Quips: Quick commentary on politics, technology and life, I think.

Wednesday, September 22

Things I feel the need to point to

In my continuing effort to promote the general welfare, here are the stories of interest found today:

• Iraq War Leads Jewish Voters To Kerry, Poll Finds
• Bush, Annan Speeches Show Divisions on Iraq: Addressing the U.N., the president again defends the invasion, and the secretary-general warns that those who invoke the law must abide by it.
• Sears, other firms indicted in PAC giving: Dozens Indicted in Texas PAC Probe
• Car Free Day: European city residents asked to switch to public transportation
• Big Ten is up for grabs: Several teams are unsettled at quarterback (yeah, I know it's a sports story that doesn't really belong here, but deal with it)
• A safe pair of hands: The BBC looks at the powerful role of fear in November's presidential election
• Diff'rent Strokes For Pinched Folks: Follow Gary Coleman's heed, and you too can pay up to 59% in interest for a loan
• Kerry in a Struggle for a Democratic Base: Women
• Mozzarella's Moment (Move Over, Tomatoes)
• For moms, carpooling doesn't bring a feeling of safety in numbers: Will the other driver talk on a cell too much? Will seat belts be used? It's hard not to worry.
• Geezer Mantra: Damned Kids!: The Chicago Tribune's Rambling Gleaner visits Madison
• Ford will revamp for Web-based telephony

Posted by jb, 5:16 PM :: :: #

Thursday, September 16

Voter information alert, and irony as reported by the Post

Today's Washington Post contained two articles I thought worthy of dissemination to you, my broader audience, on the chance you haven't stumbled across them already:

• Openly Religious, to a Point: "... But despite the centrality of Bush's faith to his presidency, he has revealed only the barest outline of his beliefs, leaving others to sift through the clues and make assumptions about where he stands."
    In spite of what many believe they know about the president and his faith, the article points out that he has never spoken publicly about numerous issues and has actually professed the opposite of some beliefs people have ascribed to him. Not only that, but it's a profile of a candidate that actually gives you some insight without mentioning the latest lines of attack by either side.
• Bush Team's Push for FEC Injunction Denied: Seems Karl wanted to get the FEC to rule a little faster on their complaints about the liberal 527s. But the judge in the case found that the FEC is moving at exactly the pace proscribed by law, so that must be the way Congress wanted it to act. He uses as precedent a 1985 ruling in a similar case by judge Kenneth W. Starr. Yep, that Ken Starr.

Posted by jb, 10:32 PM :: :: #

News from places I've visited, vol. 2

This may have actually been the story that triggered yesterday's theme and I just forgot about it by the time I posted:

• After our wine tour near Napa and Sonoma (photos a journal entries from which I promise to post shortly), this headline caught my eye: Mondavi to sell off luxury wine brands
• Then today, the same story appears in the Times: The Grapevine Is Whispering; It Says Mondavi (including a photo that proves to us it is the winery we visited)

To us, it seemed like these were people who cared about the quality of the wine, even to the point of being dismissive of the Central Valley wines. But maybe that's how they structure the tour, especially seeing as the company as a whole gets most of its revenue at least from the "supermarket" brands. Still, they seemed very proud of their fine old cabernet grove.

Posted by jb, 10:13 PM :: :: #

Wednesday, September 15

News from places I've visited

Maybe I'm the only one, but after I go someplace on vacation, I perk up whenever I hear news from that location and take a second glance whenever I see a headline.

• The NYT travel section highlighted Orvieto, a hilltop town we stopped at on our way to Rome. (Not that I posted any pictures.)
• The New Orleans Times-Picayune is updating news on Hurricane Ivan quite frequently.

Posted by jb, 11:38 PM :: :: #

Monday, September 13

More exploring of the Corn Belt

The Los Angeles Times spent part of its Sunday travel section exploring Eastern Iowa, including the Amana Colonies, the Herbert Hoover Museum in West Branch and a night at the Sheraton in Iowa City. The author also recommends a couple of places to eat: Givanni's and 126. I could have told you that :)

Posted by jb, 5:21 PM :: :: #

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