky is not the limit. I think it's past it. You have to believe in yourself to do good things. This is how I feel."

Wilson also added the following comment:

"I'm like birth control," Wilson said. "You have to believe in me. Like birth control, 99.9 percent of the time I'm going to come through for you."

Am I the only one who thinks maybe Wilson should wait until he does more than have a few nice kickoff returns and a couple of flashy garbage-time runs from scrimmage before saying stuff like this? It's nice to have confidence, and every Giants' fan hopes Wilson is right, but this was maybe not the right way for him to express it.

ARLINGTON, TX—Despite a wild-card loss to the Orioles that officially ended the Rangers season last week, outfielder Josh Hamilton told reporters Friday that he personally considered the season an immense success considering he made it through 163 g...

But, Marge, that little guy hasn’t done anything yet. Look at him! He’s going to do something and you know it’s going to be good.

Real earnings for young college grads have fallen by over 15% since 2000, or by about $10,000 in 2011 dollars

Michael Mandel’s tweet is here, and link to the underlying material is here.

Don’t be misled by claims of a “high” or “rising” college premium, that is indeed true relative to high school (or less), but many of those wages are down even more.  In absolute terms the return to college is not doing well.

LOS ANGELES—Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s posthumously recorded 35th studio album Tempest, released Sept. 10, has been enjoying widespread acclaim from top music critics across the country

We all know that a lion mating with a tiger produces a liger —but a zoo in Siberia has taken it one step further. The Novosibirsk Zoo mated a lion, Sam, with a liger, Zita. The result? An adorable liliger cub named Kiara, ABC News reports. She was born last...

President Obama will raise $4 million tonight in true "Big Pimpin'" fashion. Yes, Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé are hosting a New York fundraiser for the prez tonight, and it will feature a modest little 18-foot tower of champagne. Specifically, Armand de Brignac champagne, the $800-a-bottle, gold-labeled brand served at Jay's...

WASHINGTON—Following the publication of the image above, in which the most cherished figures from multiple religious faiths were depicted engaging in a lascivious sex act of considerable depravity, no one was murdered, beaten, or had their lives thr...

Area Man Looks At Fantasy Roster 3,689 Times Before Single Game Even Played

Here is a paper I wish I had written,...I mean, not written.

Tom Brokaw was rushed to a Charlotte hospital "out of an abundance of caution" this morning after he felt "light-headed" on the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe, reports the AP . But never fear, media lovers: The 72-year-old is doing a-OK. It seems he just accidentally ate a sedative! A tweet...

Monday’s comic on Tuesday? Wednesday’s comic on Thursday? What’s next? Morning wood at dinner? Is that it???? Is that next???????????

There are unlikely stories of perseverance in baseball like ones that have emerged in recent years concerning Ryan Vogelsong and Jose Bautista. Former starter Jim Abbott deserves to be in a league by himself though; at least Vogelsong and Bautista had two hands to work with. Abbott was born without a right hand, making his path to the big leagues all the more difficult. Nevertheless, his young but dedicated parents worked hard to support him, and his love of baseball eventually earned him a spot on the University of Michigan baseball team. He was surprisingly a fine hitter in high school, batting.427 with seven homers, but it was on the mound where he truly showed off his gift--a tremendous left arm. Abbot pitched to a 0.76 ERA in his senior year of high school, then in college pitched to a 3.04 ERA in three seasons as a Wolverine (his number was later retired and he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame). He won the Golden Spikes Award as baseball's top amateur in '87 as well as the Sullivan Award for the best overall amateur regardless of sport. Abbott also gained fame for beating incredible Cuban and Japanese baseball teams with the '88 U.S. Olympic squad on the way to a gold medal. Abbott's amateur success led to him becoming one of a select group of players to reach the majors without ever playing a game in the minors. The fact that he was able to accomplish these great feats without a right hand is simply mind-boggling.

