text:
It is almost perverse how much I crave a good xiaolongbao. There are few moments more highly anticipated than seeing my order slowing coming from the kitchen to my table, in a stack of steaming baskets. The dumplings are all beautifully pleated at first, enticing but prim. But when picked up by chopsticks, they become so bulging with savory broth, held back by so thin of a wrapper, that they are begging for you to unleash their juicy insides.
That said, there are few things more frustrating than xiaolongbao that don't satisfy.
If I were in Taipei there is no question that I would make a beeline to is the flagship Din Tai Fung, hailed by many afficionados as the xiaolongbao mecca. But since I'm in Shanghai, I decided to try out the Din Tai Fung at Xintiandi, expecting it to be at least as good as Beijing's Shin Kong Place branch. This is, after all, the city that claims xiaolongbao as a native dish.
Maybe it was the décor that put us off at first. In contrast to the Beijing branch's highback chairs and muted walls, this branch had worn-looking booths and walls covered with drawings of Chinese celebrities. (I like Stephen Chow, but not as a two-meter tall caricature.) I somewhat see the artsy effect the designers were going for, but the dining room ended up resembling a Hong Kong diner where you go to get congee at 3 a.m. after a night of clubbing. Then, there were the waitresses coming by every 2 minutes advertising some new special, a move more fit for touristy retaurants. In short, not the setting for a somewhat pricey and elegant Chinese meal.
Now, a few months ago I had gone to Jiajia Tangbao and eaten some pork and crab xiaolongbao in which the filling still had bits of crab shell. I was not happy, but I had also only paid 20 RMB. I expected better, much better, from Din Tai Fung. I was already disappointed by the thicker-than-expected skin, but then Jacob started finding bits of shell as big as a fingernail. Whereas the shell pieces at JJTB were rather tiny and could have been overlooked by the person picking over the crab meat, this time it seemed like nobody bothered to pick over the meat at all.
Of course, this is just one trip, and the restaurant may have had an off-night in the crab department. The service was still good, if a bit overly fawning at times. I did enjoy our mini dumplings, which the restaurant calls xiaolong tangbao. They're about half the size of the regular xiaolongbao, and had pleats on the underside. They have a bit of broth inside but also come with a side of soup. All pork, much thinner skinned, and better than the regular xiaolongbao. The spoonful of soup, a bit of ginger, and a mouthful of baby tangbao saved the meal from being too disappointing.
And my gift for filling out the customer satisfaction survey, a keychain with an even tinier xiaolongbao.
Din Tai Fung Xintiandi 123 Xingye Lu, near Huangpi Nanlu Shanghai


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Every Celebration Home is comfortable and versatile with furniture friendly designs to make the most of the space. We include those little extras like tiled splashbacks and Westinghouse appliances so that your home is liveable from the moment you move in. We even cater to first home buyers! As an experienced team of award-winning builders in WA, we're committed to turning your dream home into a reality. And, best of all, our homes can be built in as little as 24 weeks*, making us the leaders in construction timeframes for Perth home builders.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Ritual Committee
The Ritual Committee is responsible for meeting with the Rabbi and Cantor regarding the weekly Erev Shabbat, Shabbat and holiday services, including the supervision of aliyahs and honors. In addition to holding monthly Shabbat services at the Jewish Home for Assisted Living in River Vale, we also plan several holiday celebrations and themed Erev Shabbat services throughout the year. The Ritual Committee is also responsible for organizing the youth services during the High Holidays in conjunction with the Education Committee.
Interfaith Discussion and Shared Visions 4-28-19
Apr 28, 2019
Chanukah 2018 events
Dec 08, 2018


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Chance to see rare blue moon this Friday
Stargazers are set to see a rare blue moon phenomenon this Friday in the skies over East Anglia.
The sight being so rare, the phrase 'once in a blue moon' was coined because of it.
But rather than the moon actually changing colour, a blue moon refers to when two full moons appear in the same calendar month.
The first full moon was spotted on July 1 and the second will appear on the last day of the month – Friday, July 31.
timeanddate.com on blue moons: "A Moon that actually looks blue, however, is a very rare sight. The Moon, full or any other phase, can appear blue when the atmosphere is filled with dust or smoke particles of a certain size.
"Eruptions like on Mount Krakatoa, Indonesia (1883), Mount St. Helens (1980) and Mount Pinatubo (1991) are all known to have caused blue moons."
This appearance is the first such occurrence in three years since the last blue moon month in August 2012, the next will not be until 2018.
Astronomers predict it will only happen on 12 occasions between now and 2043.
