PSoTD

McCranky not born in the USA?

RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Thursday the question of whether he can run for president, despite being born in the Panama Canal Zone, was put to rest 44 years ago in Barry Goldwater's run for the White House.

McCain added that he doesn't know why his campaign sought legal analysis of whether his birth outside the continental United States might disqualify him from the presidency.

The Constitution says only a "natural-born citizen" may serve as president.

I hope Drudge can find a picture of him in traditional Panamanian garb.

Timmy Russert needs new friends. Can't somebody introduce him to some new and interesting people? Maybe he should join Toastmasters and mingle. I hear they serve real chocolate desserts there.

MEET THE PRESS WITH TIM RUSSERT
WEEKEND LISTINGS 3/2/08

JAMES CARVILLE
Democratic Strategist

MARY MATALIN
Republican Strategist

MIKE MURPHY
Republican Strategist

BOB SHRUM
Democratic Strategist

Why not just call it mothereffing chicken... Do people actually buy their meals at Sheetz, anyways?

It also seems like a pretty big insult to potential customers. How stupid do you have to be to have the word frickin convince you to buy a product? Or to be impressed with such rhyming capability? Did Sheetz come up with this brilliant effort, or did they hire an advertising agency with expertise of dumbing down the customer base?

You just don't see the word lunatic enough anymore. Thank God for bloggers:

Because there's the food police...

and John Hagee...

and John McCain...

and, of course, Bill Cunningham...

and other bloggers...

And what about you?

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

In honor of Leap Day, I'd like to talk about one of the track events I competed in during high school - the Triple Jump. It was my second favorite individual event at a meet, after the 220 yard dash. (440 relay was the best event, however, because we had a very fast team for our league) Part was due to my hope and expectation for success and point gathering, and part of it was because the triple jump was a pretty laid-back event - few were watching, you could goof around and no officials stopped you as long as you weren't interfering with another jumper.

I did triple jump for two years in track. I was okay, 2nd best on our team, and gained points for the team more times than not (usually 3rd) at head-to-head meets. The league we were in, the East Bay Athletic League, didn't have many star track athletes compared to other San Francisco Bay Area leagues, and it always seemed that our league's best strengths were pole vault and the distance runners. That usually came to a clear point whenever we went to a bigger city invitational. One time I competed at an invitational at Diablo Valley College in the triple jump, and the difference in athleticism was obvious. Guys were jumping 6-7 feet further than me. Now, it WAS a great track, a great runway, a great pit, and I had a personal best jump for the year there - but these guys were head and shoulders better than me. A great triplejumper is a study in balance - landing and takeoff, stride and lift, bend and push. Doing all three complete jump components, and the transfer that goes on between those three, is the difference maker. I always had a tiny, tiny, collapse between the first and second stage, and it was there I didn't get the distance that better jumpers did. If you watch a great triple jumper, transition between jumps becomes almost imperceptible - it's very fluid.

One of track's older world records right now is for the triple jump - set in 1995.

So, what's the point? Hey, it's Leap Day. Go do a triple jump.

From their best album, imho - Systems of Romance.

I have to admit, I like watching that show for short periods of time, maybe 15 minutes or so. After that, I get bored unless something comes up that has a particularly interesting story. The main value of the show is to see, by facial expression and response, how the thumbnail appraisal value matches up with the owner's expectation, and our guesses at home.

Looks like the Antique Road Show will be in Chester County this weekend. If only we had something of antique value...

Maybe the news media should quit their preoccupation with serial marriers. These kinds of stories, and these kinds of profoundly shallow commitments to the ideal of marriage, are probably the biggest diminishment of the institution in the world. This isn't a complaint about divorce - it's about how little diligence some celebrities put into marriage, and it's about how they use marriage as a possible tonic for whatever horrible personality ailment they are suffering from, and treat it like a ineffective over-the-counter ointment when they determine they aren't feeling any better.

Part of me feels sorry for Pamela Anderson, and wishes she'd find help. Part of me is sick of seeing her in the news, and wishes the news media would quit validating her impression of what marriage is.

Alright, all you Italy beach lovers, what's the nicest beach on the Versilia Coast?

My favorite point of the debate last night was a Hillary Clinton exchange with Tim "This is Reality" Russert: (starts at the 4:29 point of the video)

I bet Chuck Todd has interesting opinions on Russert's capabilities.

From the transcript:

MR. RUSSERT: I want to ask both of you this question, then. If we -- if this scenario plays out and the Americans get out in total and al Qaeda resurges and Iraq goes to hell, do you hold the right, in your mind as American president, to re-invade, to go back into Iraq to stabilize it?

SEN. CLINTON: You know, Tim, you ask a lot of hypotheticals. And I believe that what's --

MR. RUSSERT: But this is reality.

SEN. CLINTON: No -- well, it isn't reality. You're -- you're -- you're making lots of different hypothetical assessments.

Finally, somebody points out that Russert's not dealing with reality. Thank you, Hillary!

Taken out of context, maybe this is a term worthy of derision. Taking things out of context is the domain of imbeciles. This was a call for responsibility, that people have to actually work towards what they want if they expect to see it happen.

If people can't understand that, they can't possibly grasp the call for political responsibility, which is pretty sad.

I dunno, I saw this ad in a publication and I just found it tone-deaf and disturbing. Maybe it's just me.

But Clinton's lead over Obama in Pennsylvania is shrinking, fast.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, surging among younger voters, has cut Sen. Hillary Clinton's lead among Pennsylvania likely Democratic primary voters to 6 points, 49 - 43 percent, after trailing by 16 points just two weeks ago, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This compares to a 52 - 36 percent lead for Sen. Clinton February 14.

Perhaps most of upper management are really only seatwarmers. They seem to be experienced in this kind of hiring.

He's evolving as a journalist and as a questioner. He's 90 percent there... to being the William Shatner of debates. Answer me!

Chris Dodd endorses Obama.

"This is a moment of unity in our country, a time when we need to come together as the Democratic Party and get behind a candidacy that expresses the hopes, aspirations and ambitions of million and millions of Americans," he said, standing beside Obama in a hotel function room. Dodd added: "I don't want a campaign that's only divisive. But there is a danger of it becoming that, not because the candidates want it to, but too often the advisers and consultants others are seeking that divisiveness....It is devastating in the longer term."

...

"I want to offer a cautionary note to the campaigns and the people around them, be careful this week, we have good people running, we have remarkable people running in these two candidates, and I know the temptation of campaigns, beyond the ability of the candidates themselves to control it, can get out of control. We have witnessed a little bit of that here, and I'm worried about it," Dodd said. "We're on the brink of a great victory [in November] and I don't want to see us lose that opportunity because of mistakes made or divisiveness."

...

Dodd said he had called Hillary Clinton last night to inform her of his decision. "These are not comfortable conversations," he said. "These are not easy things to do...I believe [Hillary and Bill Clinton] have made significant contributions to our country and I believe very deeply and sincerely this morning that Hillary Clinton will continue to make a significant contribution to our nation in the years to come. But it is now the hour to come together."

Dodd is a committed, classy and thoughtful Democrat. The word "inevitable" comes to mind...

There's a story like this every day.

Travis Davis, 13, said he and Tavin were throwing snowballs at each other on D Street near Rockland when they hit a passer-by.

A man Travis said he knows only as Omar, in his early 30s, witnessed the incident and chastised the teens for throwing snowballs at the man.

The boys sassed him and Omar told the boys, "I'm going home to get my gun and you better not be here when I come back."

Travis said through sobs that he warned Tavin, who was visiting for the day, that he knew Omar and had seen his gun. He told Tavin to get out of sight.

Tavin went into a friend's house, where other teens urged him to stay indoors.

Instead, he went outside and sat on the steps. Omar came back with a gun about 4:45 p.m. and found Tavin, witnesses said.

"I'm not going to fight you," Tavin told the man, witnesses said. "If you want to shoot me, shoot me."

The man fired one shot that hit Tavin in the head, then he jogged toward Eleanor Street, about a block away.

I've heard all the arguments. Omar would have killed him with a knife or a club (doubtful). Omar would have obtained the gun illegally (maybe).

I've never been in a situation in my life where a handgun would have been remotely helpful. The chances of the average handgun owner successfully defending himself with his weapon have to be incredibly slim. Seems a helluva lot more likely somebody is going to get shot accidently or in a fit of rage. No thanks!

They're trying to figure out how racist their attacks can get before they backfire.

The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved. The secretive effort underscores the enormous risk senior GOP operatives see for a party often criticized for its insensitivity to minorities in campaigns dating back to the 1960s.

Put on white hoods and maybe nobody will recognize you.

No, but there's been an oddity in this year's flu patterns:

One of the mantras of global public health is that infectious diseases know no borders. But this year's flu season continues to thumb its nose at that notion, rolling out in distinctly different patterns on either side of the 49th parallel.

Maps generated by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show widespread flu activity in 49 U.S. states, but in only one province, British Columbia. Other parts of Canada are experiencing localized or even sporadic outbreaks; some may be past the peak of their flu seasons.

What explains the differences? Experts shake their heads and marvel at the enduring ability of the famously unpredictable influenza virus to confound explanation and prediction.

Ask Dr. Nancy Cox, head of the CDC's Influenza Division, if she's surprised to see distinctly different seasons playing out on the upper and lower part of the continent, and her response reflects her many years of study of this virus.

"Yes and no," says Cox, who is credited with having coined the oft-repeated expression, "If you've seen one flu season, you've seen one flu season."

"It surprises me because influenza viruses really do not respect boundaries. It doesn't surprise me because we've seen these very striking differences between influenza season in the U.S. and the influenza season in Canada in the past - and haven't been able to explain the differences."

For ease of discussion, people talk about influenza as if it were an entity. But in fact, there are three types that cause human disease - influenza A, B and to a lesser degree C. There are two subtypes of A viruses, H3N2 and H1N1.

And because the viruses mutate constantly, there are families of viruses within each of those types.

In Canada this year, two families of H3N2 viruses, one H1N1 virus, and two influenza B virus groups are circulating and causing disease. The flu shot gives people who get it protection against one H1N1, one H3N2 and one B virus.