Abbott was drafted by the California Angels as the eighth overall pick of the '88 draft and after spending most of '88 negotiating with the Angels, made their starting rotation out of Spring Training in '89. The 21-year-old pitched to a 3.92 ERA and 98 ERA+, earning him a fifth-place finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting. A sophomore slump led to a decline in performance, but from '91-'92, Abbott was arguably one of the top ten pitchers in baseball. Among AL pitchers, only Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, and Juan Guzman had better ERAs during this two-season stretch than Abbott's 2.83 (his 142 ERA+ and 3.29 FIP were not shabby either). New York Yankees general manager Gene "Stick" Michael knew how well southpaws fared in Yankee Stadium, so he decided to make a play for Abbott. The Yankees traded a trio of prospects including first baseman J.T. Snow for Abbott on December 6, 1992. Abbott was surprised, later stating, "It was strange to come to New York. I always thought I'd be an Angel... I loved being in New York; I know I didn't pitch as well as I wanted to, but to play for the Yankees is so different than any other experience you could have playing baseball that I'm thankful for it."

The results of the deal were underwhelming. Abbott was expected to team with fellow off-season acquisition Jimmy Key to give the Yankees a devastating one-two southpaw punch in the starting rotation, but while Key excelled, Abbott struggled through the end of August. Entering Labor Day weekend, his ERA was an uncharacteristic 4.31 and he faced the Cleveland Indians on September 4th having just been blown out by the same club in Cleveland five days before. He threw only 3.2 innings, surrendering seven runs on ten hits and four walks, a season-worst Game Score of 12. Baseball's a funny game though--pitchers can look like Matt Young one day and Cy Young the next. That is exactly what happened to Abbott.

It was a damp afternoon that day and a relatively small crowd of 27,225 came out that day due to the morning rain. With a revamped roster that included new right fielder Paul O'Neill and 24-year-old center fielder Bernie Williams, the Yankees were in the midst of their first playoff race in five years, just two games behind the defending World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Cleveland was six games under .500 and not yet the offensive powerhouse that it would soon become. The Tribe was led by rising stars Albert Belle, who hit 38 homers with a 145 OPS+ and a league-leading 129 RBI, Kenny Lofton, who hit .325 with a .408 OBP and led the league in steals for a second straight year with 70, and Carlos Baerga, whose 405 hits over the previous two seasons trailed only Paul Molitor by one hit for the most in the league. Also in the lineup that day were two kids named Jim Thome and Washington Heights native Manny Ramirez. Although Thome had a 131 OPS+ in limited action in '93 and Ramirez went 3-for-4 with his first two major league home runs in just his second career game the day before against Melido Perez and Paul GIbson, no one could have known that these two youngsters would one day combine for over 1,150 career home runs. If Sports Illustrated reenacted its infamous "Indian Uprising" cover with some of these young players, the magazine would have been prophetic.

Abbott certainly had a tough task ahead of him against this tough lineup that roughed him up in his last start. "The expectations going into that game were not 'no-hitter,'" Abbot later admitted. "I just wanted to get through the first inning." Abbott threw his very first pitch wildly to the backstop, like fictional Indians pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn, then walked the speedy Lofton on five pitches. It was an inauspicious beginning, but Abbott's cutter got light-hitting shortstop Felix Fermin to bounce into a double play. Baerga flew out to left to end the inning. The Yankees went down in order against the big righthander Bob Milacki, making one of only two starts that season. Milacki was not a fearsome foe for the Yankees' lineup, having pitched unsuccessfully for the Baltimore Orioles in the previous five seasons with a below-average 93 ERA+. Abbott looked sharp in the second despite a walk to first baseman Randy Milligan by striking out Belle and right fielder Candy Maldonado. Nothing really happened in the game until the bottom of the third.

Milacki walked second baseman Mike Gallego and though shortstop Randy Velarde failed to bunt him over, Milacki surrendered back-to-back singles to third baseman Wade Boggs and left fielder Dion James. On James's single, Gallego scored and Boggs did as well since Lofton fumbled it in center. With Boggs coming around, Thome took the throw from Lofton and threw home wildly, allowing James to score as well! It was a "little league home run" as two extra runs came around on the two Cleveland errors. Abbott now had a solid 3-0 lead. He got three ground outs in the fourth and used another ground ball double play to work around another walk to Milligan in the fifth. Abbott felt stronger as the game progressed, as he mentioned "Slowly but surely, the ball started coming out of my hand a little bit better." Velarde atoned for his botched sacrifice in the third with a solo homer to deep right-center leading off the fifth, giving the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Velarde faced a challenge when Thome hit a low liner toward him in the sixth, but he speared the "sinking seed" for the out. Abbott worked through the sixth inning with the no-hitter still intact.

