Megabucks

According to MSNBC, tickets to tonight's event went for as high as $2,000, although several hundred were given away to church-goers.

Meeting at the Megachurch

Tonight's presidential forum -- unprecedented in modern presidential history for both its location (a house of worship) and its timing (before the nominating conventions) -- will be broadcast on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Saddleback will stream video of the meeting live.

The event was sold out before it was announced in the mainstream media, it seems, with tickets going for as much as $1,000.

Judgment in Georgia

Russia and Georgia accuse each other, in the conflict over South Ossetia, of ethnic cleansing. Is it remotely possible that both accusations are correct? What are we as a nation to do if that's the case?

Purpose Driven(tm) Politicians

Fox News reports John McCain and Barack Obama will meet Saturday night at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church (wikilink) for what Warren is calling the "Saddleback Civil Summit." Fox will broadcast the event, which is scheduled for eight p.m. Eastern time. Unknown whether other broadcasters will have a shot at airing it.

Warren, the best-selling author and populist mega-church pastor, will interview the candidates. Questions will be taken; no direct debate is expected. Should be interesting.

The church meeting will be the candidates' first joint appearance of the campaign, and could help set the stage for the summer nominating conventions which follows closely on its heels.

A comment Tom Ridge made in a brief chat he and I had after John McCain's visit to York this week is worth relating here.

I told Gov. Ridge how pleased my family had been that, in his capacity as Director of Homeland Security, he had been the commencement speaker at the United States Merchant Marine Academy when a young relative of mine graduated. Ridge's next, very next, thought was that he was aware that some of the mariners who'd graduated have died in service to their country.

It is so easy -- for me, for anyone -- to assume those in elective office don't really feel the pain the way the families who send their sons and daughters off our shores and into harm's way do. To an extent, that may be a safe assumption. Within the walls of that conversation, though, it startled me to realize how closely he must live with the knowledge that he has sent our men and women out in the name of keeping civilians safe.

The Milli Vanilli Revolution?

I'm trying to figure out why people who don't give a rat's patoot's worth of care to intellectual, political, economic and religious repression are so exercized about a lip-synching child. Well, I guess we have to draw the line somewhere.

Pennsylvania Shows Some Love

Depending on who does the counting, somewhere between 3,000 and 5,500 folks lined up in York, Pa., today -- many for hours -- to listen to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain and to ask him questions. Also in attendance: Senate colleagues Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter, former Pennsylvania Governor and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, Congressman Todd Platts and, front and center in the arena, McCain's iconic Straight Talk Express campaign bus.

As is his habit, McCain spent twice as much time taking questions as he did making his stump speech. Much of his remarks centered on the still unfolding situation in South Ossetia, although he did take time to remark on Barack Obama's seeming inability to recognize the success of the troop surge in Iraq. He was questioned on Social Security reform, technology in the classroom, defense, veterans' benefits and conservative values. He took a teacher's concerns about a lack of technology in American classrooms as an opportunity to riff on themes of school choice and educational standards -- but in most cases gave, at least by political standards, fairly straightforward answers on the issues. Most notable was his response when asked if thought he could muster a passionate defense of conservative ideals, which I'll quote in its entirely: "Yes."

Word is John McCain was pleased with his reception in York. He had every right to be: The town sure seemed to appreciate him, too. If he can build on successes in Pennsylvania's conservative "T" and make a good appeal to suburban and urban voters around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the senator just might have good reason to keep coming back to visit Pennsylvania voters.

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I'd also like to post a shout out to my family in Spring Grove, Pa. As cool as the York event was, the neatest thing about it was that it was a darned good excuse to hang out with them.

Robbed of Closure

I'm still trying to process the dump of information on the sole suspect in the Amerithrax investigation. While there would have, no doubt, been security concerns in bringing Bruce Ivins to justice in open court, I cannot help but feel there should have been a trial.

I have pointed out to many, many people just how remarkable it is that no further terrorist attacks have claimed mass casualties on American soil over the past eight years, and I appreciate the efforts of the agencies, from the most local to the federal and international, that have helped assure our safety. Yet I still cannot help but think that the American people would have been better served if they'd been more assured that whatever corrective measures needed by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies in the wake of the anthrax attacks have been or will be put into place. I cannot shake the feeling that a conviction in absentia (for that is what this is) is hollow at best, frightening at worst from the standpoint of both human liberty and national security.

Having said that, I will add that it is easier to be a citizen than it is to be a lawman: I do not envy the job of those who must keep us safe.

Look Who's Not Talking

Seems Barack Obama had enough energy and ideas when he was trying to appeal to the left and defeat a large field of Democrats who would be president. He participated in more than 20 debates in the primary season. Twenty-six to be exact! Once he had the nomination he boasted he'd meet his senate colleague, Republican nominee John McCain "anytime, anywhere" to discuss the issues in front of the American people.

Apparently, though, Obama either doesn't like the town hall format or he's reluctant to take on McCain mano a mano any more than he must. He's agreeing to debate only the bare minimum: just three debates before November. C'mon, you fellows can do better than that. Show us you can handle something other than a super friendly crowd, Barack! Your competitor already has.

Anthrax Investigation's Dead End?

I don't even know what to say about this AP story on the fate of a suspect in the investigation to find out who was responsible for sending anthrax-laden letters through the U.S. Mail. I suppose it's good to know the investigation had been ongoing; I have absolutely no comment at this point about the tactics federal investigators have used in their work, and I note that my colleagues at the New York Post who suffered when a tainted letter was sent to us were not included in specific casualty list in the news story.

I guess I did have a little to say, but I still don't know quite what to think.

In Lighter News Briefs

The Naked Cowboy escapes California scot-free.

The Olympics vs. Freedom

(sent to the White House via email)

Dear Mr. President,

I am pleased to hear you plan to make a statement on religious freedom during your visit to China. I still feel strongly that, in light of the brutal treatment both Christian and non-Christian religious have suffered at the hands of Chinese authorities, a visit from our head of state sends at best a mixed message. However, making as strong a statement as is possible and prudent on the importance of freedom for all religions may help those in power in China realize this is an issue that commands world attention. I also applaud your efforts to step up criticism of Beijing's repression as we continue the countdown to the games.

I am certain you must be aware of the International Olympic Committee's recent acceptance of China's decision to restrict Internet access to foreign media during the Olympic games. I ask you to consider that the free flow of information, both within a nation and internationally, is a cornerstone of democracy. Freedom of thought and expression must be guarded as sacred: Without them a society can neither achieve its potential nor call itself fully free. Please express the views of your citizens -- and their desire to see a peaceful, prosperous and free world -- to the people of China and their leaders in the strongest possible terms.

Thank you.

Getting Active in Montco

The regional McCain victory office in Blue Bell, Pa., held its grand opening on July 17. All sorts of McCain backers have been finding their way there since to pick up signs and stickers, volunteer and find out about other campaigns in the district.

Now the Montgomery County Council of Republican Women and the county's New Majority Council are piggybacking efforts to keep the campaign well-stocked with willing and able supporters every Monday. They're planning to staff Victory '08 from five to eight p.m. every week. If that's up your alley, check out the details on the flier above.

Home Alone

Seen front and center in the ramp-up to Obama's "major foreign policy speech" in Berlin, Germany? A big blue and white banner held aloft reading "NO YOU CAN'T." Talk about audacity. Heard in Berlin, Pa., Berlin, Wisc., and Berlin, N.H. -- a McCain radio campaign blasting Obama for voting against a 2007 bill to fund troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Seen at an Ohio German-American restaurant today? The candidate who stayed home to campaign. (Oh, and he was at a Bethlehem, Pa., grocery store, too!)