But the main viruses causing disease so far this year in Canada are H1N1s that are closely matched to the one included in this year's flu shot. So people who got a flu shot - and as many as about a third of Canadians do - would be well positioned to ward off assault from those viruses.

In the United States, a recent surge in H3N2 activity has made those viruses the most predominant cause of illness there this year.

This "feels" true to me:

The air of inevitability that once surrounded Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton has shifted to challenger Barack Obama. In a new national USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, those surveyed predict by 73%-20% that Obama will be the Democratic nominee.

Democratic voters hold that view by nearly 3-1.

The Illinois senator has surged to a double-digit lead nationally over Clinton, walloping her 51%-39% among Democrat voters as their preference for the presidential nomination. The poll of 2,012 adults was taken Thursday through Sunday.

His 13-point lead — his first outside the survey's margin of error — is at odds with a separate Gallup tracking poll. Taken Friday through Sunday, it gave the Illinois senator a narrow 47%-45% lead over Clinton.

Both candidates are stumping for next week's primaries in Ohio and Texas — states that even Bill Clinton has described as must-wins for his wife's candidacy to have a chance of prevailing.

I get the sense that we're now in the final countdown - and that next Tuesday will become the end of the race. I think this survey suggests that a majority of voters actually WANT that to be the case - that they are ready for a break from the harsh heat of this primary season, and are ready for different distractions than primary politics for the near term. I think this would be the case regardless of who was leading at this point, and will work strongly against Hillary Clinton next week.

It's also a math problem.

Let's hope the Democratic nomination is settled before it gets to Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors say that two brothers-in-law tried to settle the presidential race on the kitchen floor of a Collegeville, Pa. home.

Jose Ortiz, 28, is now behind bars on felony assault charges after prosecutors say he stabbed Sean Shurelds inside a home in the 100 block of Honeylocust Court.

District attorney Risa Ferman says a heated debate over the candidates escalated into violence:

"One is a supporter of Barack Obama, the other is a supporter of Hillary Clinton, and an argument of words turned bloody when one brother-in-law tried to choke the other and the victim then responded with a knife and stabbed his brother-in-law in the stomach.”

If you want to get me to go to church, you better offer these as standard snacks during service. They are delicious!

I love making up ridiculous answers, at least ridiculous for me, when responding to automated "survey" telephone calls on subjects that I don't care about, which are most of those surveys.

if you want to take your mind off the primary campaign for a bit...

Interesting bit on the concept of Foreclosure In Place. We're either in this together, or not.

I've kind of wondered about this too: how reliable are past hurricane records? How useful are they, really?

I guess you can deny gratitude, particularly if you feel it is mistaken, but maybe it's better to just try to refocus it.

ERISA, the Supreme Court, and Your 401(k) - interesting.

Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll centre of the brain.

I've eaten them, and I gotta say, I just don't care for boiled peanuts.

I meant to post this over the weekend, but no matter... I'm looking for opinions on preferred kennels. I'm not looking for a dog country club, but something that we can feel assured will provide the healthiest environment for a short visit. Have a recommendation? Put it in comments.

After a bit of melt, there are telltale signs of who used a snowblower...

Ed Rendell says he's not vice presidential material, either.

I have to say that last night, for the first time that I can ever remember, Saturday Night Live seemed a bit like a TV show for New Yorkers. Even though Tina Fey's bit about Hillary Clinton was kind of funny, the point is, she was also shilling for a candidate on the program. It's not that I wouldn't expect SNL to be rooting for Clinton - after all, they are in New York City and she's their U.S. Senator. But I would think they could be more subtle about it.

On the other hand, I quit watching SNL regularly a long time ago because they had lost their subtlety, and because in the past 10 years, at their very, very best, they could only achieve kind of funny. It is amazing that for over a decade, SNL has been unable to accomplish comedy at a weekly level reaching what The Daily Show or Conan O'Brien has done on a daily level. They get more time, and somehow, that time is wasted every week on horrible sketches and forgettable performers. It is time for NBC to give somebody else a chance at that time slot, and quit wasting it on a 21st Century Ed Sullivan Show.

State spending is going to go down this year. Nebraska is just an example... I wouldn't want to be a contractor depending on new business from state government this year.

Signs of an economic slowdown have a key state board predicting that Nebraska’s tax revenues will be $126 million less than originally expected over the course of this year and the next.

The new revenue forecast, which came as no surprise given recent economic trends in the state and nationally, prompted Gov. Dave Heineman to take immediate steps to reduce spending and call on lawmakers to do their parts during the current legislative session.

“Today’s forecast indicates we will be short $68 million by the end of the legislative session,” Heineman said. “Nebraska must balance its budget and we need to balance the budget by reducing spending. Raising taxes is not an option.”

Where exactly the $68 million in savings will come from is not yet known. But Heineman said he doesn’t believe the state will have to dip into its robust savings account, estimated to be roughly $500 million, to cover the shortfall.

He said he expects to meet next week with lawmakers involved in tweaking the budget.

But already, the dreary revenue news has Heineman changing his legislative wish list. Crossed off is his previous plan to give homeowners $75 million worth of rebates toward property taxes.

Agency heads and other leaders in state government have been directed to look for savings ranging from cheaper ways to deliver services to only making purchases that can result in savings or are absolutely necessary.

Blodwyn Pig - The Modern Alchemist

A quirky detour of late-'60s British progressive/blues rock, Blodwyn Pig was founded by former Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams, who left Tull after the This Was album. Abrahams was joined by bassist Andy Pyle, drummer Ron Berg, and Jack Lancaster, who gave the outfit their most distinctive colorings via his saxophone and flute. On their two albums, they explored a jazz/blues/progressive style somewhat in the mold of (unsurprisingly) Jethro Tull, but with a lighter feel. They also bore some similarities to John Mayall's jazzy late-'60s versions of the Bluesbreakers, or perhaps Colosseum, but with more eclectic material. Both of their LPs made the British Top Ten, though the players' instrumental skills were handicapped by thin vocals and erratic (though oft-imaginative) material. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Could somebody quaff one of these bad boys and report back to me?

A savory beer, Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada were developed with the adult consumer in mind. Budweiser, a classic American-style lager, and Bud Light, a classic American-style light lager, are the world's best-selling beers, and Hispanics have been enjoying the great taste of Clamato since its introduction in 1969.

An estimated 60 percent of all Clamato is purchased with the intention of using it as a mixer, so the combination of the three brands means the adult consumer can more easily enjoy a recipe they already love. To best enjoy Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada, gently rotate the chilled can once before pouring. Then, serve cold, or pour over ice, into a traditional goblet-style glass and garnish with a slice of lime or celery stalk. Salting the rim of the glass or adding a dash of hot sauce to the beer allows adults to further customize Chelada. The beers also pair well with traditional Latino dishes such as ceviche, chicken enchiladas and tamales.

"The combination of Clamato with Budweiser and Bud Light provides a refreshing beverage — one that Clamato fans have been mixing themselves for ages," said Andrew Springate, vice president, marketing, CSAB. "This is a convenient way for consumers to enjoy the flavorful and authentic recipe they've come to crave."

Repulsive ... yet vaguely appealing!

Spotted at Matt Yglesias' Obama Clubhouse.

(But nothing at all to do with Obama)

The Maggienator.

Had to take a friend to the emergency room this week.

She gave me a call at 5 AM after waking up with one of her lower legs numb. The doctor at the ER decided to do an MRI of her back. We were surprised to learn that he needed to check her "rectal tone" before doing the MRI. (No, I didn't hang around for the tuning.) So is this standard procedure or was it just a kinky doc?

Eight hours, two MRI's and an X-ray later, they decided it was an irritated nerve from wearing too tight shoes. Score another blow to health care costs for women's footwear.

She's finally made a great decision for America. Thank you.

Or make-up days.

But this is the first I've ever heard of them called "Calamity Days".

Must be the news media's new favorite word of choice.

It took me until age 49, but I'm going to get to see my first Men's March Madness games in person in March. Greatly looking forward to it.

How did this song not make it as a hit?

Peggy Noonan will surprise you, and suggest that somebody else is a snob. Really! Has she ever listened to herself speak? It's usually one of the first things that comes to mind when I hear her.

I'm so sick of the concept of labeling generations. Boomers, "Greatest", X, etc... I just don't understand the benefit to this one-size-fits-all approach. The accomplishments and failures of any time do not belong to one generation, nor do all members of a given generation ascribe to whatever it was that caused that accomplishment or failure, as perceived. It's just garbage marketing as far as I'm concerned, and I'm really, really sick of people buying into it. I may have listened to some of the same music as some dude in Montana, because of our ages. We may have watched some of the same TV shows. That doesn't mean I have more in common with him than with members of my parents generation, or the generation 20 years my junior. Let's quit being lazy with the generation labels.

If this is true without some sort of qualifications, it is an embarrassment to the Cumberland Valley School District:

Adjusting for inflation, the average teacher at CV in 2006 made more than $5,000 less than the average CV teacher in 1995 for doing the same job with the same experience, according to CVEA.

And yay, another snow day school cancellation.

Both candidates had their moments, I suspect this will be seen as a draw. There's only one clear conclusion to make: Campbell Brown should not be a moderator of a debate ever again. Let the candidates talk, please.

27 Jennifers by Mike Doughty

More Americans are giving up golf.

McCain's.

Pennsylvania still has lots of rural areas and communities that do not have options for high speed Internet service. This is an example of what a small local government entity can do to help bring service to the area. Little things in leadership help.

Hamilton Township supervisors unanimously agreed Monday, Feb. 11 to sign the township up for Hi-Speed Internet service through Verizon, should that service be made locally available. Township supervisor Rebecca Davidson is spearheading an effort to have the company bring the service to her neighbors in Hamilton Township. She recently put up a notice at the post office informing Verizon customers, or those wanting high-speed internet service, that Verizon will consider bringing in service to the area provided that fifty of its customers, living within a two-mile radius of the telephone building on State Rt. 6, inform them of their interest. They also must commit to a minimum of one year of the service, if it is provided, Davidson said. Currently, there is no high-speed internet phone service offered in Ludlow, and the majority of computer users must rely on the frustratingly sluggish dial-up service provided.

How depressing. At the age of 49, I've now reached a one-half of one percent chance of dying at this age. This is my highest odds since I was a newborn. On a brighter note, the average life expectancy for a man my age is to have another 28.94 years remaining, which does seem like quite a lot of time to have fun.

