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Text and Images by Lindsey Johnson for Design Mom.
There are two ways to answer that dreaded five o'clock "What's for dinner, Mom?" question: one includes the phone number of your neighborhood pizza place, and one requires a little more planning. I promise that the latter option is so worth it, and I have a few secrets to ensure that your local delivery people never learn your name! It should be noted that I love planning menus, and I love grocery shopping; it's honestly all about the planning.
Secret Number One is identifying all of the main dishes and side dishes your family likes to eat. The less surprises, the less scowls and growls! Sit down with a notebook and make a list of all of these foods — everything from spaghetti to stir fry. Be sure to ask each member of the family for their input.
Once I've listed the meals my family likes, it's time to gather the recipes in one place. And that's Secret Number Two: Dedicate and organize a binder, folder, or recipe box with the most-used, most-loved recipes for quick reference, and keep it with your cookbooks, or somewhere easily accessible when cooking. If those recipes are in a cookbook, bookmark it so it's easy to find with bright, colorful tabs.
Next comes the fun part. Fill in an empty weekly or monthly calendar with the meals. Secret Number Three is all about scheduling and sticking to it: Make sure to add in any special occasions, appointments, or other events that will be helpful when deciding when to eat which meal. If you have a birthday that month, you might want to make a note somewhere about any special meals or desserts you want to make or if you'll be eating out instead. What I said earlier still applies here: The less surprises, the less scowls and growls! Want to go the extra mile? When I'm planning main and side dishes, I try to add in at least one thing I know for sure each person will love so there is something on their plate they are guaranteed to enjoy.
Secret Number Four: Be realistic about your schedule. While a pot roast and homemade rolls on Wednesday sounds like a lovely mid-week treat, it can turn into a stressful moment if your daughter has a two-hour dance practice that day and your son has to be at soccer right after! I plan on using my slow-cooker several times throughout the week because it saves so much time, and one-pot meals are lifesavers on busy nights. I used to plan really complicated meals when my kids were tiny because I was home all day and I liked doing it. Now that everyone is older, 30-minute meals are more my speed. Save the more involved recipes for the weekend or a day when you can dedicate the time.
Plan meals according to the way you like to eat with regards to things like your schedule or time constraints. If your life is hectic and busy, then planning one week at a time might be best for you. It might make things more simple to fill in a whole month of meals. Which brings us to Secret Number Five: Consider your natural grocery shopping habits. Are you someone who likes to pop into the market every other day on the way home from work, or are you someone who only shops twice a month? Are Saturdays reserved for serendipitous finds at farmer's markets and roadside stands? Or does bulk shopping make more sense for your family? If you despise the market, go as infrequently as you possibly can. If you love it, you'll find a little more flexibility in your menu planning.
Secret Number Six: Eat food when it is in season, which saves money and ensures an ever-changing variety of fresh ingredients. In-season produce is usually on sale (or free from my garden!) and helps me stick to a budget. Our menus change by the month. My weekly menus in August will differ greatly from the ones in February. I also like a lot of variety, so we might only eat the same thing once a month. Your family might like something more predictable.
If you are part of a CSA or something similar, you may not always know what you'll be getting each week. It will be more difficult to predict your menus. Keep things a little more open-ended. For instance, you might want to simply label Thursday as pasta night and know that you'll be adding veggies into the dish. Or Tuesday might be soup night and you'll use whatever you get in the soup.
Secret Number Seven: A proven time and money saver is adding meals to your plan that are great for leftovers or can be turned into another easy meal. One of my favorites is a roast chicken on a Sunday night that can be turned into a pot pie, soup, enchiladas, or something else on Monday night. Or you can plan on purchasing a rotisserie chicken from the store with the same idea in mind.
Secret Number Eight: Don't forget planning breakfasts and lunches — something I was always forgetting to do before I started planning menus! I ended up using my dinner ingredients for the other meals, which messed up my plans or required an emergency trip to the grocery store. Not a big deal for me, but planning ahead makes things so much easier. Our breakfasts are almost always oatmeal, cereal, or toast. My kids usually eat school lunch, my husband eats at work, and I usually plan on eating a salad or leftovers at lunchtime.
Let's look at an actual weekly menu that works for my family:
Breakfast: Puff Pancakes with fresh fruit
Dinner: Roast Chicken with vegetables, green salad, homemade ice cream (remove meat and put the bones in the slow cooker overnight to make a broth)
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries
Dinner: Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie (chicken and broth from the roast chicken the night before)
Breakfast: Smoothies and whole wheat toast
Dinner: Quesadillas and salsa (I have a weekly meeting on Tuesdays, so this is something easy my husband can make and the kids will eat!)
Breakfast: Cold cereal with bananas
Dinner: Vegetable Stir-Fry with Orange-Miso Dressing and sticky rice
Breakfast: Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with maple syrup
Dinner: Spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread
Breakfast: Oatmeal or cold cereal with fruit
Dinner: Homemade Pizza
Breakfast: Omelets with mushrooms and veggies, hashbrowns, fresh fruit, and muffins
Dinner: Leftovers for kids, because Mom and Dad are going out with friends!
Once I have my list of meals figured out, I make my shopping list. Secret Number Nine is one we've heard a million times, but it's worth repeating: Shopping with a list will save you so much time and money when you're at the store. You're less likely to impulse buy when you are armed with a detailed list. Also, shop at stores where you are familiar with the floor plan, so you won't have to hunt for ingredients as much.
I separate my grocery list into three columns: Menu, We Have, and We Need. This helps me stay focused and curbs any panicking about forgetting something.
This is what my list looks like:
I also make sure to add a few extras to my grocery list to allow for my lunches — like fresh or dried fruit, veggies, crackers, cheese, yogurt, or other healthy foods to use for snacks.
Secret Number Ten: Remember that some fresh items are more perishable than others. Take that into account when you are planning your menu and shopping. If I know I need cilantro for a recipe I've scheduled for Friday, I won't want to buy it the previous Saturday, or I will discover it has gone bad when I'm ready to add it to my recipe on Friday night. If you don't rely on canned goods very often, you will probably shop more frequently in order to pick up the fresh ingredients.
Secret Number Eleven: Display your menu where you can see it. While I like writing it down in my planner, it also helps to have it on the fridge. I like using a dry erase board. The other bonus with a fridge display is that everyone else knows what we're having, too. My kids really like that part, especially if I add illustrations!
Lastly, go easy on yourself. Things come up. So Secret Number Twelve is: always keep a few backup easy meals ready to go in the freezer or pantry. This might be an extra jar of spaghetti sauce and bag of frozen ravioli that you reserve for emergency dinners, or when you're just plain too tired for something more involved. Anything so you don't call out for pizza!
Bonus Secret: If you've read my tips and you're still feeling overwhelmed, try a more formal schedule. Monday is breakfast-for-dinner (you just smiled at your own childhood memory of this meal, didn't you?), Tuesday is for tacos (or any kind of Mexican food), Wednesday is leftover night, Thursday is Italian, Friday is soup, Saturday is dinner out with friends or family, and Sunday is slow-cooker. This way you'll always basically know what you're making each night for dinner. It narrows the seemingly endless options, and once again…the less surprises, the less scowls and growls!
Best of luck in your menu planning! I'm sure you'll be a pro in no time. And if you happen to be a pro already, I'd love to hear what works for you!
P.S. — Want to know all the secrets? Click here.


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Show All Answers
When you enroll, we'll connect an indoor Peak Rewards web-programmable thermostat or an outdoor switch near your central air conditioning unit. On selected days from June through September (Peak Savings Days), we'll automatically cycle participating central air conditioners to help balance the region's demand for electricity. These events are known as "conservation periods".
Larger containers can be used-usually 80 to 99 gallons. Lifting is done mechanically resulting in less injuries and less labor costs.
The homeowner is responsible for the maintenance and replacement of their water service to the city's shut off. This connection is called the curb valve and is normally found in the tree lawn area of each building. It is recognizable by a black round metal disc with the word water across the top. The city will make repairs to the service on the "street side of this connection".

subset: commoncrawl


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House Ways and Means Committee Passes Key Measures in Support of Philanthropy
Today, the House Ways and Means Committee met to markup several important bills focused on the charitable sector. One bill would make the charitable "tax extenders"—including the IRA charitable rollover—permanent law. Another would simplify the private foundation excise tax on investment income to a single rate of 1%. The Council has already expressed support for both of these measures. All five bills were passed out of the Committee and will now face a full House of Representatives vote.
Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill released the following statement after Thursday's markup:
The Council on Foundations commends the Members of the House Ways and Means Committee for their commitment to supporting a strong philanthropic sector. The five charitable bills passed by the Committee today will encourage charitable giving and strengthen philanthropy's ability to serve communities across the country.
Simplifying the private foundation excise tax to a flat rate of one percent will allow private foundations to spend more resources on communities in need, rather than on tax compliance. The measure will lift an administrative burden that creates a perverse incentive to give less, not more, in times of need. Under the new measure, foundations could devote more time to grantmaking and less to navigating a complicated tax provision. We would like to thank Congressmen Erik Paulsen and Danny Davis in particular for introducing this bill.
We are also especially pleased that the Committee voted to make the IRA charitable rollover permanent. This provision has long been a priority of the Council, and we thank Congressmen Aaron Schock and Earl Blumenauer for their leadership on this bill. A permanent IRA charitable rollover will give individual donors certainty when planning their charitable gifts, which means more money will flow to charitable causes.
We thank the Members of the House Ways and Means Committee for moving these bills forward, and we look forward to working with the full House of Representatives to move these provisions toward becoming law.
The Council was also pleased to see broad, bipartisan support for the importance of philanthropy and its impact on communities.
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL-18), who sponsored the bill to make permanent the IRA charitable rollover, commented during the markup: "[This bill] will strengthen the U.S. tax code, empower our people to give more generously, and provide our nation's charities with the resources they need to continue the good work of helping others – and they should be able to do this on a permanent basis."
Speaking about the uncertainty that the expired rollover has created for taxpayers across America, co-sponsor Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3) noted that "[i]t is frustrating to have it seesaw back and forth between extension and expiration."
Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN-3), who sponsored the legislation to simplify the private foundation excise tax, said in his opening statement: "This will simplify the tax planning process, especially for smaller foundations that now must spend valuable resources on accountants and lawyers instead of grantees."
Co-sponsor Danny Davis (D-IL-7), made clear that this bill would help to put more philanthropic dollars into communities, stating—"when philanthropy thrives, communities thrive."
Chairman Camp also spoke strongly in favor of simplifying the private foundation excise tax, explaining that this would "allow foundations to put more resources toward charitable purposes."