Friday's weather is set to be SOUTH COAST: mostly clear with just a few clouds around, MIDLANDS: partly cloudy, so there is a good chance of getting a good view of the phenomenon.
If you miss this Friday's blue moon, here are your next opportunities:
31 January 2018
31 March 2018
31 October 2020
31 August 2023
31 May 2026
31 December 2028
30 September 2031
31 July 2034
31 January 2037
31 March 2037
31 October 2039
31 August 2042
More about blue moons at timeanddate.com.


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Hannity promoted text-message poll calling McCain debate winner, but viewers were allowed to vote just minutes into debate
Following the first presidential debate, Sean Hannity promoted the results of a Fox News text-message poll that found that Sen. John McCain won the debate, but did not mention that viewers were allowed to begin voting for "who [they] thought won" just 10 minutes into the debate.
Following the first presidential debate, on the September 26 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity promoted the results of a Fox News text-message poll that found that Sen. John McCain won the debate, but did not mention that viewers were allowed to begin voting just minutes into the debate. Hannity announced, "[W]e have gotten around 50,000 text votes so far. Eighty-two percent are correct: They say John McCain won." But during Fox News' broadcast of the presidential debate, an on-screen graphic invited viewers to vote on "who [they] thought won" the debate as early as 9:12 p.m. ET, 10 minutes after the candidates began responding to the moderator's questions.
Further, Hannity had previously dismissed text-message polling -- which is non-scientific and produces no reliable results -- as "just a lot of fun" when the results were favorable to former Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (TX). After a Fox text-message poll put Paul in first place following the October 21, 2007, Republican presidential primary debate, Hannity said to Paul during an interview, "Oh, this poll is -- you've got all your supporters calling." Paul responded: "What, you mean your own poll isn't any good?" Hannity then said: "No, it's just a lot of fun."
From the September 26 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: And welcome to Hannity & Colmes. We are coming to you live tonight. We are in the spin room at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, home of the Rebels and tonight's first presidential debate. And remember, by the way, we want to know what you think and who you think won the debate. You can text your vote to 36288-A -- that's 36288, "A" for John McCain, and "B" for Barack Obama, and "C" if you're undecided. We're going to reveal the results in about 10 minutes from right now, right here on Hannity & Colmes. But up first tonight with reaction is former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
HANNITY: That was the scene at Ole Miss University -- that was earlier tonight. And now, by the way, here with the results of our "You Vote" text voting -- now, we asked you to tell us who you thought won tonight's debate, and as of right now, we have gotten around 50,000 text votes so far. Eighty-two percent are correct: They say John McCain won. Sixteen percent say that Barack Obama is the winner. And only one -- what do you think of the results?
AUDIENCE: [cheering]
HANNITY: -- and only 1 percent remain undecided. Now, remember, if you've not had the time to vote, you have until midnight Eastern Time to text your vote right here to FNCTV. And remember, there's still time to vote, and if you haven't done so yet, you have until midnight Eastern to text your vote over to FNCTV. Joining us now with more reaction is the great governor of the great state of Mississippi and the host of tonight's debate and Senator McCain supporter, Haley Barbour. How are you?
From Fox News' Hannity & Colmes post-debate coverage of the Republican presidential debate on October 21, 2007:
COLMES: We're now joined by Ron Paul. Why do you keep leading us in text voting? What do you think is going on there?
PAUL: Well, I wished I knew. Anyway, the message must be great. The American people are agreeing with this. I think they're just tired of the war, they're tired of big-spending Republicans, and they like their personal liberties, so -
COLMES: Now, in front of the Republican crowd, though, you got a few boos tonight, especially when you said America wants the war over and wants the troops home. That didn't get an applause from the Republicans you need in order to get the nomination.
PAUL: Yeah, I know, but this is a very narrow -- we didn't get a thousand tickets, you know. If I had had two thousand tickets, I could have filled that auditorium. So, you know, you have to look at the audience. The big audience is your listeners out there, and evidently, Fox has a good listening audience. I mean, they're responding very favorably.
COLMES: We do very well in the ratings.
PAUL: Yeah. They're doing very good. I like this audience.
COLMES: But how does an anti-war Republican win the nomination?
HANNITY: So if you don't win this nomination, you vote libertarian?
PAUL: Well, it depends on who's running, on what policy, there may -- who knows? There's talk of a third party -
HANNITY: Could you support Rudy? Fred? Mitt?
PAUL: Well, you know, I think they're softening their tone. They're not nearly as militant as they were a few months ago.
HANNITY: But you think you've Ron Paul-ized them? Or Hannitized them?
PAUL: Well, they have to listen to these polls, don't they?
HANNITY: Oh, this poll is -- you've got all your supporters calling -
PAUL: What, you mean your own poll isn't any good?