Also worth noting: As both parties ramp up for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, veterans hospitals are turning away those who'd like to make sure vets have the vote. They say their main mission is the rehabilitation of our servicemen, but their refusal has the effect of disenfranchising those who've laid their lives on the line. Obama and Clinton have objected to the ban, which is blamed by federal officials on the Hatch Act.

One can only assume the Democrats hope our veterans want to react against the current administration and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their reactions may well depend on who comes in to speak to them and what messages they hear. Keeping those isolated in hospitals from voting, however, is hardly democratic -- and cutting them off from free debate is even worse.

Women Drivers

OK, I'll admit I linked to a story back in May about Danica Patrick getting a little hot around the collar at the Indianapolis 500 this year. This weekend Patrick was caught on camera trying to force a face off with Milka Duno. Both drivers just happen to be women. I'm starting to wonder why it doesn't make the news when the guys get out from behind the wheel and get in each others' faces.

As interesting as it is to see a photogenic character like Patrick vent, I'm getting close to the point where I'm going to start whining for her to be treated more like a driver and less like an oddity. I would hate to see Patrick suffer the same fate as auto legend Janet Guthrie, who apparently felt burnt by her time on the circuit. If we believe what we read, Guthrie will not even watch racing anymore.

I also hope Patrick's not trying to get in Duno's way. It's a competitive sport, but there should be room for more than one chick on the oval.

What Used To Be Called a Listening Tour

NBC's Andrea Mitchell just relayed unattributed reports of criticism of Barack Obama's highly publicized overseas tour while appearing on the MSNBC program "Morning Joe." I hesitate to attach my name to those of other critics when I don't know who they are, but I have to admit Mitchell's report conveyed an interesting point.

It seems Obama is backpedalling on his comments made at AIPAC about not wanting to see a Jerusalem "divided by barbed wire" now that he's meeting with non-Israelis in the Middle East. Quite apart from the politics of the matter, Mitchell put her finger on something that has bothered me in this election cycle. There is an overseas element to this campaign that is greater in its scope and visibility than ever before: almost more of a difference of kind than degree.

Mitchell talked of people who say we "only have one president," and accuse Obama of conducting diplomacy while in the Middle East instead of having a true legislative-style fact-finding trip. It would seem it's part and parcel of Obama straining to appear presidential despite his lack of foreign policy experience. Campaigning and positioning are one thing: Radically influencing American policy without benefit of having been elected to the Oval Office is quite another. I would caution the Obama campaign to make it clear they are working to elect their candidate, not assembling a cabinet-in-waiting.

Really? Really?!

There's an IVF clinic advertising "online coupons" for discount in vitro fertilization. I wouldn't be comfortable getting a cheapie tummy tuck let alone a cut-rate test tube baby. What is this world coming to??

In Case You Missed It

More on the aftermath of the Chinese earthquake -- it appears China is cracking down on those who are supporting families devastated by the loss of their children in state-built and -run schools there.

Your Smile for Today

My old (as in the sense of former) boss at the Courier-News in Bridgewater, N.J. -- Carol A. Hunter -- is half of a two-woman team on a 471-mile bicycle trek across Iowa for the 36th RAGBRAI. Carol was executive editor at the Courier, and hired me to be the nation's youngest female editorial page editor. Fifteen years later she's at the Des Moines Register as ... you guessed it ... editorial page editor, doing a whole lot more than pedal pushing.

Follow her as she braves this heat and a bicycle seat and all that.

Ya Gotta Break a Few Eggs (and Laws?)

No one is yet in a position to judge whether former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin's attempts to make money were criminal. I suppose, though, I should not be amazed that criminal culpability is first laid at the feet of Wall Street, and not on top executives at the firms that made the questionable loans to begin with -- for example, the folks over at Countywide. But Cioffi and Tannin are not alone in being prosecuted, despite marquis news coverage that might lead one to believe the contrary.

China's Newest Propagandists: The American Media

I suppose nothing should shock me anymore, but I'm astounded that ABC is reporting Chinese government propaganda about its "Happy Homeland" temporary Styrofoam houses as straight news. Yup, looks like the Chinese government is right on top of its problems. Sheesh!

Layoffs in Sufragette City?

(Note: I was unable to post the following to Blogger.com just after four p.m. today because of technical problems. My best guess is that the site was overwhelmed with traffic.)

Probably the biggest blogospheric sign that big things are happening the Democratic presidential primary is the fact that blogger.com is incapable of handling the traffic thrown at it at this moment.

The biggest real-world sign that there's movement afoot is the fact that Clinton campaign staffers are being told to get their expense reports in order and get their butts to NYC to hear Hillary's speech tomorrow night.

Oh yeah, and then there's Bill declaring for at least the second time in his political life that today might be the "last day he was involved in a campaign of this kind."

Stay tuned, as they say.

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Real time non sequitor update: The Stanley Cup has entered the building at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Sigh.

A Late Lunch in D.C.

Apparently the Democratic rules committee meeting in Washington today is interfering with Chris Matthews' lunch. Matthews didn't appear to be swayed by Sen. Carl Levin's passionate arguments or former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard's good-natured pitch to seat all of Michigan's delegates. Instead, he spoke of the Dems' "obligation" to adhere to the news media's deadlines, which prompted Andrea Mitchell to speak of an even more pressing obligation -- an evening fundraiser in New York City featuring Avignon president and former Vice President Al Gore.

Unless somebody gets huffy and tries to put it back on the table, Florida's decided -- a Florida vote equals a half a vote. The immediate question is whether Michigan's votes will be pinned down by committee today in time for the Sunday papers and the evening news, or whether everybody will be camping out in our nation's capital overnight. But no committee resolution will shut up the combatants in this fight. Unless there is some basic understanding between the two campaigns, the fight over Michigan will -- without a doubt -- spill over into a bare-knuckles brawl in Colorado this summer. Which might not be bad for democracy, for political theater or for GOP candidate John McCain's chances in November.

Revisiting Rules and Regs

So, it's Saturday already. Have the Dems solved all the world's problems yet, or are we just looking at the 2000 general election redux?

What's a Month Between Friends?

John McCain's campaign rescheduled its planned May 30 Quakertown-area town hall to June 30. Suits me fine, as I wasn't going to be able to attend the Friday event, but should manage to make it to the Monday one.

With a little more notice and some publicity I'm hoping the senator should get a nice crowd from both the Lehigh and Delaware valleys.

I'll try to cobble together some impressions and, if I'm lucky, some decent photos. In the meantime, if you're in the area and this is your cup of political red meat, feel free to check out the details at the McCain Web site.

That Indy Spirit

Danica Patrick got her dander up after a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today at the Indy 500.

No Offense, But ...

Shank This!

Here's the long-delayed (and, apparently, greatly anticipated) osso buco recipe. Making an osso buco is a rite of passage for many foodies, and the rich taste and tender meat are worth the fuss.

This stew of marrowbones is a family favorite, made for guests or just the two of us. It serves 3-4, or 2 with plenty left over. Find yourself a good butcher and take it slowly, and it may well become one of your favorites, too.

Ingredients:
4 2-inch thick cuts of veal shank
Balsamic vinegar
Flour, salt, pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried

I bought the meat at the Pennington Market for $9.99/lb. Many recipes call for using tomatoes, but my wife prefers not to -- she dislikes the way the tomato flavor dominates. Instead, we add winter vegetables (parsnip and turnip, both $1.99/lb), and sometimes mushrooms. She also insists, as she always does with any meat, that the veal be marinated in balsamic vinegar, even if only for a few minutes.