Hot or not??

They're disappearing around the nation. Including the one on the Carlisle Pike.

Once we get past the general election, Democrats really ought to have a rank and file discussion about the primary process, because it's fucked up six ways to Tuesday. There should be no concept of "Super Tuesday", which simply awards the candidate with the most money and name recognition. Caucuses should give way to elections, superdelegates should be tossed in the dungheap of history, and there should be an agreed upon order for primary elections that changes on some sort of earned basis. There shouldn't be more than two states up in one week. It should go from smaller states to bigger states - the bigger states have more power because of their delegate totals, the smaller states get a little more power because they're earlier, but the real key to this is to distribute the elections out. There's no reason we can't have a 25 week primary election season.

Seriously - 2009 should be reserved now for this discussion by the national and state party leadership WITH the people who actually elect candidates.

Honestly, I think the idea of either Democratic candidate's supporters trying to claim that a nomination of the "other" candidate will lead to another 4 years of Bush-lite with McCain is just as bad as when Bush was claiming Americans need to vote for him, or the terrorists win. They are just stupid scare tactics with no substantive evidence behind them.

This is, in no way, an effort of reclamation for McCain. There is no question that his bondage to GWB should be campaigned vigorously against in the General.

Not sure it's a good one, but it seems like it would be entertaining for a company properly placed in the chain...

If I were running a rock and gravel company, I'd offer the following service - being able to order the delivery of one pound of gravel via the mail to an address, and providing the return address as the same as the sending address.

Then I'd put an ordering end on the web so that browsers could order such an item delivered.

Then I'd market it as something like "I Got A Rock" (stolen from the old Charlie Brown comics) so that people who receive telemarketing calls - particularly the kinds that start out at "surveys" but are really marketing calls - can realize that it's a good way to respond to those calls. This would include political campaigns.

Do Not Call lists are being worked around. This would give consumers another way to drive the point home.

So... what's the scoop on Oppenheimer PA Municipal C (OPACX)? Is little news good news?

Are they the worst "commenters" a blog can get?

Bush in Africa

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Feb. 17 (UPI) — U.S. President George Bush presented Tanzania's president with a pair of Shaquille O'Neal's basketball sneakers Sunday in Dar Es Salaam.

In a reciprocal gesture, President Jakaya Kikwete presented a stuffed leopard and lion, a Zebra skin and a wood carving to the American president, CNN reported.

Basketball sneakers? You have to hope they had inside information that President Kikwete was a big Shaq fan or this seems like an awfully tacky present. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for what gifts Bush doles out on the rest of his trip to see if there is a pattern.

On the other hand, imagine the fun George and Laura are going to have playing "Tarzan and Jane" with that zebra skin!

Which political party will fracture into new, separate parties first: The Republican Party or The Democratic Party?

Although, it's a pretty strong habit.

This week, Tony Petrone's hand-rolled, freshly baked bagels came with an apology:

"Due to the rising cost of EVERYTHING, we regret that our bagel prices have to be raised," said the blue paper sign, posted on the cash register at Not Just Bagels in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island, Tuesday.

The word "everything" was underlined twice, but there is really one major culprit: Skyrocketing flour prices.

Last week, Petrone raised the price for a plain bagel from 65 cents to 75 cents, and the unthinkable -- a $1 bagel -- may be around the corner.

Bagelmakers like Petrone have tried to weather the rising costs for as long as they could, but a global shortage of wheat, coupled with rising demand, have caused bags of flour to nearly double in price. "I hope not, but they keep telling us it's only going to go up," Petrone said gravely. "It's over $20 now for a 50-lb. bag (of flour). You can't make the bagel without flour."

As much as some Staten Islanders may feel that their borough is insulated from the larger city, it is not immune to global market forces and the bad weather that has decimated wheat crops and caused the price of flour to skyrocket.

The impact will continue to push prices higher, and bagels are just the tip of the iceberg.

Wheat futures jumped to a record of more than $11 a bushel Monday, on expectations of tight supply of the staple -- exacerbated by growing world demand and bad weather that has pummeled crops in Canada, Argentina and India -- that could be reflected in higher prices in bread, cereal, eggs and pasta.

"It's an unprecedented move in wheat markets," Jason Ward, analyst with Northstar Commodity in Minneapolis, told the AP. "It's going to affect everything -- pasta, bread, cereal. It's a big deal."

If you remember what this is, you're at least about my age. If you're in your early twenties, it's unlikely you've ever used one.

In honor of the primary going on in Wisconsin, a question - have you been to the Wisconsin Dells? And why is it the Waterpark Capital of the World - how did that happen?

David Bowie, of course.

Sex Pistols, Decemberists, Kasabian, Rilo Kiley ... not bad taste for an offspring of McCrank.

"Back in my past life," admits 23-year-old Meghan McCain in a recent posting on McCainBlogette.com, "I wanted to be a music journalist."

McCain is the daughter of Arizona Senator and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, but don't think she's abandoned those music journalism aspirations completely. As one of the three women behind McCainBlogette.com, the potential future First Daughter and her pals have taken it upon themselves to share a series of playlists "of the songs we just can't get enough of."

As young McCain writes, "I love the vibe and emotion I get from music...I take that energy and run with it."

It is the day. Congratulations to an online bank , and a life insurance company and a shake shingles companyand one of those high fallutin' limousines, or a direct mailing services company. I wonder, can you buy a replica of the White House through this realtor?

And if you can, will the mortgage go through this company?

There sure is a lot of presidential stuff out there. I wonder if they get a bump of interest this time of year...

... send a manned mission to Mars.

Clinton was more enthusiastic than Obama about human space travel and domestic oil production when the Democratic presidential candidates conducted separate telephone conferences with the Houston Chronicle editorial board.

...

"I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," Clinton said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."

Obama agreed that NASA, which employs thousands of Houston-area voters who work at or with the Johnson Space Center, should be a tool for inspiring the nation.

But, he said, the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment."

Human exploration has always been a risky and expensive undertaking. But from the opening of the New World to the opening of the American West, I can think of very few instances where human exploration hasn't proven to be well worth the cost. It's interesting that a visionary like Obama doesn't extend that vision into space.

Just an update on ochosting.com, who I wrote about in November 2007 as a company to avoid for web hosting. Apparently, and amazingly, they're getting reviews that make it sound like things have gotten worse. Nice job, velocity.net.

What the deal about being outside?

If you love outdoor activities, apparently you're in a minority. That's according to Oliver Pergams, a conservation biologist and visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Last week, he published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a fascinating study co-authored with conservation biologist Patricia Zaradic. The study says that since the late 1980s, fewer and fewer Americans have taken advantage of the outdoors.

Participation in nature activities is down a whopping 18 percent to 25 percent since peak levels. Doesn't that bum you out? It bums me out.

This is Pergams' third paper on this subject. The first, published in 2004, looked at the rate at which Americans were visiting U.S. national parks. Back then, Pergams and fellow researchers found that the per capita visits to national parks have declined since 1987. But between 1939 (the earliest year data were available) and 1987 there was a steady increase in visits.

The study analyzed possible factors for the decline and found four primary ones: an increase in gas prices, along with an increase in the hours people were spending on the Internet, playing video games and watching movies.

I suspect that the aging American population is a bigger part of this than understood. I used to go to a lot of state and national parks for outdoor activity when I was younger, but it has reduced considerably. Of course, another part of that is raising small children - they have activities that compete with going to parks, and they also don't have the attention span and stamina for it, either. But our family is quickly getting past that point, and should be entering the prime of our National Park Visitation Years.

I started thinking about where we've been the past five years - not the more indoor national park museum-style properties, but the outdoor ones, and I only came up with two - Great Smoky Mountains, and Grand Canyon. The kids loved both. They were memorable. We should be doing more.

When we first moved to Pennsylvania in 1991, my wife and I made a list of places we wanted to go on the East Coast. We only have one left, and of course, it is a national park - Acadia in Maine. We will have to get there sometime in the next few years.

One of the things that wasn't mentioned in this article would be the promotion budget for the National Park System now, versus what it was when it was at peak. I'd be curious to know the comparison. Disney doesn't rely on the "if you build it, they will come" promotion model, and neither should the United States National Park System.

but bottled water is immoral. Waste not, want not.

Seriously, can't we offer somebody in the future that can be a bit more Presidential than good ole' James Buchanan?

Hey, I didn't realize that a President of the United States had graduated from Dickinson, however.

The Japanese like a good speech too!

OBAMA, Japan — Barack Obama has never been to this port town on Japan's snowy west coast, and residents only know him from news reports on his faraway campaign for the U.S. presidency.

No matter, Obama the town is nuts about Obama the man.

Obama's name graces posters hung in the main hotel. Headbands and T-shirts with drawings of the candidate's face will be available soon. Local confectioners are designing Japanese-style sweet bean cakes with Obama's portrait on them.

Policy doesn't seem to matter much either to this Obama, which is well-known in Japan for its lacquerware. Instead, the overriding issue is simple: Obama's name.

"Obama gives good speeches and has a good voice, so I want him to do well. And, of course, we share the same name," said Seiji Fujiwara, a hotel executive and leader of a local support group established earlier this month for the Illinois senator.

Must be a wine-track town.

My name is Andrew Romano Eleanor Clift, and I'm going to ride the Loch Ness Monster to the North Pole so Santa can perform the wedding rights for me and Cinderella Prince Charming.

Note: My apologies to Andrew Romano. Eleanor Clift was the culprit of this article, and I didn't even notice it. I should have my blogging card taken away for 30 days. That was awful blogging.

Photo by Maguis & David.

Finally, Sophia's on Market has a web site! My wife and I went there for dinner on Friday night, our Valentine's Day date. We did this last year as well - even though Sophia's is primarily a breakfast and lunch place, and only offers a special dinner or two each month, they are delicious and appropriate for the occasion. I had the Beef Wellington. The surprise hit was in the appetizers - the Raspberry Almond Brie Purses were fantastic.

But you don't have to wait for a dinner. They have excellent lunches. I love the Grilled Chicken Club on Focaccia. If you're in Camp Hill or Mechanicsburg, give Sophia's a shot - you'll be glad you did.