HANNITY: No, it's just a lot of fun.
PAUL: Oh, this is a great audience. This Fox network is just great.
HANNITY: Yeah, when you win it's a great audience. All right, good to see you. Thank you, Congressman, appreciate it.
PAUL: All right.


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From being handed Maundy money to attending garden parties, receiving honours and lining the streets to give Her Majesty a royal welcome to the county, people across West Yorkshire have been moved by the Queen in the 63 years she has reigned.
Her Majesty celebrated becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history on Wednesday.
Joyce Bellamy of Ackworth, Pontefract, was among the thousands of people who lined Whitehall in London, to get a glimpse of the Queen as she arrived and left her coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
She and future husband Gordon Bellamy queued from 8pm the previous night and waited more than 12 hours for the Queen to pass by at 11am that morning.
Mrs Bellamy, then 23, said: "We just caught a glimpse of the procession as she went in to the Abbey and she came very close to us as she came out.
"She turned her head and looked straight at me. It was very patriotic. We were all waving flags."
"It was very exciting. There was lots of very jolly people. Everyone was singing and cheering."
Sheila Dilley, from Lupset, also visited London to watch the coronation.
Her parents took her and her sister Christine on a surprise visit to London.
She said: "We were so very excited.
"We arrived in London and made our way up to The Mall and settled in with a bird's eye view right at the front of the crowds.
"When the golden coach came along everyone was shouting with excitement and my dad had bought us a periscope so we could turn it around to see all that was going off. We were two very lucky little girls and to this day I still talk about it."
Sylvia Kendrew, of Airedale, remembers her mother Florence Hossack, receiving a package from the future Queen shortly after she married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947.
The princess sent food parcels to poor families, made up from her wedding gifts.
Mrs Kendrew, 79, said: "I have always remembered it because it made my mum so pleased. There was a pineapple in it and we didn't even know what it was."
Richard Sloan met the Queen when he was awarded an MBE for his services to medicine and healthcare in the county in 2011.
He said: "The Queen pinned the medal on me and she was lovely and am sure noticed my anxiety.
"We had all been taught how to address her (Your Majesty the first time but only after she speaks first and then "Ma'am" pronounced like jam.
"We had a lovely chat about my work as a GP trainer and the last thing she said to me was "I think GPs are very important."
Anne Jackson's late father James (Jim) Firth, of Stanley, painted the above picture of the Queen when she visited Wakefield to hand out Maundy money.
Ms Jackson said: "He painted it using a photograph of her in a magazine. I think it is a good likeness to Queen Elizabeth back in 2005. I wanted to share it as a remembrance and tribute to my Dad's love of painting as a hobby and past time during his retirement."
Halifax shop-owner Ovais Akhtar met her and the Duke of Edinburgh when they visited the town's Piece Hall in May 2004.
He took his two daughters, Saerah Akhtar, then nine, and Hannah Akhtar, then seven, to catch sight of the pair and was lucky enough to speak them.
Mr Akhtar, 48, who runs the newsagents on Union Street, said: "The Queen asked me if I lived locally and I told her I ran the newsagents.
"She then asked who was running it at the moment and I said that my wife Shabnam was and we had a little giggle.
"The Duke asked me a similar question when he walked past.
"To get a chance to see them was great but to actually speak to them was just amazing.
"We were just standing at the front of the crowd and we were lucky as The Queen approached us and spoke to me.
"It was a once in a lifetime experience and I will never forget it."
Calderdale councillor Geraldine Carter was the Mayor of Calderdale when Her Majesty visited Halifax in 2004.
She said: "The sun shone and the crowds came out. I have always said that it has been one of the major highlights of my life.
"Little did I think that not only would I meet the Queen but that I would be at her side for about an hour and have an opportunity for a very informal conversation."
Eight-eight-year-old Ron Goodall from Halifax was selected to become a Royal Marines crew member, when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a Commonwealth tour in 1953 to 1954.
He was picked to join 'royal yacht' S.S. Gothic in Australia and spent three months on board the ship as it sailed home through the Indian Ocean, calling at Aden and Tobruk.
He said: "It was one of the happiest times of my life.
"We were kept busy doing all sorts of tasks and worked very hard but we loved what we were doing."
Mr Goodall, who was in his late twenties at the time, added: "It just became normal to see the Queen and Duke. Everybody walked around the decks.
"They attended lots of functions for the royal party but they both seemed so ordinary."
Marjorie Wright, of Tingley, was one of the people taking part in the Queen's coronation day procession in London.
Mrs Wright, who was a physical training instructor with the RAF, based at Stafford, was selected to march in the parade with the RAF contingent.