Sometimes I use a cast-iron Dutch oven for this recipe, as it can be used on the stove top for browning and in the oven for baking. If I’m making too much to fit in my Dutch oven, I’ll do the browning in a cast-iron skillet and the baking in a ceramic dish with a lid. It is important that the shanks fit in the vessel in one layer.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Tie the shank pieces with butcher’s string to keep the meat on the bone. Marinate the meat in balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and flour. Brown the shanks in batches in the butter & olive oil over medium-high heat; this should take about 10 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate. Cook the vegetables in the fat until the onions start to turn color. Add the garlic to the vegetables. Pour in the can of chicken broth and the wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. (Transfer the mixture to the oven-proof vessel, if what you’re using on the stove top is not oven-proof.) Arrange the veal shanks in one layer on top of the vegetables. The liquid should cover the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the shanks. Bake in the oven, covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Done properly, the meat will be very tender, falling off the bone. Remove the bay leaf and carefully cut off the twine with scissors; try to keep the shanks intact. We like to serve it over couscous, with a gremolata topping.

Gremolata Topping:
3 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Mix ingredients in a serving bowl and place it on the dinner table to spoon on top of the osso buco.

This recipe can be scaled up to serve larger groups, as long as you have enough covered baking dishes. Make one veal shank piece for every diner, plus a few spares: You don’t want to run short. It yields delicious leftovers, too.

more trouble for Western media outlets reporting in Zimbabwe

The McGovern Factor

Is Howard Dean going to get his wish? Will Hillary just "tone it down," or might she find a good moment -- and a good reason -- to pack it in before the Democrats convene in Denver this summer?

Lobbying by Hillary

If the mainstream outlets (and I count Politico.com among them) are to be believed, today marked the first day that Hillary Clinton's campaign began lobbying party officials to include Florida and Michigan's theoretical delegates in the count when they determine the number required for victory.

It would be difficult to believe this has been Clinton's strategy from the beginning, but it does seem her only way, at this point, to end up at the top of the ticket. The irony is that states were tempted to move up their primaries up so their voters would have more of a say in the presidential contest. That move has resulted in Michigan and Florida voters being denied any say: It has also made every other state down the line a bare-knuckles battleground.

Walks to Remember

OK. Let me put myself out on a limb here. Hillary takes Indiana; Barack takes North Carolina.

At this point, it looks as though there will be few surprises. Leading up to the convention it will all be a spin game of managing expectations and declaring victories and quasi victories. Any decisions that are made as a result of that expectations game will be made in the minds of superdelegates or at the urging of power brokers within the party.

A seven-vote split in Guam was fun -- interesting in that it's reflective of the Democrats' indecision nationally.

McCain talking about the appointment of judges with Olsen on the dias was interesting, too.

As we continue the long, slow walk to January 20, 2009, take time to check out a friend and former colleague of mine who keeps putting one foot in front of another to meet some pretty remarkable goals. Cheers, Marilyn!!

Clinging to Community

Shane, Collin and Quinn Giongo will be the beneficiaries of Montgomery County's newest fund set up to aid children victimized by crime. "Guys, you have an education," promised Montco Sheriff John Durante at a celebration last night at Norristown's Holy Saviour Club.

More than 100 contributors' efforts helped bring the figure on the big check presented to the Giongo children by members of the Citizens Advisory Council last night to $106,332.30. Contributions ranged from change dropped into five-gallon buckets at the courthouse to corporate contributions in the multi-thousand dollar range. Among those on the dias at the Holy Saviour Club were Durante and major partners Mike Gretz, of Gretz Beer Co., George Gunning Jr., of Continental Bank, and Stan Huskey of The Times Herald. The Child Victims Fund, which aims to help children and families laid low by crime or disaster, will be administered by Huskey.

The Giongo boys have suffered the death of their mother, their father's arrest in connection with her death and a devastating house fire at their residence. The eldest, Collin, is a student at Kennedy-Kenrick High School and a student athlete. He was unable to attend the event because of a baseball game, but asked his brother Shane to represent the family and sent along written remarks for Shane to read. He called contributors "angels on Earth," and asked the question that's on many a Kenrick senior's mind: "Will this get me into Notre Dame?"

They Once Were Lost ...

Oh, and an update ... and thanks to anyone who sent out their thoughts, prayers and keen, keen eyes when I had a lost-object alert. The earrings have been recovered. I'm still on the lookout for the jump drive (no significant data loss, thank God) and my spare set of keys.

I'll be glad to find both of them, and I continue to look. Keep those good thoughts coming.

Music Enrichment at PC

I enjoyed a reasonably lengthy chat with my old high school chum Jennifer Kurtz yesterday afternoon. Among the other tidbits she shared was this bit of fine news: William Penn Charter School will break ground on its new performing arts center on May 13. PC's latest building will be its first "green" one, and it will be named in honor of Jennifer's father-in-law, the late David L. Kurtz.

See You in November

You've heard the news. You know the point spread -- almost double digits -- and you know the result. Obama has been pretty smart about targeting delegate-rich voting districts, although Clinton's been winning big states -- sometimes in squeakers. Obama seems on track to top the ticket unless Michigan and Florida are somehow heard from. In addition, you may know that Lance Rogers, the candidate endorsed by the Montgomery and Delaware county Republican organizations, won the right to compete this fall against state Rep. Daylin Leach to represent Pennsylvania's 17th State Senate District.

I don't yet have the breakdown of how my fellow voters in West Norriton 1-2 voted. But while the county went for Clinton by the slenderest of margins, Obama did win the poll I helped run. There, in West Norriton 4-2, voter turnout approached 50 percent. The 521 votes cast there (including nine absentee ballots) are the most they've seen at a primary election in recent years. The 2004 presidential vote cast there during the general election topped 600 in number.

We proved in 2004 -- and again yesterday -- that, no matter our party or our politics we respect the rights of our neighbors to vote. I'm getting to know by face (and in some cases by name) some of the voters there. Heck, I grew up with some of them. I get the feeling, by and large, people recognized that we did our best to handle crowds in the morning and evening with efficiency and respect and while maintaining our good humor and overall equanimity.

Speaking of good humor, I must thank WMMR's Pierre Robert (no relation to Rob Roberts of National Post fame) for the biggest belly laugh I got today. Apparently, Philadelphia was treated to what's normally a Times Square phenomenon: a naked cowboy. OK, Philly's version was a little more modest. He was only stripped down to his red white and blue jammies. But he was there with all the Hillary and Barack supporters lining Broad Street to greet the masses in the Election Day frenzy. The body paint on his chest read "COWBOYS FOR OBAMA." The Obama papa verified that he was in fact a supporter, but when Robert enquired as to whether the gent really was a cowboy the answer he got was, "Does it really matter?"

Oh, urban cowboy! Must the first casualty of politics be the truth?

At the Polls

Voting was brisk this morning on the border of West Norriton and Norristown. We'll see how this afternoon shapes up and whether there's an evening throng. The Marshall Street School is seeing a lot of first-time voters. There have been some independents frustrated that they had no primary of their own, and a few confused Republicans who thought they were Democrats.

And so far we've managed to get things up and running and keep things moving along.

More details tomorrow, if possible, or tonight, if there's anything worth reporting.

A Visit from O-Bomb-aaaaah

Where to begin?

Well, Obama was on my campus today. Clinton had been there a couple of weeks prior. Apparently her visit had been announced over a weekend, so there wasn't too much on-campus publicity about it.

His visit I heard about around noon today when a fellow student phoned to say classes were closed; buildings were locked. The gym, she said, was in lockdown. The first person with whom I spoke upon arrival to the gym (now open) said something about "a bomb," but that "everything was OK down here." When I said I sure hoped everything was OK all over the campus if they had any buildings at all open, he let slip that what people'd been calling a bomb was in fact Obama.