Let's not make a hash of things.

Turns to Blue

Husker Du's last tour, Finland, June 1987

Notice the subtle dance moves of bassist Greg Norton.

You've been a pretty good offensive player for the Sacramento Kings, although I've seen 6th graders defend better... best of luck to you if this Atlanta deal goes through. But are the Kings really getting enough in this deal? Other than Shelden Williams, none of these guys will be on the Kings next year.

I have to say, I think the attacks on supporters of Obama as just loving great speeches is about as foolish of an effort as I can think of... People, pay attention:

I Have A Dream is a speech.
The Gettysburg Address is a speech.
The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself is a speech.

WE HONOR THOSE SPEECHES IN THIS COUNTRY. They demand reverence. They helped change a country. I find it absolutely ridiculous to somehow try to spin that being a great speaker is somehow a negative. I do find that having to fall back on that as some sort of attack point is a very large negative.

One of the things that might make sense to study by a journalism or communications department at some highly appreciated university would be the blog links to various publications, and whether they increase or decrease over time. This would have to be somehow compared by taking a large population of blogs over time, maintaining a total population number to publication links for various time periods, and then measuring a percentage per publication of those links. In the political world, for example, the entire blogging spectrum would need to be covered, and the entire online political publication community should be measured.

My suspicion is that Slate would have a very ominous downward trend, because of newsworthiness and interest level in the quality of the articles.

This is a pretty cool game - and what's extra cool about it is how popular it has become with kids in our area. Our daughter loves it, plays at the school every week. Great math learning game...the game has been around only since 1988, but seems to become bigger and bigger each year.

Yeah, I kinda like this video. I don't know why I like Pink's in-your-face attitude, but I do. Her little hand gesture at 3:00 is subtle enough to be funny.

Oh, man, this brings back memories. I haven't lived in South Natomas for 15 years, but before we moved spent 5 years living out there. We go back every 3-4 years to Sacramento to visit friends, and it always amazes me, the new development. It's a testament to poorly designed sprawl. Maybe now at least you can't smell the choking odor of the rice fields burning at the end of harvest.

The farther away you have to park, the less likely you are to have enough quarters for the meter.

Oh well. At least its not raining.

A Pennsylvania Congressman makes a noble solitary stand on principle.

Bucks County Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, has taken the rivalry between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants to Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday, the House passed a resolution congratulating the New York Giants on winning this year's Super Bowl “and completing one of the most remarkable postseason runs in professional sports history.”

The resolution passed by a vote of 412 to 1.

Murphy, a diehard Eagles fan who worked at Veterans Stadium as a security guard when he was 16, was the one — the only House member to oppose the resolution. (Two others voted “present.”)

“As a former 700-level security guard and lifelong Eagles fan, I couldn't, in good conscience, vote for the New York Giants,” Murphy said. “The only thing worse would have been a resolution honoring the Dallas Cowboys.”

Resolved: Dallas Sucks!

One of the benefits of having a sump pump that pushes water out into our front yard is that we see grass before anyone else when it snows. Behold!

In the wilds. Okay, not exactly.

There I was, at CVS, on Valentine's Day. In the candy section of a pharmacy. Yes, there I was, giving in to the expectation that I must buy my wife some candy for Valentine's Day. It's not like we're a household devoid of candy. There's candy left over from Halloween, leftover from Christmas, and my mother-in-law sent some crate of See's Candies just a few days ago. We probably have more chocolate in our house, by sheer weight, than we have of butter and margarine. Maybe I should use chocolate on my toast tomorrow instead.

So much chocolate. And still... I felt it. Required. Destined to buy chocolate, or destined to be doomed if I didn't. I looked at the ravaged CVS shelves. There were those hearts with words on them. There were heart gummies... actually a lot of that. Who thought that was a good idea? Why not heart pepto-bismols, or heart Cheerios, while they're at it? Then there were the Whitman samplers, at least some. Most that were left looked like they'd been knocked over in a brawl, or used for late night floor hockey. There was this bizarre concept of chocolate covered fortune cookies. I guess you can sell anything for Valentine's Day if it has chocolate on it. Why doesn't CVS move their chocolate Exlax to these aisles? Why doesn't Exlax have some special red and white packaging for this time of year? Oh, the missed opportunities.

I wasn't alone in the aisle. There were many of us, hovering, mulling, probably all disappointed with the remaining choices. Surprisingly, there were only a couple of men, but several women. Well, I was surprised. A little embarrassed, too - I thought I might be able to sneak in at 2:30 and make my guilty purchase with fewer witnesses. No such luck. We all went through the same drill - looking at items on the shelves like a beachcomber reviews a half-buried shell, until deciding that it better be grabbed before the next wave (or shopper) took it away, then, after bothering to pick it up, deciding to return it to its original place, so some other force may remove it later.

Way in the back of one shelf were a few Hershey Truffles in a heart-shaped box. Perfect. I snagged it and practically ran to the card aisle. Mine, all mine! The selection in the card section was actually prettu good, and I was able to find one that fit my MO - a little humor, a little sweetness, a little raunchiness.

My wife is very nice. She acted surprised and delighted when she received these. We had a deal - no gifts - but both of us broke it, albeit not by much. It was one of those kinds of no gift deals.

You might wonder why I chose to go to CVS for my Valentine's Day shopping on Valentine's Day. The answer? Experience! Let's just say, I've been there before. Thanks , CVS!

I'm pretty sure that any candidate in the future that hires Howard Wolfson will have at least one strike against them as far as I'm concerned.

Please.

Parts of this are not allowed in ours. You be the judge.

I've been tough on the Obama culters so in the spirit of open-mindedness, I'm excerpting some passages on policy from his speech yesterday at the Janesville, Wisconsin General Motors Assembly Plant. He goes well beyond catch phrases and motivational slogans.

I’ll change our tax code so that it’s simple, fair, and advances opportunity, not the agenda of some lobbyist. I am the only candidate in this race who’s proposed a genuine middle-class tax cut that will provide relief to 95% of working Americans. This is a tax cut –paid for in part by closing corporate loopholes and shutting down tax havens – that will offset the payroll tax that working Americans are already paying, and it’ll be worth up to $1000 for a working family. We’ll also eliminate income taxes for any retiree making less than $50,000 per year, because our seniors are struggling enough with rising costs, and should be able to retire in dignity and respect. Since the Earned Income Tax Credit lifts nearly 5 million Americans out of poverty each year, I’ll double the number of workers who receive it and triple the benefit for minimum wage workers. And I won’t wait another ten years to raise the minimum wage – I’ll guarantee that it keeps pace with inflation every single year so that it’s not just a minimum wage, but a living wage. Because that’s the change that working Americans need.

My universal health care plan brings down the cost of health care more than any other candidate in this race, and will save the typical family up to $2500 a year on their premiums. Every American would be able to get the same kind of health care that members of Congress get for themselves, and we’d ban insurance companies from denying you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. And the main difference between my plan and Senator Clinton’s plan is that she’d require the government to force you to buy health insurance and she said she’d ‘go after’ your wages if you don’t. Well I believe the reason people don’t have health care isn’t because no one’s forced them to buy it, it’s because no one’s made it affordable – and that’s what we’ll do when I am President.

If we want to train our workforce for a knowledge economy, it’s also time that we brought down the cost of a college education and put it within reach of every American. I know how expense this is. At the beginning of our marriage, Michelle and I were spending more to payoff our college loans than we were on our mortgage. So I’ll create a new and fully refundable tax credit worth $4,000 for tuition and fees every year, a benefit that students will get in exchange for community or national service, which will cover two-thirds of the tuition at the average public college or university. And I’ll also simplify the financial aid application process so that we don’t have a million students who aren’t applying for aid because it’s too difficult.

With so many mothers and fathers juggling work and parenting, the next cost we have to bring down is the cost of living in a two-income family. I’ll expand the child care tax credit for people earning less than $50,000 a year, and I’ll double spending on quality afterschool programs. We’ll also expand the Family Medical Leave Act to include more businesses and millions more workers; and we’ll change a system that’s stacked against working women by requiring every employer to provide seven paid sick days a year, so that you can be home with your child if they’re sick.

In addition to cutting costs for working families, we also need to help them save more – especially for retirement. That’s why we’ll require employers to enroll every worker in a direct deposit retirement account that places a small percentage of each paycheck into savings. You can keep this account even if you change jobs, and the federal government will match the savings for lower-income, working families.

Finally, we need to help families who find themselves in a debt spiral climb out. Since so many who are struggling to keep up with their mortgages are now shifting their debt to credit cards, we have to make sure that credit cards don’t become the next stage in the housing crisis. To make sure that Americans know what they’re signing up for, I’ll institute a five-star rating system to inform consumers about the level of risk involved in every credit card. And we’ll establish a Credit Card Bill of Rights that will ban unilateral changes to a credit card agreement; ban rate changes to debt that’s already incurred; and ban interest on late fees. Americans need to pay what they owe, but they should pay what’s fair, not what fattens profits for some credit card company.

Wonky! Quite unlikely Obama can deliver on some of this. Make minimum wage a living wage and index it to inflation? It would probably be easier to add a hammer and sickle to the flag. But he's on the right track for sure.

When she hired Mark Penn at $5 mill?

Seriously, that's a bit of an indictment on getting the best value for the buck. He seems to create plenty of public relations damage for his candidate.

I have no clue where the good e-cards are at. I know this ain't the place.

There has been a LOT of fear mongering lately about Obama's supporters being "cultlike". In general, I think that there's an effort going on to diminish Obama by labeling his supporters, rather than do much to attack the man's policies. I agree with Orcinus, as well, that there's a bit of fear of the energy of Obama's rallies, because there's a couple of layers of Democratic machine generations around now that have never participated in such a thing - too young for the Kennedys or Martin Luther King, and somehow thinking that the rallies of Clinton were the only way to do it.

I think Orcinus nails it on the spot here:

The energy of Obama's rallies scares the hell out of reason-bound, well-educated liberals; but it's nothing new to anyone who's spent time in the overheated revival-meeting atmosphere that conservative politicians have used to rouse their voters for decades. Stirring up their base in exactly this same way is how they won. Our chronic inability to move people like that is why we've continued to lose.