She trained for six weeks for the special occasion and marched for nearly 14 miles on the day.
She said: "It was fantastic. There were millions watching. Everybody was waving flags and shouting. I felt very proud to have been selected."
Shortly after her coronation, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the area on October 28, 1954, as part of a tour of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Thousands lined the streets to see them.
They began their journey in Dewsbury, arriving at the town's railway station and making their way to the town hall.
There was a meat tea for the town's elderly poor and 135 children were given new boots, stockings and a hat.
The royals then visited Batley where they were greeted by the mayor, mayoress and town clerk.
They signed the visitors' book before inspecting a display of goods manufactured in the town.
They also visited Morley, where there was a celebratory military parade, and stopped at Morley Town Hall for coffee.
Sixty-one years later, bells will ring out across the area to celebrate The Queen's milestone.
On Sunday, the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers will be visiting St. John the Evangelist Church in Cleckheaton to 'ring a peal'.


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Platinum R&B/Urban Female Vocals _ Vol. 3
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The forester: Perkins would rather be outdoors
This particular June evening, Walter Perkins will be feasting on fresh cherries from his Crozet backyard. Given that he's a forester for MeadWestvaco, it should come as no surprise that he has his own mini-orchard.
His wife, Jo Ann, is in the kitchen pitting the cherries. She comes out to greet a visitor and warn that her husband isn't the talkative one in their marriage.
After 16 years on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Perkins has announced he won't seek another term. "I decided last year I wasn't going to run," he says. "I'm burnt out, and I have health problems."
He certainly won't miss BOS meetings or campaigning. While some politicians thrive on getting elected, "It was drudgery for me," Perkins says.
The best part of being a supe, he says, is being involved in the community and having some impact. The worst? "People demanding of your time and thinking you have the power to fix every little problem."
Jo Ann steps in from the kitchen to reminisce about when Perkins was first on the board and people called to complain about dogs, fences, and even marital problems. Now the calls are more about land use and growth issues.
Perkins wants to clear up one misperception. "I think anti-growthers probably think I'm in the pocket of developers. But there are rights that go with property. You have to look at the whole ball of wax and the comprehensive plan and where it fits in. Your vote should be based on the comprehensive plan and legal issues. Your vote shouldn't be based on whims."
There were times when Perkins, a fiscal conservative, was the only "nay" vote on a budget. And it was the budget and reassessments that generated the most calls from constituents.
The advantage to being a forester, says Perkins, is getting to be outdoors. And once out of public service and retired– he'll soon have 40 years with Westvaco, "and that's a long time," he observes– he wants to travel and manage some properties he owns. After all, "I'm a tree farmer," says Perkins.
Jo Ann chimes in that he found the largest pine tree in Virginia in Lousia, and that he's found rare sassafras trees.
She and Perkins met while he was in school at Virginia Tech, and 38 years of living in Crozet in the shadow of UVA hasn't affected his allegiance. Their three children went to Tech, and Perkins is still a Hokie all the way.
And for the record, he's a little disappointed with the ACC/Big East dust-up. "I think they should just leave things the way they are," he says.
Age: 61
What brought you here? Job
What's worst about living here? Attitude of some people.
Favorite hangout? My garden
Most overrated virtue? Can virtues be overrated?
What would people be surprised to know about you? I am a PK [preacher's kid].
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Better computer skills.
What accomplishment are you proudest of? 30 years of public service
What do people find most annoying about you? Not being vocal enough
Whom do you admire? Eisenhower and T. Roosevelt
Favorite book? Saint and Strangers by George F. Willison, a story about the Pilgrims. My ancestor came on the Mayflower.
What subject causes you to rant? Politics
What thrills you about life in the 21st century? Medical and scientific advances
What creeps you out about life in the 21st century? The cost of those advances
What do you drive? Pickup truck
What's in your car CD/tape player right now? No CD or tape player
What's your next journey? To follow the trail of Lewis and Clark
What's the most trouble you've ever gotten in? Caught by state police operating a motor vehicle without a license at age 14
What do you regret? Regrets, I had a few, but then again too few to mention
Favorite comfort food? Peanut butter and banana sandwich with mayo
What's always in your refrigerator? Ice cream
Must-see TV? History channel
Favorite cartoon? Roadrunner
Describe a perfect day. To be successful in my undertakings and to be happy every day
Walter Mitty fantasy? To own and operate a ranch in Montana
Who'd play you in the movie? Andy Griffith of Mayberry
Most embarrassing moment? Being an hour late for a BOS meeting
Best advice you ever got? Invest for the future: pay yourself.
