Times were just as critical in the decades following World War II. The Cold War plunged Americans into a world always on the brink of nuclear conflagration. Americans built bomb shelters, and school drills taught elementary students to "duck and cover." Americans feared communist infiltration of our institutions and turned to McCarthyism for a purge.But just as the sound builds with the slow process, so does the aroma. The scent in the air serves as a timer, letting you have cup in hand just as the coffee is done so you can enjoy the perfect brew.OK, those who know me also know I get most of my java from the coffee place/bakery by my house. But I suspect I spend less time there and more in my easy chair if I returned to the good old days...

The NFC West, long derided as football weakest division, turned brutally good last year, thanks to Seattle and San Francisco, which both became fearsome competitors by employing tenacious defenses and lightningfast quarterback