He was speaking on the patio outside the large, multicultural suburban college's cafeteria. He was protected by several local police departments (Abington was the farthest flung I noticed) and various other levels of police and security up to his ubiquitous Secret Service detail. The road leading to his speech location was wall-to-wall New York license plates, with the exception of an ABC News team out of Bucks County, Pa. A Prius with a New York livery car license plate drove Rachel Ray to the event. I couldn't make those kinds of details up, folks.

Obama took questions from the small crowd assembled for his visit, as a couple dozen people hoped to catch a glimpse of him outside. Unless I'm mistaken, the last question he took was from a young woman who asked whether seniors might pay a little more of their fair share of taxes to give Boomers and students some relief. Unless I'm terribly mistaken, Obama didn't say no. If he did, he took an awfully long time getting to no.

In other goings-on today, I had a pleasant chat with Samantha Gordon, Jon Corzine's aide (the one who was in the crash with him). Gordon has been with the Clinton campaign since the summer, and was front and center at her Norristown office. That place had a craft service table that would do a Hollywood production proud. And, no, I didn't even grab a bagel. Mmmmmmmm ... bagels.

Also, I'll try to bash out a post on my Yankee Stadium trip once I've rested up from Primary Day. For now, suffice it to say that I enjoyed myself -- and that New York City did itself proud.

On the Issues

more on Pennsylvania's 17th senatorial district race

Stirrings Before Dawn

The birds are singing and the sun's not yet risen here in West Norriton. The last thing I did last night before I set out my clothes for this morning was to pack a day's worth of food for our visit to the Bronx today: four lunch sandwiches (each one turkey plus a little bit of ham, roast beef and capicola, topped off with mustard and a tiny bit of horseradish), two peanut butter sandwiches for the morning or the ride home, almonds, raisins, oranges, apples and water. Plus cheese curls. I am not allowed to have cheese curls, but, hey, I packed for two.

I was so very serious when I said I'm not looking forward to the crowd. 60,000 or more people, even when gathered for something quite decent, are a bit to take. But I am looking forward to the day.

After I scan the news, I'm going to head learn how the Archdiocese of New York is planning to handle the distribution of communion to such numbers, and I'm going to check out the papal visit's Web site. I've already enjoyed a short piece from the wire, filed by the AP's Rachel Zoll, that lays out the schedule for Pope Benedict's last day in New York -- and strikes an even and hopeful tone.

Meanwhile, a quick scan of the news reveals that Danica Patrick has had some fun on the other side of the international date line. Looks like it's gonna be a good day, Tater.

GOP Bare Knuckles Moves

angst in our local circles

A Not-So-Private Private Meeting

I'll be the first to admit I'm having a hard time getting past the Holy Father's accent and his personal history. He is, however, at least talking about the plague of pedaphilia and sexual abuse that eats at my Church like a cancer.

Some of the people with whom the pope met yesterday at the chapel in the Vatican embassy are convinced his words show a change of heart. I continue to pray for all who are affected by these shameful acts, both victims and perpatrators. We can only hope that the Church, which is not known for swift change, can realize that evil done by its clergy compromises the good which is accomplished by religious people and institutions -- in addition to robbing people of their happiness and innocence.

I look forward to lifting those prayers up at Yankee Stadium in a throng of nearly 60,000 people Sunday. Well, OK, maybe I'm not looking forward to a throng ... but Mass should be fun.

Yes, I watched the debate broadcast from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia last night, and it's been a long time since I've heard so many -- and so eloquent -- non-answers to questions.

It is, of course, not surprising that two career politicians (which by definition all modern presidential candidates have been) are skilled at stretching nothing into a one minute answer ready for the broadcast media and YouTube. But the Hillary and Barry show seems to be setting new standards for evading issues that are on Americans' minds.

I do not believe a man or woman must be a saint to be an effective, even heroic, president. But basic questions of honesty and patriotism are valid and fundamental issues on which voters legitimately decide elections. It is possible that Sen. Clinton cannot provide any better explanation for her having "misspoken" about her Bosnian experiences than she already has. It is also possible that Sen. Obama may not have much to say about a patriotism that is said to come from within. But if they cannot defend themselves against allegations that they are either dishonest on a basic level -- or that they do not keep alive a deep, abiding and tender love for this nation -- then they will not be elected to the White House. And they should not aspire to be there.

Journalists and Liberty

Kidnapped journalist Richard Butler has been released. The freelance producer, working for the CBS news magazine show 60 Minutes, had been kidnapped in Basra two months ago. He has, according to Iraqi officials, been doing fine since his rescue.

Meanwhile, New York Times correspondent Barry Bearak is expected to appear in a Zimbabwean court today to answer to charges related to his coverage of the recent elections there. Bearak was arrested April 3 in Harare.

Rye? Why?

Oh, and if you get sick of watching cute pandas sneeze, check out Mrs. Clinton drinkin' Crown Royal in Crown Point, Indiana, on Saturday night, courtesy of CNN and Yahoo! News.

When News Happens Near You

Forget, for a minute, the game of Where's Waldo the national candidates and their supporters are playing with the voters of the Delaware Valley. (Cool though that game is, really.)

The Times Herald and the AP documented a protracted incident at the high school next door to my home. The problems began, officials said, when a student at Norristown High School had a loaded gun at school. Details were sketchy, but it seems two teachers may get in trouble for wrestling with the kid near the locker where the gun was believed to have been stored. Not five miles down the road is another school district where a home-schooled kid was arrested on allegations he was planning a Columbine-style attack on the local high school.

Who's going to help our cities, suburbs and towns combat the deadly violence that sees American killing American in what we refer to at home as peacetime? Are guns part of the problem? Could they possibly be part of the solution? What about when those who are armed are minors?

Obama Tries To Feel Pa.'s Pain

Clinton's camp is criticizing remarks Obama made about small-town Pennsylvania voters while he was speaking at a Terre Haute fund-raiser ( ... and at a California fund-raiser and at ... ) Well, clearly, what's said in Indiana doesn't stay in Indiana, and mood and attitudes of rust-belt voters are now at issue in the campaign. Big time.

Hear Obama's remarks on his perceptions of voter bitterness and disenfranchisement from Yahoo! via the AP.

Hillary and Obama, Running Cheek to Cheek

Depending on which poll you reference, the Pennsylvania primary race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is down to either an 8 percent or a 3 percent spread a week and a half before the election. NBC News' political reporter Chuck Todd was commenting on the statistical dead heat this morning on MSNBC, where he accurately identified Pennsylvania as having a strong history of machine-style politics. The ward and voting district system defines real political boundaries here. Local committeemen are strongly encouraged to be active, to walk their districts -- and state and even national committeemen are no strangers to most people who are actively involved in party politics.

I think it's a little unfair to refer to the commonwealth as a "fall-in-line state," though. This area is, at least on my side of the aisle, seeing more contested races at all levels in the primary than it has in recent history, and some non-endorsed candidates look like they have a shot at beating the natural incumbency advantage. Whether they can win in a general election is, of course, a different question.

I would also question how Todd comes to decide that there's an "automatic lever-pull" for Democrats in this race. Some, so used to grey-haired, grey-suited white candidates are really at a loss, and one of the challenges for both Obama and Clinton's campaigns in this contest is that they're competing for some of the same constituencies within the party: namely, people of color and trade unionists.

On another note, it seems Obama is really trying to live like a Pennsylvanian. Not only was he willing to make himself charmingly vulnerable at the bowling alley, but he has also recently popped up at two places I occasionally shop. He's been seen both at King of Prussia's megamall and at an East Norriton grocery store. Here's hoping he's supporting Pennsylvania's economy in between shaking folks' hands.

Two Weeks, Two Days -- and How Many Hours?