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Health Administration
Health Administration is an integration of healthcare, business management, and information systems.
As the healthcare delivery system is held to greater accountability, healthcare providers and entities must demonstrate quality outcomes, fiscal responsibility, and efficient and effective practices. To do this, health administration professionals collect and analyze data, incorporate innovative management techniques, and utilize new technologies to reengineer healthcare.
Health administration professionals are the inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs for the constantly evolving healthcare delivery system.
A Unique Blend of Skills
Graduates are prepared to understand trends and articulate solutions in the evolving healthcare market. This health professional possesses a unique blend of skills in health sciences, business management, and information systems.
- Health sciences aid communication with other medical professionals and in understanding the patient perspective.
- Business management strategies are needed to manage not only a variety of healthcare settings such as hospitals, physician practices and long term care facilities, but also to manage data and information.
- Information systems are utilized to collect, manage, and transmit data to aid in the delivery of cost effective healthcare services.
The combination of health sciences, business management, and information systems will help professionals to meet the future healthcare challenges.
Why Health Administration?
Health Administration at Duquesne
Health Administration is a department that is project oriented. You will learn and do "real world" cases; you will be challenged by factual issues; you will learn beyond the book; you will use what you learn.
A Diversity Of Employment Opportunities
Among our graduates, employment titles include:
- project manager,
- systems analyst,
- web developer,
- insurance specialist,
- medical records supervisor,
- healthcare consultant,
- network analyst,
- and program analyst.
Students will pursue employment in:
- hospitals,
- physician practices,
- software vendors,
- consulting companies,
- insurance companies,
- and managed care organizations.