Favorite bumper sticker? Re-elect Perkins


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Number one pick MacKinnon to 'have fun' in Colorado
Colorado Avalanche have insisted number one draft pick Nathan MacKinnon will not be under pressure to carry the team from day one, according to ESPN.
The 17-year-old was the first pick of the 2013 NHL draft on Sunday, landing with the Avalanche who placed last in the Western Conference last season.
But new head coach Patrick Roy revealed MacKinnon will not be placed under too much pressure, and will likely start alongside veterans on the third line.
"I want him to have fun," Roy told ESPN. "There's going to be enough pressure on him anyway. I know he's going to deal well with it. At the same time, it's important for him to feel comfortable.
"We need to give him time to adapt and just feel comfortable."
MacKinnon became the first player since boyhood hero Sidney Crosby to be selected number one overall from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League - and he's only the third 17-year-old taken first in the draft since 1988. The last before MacKinnon was Crosby in 2005.
The teenager was compared with the Pittsburgh Penguins star throughout his early teenage years, but the youngster actually sees himself as more similar to recent Stanley Cup winning captain Jonathan Toews.
"I realise that I wasn't going to be Sid and I am going to be a different player than him," said MacKinnon. "I wanted to create my own path. We're from the same area - if I wasn't from there those comparisons wouldn't be made.
The 6ft-2in starlet plays hard on both ends of the ice, and was hailed as a "difference maker" by Avalanche executive vice president of hockey operations Joe Sakic.
The Colorado team have not made the playoffs for the last three seasons, but insist they've done their homework on MacKinnon.News Now - Sport News


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We've been following the story of the Church's response to the assault perpetrated by the Obamacare regulation on "preventive care" with a religious exemption so narrow that will require most Catholic institutions to comply. In the new issue of the Weekly Standard Jonathan Last provides an excellent journalistic account of events leading up to the regulations.
As soon as Sebelius released th[e] decision [regarding the scope of the regulation], the Catholic church panicked. The Conference of Catholic Bishops reached out to the administration to explain the position in which it had put them. But the tone of their concern was largely friendly: Most Catholic leaders were convinced that the entire thing was a misunderstanding and that the policy—which was labeled an "interim" measure—would eventually be amended.
The reason for this optimism was that more than a few important Catholics had previously climbed out on a high branch for Obama politically, and for his health care reform as a matter of policy. Despite what you may read in the New York Times, most lay Catholics are nominally at home in the Democratic party. (Remember that a majority of Catholics voted for Obama in 2008.) And what is true of the laity goes double for those in religious life. In 2009, Notre Dame president Father John Jenkins welcomed President Obama as the school's commencement speaker in the face of a heated student protest. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops mostly kept its powder dry during the fight over Obamacare, and very few members of the church hierarchy actively, or even tacitly, opposed the bill. Others, such as Sister Carol Keehan, the president of the Catholic Health Association, actually lobbied in favor of it, early and often. So most Catholics took the president at his word when he met with Archbishop Timothy Dolan last fall and assured him that when the final version of the policy was eventually released, any fears would be allayed.
That was their mistake. Obama telephoned Dolan on the morning of January 20 to inform him that the only concession he intended to offer in the final policy was to extend the deadline for conformity to August 2013. Every other aspect of the policy enunciated by Sebelius would remain rigidly in place.
Jonathan also considers the timing of the effective date of the regulation:
The trick, of course, is that when Sebelius issued the final protocol, her lone concession was the one-year delay in implementation. Which, for Obama, has the happy side-effect of pushing the moment of enforcement to August 2013. Meaning that no legal challenge can come until after the 2012 election. Which suggests that the thinking behind the policy may be primarily political. The question, then, is whether Obama's confrontation with Catholics makes electoral sense.
There are many lessons to be drawn here. One of them harks back to Nancy Pelosi's statement that we had to pass the health care law in order to find out what was in it. Surprise! It's a shame that the bishops weren't paying closer attention.
This little surprise opens a window onto the larger assault on the freedom of Americans that is at the heart of Obamacare. The problem isn't with — or isn't just with — the scope of the religious exemption, but rather with the law itself.
UPDATE: See also Ross Douthat's post responding to left-wing critics of his New York Times column.


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Filed under: Notices |
Celebrate Family History Month
Posted on October 4, 2011 by wcgs75783
32.676425 -95.247552
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0 Bedrooms
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Price: $2,249,000.00
Bell Buoy Inn, Dewey Beach: 16 rooms plus 2 bedroom owner suite. Turn key. Act fast!