The Democrats have swelled their numbers in my state in the run-up to this month's primary election. Even my dear old mom has joined the ranks of those who've gotten a new voters card but, like many in our county, commonwealth (and country), she's planning on heading back across the aisle after the primary. "Battleground Pennsylvania" is only a epilogue for the GOP, but I will most certainly be out for the Republican primary. I'm finding this election terribly interesting (aren't you?), but I'm starting to understand why Des Moines was to eager for all the candidates to go home!

Yikes!

Am I naive to find what I read in the Philadelphia Business Journal shocking?

Next Post: The Invasion of the Vote-Snatchers

The Maverick Meets the Establishment

Check out McCain's well-received and instructive speech delivered moments ago at CPAC.

A Timely Retreat

Fox News' is reporting that Romney decided to withdraw from the race while writing his speech last night. Apparently Romney realized his campaign would cause division in the Republican party and allow a Democrat to win.

I give him credit for withdrawing with grace. There was some conjecture that he'd leave the race at CPAC. His speech showed perhaps the greatest level of sincerity I've seen from his campaign. My only two caveats are these: (1) Although it is certain that evil exists, I am always concerned when politicians point to "evil" enemies of the United States. (2) I am as yet unconvinced of Romney's conservative conversion. It still strikes me more as practical politics than a change of heart.

Having said that, I admire not only the enormous effort he put into the campaign, but also the sensitivity and style he showed in leaving it.

The Definition of Breaking News

While the lead news photo on Yahoo! still shows Romney headed into a strategy session "vow(ing) to stay in the race," The Washington Post is reporting that he's about to drop his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

Uber-Priorites

Please excuse my lag in posting on UberDuber Tuesday. February 5, 2008, marked the closest thing the United States has ever had to a national primary. It also contained my first test of the semester and the deadline for my first design project ever. Plus I had the sniffles. (OK, it's a sore throat, body ache and earache!)

That's right: The dog ate my analysis.

But here's a quick sketch 24 hours out from the close of polls on the West coast:

not surprising -- the near 50/50 split between Obama and Clinton
somewhat surprising -- Huckabee's spectacular Southern returns
worth noting -- McCain's rhetorical shedding of underdog status
also worth noting -- Clinton's purported fund-raising woes

I will not outright agree with Huckabee's statement that it's a two-man race that includes him and excludes Romney. But the new refrain for non-Romney Republicans may well be "spend it all." Romney has the money and Huckabee has the support for each of them to stay in virtually indefinitely. And showing a Reagan-worshiping audio video production at CPAC will not open all conservative arms to embrace McCain.

Huckabee's aggressive campaigning against Romney may deepen the Republicans' conservative divide. McCain can also be divisive, but there are few who will argue that he's not genuine. We will see if he can rise to the level of leadership that will be required to shepherd post-9/11 politics to a place where reasonable debate is possible.

Mullings' 50 Percent Prediction

Check out Rich Galen's February 1 cybercolumn.

McCain and Clinton ... and the Road Ahead

The AP has called Florida for John McCain. Hillary Clinton has already made her victory speech. Clinton gets no delegates for her win: McCain, however, appears to have won Rudy Giuliani's endorsement.

An Obama Win

Obama scores an early and overwhelming victory in South Carolina.

From the 'Sickening' to the Sublime

First, I want to pass on a link from a former colleague of mine who calls Dick Morris' analysis of the Clintons' South Carolina options and strategy "sickening." I'll let you decide for yourselves.

The second, somewhat lighter, offering today is in honor of today's Live From the Met offering.

Every Scot Has His Day

Address to a Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a'yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin was help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckles as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' blody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned,
Like taps o' trissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!

Robert Burns -- 1786

The Envelope, Please

A link and some comment from Canadian cul-chah maven and all-around nice guy Paul Cantin:

Early general prediction? It'll be the oddball Coens vs. the more conventional Oscar-baiting Atonement, with respect (but fewer prizes) lavished upon PTA's There Will Be Blood.

Observation#1 -- Jason Reitman is nominated for best director on the back of a great young actor and a smart script, but surely Sidney Lumet better deserves recognition for Before The Devil Knows Your Dead.

Observation #2 -- No director nom for Tim Burton, which I think is a good thing.

Observation #3 -- Cate Blanchett nominated for two different films in two different categories! But for best actress, I think she will be overlooked in favor of Julie Christie or Marion Cotillard.

Observation #4 -- P.S. Hoffman is nominated for "Charlie Wilson's War," but not for "The Savages" or "Before The Devil Knows Your Dead." Weird.

Observation #5 -- Hurrah for Casey Affleck for best supporting actor for playing that coward Robert Ford. Unfortunately, it is Javier's year.

Mad Cows and Scotsmen

haggis alert

Fred Walks Away

Thompson has made the decision to drop out of the GOP race, according to a Fox News report that sources two of his staffers. No word yet on where he'll throw his support. Pundits wiser than I blame a late candidacy announcement and what they say was a campaign organization that failed, until recently, to "gel."

The New York Post, NY1 and the New York Sun are also reporting that former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato will move his support from the Thompson camp to McCain's, leaving Giuliani out in the cold.

On another note, I am taking time to process the impressions I got of Obama, Clinton and Edwards in this weekend's Congressional Black Caucus debate. If I have anything useful to say -- positive or negative -- I'll add it in a later post.

A Giant Win

I'll happily admit that I was rooting for the Giants last night. You may have surmised from his posts that Bottlebee is a big Giants fan. He graciously took me to my first NFL game and has since treated me to a few fun Redskins games. So I was pullin' for my Cowboy-hatin' football fanatic buddy as much I was for the Gints. I'll admit it.

You've gotta feel bad for Favre and the Packer fans, but you also have to admit that the boys in white and red (where, oh where, were their blue ones?) earned that win. And since those Giants came within a hair's breadth of beating Pretty Boy Brady and the New England lookey-loos, I think we can expect an excellent Superbowl in two weeks time.

I will also go on the record as saying that any perfect season the Patriots try to claim should be followed by a big fat asterisk. (This from the pen of a woman who once espoused the general driving directions, "Given a choice between anything and New England, choose New England.")

------------------------------

On another topic, thanks for any good thoughts and prayers you've been tossing my way. Here's the lost and found item tally.

FOUND:
phone charger
phone

STILL LOST:
keys
extremely sentimental blue, white and silver earrings

NEWLY DISAPPEARED:
jump drive

The status of the previously mentioned intangibles is TBD.

Momentum Builds

Tonight, American voters again saw evidence of the not-yet-inevitable -- the emergence of each party's front runner. The conventions will be contentious, and there may yet be a few surprises. However, Romney's enormous win in Nevada and Hillary's narrow one put still more pressure on their rivals to perform.

The pollsters were, this time, correct in South Carolina in that McCain and Huckabee were within plus or minus four points of each other when the votes were counted. That win goes to McCain, but Romney's fund-raising dominance will be nearly impossible to beat in the long run. In addition, McCain's pragmatic approach to immigration and border security will meet with resistance from single-issue anti-immigration voters who will hold huge sway in this election.

Despite his strong showing in South Carolina, Huckabee's speech there teetered close to a bow out, but ended with some classic rallying lines. He is planning to hit the "reset" button, and take tomorrow as a new day. It is doubtful voters will be able to reset their opinion of Huckabee that easily and fully admit him as a first-tier candidate. It is notable that Thompson, who looked rather gray-faced addressing his troops shows no intentions of dropping out of the race. Also remarkable is Paul's 14 percent showing in Nevada: One can only surmise that the original Gen Xers and geeks are still buying his libertarian, antiwar message.