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October 15, 2012
Guests: David Maraniss, Shannon O`Brien, Scott Helman, Heidi Heitkamp
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: D-Day minus one.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington.
"Let Me Start" with this. This campaign today for president floats on
a knife edge. The balance between Americans who say yes to the
achievements of President Obama and those backing Romney is that fine, that
delicate. Recent polling shows the difference in popular backing for what
Obama has done -- the saving of the auto industry, the rescue of the U.S.
economy itself, the killing of bin Laden, health care for working Americans
-- against what Romney is offering is roughly zero. As I said, it`s that
So tonight, we look at how Obama can regain the lead. Is it with a
populist message, a challenge to Romney`s politics of, by and for the
wealthy? Is it a step by step dismembering of Romney`s tax plan? Or is it
a tough, positive declaration of what he, Barack Obama, has managed to do
by president?
Whatever strategy the president chooses, wherever he places the sharp
focus of his message, his time, his energy, his money, it`s time for the
man in the White House to buy his ticket and take his chances. He`s got
three weeks to make it work.
Joining me tonight is "New York" magazine`s John Heilemann, who has a
big article in this week`s edition of the magazine, and former Pennsylvania
governor Ed Rendell. Both are MSNBC analysts.
First, two new national polls. The new "Washington Post"/ABC News
poll has President Obama leading Mitt Romney by 3 points. That`s 3 points
among likely voters, 49 to 46. In that same poll taken two weeks ago
before -- before the first debate, the president led by just 2. So he`s
picked up a point.
And the new Politico/George Washington University Battleground poll
shows the president with a 1-point lead, 49-48. The same poll taken before
the debate had the president with a 2-point lead, 49-47. So you see how
it`s dancing around that knife edge.
Anyway, both campaigns, both the president`s and Romney`s, are into
the closing argument phase of the race, and both sides are putting out new
ads today. First, this ad from the Obama campaign. I think it`s the best
they`ve ever done, the finest ad I`ve seen in this campaign so far, and
it`s positive, thank God. It`s narrated by the great Morgan Freeman, the
Spencer Tracy, I would say, of our time.
Let`s listen.
MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: Every president inherits challenges. Few have
faced so many. Four years later, our enemies have been brought to justice.
Our heroes are coming home. Assembly lines are humming again. There are
still challenges to meet, children to educate, a middle class to rebuild.
But the last thing we should do is turn back now.
MATTHEWS: That`s it. I think that`s the magic message, and it`s very
positive. The Romney campaign`s closing argument advertisement is all
about the economy, as well, even uses the poll-tested words "wrong
Let`s listen to the Republican ad.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We can`t keep
spending and borrowing like this. We can`t keep spending money we don`t
have! Did they come in and inherent a tough situation? Absolutely. But
we`re going in the wrong direction! Look at where we are. The economy is
barely limping along.
Don`t raise taxes on small businesses because they`re our job
creators. Leaders run to problems to fix problems. Mitt Romney is
uniquely qualified to fix these problems.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me go to Governor Rendell. And you saw two very
different tones there. I mean, I think the majestic sounds of the voice of
Morgan Freeman against kind of a snippy ad there -- maybe a good one, but
it was snippy. Your thoughts?
ED RENDELL (D-PA), FMR. GOVERNOR, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. I
think voters at this point are looking for something to be positive about
and something to believe in a little bit. And I thought the Morgan Freeman
ad had a majestic quality about it. And you know, you can quarrel with the
message, but it was an upbeat ad and it talked about things that this
president`s done.
And I`ve been, as you know, Chris, a critic of his at times, but boy,
no one inherited worse problems not of his own making than he did, and he`s
made them better -- no ifs, ands and buts about it. And that ad captures
that in a very pleasant, appealing way.
The other ad is sort of whiny and snippy. I`m not even sure -- I
don`t think I would have hired that guy to deliver the message. He has a
whiny, snippy voice. So I thought Obama clearly wins that battle.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Are you with us on this, John Heilemann? Do you
think the high road works now? We`re calling it the closing arguments.
And I do think it`s a big question, which way does he go? Does he go with
dismembering the president`s -- or rather Romney`s tax plan, which a lot of
people think doesn`t add up? Does it mean going after Romney`s elitism,
government by, for the rich -- by, for and of the rich? Or does it mean
going out and basically reminding everybody, You can complain a bit about
what`s going on in the country, but look where I started and look what I`ve
JOHN HEILEMANN, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well,
Chris, I think that it may be just -- these of kind of premonitions of
closing arguments more than closing arguments. I mean, the president`s ad
is more -- getting closer to what they want on the positive side to be the
closing argument. I don`t think we`ve seen the last of negative
campaigning from the Obama campaign and the last of contrast or the last of
attacks on Governor Romney along the lines you were just suggesting.
The Romney ad is, I think, even a little bit further away from a
closing argument in the sense that I think it`s typical or characteristic
of them. It`s a very tactical ad in the sense that it`s kind of trying to
play on -- just on the Joe Biden performance.
That ad only works because of Biden`s facial expressions. If you just
had Paul Ryan saying what he`s saying without the counterposition to Biden,
there`s really nothing there.
I think they will shift to broader, bigger themes, but you can see the
kernels in both of these of what these guys are going to be saying down to
the wire. President Obama`s going to be saying, We`ve come too far to turn
back, and Governor Romney`s going to be saying, It`s not good enough.
You`d be foolish not to change course.
Those are the nutshells of these arguments. We were going to -- it`s
been -- they`ve been building up for the last six to nine months. And over
the course of the next few weeks, you`re going to be hearing those in a
much more -- in much clearer and starker terms than we`ve heard before.
MATTHEWS: You know, a lot of elections turn on the very immediate
conditions and how things are developing. I think right now, things are
starting to look a bit brighter than they were a couple of months ago in
terms of -- let`s look at this one. This is a good poll. It`s the
"Washington Post"/ABC poll, and it looks at right direction, wrong
direction. It`s perhaps the most significant poll out there in that
If you look at the graphic up here, the trend lines are closing to the
president`s favor. At present, more people still say the country`s in the
wrong direction, but -- by a 14-point margin, but the trend is
unquestionably improving, with optimism rising steadily over the past year.
The "Washington Post"/ABC poll analysis pounds out that in the
stretch, those who are becoming more optimistic about the direction of the
country are Democrats. No surprise there, Governor.
There`s been cruel fates before. Like, I remember the first President
Bush was knocked out by Bill Clinton just at the time the economy was
picking up. Remember the fourth quarter of `92? And then, of course, Al
Gore got hurt because the economy just went down just at the very end of
the Clinton terms.
But this time around, it looks like it is getting a shade better as we
go to vote, but maybe not a shade enough. What do you think? Is there
enough an upturn out there to do a little bit of bragging on?
RENDELL: Well, all the indicia are good. Housing starts are up. The
stock market`s doing great. Consumer confidence is up, freight shipments
up, I mean, you name it, and all of the things are moving in the right
So I think that it is going to be enough. And I think where it`s
going to really resonate, Chris, is with the Democratic base. One of the
things that I am impressed about -- and I don`t know if anybody`s as
impressed as I am -- is the early voting returns.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
RENDELL: The early voting returns in Ohio, for example, are 76 to 24,
with 19 percent -- Obama, 76-24, with 19 percent of all registered voters
having voted. Now, that`s extraordinary.
And what it means is the Democratic base, African-Americans -- that`s
the only way you produce those type of numbers -- are coming out in force.
They are ticked off about these attempts at voter suppression. They`re
ticked off at the attacks against the president, and they are coming out.
And if they`re coming out at that level -- and I think these early
voting returns all across the country seem to indicate that -- that, I
think, is the main reason for optimism for Democrats. The enthusiasm gap
has either leveled off or has totally diminished or we now have an
advantage in the enthusiasm gap.
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look at the latest polling from Ohio,
Governor. I`m glad you raised that. This is the PPP poll. We don`t --
pardon me? Let me talk about the numbers here. We got Obama up 51-46,
John. And we have the latest Rasmussen, which is even -- usually tends
Republican, to say the least -- even that gives it to Obama by 1, John.
HEILEMANN: Right. Well, look, I mean, Chris, I think, first of all,
Republican enthusiasm is up also because they`re excited about the way that
Governor Romney performed in the debate. There is tightening across the
battleground states. So there`s not -- this is not a moment for unalloyed
optimism for Democrats.
I`ll say one thing about the national poll and one thing about Ohio.
In addition to the "right track" number that you cited, there`s also the
fact that President Obama`s approval rating in that poll is now at 51
percent. The president has struggled for most of his term to get over 50
percent in terms of an approval rating. And the one thing we know about
polling is that an incumbent president`s approval rating will be his vote
share on election day.
So if he starts getting over 50 with any regularity, if this is a
harbinger of where the polls are headed, it`s a good sign for President
Obama heading into election day.
On Ohio, the PPP poll is yet another in a string of incredibly
encouraging pieces of micro-news for the Democratic side. It`s almost
impossible for Governor Romney to win the election without winning Ohio.
The president`s lead there has been 5, 6, 7, 8 points. It`s tightening,
like it is everywhere else right now. It`s down to 5 from where it was up
at 8 or 9 maybe a few weeks ago.
But still, 5 points is a pretty good, solid lead in a Republican-
leaning state that, as I said before, Governor Romney has to have.
And the Obama people, for reasons of the ground game, for early
voting, as Governor Rendell suggested, because of the power of the labor
unions in Ohio, because of the strength of the recovery there and the role
of the auto bail-out in Ohio, they feel like they`re going to be able to
hold that lead there. And if they do, they`re probably going to be able to
win this election.
MATTHEWS: By the way, we always say -- the experts always say, like
yourself, John, that the Republicans need to win Ohio. and I think that
Ohio always goes the winner. The last time it didn`t go with the winner
was the Kennedy race. And Kennedy used to have the biggest crowds in the
world in Ohio. He used to say, even kidding Nixon, who he`d beaten, How
come I got the crowds and you got the votes?
But if -- do the Democrats need to win Ohio, or just the Republicans?
How does it work?
HEILEMANN: Well, I think -- look, Governor Romney just has a much
narrower path to get to 270 electoral votes because of some of his
demographic weaknesses...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HEILEMANN: ... particularly like in Hispanic states, and so on. So
President Obama starts with a higher floor in terms of the Electoral
College. So Governor Romney sort of needs to win.
HEILEMANN: It`s possible to imagine him winning without winning
either one of Florida, Ohio or Virginia, but he more or less has to win all
MATTHEWS: OK, let`s take a look at the -- here`s the Fox News
Channel, a very impressive interview. Here`s Chris Wallace, who does a
dandy job here taking on Ed Gillespie.
Gillespie as often (ph) was out there trying to sell the case -- he`s
been doing this before -- that six studies, he calls them independent
studies, are out there supporting the mathematical logic of the Romney tax
plan, which you know means we can cut $5 trillion in tax rate reductions
and we can make up for it with an equal amount of closing of loopholes or
deductions, but won`t tell you how and keeps saying it`s doable. And he
keeps saying -- his people, like Gillespie -- that`s because we got experts
that say it`s doable.
Watch Chris Wallace meticulously take apart that argument put forth
here by Ed Gillespie. Let`s listen.
ED GILLESPIE, FMR. RNC CHAIR, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Six different
studies have said this is entirely doable.
CHRIS WALLACE, HOST, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY": Those studies are very
questionable. Some of them are -- some of them are blogs, some are from
the AEI...
GILLESPIE: Chris, I -- I...
WALLACE: ... which is hardly an independent group. Those are not...
GILLESPIE: These are very credible sources, and -- and...
WALLACE: One of them is from a guy who was -- is a blog from a guy
who was a top adviser to George W. Bush. These are hardly nonpartisan
MATTHEWS: Do you like that? Governor Rendell, quickly, did you like
-- you didn`t see the face of Ed Gillespie. It just fell because finally,
one of the people just nailed him on this BS about these six independent
studies. They`re bloggers...
RENDELL: Remember, Chris...
MATTHEWS: ... and the AEI, the American Enterprise Institute...
RENDELL: And remember...
MATTHEWS: ... the most neocon organization on the planet, and he`s
saying, Oh, they`re independent. Good for Chris. Your thoughts.
RENDELL: And remember, it`s not even $5 trillion in deductions have
to take away, it`s the $2 trillion in additional defense spending...
MATTHEWS: Exactly.
RENDELL: ... that they have to balance off. And there aren`t $7
trillion worth of deductions, even if you swept away mortgage interest and
everything else. It just doesn`t add up.
MATTHEWS: I think you`re picking a point, Governor. Just kidding!
It`s so obvious.
MATTHEWS: We only have a thought here for a moment, but I know the
late Arlen Specter just died this weekend. He was such a big part of my
life, your life. But you were a close friend of Arlen`s. Tell me about
him as a guy.
RENDELL: Well, an incredible person. First of all, perhaps the last
independent moderate in the Republican Party. He`s gone. And he left
behind a great legacy of service to Pennsylvania, Chris, but an amazing
guy. He was so tenacious and had such strong will about everything he did
that we all believed -- he beat cancer twice. We all believed he was going
to beat it a third time.
We were wrong this time, but Arlen Specter`s will and his tenacity and
his political courage served Pennsylvania and the nation incredibly well.
MATTHEWS: And apart from you, I don`t think anyone knew the state --
the commonwealth better than Arlen did. Boy, was he a student of our
state. He knew it cold.
RENDELL: Incredible.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, thank you for that, and a great honor to have known
him and I know for you to have served with him and been his friend.
Anyway, John Heilemann, thank you. Governor Rendell, again, thank you.
Coming up, the Ali-Frazier number two. Tomorrow night, President
Obama has a chance to undo some of that damage from that knockout he
suffered at the debate two weeks ago. Enough of that. Let`s talk about
the future. Democrats say we`re going to see a different Obama at Hofstra
University this Tuesday. That`s tomorrow night. My take: He`s going to
cheer the troops.
Also, which Mitt is going to show up tomorrow? Who`s he fighting, the
right-wing ideologue we`ve seen for the last year, or moderate Mitt, multi-
task Mitt, multi-whatever, multi-beliefs Mitt? Lately, moderate Mitt talks
to the cameras, then his deputies whisper to the press afterwards, Psst, he
really didn`t mean it. Well, we`ll see what happens tomorrow night.
Plus, Democrats assumed their North Dakota Senate seat was a goner
when Kent Conrad retired this year. Well, a sure Republican pick-up. But
now Democrat Heidi Heitkamp has turned certain defeat for the Dems into a
tossup. She could easily -- well, she could win, and she joins us here