Take the Virtual Tour Map this Location Mortgage Calculator
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Price: $2,249,000.00
Address: VAN DYKE
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Dwelling Type: Other
Year Built: 1977
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Dwelling Sq Ft: 5670.00
Garage: Parking Lot
Heating: Space Heater
Cooling: Window Unit(s)
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Listing Broker: RE/MAX REALTY GROUP REHOBOTH
Listing Status: Active
Tansey-Warner Realty,
39824 Hickman Plaza Rd
Bethany Beach, DE 19930
EMAIL Real Estate Sales
EMAIL Vacation Rentals
Phone: (302) 539-3001
Toll Free: 1-800-221-0070
Office hours: Weekdays: Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm,
Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm
(Weekend Hours November-April, Saturday 9am-3pm
Closed on Sunday).
All Listings data based on information from Sussex County Association of REALTORS®, Inc which neither guarantees nor is in any way responsible for it's accuracy. All data is provided 'AS IS' and with all it's faults. Data maintained by Sussex County Association of REALTORS®, Inc. may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. Tansey Warner Inc. is a Real Estate licensee in the Sussex License Number: SCAOR07041


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Guests: Eugene Robinson, Willie Brown, Howard Fineman, Ted Sorensen, Nancy Reagan, Roger
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews in New York.
Ted Kennedy was the last hoorah, the big baritone out there demanding justice for the left out people, the African-Americans, the native Americans, the old person, the immigrant family that wanted to be American, the sick scared person waiting in the ER for hours with something really wrong.
Why would a good-looking rich guy spend his life worrying about the people left out? Was it tribal memory of his own people left out, sent away, told to go back where they came from. Was it those old Boston signs that said "Irish need not apply?"
What was it made health care such a crusade for him? Who do you know who has a broken back who spends his time thinking about other people's troubles? Was it because his older brother was secretly sick most of his life? Bobby liked to say that if a mosquito ever bit Jack, it was the mosquito that would die. Was it his sister Rosemary who never got the right care?
This much we know for sure, he had two brothers shot and thought gun control made a certain sense. He saw violence in Northern Ireland and wanted peace for the people where his family came from. And he saw a war coming in Iraq and voted against it and said it was the best vote of his career.
And yes, he was human, so human. In the poet's words, he was the "Emperor of Ice Cream," the man filled with life when everyone else was grieving and lost, called a roar or a big cigar, the muscular one. Now, too many funerals, too many brothers lost, he was the man filled with life, sometimes too much of it, the one we crowded to, lean against, needed.
Edward M. Kennedy, Ted, Teddy. His people fought the nickname; "Call him Edward," they protested. But those who cared for him, the tens of millions loved what his nieces and nephews called him, Teddy. The "Emperor of Ice Cream," the big guy filled with life at too many funerals. And now there is his.
We're joined now by Newsweek's Howard Fineman, who's an MSNBC political analyst and the former Mayor—former Mayor of San Francisco, the great Willie Brown.
Mr. Brown, Mr. Mayor we haven't had you on yet tonight. You worked with Ted Kennedy so many years with so many causes together.
WILLIE BROWN, (D) FORMER SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR: Yes, quite a few, as a matter of fact. I met Ted in the early '60s. I was actually standing next to him when that report came in from Los Angeles that his brother Bobby had been shot. I was standing there with him and I've stood with him year in and year out. There was no greater senator in the history of this country, in my opinion.
MATTHEWS: Howard Fineman, in your thoughts is that too high an encomium—I think not—but what do you think?
HOWARD FINEMAN, NEWSWEEK: No, I don't think it is too high. I think Ted Kennedy stood for the proposition that government can help the common good and the common man and woman. He was to the manor born but yet he understood that government's role in America at times was to pitch in and help the least of these.
And I think in that sense it was partly his faith, his Irish background, his Catholic faith. He was a—he was from that part of Catholic teaching that talks about using the common good to help all. And that's what he did and that's what he stood for and that's what he should be remembered for.
MATTHEWS: Mr. Mayor, I remember being at church one time with Senator Kennedy just as a regular church-goer in a Catholic Church in Washington and you forget sometimes who you are dealing with. When Itzhak Rabin has just been assassinated and we were both commenting about the fact that the priest never mentioned the fact, he seemed to have not known what had just happened that afternoon.
It's amazing—you've walked with history, you've rubbed shoulders with guys like Ted Kennedy. Tonight's a day of history.
BROWN: Well, it's incredible, frankly, that Ted Kennedy would have been in the senate for more than four decades and he never, ever sought the leadership position in that House. He made it clear from the time that he gave that great speech in New York involving Mr. Carter that he was going to be an incredible servant in the U.S. Senate and he achieved that goal.