Florida is next for the GOP, in ten days time. If Giuliani's results there are thunderously different than they have been elsewhere, he will manage to make his voice heard in this debate. But it's starting to seem that Republicans are now fighting to set the ideological and policy agenda for the next presidency more than to work and reside in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

And the Democrats ... well, even with the endorsement of the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas, Obama couldn't pull out a win. Edwards couldn't even get a pulse. He can only hope for better with his home crowd in South Carolina next weekend. Meanwhile the Clinton machine, too, rolls on.

The Dream Lives

The Strib White and Blue

Check out these contributions to the world of political journalism from the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. It'll worth checking in to the Strib's site leading up to February 5 (that's Super Duper Tuesday to you) and beyond, I'm sure.

P.S. ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN!

Clone Quest Redux: California Dreaming

Would someone who's feeling a little more articulate than I am please explain to me why claims from a LaJolla company that it's successfully cloning human embryos make me so fundamentally sad. I mean, I want to cure diabetes and Lou Gehrig's and get those with spinal cord injuries up and walking again, but I can't clear the sinking feeling I feel in the pit of my stomach.

Anybody want to take a shot at this one?

Michigan's Native Son

After beating McCain 40 percent to 30 percent in Michigan, Romney is still not the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for this cycle -- I don't care what the pundits say. But he did put on a heck of a showing in his old home state.

With a caucus win in Wyoming and the 10-point spread he pulled tonight, he is going to be more able to bring his money and his organizational skills to bear in this race. The pressure's will start to mount on the so-called second tier candidates. This race may or may not end up with a front runner any time soon -- but all the Republican candidates, Romney included, are going to have to run like it's the race of their lives.

P.S. If you get a chance to find and view the video of President Bush at the sword ceremony in Saudi Arabia, do so. I haven't yet found it on the Web, but CBS ran some vis tonight of the president holding a sword and swaying to the music. With all respect for the position and his person, I'll say this for the gentleman: He is a joiner.

I am occasionally heartened by the tape on which he was captured playing an African drum and dancing to traditional music. The one time he didn't join in, though, was when fraternizing with the coed cheerleading squads at the annual Army/Navy football match-up. Probably a good call there, sir!

Great Minds, Great Voices

I agree with my onetime tournament partner, Diane Brady, that debating was the greatest skill I learned in school. Organizing a debate association and coaching other debaters come close, but I think debating itself is a finer skill.

Oh, and if you get Diane in a relaxed social setting, ask her for an opinion of the state of the dental hygiene industry. She may remember some of the arguments she once was forced to espouse -- and I'd hope she can still pull off that wonderful Southern belle accent of hers.

Not Required Reading

The Luddite's latest

Johnny B Goode

It is worth commenting on McCain's positive tone and thoughtful message in his victory speech. He retook his old New Hampshire territory with grace.

It's also worth noting that with over a third of the totals in Obama had started to gain momentum, but not enough to gain a win. Hillary maintained her squeaker of a lead all night.

We can expect tomorrow to see an official end to the Fred frenzy, with Thompson barely topping one percent of New Hampshire's GOP primary voters. Huck's army will have to turn out the votes in South Carolina to be seen as anything more than a fluke. And Rudy, well, Rudy can head into CA, FL and NJ having at least cleared more voters than the sole Republican isolationist, Internet phenom Ron Paul.

Early Returns

No surprise that there's an early call for McCain. No surprise that Giuliani's thank-you speech to supporters was gracious and hopeful in tone. What may end up being a surprise is if Rudy doesn't outpoll Ron Paul.

It looks like the much-touted Barak Obama blowout has been blown out of the water. This evening won't count out any top-tier Dems, of course, although it will tarnish Clinton's chances if Obama squeaks out a lead.

A little more than 15% of the totals are in. More later if there are, in fact, any surprises.

Thanks, Pal

GOP stalwarts in Southeastern Pennsylvania are seething over Montgomery County commissioners Chairman Jim Matthews' snub of Bruce Castor and his choice to name Democrat Joe Hoeffel as his vice chairman. It's safe to say his move will only serve to deepen the fault lines already evident in his party and give Hoeffel the green light to continue the kind of party-building moves that have been eating away at the GOP base for some time.

Seems wild rumors aren't always as wild as the truth.

Got 30 Seconds?

Here's some good fun, delivered in bite-sized increments. Much thanks to another member of the Canadian contingent, Paul Canniff.

Prayers Up the Atlantic Coast

I never had the pleasure of meeting Yolande Lono (see this 4 January 2007 blog entry), but her virtue and intelligence are, no doubt, evidenced in her offspring, my old university debating colleague Simon Lono.

I do not hesitate to say his loss is shared by everyone who has known Simon and, in fact, the world. I am sending my prayers, since my feet can't go to Newfoundland right now.

Word of the Day/Le Mot du Jour

Politivore. I think I am one. Are you?

As always with words of the day: Learn it; love it, wear it out.

The Matrix Demystified at MIT

Matrices are why I decided I would not make a good engineer way back in the 1980s. I figured such a mind-bendingly difficult topic would only be the beginning of truly challenging mathematics for me ... and I wasn't sure I could fight the intellectual currents that hard without drowning. Had MIT brought higher math to us folks in low places then, well, I might never have become math-phobic.

Best of 2007: Great White North Version

This from my former colleague, the inimitable "No Depression" contributer Paul Cantin, who scrawls his best-of list on his facebook account:

"Not that you asked, not that I care; it's the Myface, I can do what I want."

MOVIES 2007

1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Zodiac
4. The Diving Bell and the Buttterfly
5. Superbad
6. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
7. The Darjeeling Limited
8. Ratatouille
9. Juno
10. Once
11. No End In Sight
12. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
13. Margot At The Wedding
14. I’m Not There
15. 2 Days In Paris
16. Eastern Promises
17. Hot Fuzz
18. Grindhouse: Death Proof
19. A Mighty Heart
20. Sunshine
(very honorable mention - Brand Upon The Brain, Rescue Dawn)

Best DVDs (in not much of an order)

1. Blade Runner (Collector's Edition)
2. Ace In The Hole (Criterion Edition)
3. Two Lane Blacktop (Criterion Edition)
4. Killer of Sheep
5. The Jazz Singer
6. Breathless (Criterion Edition)
7. Warner Bros. Film Noir Vol. 4
8. Overlord (Criterion Edition)
9. The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky
10. 49th Parallel (Criterion Edition)
11. The Milky Way (Criterion Edition)
12. La Haine (Criterion Edition)
13. The Early Films of Samuel Fuller (Criterion Eclipse set)
14. Monsters and Madmen (Criterion set)
15. Rio Bravo