tonight, Heidi Heitkamp from North Dakota.
Finally, you knew this was coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A bunch of malarkey?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s Irish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. Irish is I come over there and smack
that dumb look off your face!
MATTHEWS: Well, "SNL" takes on the vice presidential debate in the
"Sideshow" tonight, that and a preview of a helium-filled debate between
myself and the inestimable -- or estimable Bill O`Reilly.
Well, this is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: We`ve got some new poll numbers in some key battleground
states. Let`s check the HARDBALL "Scoreboard."
First in Florida, a new PPP poll shows a tight race down there, with
Mitt Romney leading Obama by 1. These numbers are so close -- 49-48. In
North Carolina, PPP has Romney up 2, 49-47, still very close. In
Pennsylvania, President Obama`s lead is down to 4 points in the Muhlenberg
College/``Morning Call`` poll. That`s out of Allentown. It`s Obama 49,
Romney, 45.
In Ohio, as I mentioned earlier, President Obama`s firewall seems to
be holding there. The new PPP poll there has Obama up by 5, 51-46. In New
Mexico, a new "Albuquerque Journal" poll has the president up there up 10 -
- boy, these states are different -- 49 to 39, 10 points there, with former
new Mexico governor Gary Johnson running as a libertarian at 6. He`s
probably hurting the Republican side.
And look at this number from Arizona. A new Rocky Mountain/BRC poll
has the president leading by 2, 44 to 42. Anyway, that`s Arizona.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. Ahead of tomorrow`s big showdown
on Long Island, both President Obama and Mitt Romney have been deep in
debate prep today. According to Politico, Romney`s camp is apparently so
confident with the candidate`s answers that their focus has been on
stylistic matters, such as reminding him to lean into the questioners as if
he`s in a one-on-one conversation.
And according to "The New York Times," the president is practicing how
to challenge Romney when he twists the facts without seeming rude. Over
the weekend, the president`s advisers said we should expect to see a
different debater than the one that showed up two weeks ago in Denver.
ROBERT GIBBS, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: He also knew as he`s
watched the tape of that debate that he`s got to be more energetic. I
think you`ll see somebody who`s very passionate about the choice that our
country faces and putting that choice in front of voters.
DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: I think he`s going to
make some adjustments on Tuesday. And you know, I`m not going to get into
detail about strategic changes that he might make. I think he`s going to
be aggressive in making the case for -- for his view of where we should go
as a country.
MATTHEWS: Well, the format of the debate this time is a town hall,
meaning people in the audience get to ask questions. That means new
challenges for the president.
As one Democratic source told Politico today -- quote -- "You have got
to take on this guy and challenge him, but you can`t seem like a bully in
front of an audience." Can he do it? He`s got a lot to do tomorrow night.
And David Corn is Washington bureau chief for "Mother Jones" and the
author of "47 Percent." He`s an MSNBC political analyst. And David
Maraniss is a great author. He`s associate editor of "The Washington Post"
and the author of "Barack Obama: The story."
David, we have got to start with you, David Maraniss.
Barack Obama, is he capable of a two-fisted assault in public on an
opponent? I have never seen him go at somebody aggressively. Is that
something he has in his toolkit, or not?
DAVID MARANISS, AUTHOR, "BARACK OBAMA: THE STORY": Well, he has to
have it in his toolkit tomorrow, but I think that actually the town hall
format will help in that regard, because it can allow him to come at Romney
from an angle, from the side.
He can be very polite and civil and warm and ingratiating with the
person asking the question, and then go at Romney. And that allows -- it
makes it a little bit easier for someone like President Obama, who is
inherently a little bit reluctant to confront and has a tendency to act too
much like a constitutional law professor.
I think this format will actually serve to his advantage.
MATTHEWS: Well, David Corn, respond to that.
If Obama says, I agree with you, I have done the following, I put -- I
brought the auto industry back, and some people disagreed with me, they
thought we should let it go bankrupt, is that how you do it?
DAVID CORN, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I know there are people
out there who crave a really slugfest from the president, but you can`t do
that in a town hall debate because your first obligation is to do what?
It`s to answer the question from the person in front of you and engage that
person as representative of voters...
MATTHEWS: Like Clinton did back in `92.
CORN: Bill Clinton, he was very good at it. I`m sure they watched
the tapes.
But I think David is right. In the process of doing that, you can
sort of answer the question, but say, but I have got to tell you, there`s a
choice here because Mitt Romney sees it differently, and start describing
Romney`s plan.
He says, you know what? He may not even tell you that, because at the
last debate he kept saying there is no tax cut, $5 trillion tax cut plan,
but there is. So, he has to find a way to sort of pivot to that, but make
it part of addressing the voters` concerns.
MATTHEWS: I want to ask you about something I have been thinking
about ever since that first debate.
I try to understand the president`s position in the first debate. And
since you wrote that beautiful biography about him, maybe you have this
answer. He doesn`t want to get in the pit with the other guy. He`s
president of the United States. It`s not just an angry black man and all
that stuff I don`t quite understand. But I guess I get it.
It`s you`re president of the United States. You don`t want to get
down in a mud fight with the other guy because the minute you do that, you
lose the advantage of office and he can start throwing mud even further at
If this president gets down in the ditch tomorrow night, unlike the
way he did the first time, does that give Romney more license to get even
dirtier, more aggressive, David?
MARANISS: I think David Corn is right that he`s not going to get down
in the pits like that, but he can be just as direct and powerful without
sort of lowering it to that standard. That`s not who he is.
He`s -- I doubt very much that he would do that. First of all, he has
a certain sensibility of himself as president, a little bit even of
grandeur about it that he doesn`t like to be -- to lower it in that sense.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
MARANISS: So, I`m not expecting that. I`m just expecting him to be
more direct and using the opportunity of the town hall to also be warmer
with the audience and more direct with them.
MATTHEWS: Would you say he`s going to hit the points like 47 percent?
Would he use points like vouchers? Would he say bankrupt? You know all
the magic words we talk about. And they`re our lingo here. Do you think
he will use those magic bullets in this debate? One last question to you,
David Maraniss.
MARANISS: Well, David Corn can answer part of that better than I can
about 47 percent, certainly.
But, yes, he has to hit those points. And that`s what he was
watching. When he was watching Joe Biden, he wasn`t watching Biden respond
with the vigor that he was doing, but was making those points and how to
get to them, and that`s what he will do, certainly.
MATTHEWS: OK, David Corn, will he say the 47 percent, the name of
your new e-book?
MATTHEWS: No, no, because these things are like -- what do you call
them, these are bullets that everybody knows you have got in your gun. Why
are you using them?
CORN: Shorthand. You can talk about Bain, income taxes. There`s a
lot of shorthand he can do.
MATTHEWS: Will he say, why don`t you show your taxes? Will he be
that direct?
MARANISS: ... that reinforces a narrative that they have tried to
create that Mitt Romney is not empathetic and his policies also aren`t the
best for middle class and working class Americans.
You call them bullets. I call them shorthand. Talking to some of the
people around the campaign, they say that he will not be shy about pointing
out that when Mitt Romney says he`s for pre -- for getting rid of
preexisting condition, he`s really not.
I think they may still want to keep it kind of policy oriented, so we
will have to see.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
OK. Well, look at what Michael Tomasky wrote today in The Daily Beast
about what the president needs to be thinking -- quote -- "I hope that
someone can say to him, Mr. President, 70 million or more Americans are
counting on you. They voted for you. They`re planning on voting for you
again and they want you to fight for them. If you lose, you let them down
horribly and you damage their lives. They`re the 47 percenters, a lot of
these folks. They need you. If the other side gets in, you will be fine,
but they`re screwed."
That`s rough language by Michael Tomasky, David, but the does the
president go in there knowing that he`s the champion of the -- sometimes
the 47 percent, the people that aren`t so rich in this country, that he`s
carrying the ball for them, and if he fails, it`s a psychological defeat
for him and the voters going to the voting booth, but also if they lose
this election, they lost, not just you? Does he feel that?
MARANISS: You have got two Davids here. Which one are you talking
MATTHEWS: David Maraniss, the author and biographer of Barack Obama,
who wrote the most perfect book on Barack Obama and knows all these
So, yes, of course, he feels that, but, Chris, you have to be
realistic. With each of these people, you know, their strengths are also
their weaknesses. So, certainly, President Clinton felt that, too, when he
let people down.
But Barack Obama of course feels that. He doesn`t want to let people
down, but he is a human being with certain failings. And so, you know,
he`s going to do the best he can. And to carry the burden of 70 million
people -- he carries the burden of 200-plus million every day.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
MATTHEWS: So what`s the name of your book, David Maraniss? We don`t
have it up yet. What is it?
MARANISS: "The Story."
MATTHEWS: "The Story."
MARANISS: "Barack Obama: The Story."
MATTHEWS: Thank you very much. "The Story."
CORN: I think people forget, too, that Barack Obama can be really
competitive. He`s often like -- he likes to have the ball with three
seconds left to make the shot. He likes these sort of...
MATTHEWS: "The Perils of Pauline."
Well, we will see.
CORN: We will see if it works out.
MATTHEWS: Because if he doesn`t win tomorrow night, then it`s 0-2 in
a three-game match. If he wins tomorrow, then you go to the rubber match.
You can win two out of three, still.
Anyway, thank you, David Corn.
CORN: Sure thing.
MATTHEWS: That`s how we think in baseball season still.
Anyway, thank you, David Maraniss, as well, author of "The Story."
Up next: Vice President Joe Biden gets the "SNL" treatment. Wait
until you catch this. Those are -- there it is.
MATTHEWS: Poor Joe.
And tomorrow, we will be live from Hofstra University in Hempstead,
New York, for live editions of HARDBALL at 5:00, another totally different
show at 7:00. Then at 8:00, I will join Rachel Maddow as we preview the
second presidential debate. The debate starts at 9:00. We will be back
afterward at 10:30 with lots of reaction.
Then stay up late for us for the biggest fun of the night, if you have
got the energy. Stay up at midnight and watch us. We have got some great
guests coming on live from the debate site.
And this is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I`m sorry, Martha. Martha, but with all due
respect, this is a bunch of malarkey, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: This is malarkey.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: A bunch of malarkey?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: yes.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It`s Irish.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, no, no. Irish is, I come over there and
smack that dumb look off your face.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
For anyone watching the V.P. debate last Thursday night, the thought
must have crossed your mind, what will "Saturday Night Live" do with this?
Well, "SNL" didn`t disappoint.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Mr. Vice President, I know you`re under a lot of
duress to make up for lost ground.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: But I think the people would be better served if
we didn`t keep interrupting each other.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You don`t scare me, shark eyes. All right?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Mr. Vice President.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey, look, you think you`re tougher than me
because you do the P90X workout, because you`re younger than me?
Well, let me tell you something, there`s gym strong and there`s old
man strong, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You want to know my workout? When the Amtrak
breaks down on my morning commute, I strip down too my tighty-whities, I
push that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) all the way to Washington.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live" had
Arianna Huffington bragging on moderator Martha Raddatz`s style.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Martha Raddatz said, answer this question and
answer it this way. Women have to do that. You don`t say to your husband,
maybe we should go out next weekend. No, you say, hey, we`re going to
dinner Friday night with my sister and her husband. Be ready by 7:00 and
shave the back of your neck.
MATTHEWS: My response to that, no comment.
Anyway, "Meet the Press" guest Stephen Colbert was also at it. He
described how Romney`s surge has rejuvenated his character.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Up until Wednesday
night, I just thought I don`t know what I`m going to do for the next month.
DAVID GREGORY, MODERATOR, "MEET THE PRESS": Because why?
COLBERT: He was just a walking shambling mound of weakness. Even the
people who liked him didn`t seem to be behind him that strongly.
Now he`s the man. Now every -- now he`s got these long, luscious
coattails and everybody is jumping on board.
MATTHEWS: Well, the country`s fate isn`t the only thing riding on
this campaign. Apparently, comedians` livelihoods are too.
And, finally, this weekend, I joined Bill O`Reilly, John King, and Jon
Stewart at New York`s Beacon Theatre for a good cause. It`s Stewart`s
annual "Night of Too Many Stars" benefit to support education and training
programs for autistic children and teens.
Well, O`Reilly and I had a debate of sorts. Here`s a bit of the
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": To show just
how much these two believe in the cause, Bill O`Reilly and Chris Matthews
are going to debate the crucial issues of today.
And they`re going to do it while inhaling helium.
STEWART: So let`s -- let`s see how that goes. It`s helium time!
JOHN KING, CNN: Here are the rules. Neither participant shall be
permitted to speak without first filling their lungs with helium.
KING: Are you with us?
BILL O`REILLY, HOST, "THE O`REILLY FACTOR": No.
KING: Close enough.
As you know, our annual deficits are now above -- you might want a
little more of that -- $1 trillion a year. The president says it`s time to
raise taxes on the rich.
STEWART: I think Matthews might be hollow.
KING: Governor Romney said that would inhibit job creation.
MATTHEWS: Well, Comedy Central advises us here at HARDBALL that we
will get another clip later this week in which I actually do speak under
the influence of helium. Anyway, think the Chipmunks.
Anyway, you do not want to miss that. Anyway, "Night of Too Many
Stars" airs on Comedy Central Sunday night, October 21, at 8:00.
Up next: Which Mitt Romney is going to show up on the stage at
tomorrow night`s debate? The severely conservative Mitt we have seen in
the past year or the moderate who showed up for the first debate? That`s
ahead. Which Mitt?
You`re watching HARDBALL, the place for politics.
AMANDA DRURY, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Amanda Drury with your CNBC
"Market Wrap."
Well, the Dow rising by 95 points today, the S&P gaining 11, and the
Nasdaq adding 20. Well, Citigroup shares rose more than 5 percent after
reporting earnings and revenue that beat estimates. As for the economy,
retail sales rose 1.1 percent last month, much more than expected. And
according to a report, Apple may unveil more than just an iPad mini later
this month. The All Things D bombing says a smaller MacBook Pro is also in
the works. No word yet from Apple.
Well, that`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide -- now it`s