Hillary is going the old route, with more plans and promises. And she's losing. Obama is trying something that's new to Democratic politics -- but that also has a proven track record when it comes to raising and consolidating truly transformational movements. In fact: that kind of change simply does not happen unless you've got this kind of committed mass movement.

One person alone cannot transform the country, but can spark millions of others to pursue that transformation - and to take the responsibility to see it through. I think that's a hope that many people see in Obama, and I suspect that is helping draw independents and moderate Republicans as well. I see some other "liberal" bloggers elsewhere - one in particular that is practically unreadable in my opinion - claim that Obama's drawing of independents and moderates is some sign of being a sell out. Again, more efforts to paint the man by generalizing the voters. Lame.

Friday gets TGIF, but Thursday gets nothing? Here's my paltry effort to try to help Thursday out. Feel free to volunteer your own.

TSBALTF - Thursday sucks but at least tomorrow's Friday.
IDCIITIGD - I don't care if it's Thursday, I'm getting drunk.
TTLRWDOTW - Thursday, the last real work day of the week.
TWBTW - Thursday's way better than Wednesday.
TTTOTT - Okay, this isn't really about Thursday, but was my catch phrase when I played #acro - Time to take out the trash.

Okay, those are too long, clearly 4 letters or less.

TTOF - Thursday, the other Friday.
TISD - Thursday is Sex Day.
TSIT - Thank Satan It's Thursday.
FMTT - Fill my tank Thursday.
ICHDT - It's crappy home dinner Thursday.

Feel free to improve on these, it shouldn't be difficult.

Small businesses need to be more creative in where they place their advertising dollars. The problem is, small business owners don't have the time to do that, because they have to wear a dozen hats or more every day. Advertising opportunities are missed because the marketing hat can be, and often is, one of the least worn ones.

Larger advertising venues - newspapers, coupon publications and the like - have sales reps that call or visit small businesses, making it much easier and less time consuming to wear the marketing hat. That doesn't make it more effective for the advertising buyer, but that's not necessarily the point.

I just wanted to go out of my way to promote some opportunities for West Shore Small Businesses to advertise themselves online - especially if their marketplace includes families with younger children. HMMS Soccer has a website that takes sponsorships - the business gets their logo on the front page.

CV Softball does the same.

As does Cumberland Valley Midget Football Association.

As a parent and a coach in sports leagues, these kinds of websites are actual destinations for me when I'm looking for schedules, school locations, rule clarifications, tournament information, and more. I'm not alone. In 2006, CVMFA reports that they recorded 49,857 visitors to CVMFA.COM and over 322,955 pages viewed. Seems like a good place to put an ad that says "After the football game, have dinner at ____________".

About that John Edwards endorsement ....

MARK HALPERIN: He [John Edwards] comes with some delegates who he won before he dropped out and also everyday matters and his endorsement would be a big story for at least a day. And, I'll tell you one other reason I think it matters: Obama, the big rap on him is he is experienced enough, the big rap on her [Clinton], would she change enough. Edwards watched the two of them more closely than anybody in the country really. When he picks one of them, assuming he does, and I think at this point he will, he'll send that message whether it's explicit or not. If he picks Obama, the message is: Clinton doesn't represent change. If he picks Clinton, the message is Obama is not ready.

BILL GEDDIE: Haven't we heard all along that he doesn't like her, haven't we heard this?

MARK HALPERIN: Yes, that's right. And I can tell you, he's really skeptical of her ability to be the kind of president he wants. But, he kinda thinks Obama is.. he thinks Obama is kind of a pussy. He has real questions about Obama's toughness, his readiness for the office.he has real doubts about Obama, not just as a president, but as a general election candidate.

Don't hold your breath.

Check out these Top 100 Hits of 1968. Not many keepers here.

I vaguely remember this song - number 29 on the list. But just barely.

It's a little rougher and more cussing than anything she sang, but for whatever reason, Pink's You And Your Hand sounds like something that Pat Benatar would have done 20 years ago.

The things you hear and think about when you have a preteen daughter...

I get a recorded message call telling me there will be changes to our cable television channel lineup starting February 14th, but if I want to know more, I need to go to a Comcast office or call Comcast. Why can't they refer me to somewhere on their website? Lazy, or worse.

Uno the Beagle wins the breed's first ever Best of Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. About time!

“He’s the most perfect beagle I’ve ever seen,” Jones said at a news conference, where Uno hopped on the judge’s legs trying to get at his water.

“If you saw him, you saw that perfectly smooth locomotion. Not one muscle went the wrong way. Look at his face, you melt right down."

I was never much of a dog person until my friend got her merry little hound. They're a bit hard to housebreak but they have loads of personality. Mostly having to do with food.

They're not as dumb as they look either.

I would be surprised if Edwards gives an endorsement at this point, I really would. But I think this seems correct - there's no way Edwards can support Hillary Clinton and be seen as meaning what he said while campaigning.

The race has moved on since Edwards dropped out, which seems like twenty years ago now. The benefit of an endorsement of Obama would be minimal. An endorsement of Clinton might help Clinton some, would likely raise new questions about the viability of Obama, but would definitely open the door to comments of hypocrisy (or worse) for Edwards. It would also probably effectively close Edwards off from any position in a future administration for either candidate, as it would be more political damage for him.

I just can't see any endorsement happening.

I would never, ever, ever give up my address book to a social network. People should be free to do with it what they want within reason, but they should also realize - they do not own their friends' email addresses. If you're stupid enough to donate your friends' email addresses to a spammer, and your friends figure out you did it, well, then I think you'll probably deserve the email cold shoulder you may get afterwards.

So this is what "Generation Jones" is all about... prepare to be consultantanized...

Do you remember that one season where the NFL commissioner decided after the season to count a couple of preseason games as regular season games, completely changing the determination of who won and lost their divisions?

Really, you don't remember that? Don't you remember how people complained how it was completely unfair, a change of the rules after the fact, done only to give some an advantage over others? Don't you remember?

Oh, of course not. The NFL isn't that stupid.

Is the Democratic Party?

If the Democratic Party wants to seat Michigan and Florida delegates, they have to figure out a way to run a contest that is fair for the competitors, instead of telling them that it wouldn't count, and then changing that decision AFTER the vote. Figure it out, or don't change the earlier determination.

Miss Jennifer Warnes' voice in this, however.

Ed analyzes the upcoming primary.

Not surprisingly, given the patterns of past contest, Mr. Rendell sees race as a factor as well.

"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate," he said. "I believe, looking at the returns in my election, that had Lynn Swann [the 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate] been the identical candidate that he was — well-spoken, charismatic, good-looking — but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so.

"Well-spoken"? Don't expect Hillary to be returning any calls.

I dunno, I must be nowhere near the utility point on the web-based social network applications. I have a Facebook account, and I goof around with it a bit, but it is entirely a novelty, mostly used to annoy my wife. Clearly, my generation hasn't adopted or even shown much interest in Facebook, as you can tell if you ever look at the age breakdowns on polls that run through there from time to time.

So, what about baby boomers? I see this BOOMj web site, which claims it is for Baby Boomers and Generation Jones. I bookmarked it for a while but didn't open a free account, if I don't even know what Generation Jones means, how will I fit in here? Plus the whole site just screams "WE WANT TO MARKET STUFF TO YOU!" and I don't think I need a social network for that. I have plenty of other venues I peruse which gives me that.

I guess I just don't get it.

Okay I admit it. I've been reading the right-wing wacko blogs again. But I thought this was worth passing on.

The late Alan Baron used to have the "15 and 50% rule" for cities. If a city was at least 50% black, it would almost certainly have a black mayor (Detroit, DC, Atlanta, etc.). If a city was less than 15% black, it MIGHT have a black mayor because a small minority wouldn't create all that much tension. (LA [where Tom Bradley won five elections from 1973 onward] and Seattle fit this mold).

On the other hand, if a city was between 16 and 49% black, they probably would NOT have a black mayor. The reasons were simple: at say, 30% black, the community was big to stir up a backlash, but not strong enough to win a majority. New York is the classic example of this at 30% black. David Dinkins has been their first and only black mayor. [Similarly, Harold Washington, who died 20 years ago, was Chicago's first and last black mayor.]

Obama is winning the white voters in states where no one is scared of blacks (North Dakota!). He's also winning the Deep South states where black Democrats outnumber white Democrats. But in the big states where blacks are mixed in competition with Catholic labor voters, Asians and Hispanics, he's struggling.

I think the racial component of an Obama nomination is going to be much more of a factor than people want to admit. I do not disqualify him from getting my vote for this reason. My reservations about Obama have nothing to do with race or "electability". Heck, I thought John Kerry was most electable in 2004 so I'm not even going to bother guessing this time.

Actually I kind of relish an open battle where everyone will have to confront their inner racist. But expect the battle.

BTW, Alan Baron was not a right-wing wacko. He was a former executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

PS - Harrisburg is 55 percent black and has still not had an African-American mayor but I'd imagine there is a good chance that Steve Reed's successor will be black. If he ever retires.

Superdelegates are a superbullshit idea for Democrats to include in how they run a nominating convention... What in the world was the real purpose behind this? Couldn't party powers recognize that if the nomination came down to the superdelegate, the rank and file voters were going to be mighty pissed off?

GET RID OF IT.

Valentiners getting jabbed with over-the-top chocolate prices?

German investigators have raided the offices of several major confectionery companies amid allegations they fixed the price of chocolate.

Mars, Nestlé, Kraft and Ritter, which have all confirmed they are part of the investigation by the Federal Cartel Office, face multimillion-pound fines if found guilty of the charges.

The investigation, which comes days before Valentine's Day, one of the peak times for chocolate sales, was launched after several of the companies raised their prices by between 10 and 12 per cent within a few weeks of each other, raising the suspicions of the authorities. A further three companies have also received letters informing them they are part of an industry-wide inquiry, although they have not been named.

Competition officials visited the German headquarters of the confectionery companies last Thursday. "We think there was collusion on price rises," said a spokeswoman for the cartel office, adding that the investigation is expected to take several months.

School's cancelled. Lots of fun weather detailed for today. I just hope we don't have freezing rain, hate that stuff.

Oh, and yeeeeaaarrrrggghhh: it looks like I'm going to have to read the manual for the new snowblower my neighbor and I bought last year. It's been a good luck charm, never had to use it before.