Best albums

1.THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE QUEEN - The Good, The Bad and The Queen (Parlophone)
A collision of sensibilities – The Clash, African beats, Blur, vanishing London, music hall, ska, Danger Mouse’s avant-hip-hop. Their Live In Soho online-only EP was sublime, too.
2.NEIL YOUNG - Live At Massey Hall (Reprise)
Made for an unfortunate juxtaposition with the mostly-coasting Chrome Dreams II. If it’s never been officially issued, does that make a 36-year-old recording a new release?
3. NICOLE ATKINS - Neptune City
Saw her open for Jesse Malin at the Bowery Ballroom in March and was impressed, but it couldn't possibly have prepared me for this album. If the Shangri-Las got into a gunfight in the Brill Building with Phil Spector and Brian Wilson, and the latter-day Smiths rehearsing in the next room, it might sound something like this.
4.ALISON KRAUSS AND ROBERT PLANT - Raising Sand (Rounder)
Could have been a train wreck, but it’s not thanks to the generosity of the artists to each other.
5.ARETHA FRANKLIN – Oh Me Oh My: Live in Philly, 1972 (RhinoHandmade)
If it’s officially unreleased for 35 years, does that make it a new release?
6.JIM BRYSON - Where the Bungalows Roam (Outside Music)
Best-kept secret in Canadian music gets better. One day he’ll be recognized as one of the finest songwriters of his day.
7.LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - Sound of Silver (EMI)
They’ve gone from mordant hipsters to poignant generational spokesmen in remarkably short order.
8.RADIOHEAD – In Rainbows (independent)
A very decent record, but more important symbolically as a pay-what-you-want direct-to-fans download than it is artistically in this band’s development. You have to admire the cajones.
9.J.DILLA – Ruff Draft (Stones Throw)
For anyone who thinks there isn’t an avant-garde in hip-hop, listen to this collection of rare and unreleased tracks by the late Dilla Dawg. On “Wild” he flips a home recording of a kid singing Slade into a hip-displacing jam. On hearing “Nothing Like This,” it’s your brain that does the flipping.
10.MARAH - You Can’t Take It With You EP (YepRoc)
While awaiting 2008’s Angels of Destruction, this place-holder vinyl-only EP contains one of the best songs of their career – “If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry.” A lullaby for adults.
11.IVY MAIRI – Well You (Latentrecordings.com)
A precociously talented 17-year-old (at the time of the recording) given sympathetic support and production by Cowboy Junkie Mike Timmins. Lightning in a bottle.
12.SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS – 100 days, 100 nights (Dap-Tone)
Finally getting some overdue love. Brand-new old school funk, soul and R&B. If you wonder where Amy Winehouse gets it from, wonder no more.
13.AMY WINEHOUSE - Back To Black (Republic)
See above. Her offstage antics eclipsed her artistic achievement, but that could not shade the isolated pleasure of this record’s brighter moments.
14.THE SADIES - New Seasons (Yep Roc)
Well The Sadies went to Spain … and I kinda like the music.
15.JUSTICE – † (Ed Banger)
Bombastic bass, chunky beats and a deft ear for a pop hook make these remixmasters hitmakers in their own right.
16.ST. VINCENT – Marry Me (Beggars Banquet)
The Polyphonic Spree guitarist emerges as an often startlingly original solo act. Watch this space.
17.COWBOY JUNKIES – At The End of Paths Taken
In a year when the bigger news was the celebration of the 20th anniversary of their epochal The Trinity Session, the band also tossed off one of their most adventurous records in years.
18.BESNARD LAKES – The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horses (Jagjaguwar)
19.THE MIX UP – Beastie Boys (Capitol)
30.BATTLES – Mirrored (Warp)

Top reissues, 2007

ARTHUR ALEXANDER – Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter (Hacktone)
ARETHA FRANKLIN - Rare and Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul (Rhino)
PINK FLOYD - Piper At The Gates of Dawn (Capitol)
LEONARD COHEN – Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs From A Room, Songs of Love And Hate (Sony Legacy)
VASHTI BUNYAN - Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind: Singles And Demos 1964 To 1967 (DiCristina)
JOY DIVISION – Unknown Pleasures and Closer (Factory)
JUDEE SILL – Live In London (BBC Recordings 72-73) (Water)
ESG – South Bronx Story 2 (Soul Jazz)
AMNESTY – Free Your Mind: The 700 West Sessions (Now Again)
EUGENE BLACKNELL – We Can’t Take Life For Granted (Ubiquity)

Paul's treatment of Canada's pop/thrash darling, "Alanis Morisette: A Biography" is available on Amazon.com

Reward for Capture

Here's a list of my possessions which are currently lost. If you're feeling charitable, please cross your fingers and say a prayer that I find them *shortly*. I hear St. Anthony's a pretty good advocate for those who have misplaced things: Some of these are rapidly moving into St. Jude territory, though!

in order of disappearance:
last year's Christmas present from Pete
my phone charger
my primary set of keys
my phone

also (for the record):
my intellectual uberconfidence
my undyingly sweet and kind nature

Please be on the lookout for any or all of these!

Coleman Doesn't Disappoint

Yes, it's Barbra writing about food again. I think I'm inspired by my "bff" bottlebee's gastronomic forays. And when I told him about this meal he said, oh yeah blog *that*. Think I'll handle this one in chronological order. Since I was under the weather (and since I generally do much of the commuting to maintain the long-distance thang), my sweetie did yeoman's service to make sure I had a great birthday. He drove a two-hour-plus one-way trip, spent eight and a half hours in the fine commonwealth of Pennsylvania with me, then drove the two-plus hours back to Atlantic Highlands. And we had fun in between. We visited at the house, smushed up close during "I Am Legend" at Oaks, Pa. (3.5/5 stars -- worth seeing) and then headed to Coleman for an early birthday dinner. I've wanted to hit that establishment since it opened. It stands as part of a conference center created on the site of the old Strassburger Mansion. The developers of the Normandy Farm Conference Center, which sits at the junction of Route 202 and Morris Road in Whitpain Township, Pa., did a beautiful job finding a new purpose for the old house by incorporating it into the posh little resort property. Until recently, I didn't know a thing about Jim Coleman, the chef who oversees the restaurant (and for whom it was, not surprisingly, named). For those others who are as ignorant as I, he hosts "The Chef's Table" on Philadelphia public radio, and is committed to using organic, artisanal and farm ingredients. I just knew his restaurant looked promising from the get-go. describe room, describe meal, close it out

Preparing for the Perfect Game

Before a recent Giants home victory, we served Manila clams as the first course of our tailgate picnic in the Giants Stadium parking lot. Clams are the perfect tailgate food — just fire up the grill, throw on the clams, and they’ll be ready before the first beer is gone.

For those who don’t know: The clams are alive; keep them on ice. Don’t use any that are cracked or already open. Put them on the grill, and when the shells open up, they’re ready to eat. It helps to have forks or picks available for your guests to remove the meat. The broth may be sipped right from the shell. I like to melt butter to dip the clams in just before eating. I don’t bother to clarify the butter; I just put a teaspoonful or so into small stainless cups, one for each guest, and put them on the grill to melt the butter. My cups have plastic lids, so any leftover butter won’t spill on the way home to the dishwasher.

Small clams are the best. I like littlenecks, but they’re getting expensive. Wild Edibles had manila clams—small and sweet—for $10.99/lb. There were about 30 manila clams to the pound. A half dozen per person is good for an appetizer course.

Away in a Manger: The Martha Stewart Story

Don't know if this little kernel of information makes me like the domestic diva more. A ceramacist, you say? I've long fancied myself a chip carver and whittler, but I've never gotten so much as the basic JMJ done for the nativity scene I'd like to carve.

I'm wondering if she'll market a mass-produced version of her creche.

Next Year In Washington Crossing?

Bottlebee was on the banks of the Delaware for the annual NJ/PA Christmas tradition. I'm glad I was safe and warm inside -- although this child of Valley Forge may try to make it another year.

the ghost of Christmas greetings past

Basil Pesto

It’s been a warm autumn so far, but the days of the basil plant are numbered.

Basil is always the first plant in the garden to die of cold—it doesn’t have to be an actual frost, just a cool night in the 30s, and every basil plant will turn black, withered and useless. So when I run out of home-grown tomatoes to enjoy with the basil, I pull my remaining basil plants. I dry some of the leaves, crumble them and keep them in a tin in my spice cabinet. Sometimes I put a teaspoonful of chopped fresh leaves in each chamber of an ice cube tray, fill it with water and store the ice cubes in zipper bags in the freezer. The basil turns black (just as it would out in the cold in the garden), but it still tastes good, and the ice cubes can be added as needed to season soups and stews. I make the rest of the harvest into pesto base.