back over to HARDBALL.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had a
different reaction to that first debate than a lot of people did. I mean,
I thought, wow, here is old moderate Mitt.
CLINTON: Where you been, boy? I missed you all these last two years.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Old moderate Mitt, as Bill called him there, Bill Clinton, called him
last week, is front and center appearing in swing states and on the
airwaves. He`s even touting his record as a Republican governor who worked
with Democrats in Massachusetts,hardly the guy we watched all through the
But just how bipartisan was Mitt Romney as governor and which Romney
would actually show up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue if elected, the severe
conservative or the nonthreatening moderate?
Well, with me are two guests who know his record out there in
Massachusetts. Shannon O`Brien ran against Romney in the 2002
Massachusetts governor`s race, and Scott Helman co-authored the biography
called "The Real Mitt" -- "The Real Romney," rather, "The Real Romney." I
see that in bookstores everywhere.
Let me start with -- with Shannon.
Thank you for joining us, dear.
And here is the question. I hear there`s a story, a wonderful little
anecdote about the elevator in the statehouse and Mitt`s attitude towards
it, which is one of those stories that I always like because it explains
human behavior in a way that voting records don`t. Explain the elevator
and Mitt as governor.
SHANNON O`BRIEN, FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Well,
the man of the people, the guy who was so bipartisan, actually for the
first time in, you know, history that anyone could remember took an
elevator that was previously open to the public and kept it just for
himself, his own little private bubble going up and down into the
governor`s office.
So, the public couldn`t be on it and no legislators who wanted to
button hole him to talk to him about legislative priorities could not get
on for the four years that he served as governor.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Scott, that reminds me so much when the
Republicans took over the White House after Carter was president, they took
the White House mess where most of the middle and the upper people, the
speech writers, got to eat and they divided it in the executive mess for
people like Ed Meese and Jim Baker, separating them so gingerly from the
masses of other people.
What is this? Is this a Republican cultural thing, you have to have
segregated eating facilities for the very elite?
SCOTT HELMAN, THE BOSTON GLOBE: I think --
MATTHEWS: And elevator facilities?
HELMAN: I can`t speak to the broader dynamic but it`s certainly
reflective of Romney who is a control freak. He loves to have people in
the places where he wants them. I mean, even more than that, when you were
in the statehouse and you had an event with him, there were pieces of tape
on the floor with your name. That`s where you were supposed to stand. It
was all tightly controlled. I think that is very much reflective of the
Mitt Romney that I know.
MATTHEWS: Well, the moderate mitt showed up in Denver, of course,
for the first presidential debate. That was appropriate. Here he was
touting his bipartisan bona fides for the national audience that hadn`t
seen him before or knew about his real background.
Let`s listen.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I had the great experience,
it didn`t seem like it a time, of being elected in a state where my
legislature was 87 percent Democrat. And that meant I figured out from day
one I had to get along and I had to work across the aisle to get anything
done. We drove our schools to be number one in the nation. We cut taxes
19 times.
As president I will sit down on day one, actually day after I get
elected, I`ll sit down with leaders, Democratic leaders, as well as
Republican leaders and continue -- as we did in my state. We met every
Monday for a couple hours, talk about the issues and challenges in our
state in that case.
MATTHEWS: Shannon, he`s already sat down with Grover Norquist and
signed the dotted line to stick to his fiscal policy. He`s already sat
down with the religion right and got his robes on down there at Regency
University. He`s already joined that crowd on everything from abortion to
same-sex. He`s joined the neocon crowds with Dan Senor and the rest of
those guys.
He says he`s going to sit down as if he`s some virgin politically
when he`s cut all these deals ahead of time. Can you believe he`s going to
be Mr. Bipartisan after being such a severe conservative all these months
getting the nomination?
O`BRIEN: No, and on the campaign trail he said so many conflicting
things. You really can`t look at his words, but what you can look at is
how he governed. I think he probably set a record. He vetoed 800 either
pieces of legislation or line in a vetoes, twice what his Republican
predecessor, Bill Weld did. Bill Weld who actually let people on that
elevator while he was governor for eight years, or almost eight years.
You know, 800 vetoes, and these were not just small things. These
were things like vetoing the minimum wage, vetoing access to contraceptive
rights. But sometimes they were petty and partisan -- vetoing a special
bill that would have helped a disabled cop, vetoing money that would have
paid for kosher meals for elderly people in nursing homes.
Eight hundred vetoes and I think something like 750 vetoes were
overridden by the Democratic legislature. So, that doesn`t sound like a
guy who is playing ball with people on the other side of the team.
MATTHEWS: Let me go to Scott on the last question. Scott, is he or
is he not a moderate?
HELMAN: Well, depends on what snapshot you take. I mean, like you
have been saying, it depends -- he is now apparently. He wasn`t before. I
mean, we hear different things from him. And I think, I mean, frankly --
MATTHEWS: What are his core beliefs? Besides his religion and his
love of his family, what will he fight for, what will he say no to under
HELMAN: I can`t answer that. I think his core belief is pragmatism
above all. I mean, he looked at that debate in audience and said this is
my biggest audience yet. You know, I`m dipping in the polls, I have to be
appealing to a bigger group of people and he went out there and sold a
centrist message.
And, frankly, I think the president was so surprised by the extent,
you know, of kind of Romney`s shifts there that night. I think that`s
partly what explains his performance.
MATTHEWS: Shannon, would he be -- if you told him two months ago or
a year ago, you can be president of the United States but you have to
follow the policies of Barack Obama, you have to lean center left, would he
say, OK, I`ll take the job?
O`BRIEN: I think he would say anything to get the job. He said
anything to get the job here in Massachusetts. But look to see what he`s
The people of Massachusetts, they will be voting in droves for Barack
Obama because they have already seen Mitt Romney will say anything to get
elected. But once he`s elected, he doesn`t operate based on the promises
that he made as a candidate.
MATTHEWS: Scott, same question to you, Scott. Would he do -- would
he be any kind of president as long as he gets to be president?
HELMAN: Yes, I think that`s right. I think he has a very burning
ambition, and I think he has -- again he, does what he needs to do to get
to the next phase. If getting to the next phase means describing himself
as severely conservative, that`s what he does. That`s what the primaries
required. If getting to the next phase now requires being an acceptable
centrist alternative, that`s who he becomes. He`s a consultant looking at
any situation.
MATTHEWS: A perfect accolade of the ruling class. Anyway, thank you
very much, Shannon O`Brien.
O`BRIEN: Thanks.
MATTHEWS: Great name, by the way, you`re great.
O`BRIEN: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: And thank you Scott Helman, great guy. Thanks for writing
a great book.
Up next, a Democrat who is coming on strong in a Senate race in North
Dakota. Heidi Heitkamp, there she is. She joins us next. Boy, she`s come
from the back to the front -- an even race in North Dakota for a Democrat.
Coming for a minute with HARDBALL, the place for politics. There she
MATTHEWS: Well, the father of Christopher Stevens, you know, the
U.S. as ambassador to Libya who was killed in that attack on our consulate
in Benghazi last month -- well, he says his son`s death shouldn`t be
politicized. Jan Stevens told Bloomberg, quote, "It would really be
abhorrent to make this into a campaign issue. The security matters are
being adequately investigated. It does not belong in the campaign arena."
That`s what he said.
Mitt Romney has, of course, criticized President Obama, saying the
administration didn`t do enough to keep the ambassador safe.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: We`re back.
The Senate race in North Dakota between Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, the
former attorney general, and Republican Congressman Rick Berg should have
been a slam dunk for the Republicans. The state is solidly red and with
less than a month to Election Day, Mitt Romney is expected to win the state
by double digits.
But the race between Heitkamp and Berg is much closer, a dead heat at
47 percent right now, and it`s a matchup that could determine control of
the U.S. Senate.
With me now is the Democratic candidate for Senate in North Dakota,
former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp.
I want to show your ad now. Let`s take a look at the brand new ad
you`re putting about the negative attack you`ve been a victim of. Let`s
show this ad that you`ve put out.
HEIDI HEITKAMP (D-ND), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: When I decided to run
for the Senate, I knew they`d try and hit me with all sort of stuff. I`m
Heidi Heitkamp.
And I could spend the whole campaign answering negative ads that
aren`t true. They`re all paid for by a few billionaires who want to keep
their tax breaks or shipping overseas. And they know if I`m in the Senate,
I won`t let them. I`m not willing to trade away your Medicare or your jobs
for more tax breaks for billionaires.
I approve this message because I`m just getting warmed up.
MATTHEWS: OK, Madam Attorney General, a truth serum question -- did
you actually hit every one of them or did you edit that picture? Because
you look like you hit every -- I`ve been in those boxes. Did you hit every
one that went by you no matter how it was coming at you?
HEITKAMP: Let me tell you, it was a rocky start but after I got
going, I was hitting them all.
MATTHEWS: OK. Let me talk to you and ask you about why there`s a
different? I know you`re a more moderate Democrat. Let`s get down to the
basics here. What`s the difference between a Republican and Democrat in
North Dakota, as you see it, between you and Rick Berg? What`s this
campaign about?
HEITKAMP: I think it`s fundamentally about whether you support
Medicare, whether you support Social Security, and you support that social
safety net that`s so important to the elderly. You know, so much of what
we talk about is privatizing those very important programs. You know, I
don`t believe in that. My opponents voted to privatize both programs.
I think the other piece of this is taking a look at whether you think
you can solve all the problems by giving a tax break to billionaires. And,
you know, what we hear over and over again is the economic problems will go
away if we just give another billionaire a tax break. We know that`s not
true. There`s no proof that that`s ever been true and so we continue to
push back against those ideas.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the Keystone Pipeline, because I`ve
always wondered why the president opposed it because it looked like a job
creator in your part of the country. You`re for it. Tell me how you
disagree with the president on that one. It`s obviously a jobs issue in
many cases, or an environmental issue if you`re looking it the other way.
HEITKAMP: Well, the Keystone Pipeline is about transporting tar sand
oil out of Canada down into Louisiana. The environmentalists will tell you
it`s never been about the pipeline. It`s about the tar sand. That`s a
debate and an issue up in Canada.
We absolutely need to move energy in this country. We need to move
it in pipes and we need to move it in transmission lines. And,
unfortunately, we don`t have an energy policy that moves our energy where
it needs to go and that needs to be fixed.
And the other piece of this, in the middle of a recession, we`re
walking away from a shovel-ready project that would put millions or
thousands of people back to work. And it was just wrong-headed, in my
MATTHEWS: Is there such a thing as clean coal?
HEITKAMP: You betcha. I`m on the board of directors of something
called Dakota Gas, where we take goal, we pulverize it and make natural
coal. We do something nobody else does, we compress it, make the CO2 and
we send it north to Canada where it`s used to inject into oil fields for
enhanced oil recovery.
It is the largest carbon sequestration project in the country,
proving that we can do it if we use American innovation and that we quit
taking coal off the table. And that`s what I`ve been fighting for. Let`s
have a reason discussion. We know we cannot turn the energy economy on a
dime. We know we have to be dependent on coal in order to have a reliable
and redundant source of energy in this country.
So let`s do this the right way. Let`s recognize there are
technologies that we can use that will in fact promote clean coal
MATTHEWS: Are you going to hold North Dakota, hold the seat kept by
Kent Conrad all those years? I always like Conrad. Are you going to be
able to hold that seat?
HEITKAMP: It`s sure looking good right now, Chris. I tell you. You
know, we started this out saying we`re going to win every day but more
importantly, we`re going to have fun every day. Visiting with North
Dakotans and doing what you can do in a state where 180,000 votes will win
you an election. And I`ve met a lot of folks and they knew from before and
we`re feeling very positive about the outcome in November.
MATTHEWS: Well, you may be pulling the big upset of the year, the
North Dakota Senate race. Heidi Heitkamp, former attorney general, taking
on the other guy, Rick Berg.
When we return, let me finish with the "Multiple Choice Mitt".
That`s what they called him in Massachusetts -- this guy is for everything
and against everything.
You`re watching HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with this -- "Multiple Choice Mitt".
That`s what they call him up in Massachusetts and I don`t see any sign that
he`s changed. Talk about potluck, send Romney to the White House and you
have to ask yourself, what exactly or even generally are you sending there?
Well, to begin with, someone who signed a Grover Norquist pledge not
to raise taxes and will protect the well-off certainly from losing the
unfair advantage that they got from W. Someone who has gotten well into
bed with the neocons, that will pretty much guarantee a hawkish foreign
policy the next four years, and it will mean more war in all fronts, more
brinkmanship, more foreign policy pushiness. And with it, more chances for
trouble, real trouble perhaps and certainly more enemies.
Someone who has forged ties with the religious right. We heard from
Congressman Paul Ryan pretty much what that means. It means taking any
chance that comes along to fill the Supreme Court with judges that will
dump Roe v. Wade. It will mean the end of health care, for sure, that
Obama has brought us and all the good things that came with it.
Or, and let`s be fair, it will mean whatever combination of all this
that Mitt decides on after the election. It will certainly mean a lot of
what he`s promised, including his commitment to being severely
And if that`s not enough to scare you, you must not be part of the 47
And that`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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Since 2005 our online communities have been home to everyone from those looking to dip their toes in the world of Sonos for the first time to our most hardcore fans. We learn from the hundreds of ideas, questions, and experiences that are shared with us every day.
We've also learned how we can make an even better online resource for all you and are excited to share the recently launched, new Sonos Community.
Replacing forums.sonos.com and ask.sonos.com, all the conversations are now in one place, and it has never been easier to browse, join, and contribute. Over time we're going to be adding more languages, forums for our beta programs, and much more.
From today we're also going to close the comments on our blog articles. We will continue sharing our latest news with you here, and would love to see your comments and questions on the new Sonos Community.
We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed over the years, especially our volunteer moderators on forums.sonos.com and 'Champions' on ask.sonos.com.
Come and join us!
The Sonos Community in English: https://en.community.sonos.com
The Sonos Community in German: https://de.community.sonos.com