Right-wing schmucko Bill Kristol urges Gore and Pelosi to throw their support behind Barack Obama.

And there are, as a final resort, two super-superdelegates (so to speak) who would have the clout to help Democrats achieve closure: Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi.

If they stepped forward at the right time, they would earn the gratitude of their party. And they might also enjoy contemplating a derivative effect of their good deed — the fall of the house of Clinton.

Well, I guess it's only fair since Ann Coulter may be campaigning for Hillary.

A scene from the Maine caucuses

The most heated moment came late in the process, when an elderly gentleman for Hillary said, "I want everyone here to make a pledge, and I'm talking to all you Obama supporters. I want you to pledge that you will be loyal Democrats, and vote for Hillary if she gets the nomination." The 4 (former) independents all said flat-out if it was Clinton vs. McCain, they would be voting for McCain. One Obama supporter said, "I'm an American first, not a Democrat, and I will make no such pledge." The rest of us Obama supporters were quiet because we didn't want to offend our neighbors, but I did a quick poll of 4 around me as we were leaving, and their position is the same as mine - we are not voting for Hillary for president under any circumstances.

I would caution that Clinton supporters don't have to vote Obama for President either. As you can see by the way he's hated by conservatives, McCain isn't the biggest wacko on the block. I'll be pulling the D lever in November no matter whose name is on it but I know some people who are getting very turned off by the Obama cult.

There was a bit of a discussion the other day in our house about the following silly question...

If you could only have one or the other, and with no additional promises of other technology available, which would you choose to own:

Television or cell phone?

The actor passed away yesterday.

Check out the entertaining movies he performed in: Klute, The French Connection, Jaws, Marathon Man, All that Jazz... there were few actors more successful in the 1970s than Roy Scheider. RIP.

Maybe it's time adults take St. Valentine's Day into a more open celebration of lust. I'm not saying that we should flaunt that side for the kids to watch, but that adults could more openly accept the idea that most of us have a lusty side, and that gifts can and should be reflective of that fact even if the person giving the gift won't be a participant in the recipient's lusty activities.

Along those lines, I wonder how well a private Valentine's Day version of YouStrip might do as a business concept. Men and women could upload video that was only accessible to visitors they approve.

I rarely look at them in the Harrisburg Patriot, but wow, do they run a bunch of awful options. Blondie, Mary Worth, Hagar the Horrible, Prince Valiant... the list goes on. No wonder I rarely look at them.

Just how lacking is the sense of humor in the Harrisburg Patriot readership?

My girlfriend insists on directing the heat in the car through the upper vents no matter how many times I explain to her that hot air rises. Don't argue with a blogger about hot air!

You like chess? You can get a good quick game here.

I usually win on Easy but rarely on Medium. My favorite opening currently is the English.

A flank opening, it is the fourth most popular opening. White begins the fight for the center by staking a claim to the d5 square. Although many lines of the English have a distinct character, it often transposes into other openings and is considered flexible.

The English derives its name from the English (unofficial) world champion, Howard Staunton, who played it during his 1843 match with Saint-Amant. It fell out of favor (the opening was notably disdained by Morphy), but is now recognized as a solid opening that may be used to reach both classical and hypermodern positions.

Ah, man, I've got a hankering for their King Arthur's Supreme pizza. Why doesn't everyone offer linguica on their pizza?

Seems like it's here. We've been going through something in our household, and when I coached basketball yesterday, the girls told me that there had been a lot of kids out sick this week, and the opposing team was down to 6 players. When I was at the grocery, it seemed like everyone had a cough or runny nose.

This flu sounds like it wasn't quite what was expected with the vaccine.

I wonder how many Harrisburg area guys have checked out DontDateHimGirl to find out if they're listed.

Conservative pseudo-intellectual Jonah Goldberg asks:

One thing I would like to know is what it says about Matthew Dowd (a perfectly likable fellow) that he eagerly signed up to work for Bush but now thinks the man's a moron.

It says that nothing exposes a moron like working for him.

Huckabee wins Kansas!

WASHINGTON — Mike Huckabee trounced John McCain in Kansas's Republican caucuses Saturday, garnering the backing of conservatives despite the likelihood that McCain will secure the GOP presidential nomination.

The former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister had 60 per cent to Mr. McCain's 24 per cent in the first clear matchup between the two since Mitt Romney dropped out of the race Thursday. Ron Paul of Texas had 11 per cent.

Mr. Huckabee won all 36 of the state's delegates at stake Saturday although McCain holds a commanding lead in the delegate count.

“It sends a pretty significant signal to John McCain that he's got a lot of work to do to get significant factions of the Republican Party solidly behind him,” said Kris Kobach, the state Republican Party chairman.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Huckabee said he wouldn't quit the presidential race and rejected suggestions that Mr. McCain is the party's inevitable nominee.

“I didn't major in math,” the former Arkansas governor told a cheering crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference meeting. “I majored in miracles, and I still believe in them.”

Suiciders rejoice!

I suspect there are millions of people that want you to throw your hat in the ring. So do I. Please, please, please, please buy the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban, and maybe Dallas will actually get closer to winning an NBA Championship.

If the weather is keeping you inside...

Speaking of weather, check out these photos in the snow. Beautiful.

Number of days since Bush said he'd get Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive": 2340

Is this what it takes to get these aimless Republicans to functionally get their piss into the urinal?

The Beatles Ed Sullivan anniversary is tonight, or tomorrow night, I'm not sure.

More about Super Tuesday's weather system.

Maybe I'll read Brokaw's book. But no, it's not time for the "Boomers" to step aside, politically.

Actually, not far from my house. Photo by cptdrinian.

Some day I'm going to go to Carnival in Rio. I should have gone when I was a young man, but now, even at my age, I can't deny my curiousity for the raucous Bacchanalia that supposedly occurs.

In case you are curious as to what will be released when.

I am not overly patient about waiting for a table at a restaurant. We have never eaten dinner at Pizza Grille, so I called the Camp Hill restaurant Friday afternoon to see if they took reservations. I was told no, she asked what time we would be in, I said we'd have four people, around 6:30, and she replied "you won't need reservations, not a problem."

We pull up to the restaurant at 6:30, and the parking lot is jammed, people parking across the street and crossing to get in. I drop my wife off and I go find a parking space. The kids and I meet up with her, and she's been told that the wait was "conservatively, 20 minutes". We took that to mean that the most we would be spending would be 20 minutes.

Thirty-five minutes later, I ask the guy taking names how long until we were ready for a table. "There are two names before yours" I was told. We wait. Ten minutes later, after a party of nine, two parties of 5, and at least eight tables of two had been seated, I go up again. What's the deal, I asked? Are we next?

No - there's another table of four waiting before us.

"Ten minutes ago you told me there were two names before us. Since then, a table for nine and two tables of five and a bunch of other people have been seated. What's up with that?"

"That was two names for a table for four" he answered.

I just shook my head, and we left. We went to Italian Oven, which isn't far away from the Pizza Grille. We waited two minutes for our table. Sure, they don't serve beer, but they do serve customers. The meal was fine. The service was fine. And best of all, I could believe what to expect when I was told something.

I don't know why people accept treatment such as we received at the Pizza Grille from a business. Just walk out. You're paying for a service, including an honest appraisal of wait time, and a reasonable expectation of a table. I don't see parsing such partial answers to questions, due to ignorance or intent, as adequate, and I don't want to add to the profit of such a business. I can't see eating at Pizza Grille in the future because of that. I'm not going to wait an unreasonable amount of time to pay them for food, and I'm not going to wait an unreasonable amount of time AGAIN to decide that it's too long of a wait. I just will pass on Pizza Grille. They haven't earned my business.

Wishbone Ash - "Throw Down The Sword"

This explains the flying monkeys circling Second Street today!

Vice President Dick Cheney told Pennsylvania Republicans today that the stimulus package Congress approved Thursday is only a temporary solution to the nation's economic woes.

He told an audience of more than 150 at the Hilton Harrisburg that without action by Congress, most of the tax reductions over the last seven years will disappear.

On other subjects, he defended the use of waterboarding, the controversial technique that simulates drowning and that has been criticized as torture, in the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

I hear the Baked Rat Puffs they served were dee-lish!

This article about Bill Clinton "learning" some things got me to thinking:

If his wife is elected president, Clinton said he will not interfere with her work or her advisers.

"I will do what I'm asked to do," Clinton said. "I will not be in the Cabinet. I will not be on the staff full-time. I will not in any way interfere with the work of a strong vice president, strong secretary of State, strong secretary of Treasury.

First of all, who really believes that Bill Clinton will stand quietly to the side on any issue that he disagrees strongly with a VP or other member of the Cabinet? I know I don't...

More importantly, there seems to be a "double trump" issue involved here. I'm sure it's hard enough for cabinet members to disagree strenuously with a sitting President, but how hard would it be to disagree with two Presidents that live in the White House, and with two Presidents that have greater access to the controls of power and press than any possible combination of Cabinet members would have? How much of a hushing impact on Cabinet advocacy would this have?

An answer for agnostics?

In a storefront on Q Street in Sacramento, Kim Mack told a crowd that spilled out onto the sidewalk how she came to back Barack Obama.

With a son serving in the Iraq war, which she opposed, Mack was looking for a like-minded presidential candidate. She was impressed by the Illinois senator's books.

But the clincher came on March 17, when she met the Democratic contender face to face. She describes how he lit up the room with his wide smile, shook her hand and thanked her for volunteering.

"He looked at me, and the look in his eyes was worth 1,000 words," said Mack, now a regional field organizer. Obama hugged her and whispered something in her ear and she was so thrilled she doesn't remember what it was.

Then Mack brought home the point of her story for the crowd of 100 or so eager volunteers, sipping coffee and watching a PowerPoint presentation in the Obama campaign office on a recent Saturday.

"Did that make more impact on you than if I had talked about his health care plan or his stance on the environment?" she asked.

Sounds a little like Paul's experience on the road to Damascus.

At least according to Faux News.

I know Fox likes to pull this trick but didn't think they'd do it to their own guy. Suiciders!