I’m not sure where I got this pesto recipe. It’s probably from a newer edition of The Joy of Cooking. I found it on a slip of paper in my own handwriting stuck into my older edition of Joy. To the work bowl of a food processor, add two cups of fresh basil leaves, 2 peeled cloves of garlic, 1/3 cup pine nuts, and ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Pulse until it forms a paste. Then, with the motor running, slowly pour ½ cup of good olive oil through the feed tube.

When I’m making basil pesto in bulk at the end of the growing season, I leave out the nuts and cheese and freeze the paste in a zipper bag. I thaw the pesto base on the day of use, add the nuts and cheese, and buzz it all up together one more time in the food processor.

My food processor will make one triple batch of pesto base at a time. I’ve also made this recipe using a blender. The owner of a gourmet kitchen store (the same man who gave me the tip about freezing basil in ice cube trays) told me that pesto isn’t right unless it’s pounded in a mortar by hand (he said this as I was buying a mortar and pestle from him). If your taste is refined enough that you insist on manually ground pesto, feel free to adapt the recipe for mortar and pestle. But with the food processor, I can make a year’s supply of pesto base within an hour of pulling the plants, and I can’t tell the difference.

Apparently, even the sanctity of the bond between mother and newborn child isn't sacred to those who would spy: Check out this surveillance photo.

Our West Norriton Little League has won Pennsylvania's East Regional title for 10- to 11-year-olds, and is going for the state championship!!

More parkland news from my hometown ... also, it's worth noting that digging has already begun for improvements to the less polished of West Norriton's two Burnside Avenue baseball diamonds ... and, finally, an interesting firsthand piece on Philadelphia's cheesesteak wars.

(Note: As a suburbanite, I am slightly agnostic when it comes to cheesesteak allegiances. I would have wanted to like Jim's on South Street because that was my old 'hood downtown, but I just can't get behind wiz. I plead mercy on the Pat's vs. Gino's controversy -- they're both delicious. As for Tony Luke's, well, I will admit they make the best pork sandwich I've ever tasted; however, I do not buy their rights to represent cheesesteaks to the world. I like my hoagies from Lou's, my cheesesteaks from Pudge's II or Del's and my pizza from Charlie's. And I gotta go to Rick's before they're drummed out of town, I suppose.)

This is what happened to my first grade school. (Scroll down to the other environmental news section.) Burnside Elementary School had a fabulous playground, delicious tomato soup, memorably good teachers (a special shout out to Mrs. Kulp) and, apparently, an asbestos problem. Did I mention that it was walking distance from my home -- if I kept up with the bigger kids. It still looks a bit empty without the old brick building and the old tennis courts are a wee bit unkempt. But, all in all, I'd file this report under "good news."

I have yet to weigh them or dig into them, but I can say that my textbooks for two community college courses this Fall are heavy lifting at least physically. I'm hoping they're solid, but not overwhelming intellectually.

Please take a second to check out these vacationing Cape Bretoners from L'Arche who are grabbing Manhattan by the horns during their four-night stay. They bring a new face to the old image of a road trip. God help them! (And may He get them back home safely.)

We lost Ingmar Bergman and Tom Snyder. And it's a cloudy day. Blech!!!

I remember staying up as a fourth grader (after having saved up for a small black-and-white TV) watching Python on public TV, then Carson and Snyder on Philadelphia's Channel Three. And then watching Channel Three on Saturday nights when Dan Akroyd would occasionally tweak Snyder brilliantly with his parodies.

I'm tempted to roll over and pretend I didn't just hear the news.

P.S. Where, oh where, has Bottlebee gone? Well, actually, he's gone on a very short trip to Chicago with his better half. I've heard he's done research on an NYC-area taqueria and on natural peanut butter making. I look forward to his return, and may post some food stuff of my own in the meantime.

Please. Far be it from me (or anyone!) to defend every word that comes out of the mouth of Bill O'Reilly. But I, through no fault of my own, have been on the fang-bite end of a harassment campaign by MoveOn.org, and I must say I find it amazing that each of the Democrats who purport to be strong enough to be the leader of the world's flagship democracy would be controlled by such rabid bullies.

FWIW

Also, the challenging world in which Fatah is one of the good guys and Hamas denies a quid pro quo for Johnston's release. The distinctions between terrorism and conventional warfare get foggy sometimes. While that's a challenge to nations that would espouse policies like those justified by the Bush Doctrine (the U.S. included), one cannot discount the existence of nexus of terror in the face of groups like the Army of Islam.

The BBC's Alan Johnston has been freed.

Last night this time I was lying awake after hearing a lengthy public debate about fish guts. When I say lengthy, I mean it was clocked by hours not minutes. Approximately two of them.

Atlantic Highlands is trying to make its vibrant marina -- home to Seastreak ferry service to Manhattan, commercial and recreational fisherman, sailors and motor-boaters and a couple of eateries -- a "clean marina." The Clean Marina Program is a federal/state partnership that established best management practices and guidelines for all aspects of marina management, which you'd already know if you read that somewhat hefty link. In many marinas, fish may be a small part of the operation. But here in Atlantic Highlands it's a big one, and two camps have emerged: Old-school fisherman say appropriate dumping of fish heads and guts in the water is part of the "circle of life," while beach-goers and marina mavens find floating and landed fish bits unacceptable. Two proposals were raised and, so far, rejected as part of the local enabling legislation -- piercing the eyes and bladders so fish sink, and bagging fish detritus and giving it a burial in a nearby dumpster. As part of the marathon public hearing Wednesday night members of the public suggested manual grinders feeding into the water, machine grinders and composting. Apparently research has been done into contracting fish-grinding out, and it's been found to be rather costly.

Two bottom lines here. (One) I don't know which of the alternatives mentioned would be best for the environment and best for the marina. The beaches and docks here are beautiful -- they are all the more beautiful when nothing but the rare fishkill and some driftwood and shells wash ashore. At the same time, it is entirely possible that some of fishermen's ways may be beneficial to ocean life: It is in their best interests to preserve the fish stocks out there, too. Perhaps a nearby research facility or university can shed some light on the matter without holding clean marina measures up for too long. (Two) All concerned have to consider the fact that the Clean Marina Program is about more than fish, and that its passage is expected to be both an environmental and fiscal boon, as the "incentive-driven" program's home page describes. If it's desirable, then Atlantic Highlands should do it properly -- and do it soon.

Woodruff this evening on ABC's World News Tonight began a series on Iraqi refugees. Interesting and, of course, sad.

So this is what Bob Woodruff's been up to. I was wondering about him.

You've got a friend in Pennsylvania?

Well, it seems a large number of Nova Scotians -- and Canadians in general -- do. Me.

I have discovered I currently have more friends in Halifax than I do in my hometown. This is heartening because rarely is Canada -- and Nova Scotia in particular -- far from mind. It's disturbing because, well, it makes me realize I have to get off my duff and start doing more around here. Sure, I've tried to remain politically in touch both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Basic political volunteering, small jobs, discussion, and the rubber-chicken circuit tie me to a cadre of decent folk in the Mid-Atlantic states. That's not enough. I've done volunteer training in literacy and spoken-word book production, and have yet to volunteer.

Plus, I want to chat more with the neighbors and get better about looking up and keeping up old friendships. As Brownie Scouts we sang, "Make new friends/But keep the old/One is silver and the other's gold." Here's to riches!

On a somewhat contrary side note, enough people have now told me to write a book that I'm starting to think I could do it, and starting to consider the possibility that I should.

Expect slow progress, since I haven't even been able to keep up my blog.

Oh, and I've been informed by the kind gentleman who papered up a food post in this space that his goal is to give us one item a month. If I had known this, I could have more effectively supported his goal! That being said, I expect I'll enjoy his next installment. I'm sure you will too. As for me, I'm committing to a minimum of a posting a week -- more if I can. Watch this space.