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The U-value describes the heat loss per sq. metre in relation to the temperature difference between the interior and exterior.
The U-value or transmission coefficient [W/m2K] is used in connection with the calculation of thermal energy. It is used when calculating the heat loss or gain within buildings and technical installations, as well as when calculating the dew point within a construction.
Heat loss per unit area
The U-value of a building element, insulation or other construction is the relationship between the heat flux density and difference between the temperatures of the interior and exterior of the construction. Therefore, the U-value describes heat loss per unit area in relation to the temperature difference of a construction.
A low U-value is indicative of a small amount of thermal energy transfer through the construction.


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Nautical rope bracelet for kids with a silver hook and the rope in ocean blue.
The hook and rope is slightly smaller than in the adult bracelet, to be worn also by adults who wish to wear a more delicate version of our original design.
Each piece is engraved with YOU, ME & THE SEA and comes packaged in our unique tin with instructions on how to wear the bracelet.
Unisex, one size and with adjustable straps. Handmade in Spain.


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Courtesy of GoGriffs.com
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Canisius College head men's basketball coach Jim Baron has been named one of 21 finalists for the 2013 Hugh Durham Award, which is given annually byCollegeInsider.com to the nation's top-mid-major head coach.
The award, which will be presented at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet in Atlanta during the 2013 NCAA Final Four, is named to honor Hugh Durham, who retired from coaching after the 2004-05 season. Durham is one of 12 head coaches to lead two different programs to the Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983), and he is the only coach in that group to hold the distinction of having led both programs to their lone Final Four appearance.
In his first season as the Golden Griffins' head coach, Baron has helped lead the Blue and Gold to an 18-13 overall record and an 11-7 mark in MAAC play. The 18 wins stand as the most victories for Canisius since 2000-01 and the 11 conference wins are the most for the program since 1998-99. Baron's 18 wins this season are the most for a Canisius coach in his first year with the program since Earl Brown won 18 games in 1946-47, and the team's 13-win improvement over last season marks the largest single-season turnaround in program history. Baron won his 400th career game at the Division I level Jan. 17, when the Griffs defeated Manhattan at home. Among all MAAC head coaches (current or former), Baron is just the fifth head coach to win 400 career games at the Division I level for his career.
A four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honoree, Baron is in his 26th season as a Division I head coach, with previous stops at St. Francis (Pa.), St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island. He was named the 23rd head coach in Canisius program history April 2, 2012. A 1977 graduate of St. Bonaventure, Baron has compiled eight 20-win seasons while guiding his teams to a total of 12 postseason appearances, including the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and two NCAA Tournaments.


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In dark pools in Mexican caves, the blind cavefish survives just fine without eyesight, finding food in an environment of low productivity, swimming without bumping into the sides of the rock walls.
A team of University of Maryland researchers has recently found an important clue into how blindness might have evolved in these fish over the past 10,000 years. As reported in the Oct. 14 edition of the journal Nature, two genes with cartoon-like names–sonic hedgehog (shh) and tiggy winkle hedgehog (twhh) — appear to play a major role in eye degeneration in the blind cavefish.
William Jeffery, University of Maryland biology professor, and Yoshiyuki Yamamoto, until recently a post-doctoral student at the University of Maryland, along with David W. Stock, of the University of Colorado, found that the hedgehog genes are key to the blind fish's failure to develop sight in its embryonic stages. The findings also may have implications for learning more about some forms of human eyesight loss.
Blind Cavefish
The blind cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, is the sightless form of another fish of the same species that lives in fresh water and has normal eyesight. The blind cavefish, which evolved from this sighted ancestor, has taken on a number of traits brought on by living in total darkness. It doesn't have eyes, its lack of pigmentation makes it ghostly white instead of silver, and it has a larger jaw and more teeth and tastebuds than the sighted form.
The blind cavefish is a good species for studying evolution, said William Jeffery. "The sighted and blind forms of Astyanax are one of the only animals in which the evolution of development can be studied directly by comparing a living animal with its ancestral type."
To study how genes affect eyesight development in the blind cavefish's embryonic stages, the Maryland researchers zeroed in on the shh and twhh genes.
"We focused on the hedgehog genes because we suspected from previous studies that they had roles in inhibiting eye development,"Jeffery said.
"We know that loss of shh function in humans expands eye development, resulting in a single large eye in the middle of the forehead. Actually, the Cyclops in The Odyssey was probably not a product of Homer's imagination. Therefore, we reasoned that increased shh could do the opposite in cavefish, that is, function as an inhibitor of eye development."
Sonic Hedgehog Isn't Just a Video Game
The researchers found that blind cavefish have a larger than normal activity of sonic and tiggy winkle hedgehog genes in the area of the embryo where the eye is formed. The hedgehog genes activate a protein-signaling pathway that eventually causes cell death in the developing lens of the eye. The lens is critical for overall eye growth and development. Without it, the cavefish eye stops growing and degenerates.
To test the effects of that extra dose of shh and twhh, the scientists injected messenger RNA from the shh gene into one side of a sighted fish embryo. The messenger RNA directed the production of extra shh protein, which increased the dose of the hedgehog gene in that embryo.
They saw immediate effects on eye development. In 78 per cent of the normally sighted fish, eye development was arrested in the embryonic stage. Adults that developed from these embryos were missing an eye on the injected side.
They also transplanted lenses from the shh-injected fish embryo into a sighted fish embryo, to test whether the lens had been altered. A little more than a third of those embryos had arrested development in the eye region, showing that the lens was the target of increased shh activity.
In a third experiment, they looked at the effects of reducing the hedgehog gene activity. Cavefish embryos were treated with cyclopamine, an inhibitor of the hedgehog-signaling pathway. These embryos showed a partial restoration of eye development.
Seeing Results
Understanding the benefits of enhanced hedgehog genes could provide key insights into the mechanisms controlling the evolution of blind cavefish.
"Other studies have shown that only a few genes (4-6) control the loss of eye development in cavefish, although the identity of these genes remained a mystery," said Jeffery. "Our results suggest that two of the critical genes may be shhand twhh. However, we have not excluded the possibility that related genes, which are turned on earlier in the embryo and regulate the two hedgehog genes, may harbor the actual mutations.
"Eye regression in cave animals has been attributed to loss-of-function mutations in eye genes, which may accumulate without penalty under conditions of relaxed selection for eyesight. It also could be that eye regression could be driven by natural selection for adaptive traits," Jeffery said.
Jeffrey says the findings also could have implications for understanding some types of loss of eyesight in humans. "The results could explain a human anomaly called hypertelorism, in which eyes develop much further apart in the head than normal, and eyesight is affected. Perhaps this disease, like loss of cavefish eyesight, can be attributed to increased activity of hedgehog genes. If so, then cavefish have taken advantage of a genetic pathway that is normally destructive to eyesight in humans."
Seeing into the Future
The University of Maryland researchers are now looking at the beneficial functions of increased hedgehog signaling, which could lead to the first comprehensive understanding of how and why many cave animals have lost their eyesight.
"Excellent candidates are the very things that have evolved to help cavefish find food and navigate — large jaws, more teeth and taste buds, and sensory organs that detect the presence of rock walls," said Jeffery.
The Jeffery Laboratory at the University of Maryland harbors the largest blind cavefish colony in the world. Research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Source: University Of Maryland. October 2004.