I did a search on Google to search for Pennsylvania primary stories. Found a bunch and opened them in different browsers. I started reading this one, and didn't really pay attention to my location, and the further I read, the further I wondered, who wrote this piece of shit? Goddamn do they have anything more than a hackneyed viewpoint of politics scrabbled together on every stereotype they can find? The more I read, the less I was interested in the writing, and the more I was determined that the writer was a complete sham.

And then I thought: "I bet it's Joe Klein!" I scrolled up. Could he be capable of such pathetic nonsense?

Yes, he can. Yes, it was. Yes, he did.

Um, when they're not allowed to manage?

The Tokyo District Court on Jan. 28 ordered McDonald's to pay 7.5 million yen ($70,000) in unpaid overtime wages and compensation to one of its outlet managers.

The court ruled the fast-food giant's policy of making outlet managers ineligible for overtime pay violates the Labor Standards Law.

The Labor Standards Law requires employers to pay overtime if employees work for more than the legally stipulated eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. However, the provision does not apply to those in managerial positions.

But the district court ruled that the plaintiff, a McDonald's outlet manager in Saitama Prefecture, was hardly in a managerial post because he had almost no influence on decisions concerning the menu, operating hours or work force recruitment.

I think the maker of this video misses the entire option as to why agnosticism is a proper answer to the question of belief, or disbelief in God. And that is, if you know - or at least believe - that you can't know if there is a God or not, then you believe that the question isn't an option for you.

Do I believe I will die before 60? I can't possibly know today, and even though there is a HOPE that I WANT TO HAVE, that does not equate to actual belief. My belief is that I cannot know, because belief is based on at least some knowledge. So I hope I don't die before 60, and plan like I won't, but my belief is that I can't possibly know, so why pretend to believe otherwise?

Some might argue that this is an exercise in semantics. That very argument tends to be just that in itself - an exercise in semantics.

K-Lo hates them so we need to keep talking about them.

They go into the voting booth but they never come out.

Honestly, if Romney didn't want to "forestall" McCain's national campaign, why the hell did he run in the first place?

John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his faltering presidential campaign. "I must now stand aside, for our party and our country," Romney told conservatives.

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

I guess what I'm reading here is that Mike Huckabee is AIDING THE TERRORISTS!!!

Asked how he can claim he's still the underdog, Obama said that he is "always the underdog," USA TODAY's Martha T. Moore reports.

"If I were writing the story," he continued, "what I would say would be Sen. Obama came in as a challenger who two weeks ago nobody thought would come out of Feb. 5 standing. The Clinton camp's basic attitude was that the whole calendar was set up to deliver the knockout blow on Feb. 5. ... (Instead), we won more delegates and we won more states. What that means is we're in a fierce competition and we've got many more rounds to play.''

But isn't it disingenuous to say you're an underdog and then declare victory?

"I'm never disingenuous,'' said Obama.

Can you get through life without ever being disingenuous? I doubt you could get many jobs. Or dates.

And are you sure you want to tell your aunt what you honestly think of her Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches?

Could we really be "the deciders"?

Pennsylvania supporters of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama said Wednesday that their near-draw on Super Tuesday heightens the prospect that the state's primary will be crucial in deciding the Democratic presidential nomination.

...

Philadelphia lawyer Mark Aronchick, a national fundraiser for Clinton, said it is unlikely that either candidate will break away as the clear front-runner before the Pennsylvania primary, but "if it's going to happen, it would be Hillary Clinton."

...

Aronchick said Clinton's effort would be aided by Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who have endorsed Clinton and have strong political organizations.

It will be interesting to see if Rendell's "political machine" means that much in this primary election. I personally hope not - mostly because I can't say I'm impressed with Big Ed's tenure as Governor, and somewhat because I can't say I see that much advantage to the country in providing Rendell with some sort of big political appointment if he ends up helping get Hillary elected as President. I like watching him on the post-game show after Eagles' games. Maybe he should just stick with that.

I just don't understand why hoodies are so expensive. I wouldn't wear this one anyway, seems too "designer", but seriously, over $300 for a hoody?

If you think this price is high, you should look at some of the sports team logo hoodies. Ridiculous.

As a born Hoosier, I'm required to say something about Bobby Knight. I know a lot of Hoosiers that play in pools for the NCAA tournament. And it's funny, the past several years how many of them would take Texas Tech as a team they expected big things from. Those Hoosiers only knew one important item about Texas Tech: Bobby Knight was coaching them.

It's hard to accept a person of extremes. Bobby Knight was an extremely good coach. He was also extremely incapable of controlling his emotions - particularly anger - and there became a clash between pride and embarrassment amongst the Indiana basketball community regarding Knight.

I suspect, over time, the pride of positive accomplishment will outweight the embarrassment of bad behavior, but you can tell it's a pretty close call, because the debate has continued all these years. Bob Knight is a reminder that public image DOES matter in addition to public accomplishment, as much as we might argue it doesn't or it shouldn't.

Turns out Hillary was masterminding the Nixon impeachment proceedings!

At that time Hillary Rodham was 27 years old. She had obtained a position on our committee staff through the political patronage of her former Yale law school professor Burke Marshall and Senator Ted Kennedy. Eventually, because of a number of her unethical practices I decided that I could not recommend her for any subsequent position of public or private trust.

....

Marshall, Doar, Nussbaum, and Rodham had two hidden objectives regarding the conduct of the impeachment proceedings. First, in order to enhance the prospect of Senator Kennedy or another liberal Democrat being elected president in 1976 they hoped to keep Nixon in office "twisting in the wind" for as long as possible. This would prevent then-Vice President Jerry Ford from becoming President and restoring moral authority to the Republican Party.

And Teddy endorsed Obama! Some thanks.

This stuff would be comical except they had people wondering if John Kerry shot himself in Vietnam.

Rabid righties are responding in conniption fits to John McCain apparently glomming the GOP nomination. Nonsensically, they even have a laundry list of concessions they expect from their presumptive nominee.

A “trust but verify” strategy for McCain might include:

** McCain announcing in his CPAC speech he was leaving CPAC and going straight to Newt’s for a comprehensive tutelage on “Real Change.”

** adopting Fred’s immigration plan and Rudy’s tax plan;

** announcing that he would establish a Cabinet-level Domestic Policy Czar reporting directly to him and housed in the White House which would oversee and consolidate all the “soft Cabinets” and he planned to name Jeb Bush as the czar;

** Ted Olson as attorney general;

** George Allen as secretary of the Treasury;

** a recognition that Romney has made and could put blue states in play, is relentlessly optimistic about America. Therefore he would install him as RNC general chairman to traverse the country and chatterati shows as the 21st century face of conservatism.

Is that all? No candy dish of Oxycontin for El Rushbo's visits? How about a West Wing waterboarding chamber?

Hey Wackos! Your guys lost! You don't get to make demands anymore. You turned the keys to the Wingnutmobile over to Dubya and he totalled it. Bunnypants will be towing the burned-out wreck to Crawford next January to use for a fertilizer shed. So now you're stuck thumbing a ride and McCain is the only guy on your side of the tracks with wheels - wheels he needs to move left, not right, to have a shot in November.

Are right-wingers really ready to spite McCain (and themselves) by voting for Hillary or Obama? Could be. There's already hushed talk of "suicide voters" ...

Fidel Castro is interviewed by Edward R. Murrow.

The movie Sleeping Beauty released in Brazil.

The launch of the first Titan rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

On February 6, 1959, a patent is issued to Texas Instruments for "miniaturized electronic circuits."

The Big Bopper’s funeral was held at Broussard’s Funeral home in Beaumont, Texas on February 6, 1959.

And... I was born. So close to the big five-oh at this point... I'm out for the rest of the day - so you should go enjoy my day off!

Really, this is the responsible thing to do.

Ha Ha Ha. You didn't end it on the Democratic Party side. Maybe we'll get to make the difference in Pennsylvania after all.

until you check out this video. Seen at DCup's.

I guess this just about covers it!

It’s okay to appear ambitious. Ambitiousness shows that you’re confident and secure—a leader.

Don’t appear too ambitious; it freaks men out and offends less accomplished women.

Don’t cry, or it will expose you as too weak to lead our fine nation. And, remember, if you cry, then Jesse Jackson, Jr. will accuse you of crying out of self-pity, rather than for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Do cry, because you don’t want to appear unfeeling and robotic; crying humanizes you! And even if you simply well up a bit, they’ll call it crying, anyway, so you may as well let the waterworks flow.

For God’s sake, don’t laugh. Your laugh is a crazy cackle, and whenever you let loose, you’ll be accused of deflecting attention away from an issue you don’t want to confront.

Do laugh, or else people will think you have no sense of humor, and the last president to lack a sense of humor was Nixon—you certainly don’t need that comparison.

Don’t allow fine lines to appear on your face, or Rush Limbaugh, that paragon of GQ handsomeness, will question whether the nation is ready to witness a woman age in office.

Do age naturally, because if you go for cosmetic surgery or even Botox, it will reinforce the perception among some voters that you are not genuine.

Flash some cleavage to remind us you’re a woman.

Cover it up because it’s unseemly for a woman “of a certain age” to dress like a slut.

Wear pantsuits because they make you look both fashionable and authoritative.

Don’t wear pantsuits, because Anna Wintour says not to, and you don’t want to mess with the devil.

Use Bill Clinton to campaign on your behalf because he’s the best there is (or at least he used to be) and people still like the two-for-one deal.

Don’t use Bill Clinton because you ought to run on your own record and, besides, he’s really annoying the crap out of a lot of party leaders.

Refer to yourself as ‘Hillary’ because it makes you seem accessible.

No, refer to yourself as Senator Clinton because it reminds people of your experience.

No, call yourself Hillary Rodham Clinton to show show you maintain an identity separate from your husband’s.

No, call yourself Hillary Clinton (without the Rodham) to show you are committed to your marriage despite all the whispered rumors.

Oh, hell with it, call yourself ‘Hill’. It’s a win-win-win: it makes you one of the gals and it reminds people that you work on Capitol “Hill” and it lets you avoid the whole ‘Clinton’ imbroglio.

And of course no list of advice for Hillary Clinton would be complete without the following: Above all else, be yourself.

I guess we're coming up to the time of the year where people talk about top love songs. My personal opinion is that a good love song has to be VERY malleable - after all, everyone's idea of a song to represent "love" or their "relationship" is going to be different, right? You'd almost think that the best love songs would be instrumentals without any lyrics, since that would be pretty open to interpretation.