Today health care would not be in trouble if Ted Kennedy was the architect. There would not be five bills. There would be somebody and Ted Kennedy, somebody on the Republican side who understood how to follow quality leadership and Mr. Obama, the President of these United States would be better off.
MATTHEWS: Mr. Mayor, let me ask you about an historic question regarding the African-American community. It's so large in our country, it's hard to just call it a community it's so big and diverse of course as you know.
It seems to me that you and I grew up and you most clearly having grown up in the south and coming to San Francisco for your career and law and then in politics. That Ted Kennedy was a brother of two brothers, Bob and Jack Kennedy who shared with Martin Luther King, that—well the honor of being treated as heroes to so many black families.
BROWN: Yes, absolutely. And it was frankly because this was a privileged person, a person born in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a person from a family with great opportunities, and great resources. Yet none of us ever looked at him that way.
As he walked through the fields with us in Mississippi helping to produce the voter registration numbers that ultimately became the foundation for the Democratic Party. It was Ted Kennedy. The way in which he walked with Caesar Chavez, it was Ted Kennedy.
I maintain that the assassination of the President Kennedy, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, imposed upon this extraordinary human being the opportunity and the responsibility to make good on the promise from those two brothers and believe me, his years in the senate shows that he did. And every African-American in the country knows that as well as every Latino.
MATTHEWS: You know, Howard, earlier this morning, in less than 4:00 or 5:00 this morning when we got the word, you and I where talking with other people. I think you were there, when I remembered, they came back to me with our friend, Alan Simpson of Wyoming, the former senator said about Ted Kennedy.
When somebody in his party was criticizing him and said if you're going through what he'd going through in life, you'd be drooling on the floor. 41 years avoiding the assassin's bullets, 41 years of being aware that his brothers were shot down in public life, fighting for the cause, in fact fighting for the country in the case of both of his—all of his brothers, in fact. They were all doing their public duty as they saw it.
What do you think about that? It's something that the right wing, even in their villainy of the guy never really picked up on. Here's a guy that faced the possibility that he'd be like his brothers and end up that way all those years.
FINEMAN: Well, he faced the possibility of more violence in his family, of his own safety. He faced the consequences of his own mistakes, his own deep and tragic mistakes. And he was human, almost in the extreme.
I mean, of all the people I've ever covered in politics, I—if you can quantify humanness, there was nobody more fully exuberantly but also tragically human than Ted Kennedy.
And the people who opposed him who tried to make him into a cartoon character I don't think ever fully succeeded. Because people could see on television, they could see through his actions, they could see the real person that was Ted Kennedy.
And one of the things that makes the Kennedy family so riveting in our hearts and minds is the fact that they were a family. And their family story is so intertwined with our story as a country, that you can't separate the two.
And so we vicariously lived the issues of the day and our fears and our hopes through that family. And Teddy understood that and embraced it.
MATTHEWS: Let me get back to the Mayor. Mayor Brown, you mentioned that Ted would have known how to handle the health care issue while he was sick for so many months now he couldn't lead the fight. What needs to be done? I don't want to get into weeds here on the issue. But what broad strokes need to be taken here to get this done?
BROWN: I think first and foremost, President Obama must announce that the health care bill will be called Ted Kennedy's Bill. I think instantly members in both Houses will have a different attitude.
I think he needs to also go back and see exactly what Ted Kennedy was saying before he became ill last May and use those words, use those ideas as his method by which to say, "This is what we ought to do." And I think if he does that, he'd have a good shot using the death of Senator Kennedy as the vehicle to produce health care reform in America.
MATTHEWS: Do you believe, Mr. Mayor, that the country has the mood right now, given the economic challenges facing us, the loss of equity people feel, the loss of property value, the loss of income, the loss in the prospects for their children doing as well as they've done in life. Do you think given all those pressures they're willing to be big about health care?
BROWN: Well, I think they are willing to accept the idea, as Ted Kennedy would have so enunciated. You must spike the cost of health care for all Americans, particularly those who are currently paying the price.
Ted Kennedy would have said five, six, seven years from now, you'll be paying double what you're paying if you leave the system intact as it is today. He would not have gone to the issue of how do you cover people not covered until he had developed a relationship with those of us who are currently picking up the tab. I think that's what Mr. Obama has to do and he has to do it in memory of Ted Kennedy.
MATTHEWS: Is there anyone in the Senate right now—and Howard I know that's a tough call—who might be willing to spend the next 10 or 20 years learning how to be Ted Kennedy. To be a leader in the Senate, not a hot shot for the evening news or the cable networks but somebody who knows how to become a great legislator and can unite and lead?
Who could do this? Anybody? Give me a couple of names.