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Pease Greeters welcome soldiers home for the holidays
Pease Greeters welcomed home soldiers from Afghanistan on Christmas Eve.
Each time troops head home and stop in the Granite State, Pease Greeters are there with a welcome handshake and smile. The Greeters started doing this in 2005.
"The general public, the businesses in the area, the Veteran's Association. It's all of them. They are all represented here," member George Davidson said.
For Belle Leighton of Dover, her father will be deployed to Afghanistan in February.
"My dad thought it would be a very nice experience for me to come and see this. I came here last night and it was wonderful. I loved it," Leighton said.
The anticipation from Greeters fills the halls as they wait patiently to surprise the soldiers who are from all over the country.
"They have no idea. Unless they've been through here before. But what we found is those that have been through here before, they don't say a word to the rest of the troops," Davidson said. "So that they get the same reaction that they got when they first came through."


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Campus Safety
The personal safety and security of each student, faculty, and staff member is both an individual and community concern. While the university strives to provide a campus environment free of undue risks to persons and property, it is each person's responsibility to pay attention to his or her surroundings, to avoid hazardous situations, and to exercise his or her own best judgment to maintain personal safety and well-being. In addition, each member of the community must call attention to conditions or situations that threaten the safety and security of others by contacting the Lawrence safety department, 920-832-6999.
Campus safety officers carry cell phones and pagers. They patrol the campus 24 hours a day and will respond to requests placed by dialing 920-832-6999. Although their chief functions are to assist members of the community on campus and to maintain the security of university facilities, they also act as the "eyes of the campus," noting safety concerns and unusual situations in daily reports for follow-up by university personnel. They can also contact the Appleton police department and will work cooperatively with local authorities should the need arise.


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Book Direct with the Owner at St Lucia Australia Vacation Accommodation QLD Agent in St Lucia, for all your holiday and travel needs.
Address: 4 Wellness Way, Springfield Central QLD 4300
Address: 55 Railway Terrace, Milton QLD 4064
Address: 60 Park Road, Milton QLD 4064
Address: 28-32 Morrow St, Taringa QLD 4068
Address: 81 Simpsons Road Unit 3, Bardon QLD 4065
Address: 5 Chasely Street, Auchenflower QLD 4066
copyright © 2020 Accommodation QLD. All rights reserved.


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"You told us you were engaged. You were skipping around with that WASPy guy, calling him 'my future husband.' The two of you were all over each other. We couldn't figure out what had gotten into you, Peggy." - Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton
I learn something every day. Take the word WASP for instance. I see the word WASP and think of a flying insect that stings. Apparently, it has another meaning, one I may have learned in school but didn't remember -- White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, i.e. a member of the dominant and the most privileged class of people in the United States. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) Where have I been, you ask? Trying to remove wasp's nests from my children's playcenter, that's where, unconcerned with the ways of the elite. But, I enjoyed reading about some fictional WASP antics in Mating Rituals of the North American WASP, a new adult fiction book written by Lauren Lipton.
Disgruntled because Brock, her boyfriend of seven years hasn't proposed, Peggy throws caution to the wind and gets a little wild during a girls' weekend in Vegas. Back home in New York, she learns just how wild. In her drunken bliss she married a complete stranger, Luke Sedgwick, a WASP from New Nineveh, Connecticut. She leaves her ACME cleaning supply business for a day and drives to New Nineveh seeking an annulment. But then she meets Luke's great-aunt Abigail and receives an unusual offer...if she remains married to Luke for an entire year, she will inherit half of the Sedgwick mansion. Desperate to save her own floundering business, she accepts and, as part of the deal, spends each weekend in New Nineveh where she learns the ways of the WASPs.
A romance, a fairy tale, small town niceties and big city glitz. This is the perfect women's fiction fare! Every so often, especially during the summer, it is nice to pick up a chick lit book. I read Mating Rituals of the North American WASP from cover to cover in one sitting and enjoyed escaping into its fantasy. For those that may be concerned about such things, the romantic parts don't get very steamy at all. I particularly liked the proud and head-strong 90-year-old Great-aunt Abigail. Her character made me laugh with her meddling ways. I also loved the sonnets and verse by Lee Slonimsky sprinkled through-out the book, especially the "Widow in the Woods." Lipton raises social concerns in her book by writing about the effects of big-box retailers on America's small towns and businesses. The exact same thing is happening in our area so I can completely identify with this part of the plot. A delightful, light read.
Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton. 5 Spot (May 2009); 368 pages; ISBN 9780446197977
Related Links:
Lauren Lipton - Author Website
New York Times profile on Lauren Lipton
Book Excerpt
Win a copy! This review is part of a book blog tour, and Hachette Book Group has kindly offered to giveaway (3) copies of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP to 3 Brimful Curiosities readers. Perfect for summer reading. 3 COPIES!
To enter, leave a WASPy sounding comment. Or any comment relevant to this post. Thanks!
• For contact purposes, if you are a non-blogger or your email is not accessible in your blog profile, please leave a valid email address within the comment section.Three ways to gain extra entries (Maximum total entries is 4):
• Contest is open to US only
• Contest ends on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winner will be chosen at random
1st extra entry: Follow Me! or subscribe by email or RSS reader
2nd extra entry: Blog about this contest then post your link in the comment section.
3rd extra entry: Follow me on twitter (iambrimful) and tweet about the contest.


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Topic: Feature Request - Restriction on domain Admins
Following feature would be wonderful to have on iRedAdmin panel.
We sell mailboxes based on its size. For example, someone buys 10 mailboxes with 1GB size and 100 mailboxes with 100MB size within the same domain. We create a domain admin and give the control panel access to the customer.
Currently, domain administrator can increase the mailbox size to higher size.
We (global admin) want to restrict domain admins to be able to create only 10 mailboxes with 1GB and 100 Mailboxes with 100MB.
When customer buy additional 10 mailboxes with 1GB, gloabl administrator can change it and subsequently domain admin can create upto 20 mailboxes with 1 GB.