Baerga began the seventh with a slow ground ball to Mattingly at first. The Yankee Stadium crowd was starting to get very excited, literally jumping up and down with every out. Abbott's biggest challenge came up next with the slugger Belle. He smashed it on the ground toward the left side, but Velarde realized he would be too deep in the shortstop hole to cleanly field it and make a play. Just then, the underrated fielder Boggs dove far to his right and snared the ball. Boggs said, "I went as far as I could go. I stretched and made a desperate effort." The third baseman got to his feet, fired, and nailed Belle at first by half a step. Defensive plays like those saved no-hitters, and Abbott knew it. "He made that play, and it was like we were invested in this. We were all caught up in the momentum." He had felt tired entering the inning; however, a second (easier) ground ball to third ended the inning and Abbott no longer felt weary.

In the eighth, Abbott struck out Ramirez for only his third K on the day. Coincidentally, September 4, 1993 was also the 70th anniversary of "Sad Sam" Jones throwing the second no-hitter in team history, accomplished against the Philadelphia Athletics. Jones had zero strikeouts in his no-hitter, so Abbott's reliance on the defense was not without precedence. Earlier in the season on May 29th, Abbott was five outs from a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox; he lost it on a Bo Jackson single. By inducing a groundout from Maldonado though, he took his no-hit attempt further than that great effort. A walk to Thome brought pinch-hitter Sandy Alomar, Jr. to the plate. The catcher bounced out to Boggs at third base. The ninth inning beckoned. Yankees manager Buck Showalter kept his cool by playing a joke on bullpen coach Mark Connor. He called down and told Connor to get closer Lee Smith ready, then immediately hung up. The bench was roaring with laughter when Connor called back and cursed Showalter out.

Abbott had barely any feeling in his legs when he faced Lofton to begin the ninth. Perhaps Lofton sensed this nervousness and tried to capitalize on it by attempting a bunt. He fouled it back and the Yankee Stadium crowd was enraged. The attempt might not have worked anyway since Abbott was always a terrific-fielding pitcher despite his handicap. (Angels teammate Rich Monteleone recalled a fielding drill wherein pitching coach Mel Latzman hit ten comebackers in a row. If a player messed up, he would have to start over. Abbott rarely had to start over.) Lofton made the point moot by grounding to second a few pitches later, the 14th Indian groundout of the game. Fermin came up next and worked the count to 2-2 before sending a long drive toward Death Valley in left-center field, 390 feet away. The center fielder Williams was playing the weak hitter shallow and had to run a long way before catching it on the warning track. That was a scary out, but Abbott had just one batter to retire for the Yankees' first no-hitter since Dave Righetti's Independence Day no-no in '83 (when Boggs was on the Red Sox).

Baerga took the first pitch he saw for a strike. Dewayne Staats had the call: "Batting .318... and a ground ball to short! Velarde! He did it! He did it! No-hitter for Jim Abbott! Jim Abbott throws a no-hitter and shuts out the Cleveland Indians 4-0!"

People were incredulous. The first thing that came to O'Neill's mind was "that Jim Abbott had one arm, and here he is with the Yankees throwing a no-hitter. It couldn't be more amazing." Abbott recognized the luck that went into pitching a no-hitter, and he didn't know "whether to be supremely confident of supremely thankful." He found his catcher, Matt Nokes, and brought him to the field to celebrate with him. "He deserved to be out there as much as I did."

What a day in Yankees history and for triumphant feats of mankind facing adversity. One-handed Jim Abbott threw a no-hitter against a major league baseball team. It has to be one of the most unlikely no-hitters in the history of baseball.

Abbott defied the odds 19 years ago today.

Source: FanGraphs

Box score. Graph score. Game recap. MLB Remembers. SABR Bio.

Further sources: Tan, Cecilia. The 50 Greatest Yankee Games. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.