They also have to be timely. Eight year olds aren't looking for love songs, and 80 year olds aren't necessarily looking for love songs. Love songs have to be out there for those who are actually looking for something "to represent". Christian music is full of love songs (albeit, usually a different kind of love) but you rarely here somebody refer to them as love songs. I think it's because they are out of frame for most of the population. The song has to be somehow in the moment.

In fact, if you look at the songs on the linked compilation, you'll see they're old songs. Some might say they've survived the test of time. I think they were, in general, just lucky, released within the time frame where a lot of people were looking for love songs.

I don't think love songs absolutely equate with wedding songs, either. YMCA and Who Let the Dogs Out seem to be at every wedding. They are not love songs. They are, at this point, barely songs at all, more like chants that everyone at the wedding party does.

So - here's the question: what "love songs" do you really love, or really hate? And what makes it a love song?

Next Super Bowl Champions!!!!

(hey, c'mon, it could happen, it's not like I'm suggesting the Falcons or anything)

Wow, Monday's mail delivery at our home was later than it has been since... I can remember. 7:30 PM? It's not even close to this late on their busiest days in December. Wonder why?

Oh yeah. Super Bowl Sunday.

So here's a question - will Ron Paul's donors give money to the eventual Republican nominee for the general election?

Anybody else get stuck covering for a "sick" co-worker today?

Wonder if it has anything to do with that football game last night?

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!

Okay, I'll admit it, Russert bothers me on all sorts of levels. For all I know, he could be a great guy, just the kind of guy you'd like to talk to while carving Jack-O-Lanterns, or playing pumpkinball... okay, that was a cheap shot. Like I said, he bothers me. And I won't claim to know him, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a great guy and all.

My problem with Russert is his job. There are jobs that require a person of scope and depth and intellectual curiousity to completely and appropriately fill the position. The job of hosting Meet the Press seems to me to be one such position. It should be a position that is seen as both challenge of humility, as it will always require the host to expand their mind (and no, a growing head does not count). And yet, almost every time I watch Tim Russert on this program - not HIS program, by the way, but a program that has a unique identity beyond him and shouldn't be seen as his - I am struck by all the corners and edges and angles and sheer vast territory in which Tim Russert does not seem to measure up to those requirements.

I am also struck by the egotistical prism that Tim Russert focuses the show through at this point. I do not care one whit about his books, or his background, or his Buffalo Bills. I do not care about his cozy relationships with other Washington insiders. I'm sure that is seen as building a personal bond with the audience. I do not think Meet the Press should strive for that. In fact, I think the hosting performance should be much more in line with the approach that Charlie Rose takes, at least in that it focuses on the guest, and not on himself.

These two components of Russert's job performance make it very, very difficult for me to watch MTP when he's on. I wish one of the other networks would give Charlie Rose a shot on Sundays, with his own program. I'd like to see a weekly political show that might present a forum in which the host is as big as the opportunity

But...

Why, again, is the Super Bowl held on Sunday night and not on Saturday night? What does the NFL have against east coast kids, anyways?

In honor of the anniversary of Blogroll Amnesty Day, I'd like to make a recommendation to those liberal bloggers that have very, very high traffic - use a slow day, perhaps a holiday or a sunny Saturday, to post somebody else's blogroll - not as your blogroll, but just as a post.

You see, search engines such as Google use the quality (read popularity) of links to a site to determine their PageRank output on searches. You probably wouldn't actually be sending incredible traffic directly to those blogs, but you'd increase their value considerably in search engines. Plus it helps spread the love amongst the liberal blogosphere, and c'mon, even though you don't owe anybody any love, doesn't it feel good to share it anyways?

It's very simple to do. Go to a blog - I'll use PoliTits's as an example, because she's a great read and her blog lists a lot of blogs that I don't list - http://politits.blogspot.com/

and on your browser, select View, and then Source. That will give you the Source Code. Scroll down to where you see the list of blogs. Often it will start with a UL in code brackets, and each blog preceded by an LI in the same brackets. Copy, then paste in your blog... just as you will see below... (I do admit it cleaning up the code a bit, but not necessary for everyone)

All The Way from Oy to Vey --- American Street --- Angry Ballerina --- Aunt Dahlia --- Bad Astronomy --- Bastard Logic --- Beginning to Bird --- Bitch PHD --- Blondesense --- Blue Gal --- Boxer Rebellion --- Bubs" Sprawling Ramshackle Compound --- Camera Obscura --- Cap"n Dyke --- Capitol Punishment --- Cause for Concern --- Championable --- Church of the Lost Souls --- Coasting Richly --- Comrade Kevin --- Crooks & Liars --- Cup of Coffey --- Dancy"s Corner --- Dashiell --- Davezilla --- DED Zone --- Distributor Cap NY --- Divine Democrat --- Dooce --- Drowning in a Sea of Red --- Drunken Housewife --- Echidne of the Snakes --- Editorials from Hell"s Leading Newspaper --- Electronic Cerebrectomy (Samuraifrog) --- Erudite Redneck --- Feministe --- Feministing --- Fetch Me My Axe --- For This I Went to College --- FranIAm --- Freida Bee --- Get Ur Zs --- Happy Nappy Head --- Hard and Fast --- Hey Freak --- House of the Rising Sons --- Hysterical Raisins --- I Can"t Believe It"s Not a Democracy --- I Never Leave the House Without Incident --- I Was Just Wondering --- I, Splotchy --- Impeachment and Other Dreams --- Johnny Wingnut --- Jonestown by Fairlane --- Kelso"s Nuts --- L"ennui Melodieux --- Last Left Turn B4 Hooterville --- Leigh Ann Taillie --- Lemon Gloria --- Liberality --- Life & Times of NotSoccerMom --- Little Bang Theory --- Lotsa Splainin" 2 Do --- Malnurtured Snay --- Maui Girl"s Meanderings --- Midnight/Noise (Kimono Hime) --- Mike"s Neighborhood --- Miss Welby --- Mock Paper Scissors --- Monkey Mouth --- Monkey Muck --- Morning Martini --- Much That Is Hidden --- mxyzptlk --- My Saturday Evening Post --- My Thinking Spot (SuperGirlest) --- Neural Gourmet --- Nobody Asked --- Not Faint Hearted --- One Pissed of Veteran --- Opinions You Should Have (Tom Burka) --- Otherwhirled --- Pandagon --- Pharyngula --- Phydeaux Speaks --- Pidomon Posts --- Pissed on Politics --- PSOTD --- Pygalgia --- Republic of Sestakastan --- Ribbed for Your Pleasure --- Rickdiculus --- Self Help Center --- Shakespeare"s Sister Archives --- Shakesville --- Sorghum Crow"s General Store --- Suzi Riot --- Tales from the Fourth Corner (beatgirl) --- Tanya Espanya --- Terry Ware --- The Aristocrats --- The Great Endarkenment --- The Largest Minority --- The Needs of the Few --- This Is It --- Under the Bridge --- When Will I Use This? --- Where Is the Outrage --- Whiskey Marie --- Why Now? --- Wyld"s Q & A --- Yikes! --- Zaius Nation --- Zen Cabin

Like I said, it's pretty simple, and if we all did it a few times a year, it would add a lot of value to those linked from the blogroll - and to blogrolls themselves.

This Kos post brings up the sorry state of Pennsylvania's state legislative Democrats. As a Democrat, I have to say, they've been a disappointment since I moved here in 1991. I absolutely do not understand why House legislators choose to make Bill DeWeese their leader - I admit that I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but it seems to me that leadership requires more than an intricate knowledge of the legislative rules and owning the world's greatest thesaurus.

On the state level, there is not one Pennsylvania Democrat visible that can serve as an inspiration to the voters of things to come. Not one.

Yeah, I prefer Red Robin over those other those other two. Have never been to a Houlihan's.

is tomorrow. And I will have a post.

One of the little quirks of my family - which goes back to when I was a kid and probably goes back generations - is the enjoyment we derive from having our back scratched. Not rubbed - but a light nail scratch gently across the back.

In my personal experience, the "rub" is greatly inferior to the "scratch" in terms of pleasure, the rub feels good, but the scratch clearly does some alteration to the entire body and brain while it is in process. Relaxation, almost to the point of falling asleep, is the result.

I've often wondered, and still do, why a slightly sharper but smaller point of contact on the back is so much more impacting than a larger, duller contact - the different between fingernails and fingers. Perhaps science is starting to unravel this mystery.

Many of which you can now purchase online.

That is exactly what Meet the Press is. Tim Russert is the detritus that molds around the guests, creating an unnatural history of formerly semi-important people. Just the mere act of having Russert Detritus accumulate around a guest begins the process. But from time to time, Meet the Press digs around in a previous era. To wit, this week's guests:

MEET THE PRESS WITH TIM RUSSERT WEEKEND LISTINGS 2/3/08

JAMES CARVILLE
Democratic Strategist

MARY MATALIN
Republican Strategist

MIKE MURPHY
Republican Strategist

BOB SHRUM
Democratic Strategist

Oh, man, does it get worse than that? Can it? Is it possible? When will these specimens completely turn to stone?

Last Saturday I posted a New Pornographers YouTube and last night Atrios followed suit. Hmmmmm... we'll have to see if Vampire Weekend shows up on Eschaton in the near future. Being Tastemaker would be considerable responsibility but I believe I'm ready to lead on Day One.

Thankfully there has been no sign of England Dan and John Ford Coley.

Something to read while the school delay goes on...

These Pennsylvanians and their groundhog celebrations...

I guess Josh Marshall pretty much sums up my view on it. But I will say, I didn't see Hillary Clinton as being any more commanding of a presence than Obama. In many ways they seemed rather equal in presence, with Clinton having the advantage on healthcare and Obama having the advantage on the Iraq War.

Clinton's answer on voting for the resolution had an aroma of "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." Democrats ought to come up with the steely-eyed assessment of the November election - they are going to have a strong advantage on the economic issues discussion, period. The Republicans know this, and they are not going to want to play on that field. If the nominee is McCain, it's going to be about defense and the Iraq War. The nominee has to be better on that debate than Hillary Clinton was last night.