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June 10, 2014
Book Review - The Outline of Love by Morgan McCarthy
Persephone was raised by her father in the isolated Highlands of Scotland after her mother died when she was very young. This story begins with her leaving for London and university. The mountain landscape of her childhood appears impervious to human interaction and she is hoping to find a place where she feels connected to other people. She is drawn into the orbit of Leo Ford, ex-rock star and luminary author with a reputation for being a recluse and a disdain for the normal trappings of celebrity. She links up with him but is never quite sure how he feels. The writing here is beautiful and startling with metaphors like describing club bouncers as large fat elephant seals in their tired suits and with their ponderous power. I'm not sure that I liked anyone in this book, including the city of London which is a palpable presence, but I did like the writing of it, the feeling of it and its unexpected moments of grace and truth. Perhaps, Persephone's struggles to know herself are too reminiscent of my own youth? Wendy
Posted by Camden Council Library Service at Tuesday, June 10, 2014
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Last night was like Christmas Eve. I fidgeted all evening like a 5-year-old waiting for Santa, watching the clock move slowly to bedtime. I don't usually wish time away, but I couldn't wait to wake up, work out, shower, and drive to Shadyside to meet my friend Debbie at church, a place I'd not been to in years (church in general, that is). And like an extra cherry on a sundae, after church I was meeting another friend in the Strip District for lunch, a friend I haven't seen in three years. A friend I met 20 years ago when neither of us knew the sorrowful bond that would forever unite us in the Grief Club. More on that later.
I haven't set an alarm in more than 10 years. If I want to get up at a certain time, I tell myself before I go to bed, "Wake up at ___" and I do. I've done this with 100 percent accuracy all these years. Today I woke up at 5:30. I laid wrapped around my body pillow thinking of all the possibilities today held. I'd take communion for the first time in eight years. How would it feel? What would I pray? When I was a regular church goer, especially at my childhood church, I would stay an extra minute at the altar, kneeling, and praying in such synchronicity with God it was like the only time the world made any real sense to me.
I took communion in other non-Lutheran churches where the host and wine were passed around to us in the pews. There was no invitation to the "table" and I'd get distracted by the proper disposal of the little plastic cup rather than sink into prayer the way I did at the altar. (This is not in any way, shape or form a criticism of alternate forms of communion. I believe these kinds of "rituals" that we are introduced to in childhood become what we prefer, and so if those of you who take communion seated in a pew were asked to walk to the altar, I can imagine that would feel kind of weird and disconcerting. Just saying.)
At 6:00, I reached over and opened the top drawer of my nightstand and dug out my iPod. I wanted to listen to Tara Brach's weekly Buddhist teaching – my "church" the last four years. She talked about right speech and how if we really pay attention to the words we speak and the intention from which they are derived, how revolutionary the changes would be in how we relate to each other. I thought about God and my lack of communication with God via the traditional mode of prayer and what God might think when I stepped up to the altar later and took the host and the wine.
But first, I had to work out (another form of church for me). I rolled out of bed and immediately put on my workout clothes, a habit I'd gotten out of the last several months. When I have my spandex and t-shirt on, it's like I'm obligated to work out. If I sit around in my PJs first, I make all kinds of ridiculous excuses not to work out. Like the 2-minute transformation from pajamas to workout clothes is a mental climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
I had a little breakfast (a protein pancake ala Joy Bauer, only cut by 1/3) and some leftover steamed broccoli. I did the dishes and then crawled back in bed to read "Eat Pray Love." (Am I the only woman who hasn't read this yet?) When the food settled, I went into my spare room, which is equipped with everything a guest needs: a bed, a recumbent bike, bench, weights, and a Duplo Lego set, small bongo drum, tambourine, recorder, color crayons, color books, a Dora the Explorer pop-up book, and a stuffed giraffe.
The workout was great. I sweat. I caught up on my Health magazine reading (I'm up to September). I jumped in the shower; got all clean. Dried off, put product in my hair, put on my makeup, then reached under the sink for the blow dryer and my brush. Only there wasn't a brush. I'd left it at BF's.
'Oh crap.'
I was going to a church I'd never been to, meeting people for the first time, then seeing a friend I hadn't seen in years…and I had no brush to tame my curly hair? Temporary panic.
Then I felt something I hadn't felt in…ever. I didn't care. It didn't matter. It was just hair. I'd deal with it. Perfectly quaffed hair wasn't what I was about today. (In fact, it doesn't need to be what I'm about any day, but that's another blog.) I was meeting friends, meeting new people, taking communion, talking to God. What did hair have to do with any of it?
I dried it, straightened it as best I could, threw on some hairspray and looked at myself in the mirror. "Meh…it is what it is." That's what my daughter Cassie would say. She's a much older soul than me. I threw on a dress, some tights and a pair of boots, grabbed my purse and walked out the door, feeling that same Christmas Eve anticipation.
The church – St. Andrew's Lutheran – is a place Debbie had been to a few times and liked very much. The fact that it was Lutheran (the tradition in which I grew up) was a big bonus. Both pastors (both female) saw us sitting in the almost back row (that's what Lutherans do) and introduced themselves. Very welcoming.
I was surprised how quickly I recalled the words and the melodies of the liturgy. We even sang "Crown Him With Many Crowns," a hymn I could sing in my sleep, familiar like a Beatles' song. And when I went up for communion, it was like sitting for a moment in my childhood bedroom, surrounded by sacred things. I prayed a lot in that room. Some happy prayers, some not so happy. Today's was a thankful prayer; thankful that I was there even though I was unsure what to pray. I suspect I'll figure it out in the coming weeks and months. I like St. Andrew's very much.
After the service, I drove to the Strip to meet my friend Ed. I'd parked on Smallman, which meant I had to pay $5, which I'd forgotten I'd given to St. Andrew's.
Called Ed.
"Hey, I'm here! Where are you?"
"I'm on 18th."
"Um…I only have $2 and they want $5 for parking. Can you come find me? I'm near the church." I knew he'd know what church.
"Sure! I'll be there in a few."
I made small talk with the parking attendant. A nice kid, maybe 19 years old. Hell bent on his $3, though. Can't blame him.
A minute later, I saw Ed across the street, waiting for traffic to clear, and it was like I'd just seen him yesterday.
"Hey!" we said in unison. He kissed me on the cheek and asked how I was before pulling out his wallet. What a gent.
We talked non-stop to Primanti's, which is NOT a diet/nutrition-friendly place. But when Ed comes to da'burgh, he needs a cheese sandwich piled high with coleslaw and French fries between white bread. Oh wait, they do add a slice of tomato to every sandwich…LOL. I confess I ordered a cheese sandwich, too, sans the coleslaw and fries, with an egg on it. I ate half and it was good, especially dipped in Dijon mustard. Hey, I worked out and I'm human! *grin*
He drank an IC and I drank iced tea and we talked every second. We walked down Penn Ave and I bought roasted edamame at the Macaroni Company. I hesitated buying the one remaining lavish in the Mediterranean market, but strolling the store I decided to buy it, just as a woman dressed in skinny jeans and boots and hanging on to the arm of what I assume was her preppy husband grabbed it and I felt like I'd been rescued from a refined white flour coma.
"Oh no!" said Ed.
"Believe me, it's for the better," I told him.
We wandered into a bar and had a few drinks and talked like only we can. Ed's wife died 15 years ago this week; a woman I am so blessed to have called my friend. Ed and I have long wandered in a trench of grief, all the while reconciling it with our "normal" lives. He gets me. I get him. We are both happy, well-adjusted individuals, but underneath the surface is a commitment to love that we can't let go of. When someone dies, the love that brought you together doesn't die. It's not like divorce. The contract remains in place. Whether it's a child, a parent, a friend or a spouse. The contract we make with that person from the time we meet is permanent. There are no outs. Not even death can separate the love. But we live with it. We integrate it into our lives.
Ed and I said goodbye a few hours later. He was traveling to the place his wife died to honor and salute her on Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m., the time of her death. I left, filled with the strength of my late husband's love, and drove home feeling so blessed (yes, blessed) by the presence of God in so many forms: Debbie, the church, the Eucharist, Ed, our conversation, and the recognition that I am not alone, even when I feel most alone.
Love is…all around me. And my wish is that it surrounds you, too, this Thanksgiving week.


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India slips from top to 8th spot in business optimism
India has slipped to the eighth rank from the top spot in terms of business optimism, with 69 of the corporates having a positive outlook on the economy and growth of operations in 2014, says a survey.business Updated: Jan 10, 2014 14:21 IST
India has slipped to the eighth rank from the top spot in terms of business optimism, with 69 of the corporates having a positive outlook on the economy and growth of operations in 2014, says a survey.
India has ranked eighth in the list which was topped by United Arab Emirates and Philippines, where 90 of businesses said they are optimistic about growth and the economy, followed by Peru at 84, according to Grant Thornton's International Business Report (IBR).
"India has slipped from topping the optimism charts in the IBR for five consecutive years to now falling to no 8 on the global tables," Grant Thornton India LLP National Managing Partner Vishesh Chandiok said.
IBR is a survey of both listed and privately held businesses. The data was drawn from interviews with 3,500 senior executives across industry sectors and was conducted between November and December 2013.
With strong sentiment for change in the recent state elections and decisive actions by the RBI/government in last few months, it's easy to see how medium to large businesses in India are more optimistic about the outlook for the economy in the coming months, Chandiok added.
"Whilst there is risk in expecting too much too soon from the current regime or any new regime, I certainly expect a dramatic turn in sentiment towards positivity from Q2 FY14-15," he said.
Moreover, the appointment of Raghuram Rajan as the governor of Reserve Bank of India seems to have steadied the economy and provided the much-needed confidence to Indian businesses, the report said.
According to the report, 90 of Indian businesses believe their revenues would rise in 2014 while 76 are most optimistic for increasing profitability this year. Around 35 of businesses are also hoping to witness a jump in exports.
Research and Development (R&D) initiatives are also likely to get a boost this year with 46 businesses betting big on R&D. About 65 businesses foresee a rise in employment in 2014.
"Despite optimism on several fronts, Indian businesses still feel the pinch with respect to low availability of finance," the report said, adding that 52 of companies believe shortage of finance is likely to hurt their business and derail their growth plans in 2014.
Other constraining factors include rising energy costs, regulations/red tape and lack of skilled workers.


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Calacatta Marble from Italy is one of the most famous marbles in the world and is carefully replicated in this beautiful porcelain tile. Subtle veining combined with a high gloss finish creates a stunning effect.
This sophisticated and luxurious porcelain, captures the effect of Italian marble with its crisp, clean, rectified edges, which are ideal for creating a stunning, continuous effect.
Product featured is the Calacatta White Italian Porcelain tile.
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About me...
I have been a singer songwriter for many years and since gaining a Diploma in Music for the Media, I've been concentrating more on music for film, television, gaming and video.
Having a fully equipped studio and an ever increasing collection of real and computer generated instruments, I'm ready to tackle any style of music.
I have done many bespoke projects and I'm credited on IMDB as a composer.
Calling all VideoHive Artists!
Feel free to use any of my tracks, just let me know and I'll add a link to your project, below.


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In conjunction with the Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the Seamen's Church Institute has developed a multi-year project exploring the clinical assessment and treatment of piracy attack survivors. SCI's study of the impact of piracy on seafarers and their families is the first of its kind in the maritime industry.
SCI's program seeks to identify unique stressors of piracy hostage situations, along with immediate and ongoing medical evaluation strategies for crewmembers and their families. Study outcomes include plans for clinically assessing seafarers after piracy incidents, assisting families during prolonged piracy episodes, and triaging short- and long-term mental health treatment.
The success of SCI's study depends on information gathered from the maritime industry. All responses held in the strictest confidence.
To contact SCI's Clinical Researcher, Dr. Michael Stuart Garfinkle,
telephone: +1 212-349-9090
email: [email protected]
Skype: drgarfinkle
or write the Center for Seafarers' Rights at
The Seamen's Church Institute
118 Export Street
Port Newark, NJ 07114
For general Piracy Study inquiries, email [email protected]