FINEMAN: That is a great question. And I wish I had a ready answer for you. It's interesting that one of the people who might have stepped most clearly and closely and comfortably into that role was somebody that Barack Obama picked to be his running mate...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: Joe Biden. And Joe Biden is well liked in the senate, could cross the aisle.
My concern as I watch it as a citizen and not just a journalist, Chris, is that the senate used to be the place where bipartisanship was not only possible but favored. It was the way you did things. It's the way you wanted to do things. It was for the good of the country to come together in the end after a tough debate and make a deal.
I don't see that ethic alive in the senate anymore. And Ted Kennedy was—the very embodiment of it. Right off the top of my head I don't see any one person who can step into that role. I just don't.
MATTHEWS: Mayor Brown, your thoughts on that? Because you were the top legislator...
BROWN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: ...in California for all those years.
I worked with liberals for so many years. Obviously, Tip O'Neill all of these years but also Frank Moss of Utah and Ed Muskie and I was totally devoted to someone like Phil Hart of Michigan. We've had great senators over the years in both parties.
BROWN: There was a young man appointed to the senate from the State of Colorado last January. His name was Michael Bennett. I believe that Michael Bennett would have become at Ted Kennedy knees—the next Ted Kennedy if he chooses to stay in the U.S. Senate.
I think he has the qualities, the potential and I think maybe—he may be the guy you got to look at, Howard.
FINEMAN: Well, that's one hell of an endorsement, I've got to say.
MATTHEWS: It sure is. Well, I worked with his father, Doug Bennett on the Budget committee under Muskie, he grew up with the right lineage but I never heard anybody be this pronouncement...
FINEMAN: But you know what's interesting about the fact that the Mayor mentioned that is that Senator Bennett is only recently in politics. I mean, he comes out of school, you know, being a school superintendent.
He comes out—from outside the system into the system at a mature age.
I think that's an interesting comment in itself on public attitudes towards elected officials. I think we need people who can try to restore a sense of faith and the idea of politics and the idea of government. That's what Barack Obama was selling in addition to himself when he got elected with a pretty strong vote last year. And that's what we need to recapture in the country on the right and on the left.
MATTHEWS: Well, we've got some great guests coming up tonight, Mayor Brown thank you, Willie Brown of San Francisco. Thank you for joining us. As always thank you Howard Fineman and as always.
FINEMAN: It's a pleasure.
Coming up, Ted Kennedy's towering legacy, we've got a great guest an historic guest; Ted Sorensen and the former's special counsel for President Kennedy. He's going to join us right at this desk.
And later, former First Lady Nancy Reagan is going to be calling in to talk about her friend Ted Kennedy. Nancy Reagan coming later in this edition of HARDBALL.
We'll be right back.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: For me, this is a season of hope; new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many and not just for the few. New hope and this is the cause of my life; new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young old will have decent quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.
KENNEDY: For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares has been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
We are joined now by a gentleman and I'm so glad to have on even in these grim circumstances, Ted Sorensen, Theodore Sorensen, the great counsel, special counsel to President John F. Kennedy.
Ted, thank you so much. And I want you to tell us one story, I will not interrupt you.
In 1962, the President of the United States John F. Kennedy, your boss, asked you to help his brother become a better candidate for the United States Senate in Massachusetts.
His name was Ted Kennedy. What was it like?
TED SORENSEN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY: I first have to set the context because Ted Kennedy, the President's brother wanted to be the next U.S. Senator, but he was opposed by the Speaker of the House, John McCormick's favorite nephew, Eddie McCormick.
And the President has already been accused of nepotism for making his brother Bob Attorney General. And he certainly didn't want to endanger his relations with the Speaker of the House at that difficult time so he announced that no one from the White House or the administration was to go off and intervene in Massachusetts politics.
I can tell you here off the record because the Grid Iron Club as you know is sacred. But JFK in an off the record speech to the grid iron club made a play on words about the fact that he was not sending combat troops to Vietnam. He was sending only instructors and advisers. And he paid no attention to the debate between the Hawks and the Doves over Vietnam in which the Hawks accused the Doves of saying they would rather be red than dead.
So JFK said to the Grid Iron Club, I have announced that we're not sending any officials from the White House or the administration into the Massachusetts senate race. Then he said of course we might send a few instructors and advisers.
MATTHEWS: And you were one of them?
SORENSEN: And he then said "All I'll say is—I won't say how effective it'll be, but I'll just tell you, I'd rather be Ted than Ed." He then asked Bobby and his attorney general brother and me to very quietly privately go up to the Cape on the day before, maybe even the morning of the first big debate between Ted and Ed.
And Bobby and I sat in the family dining room at the table with Teddy. And I used the same system that I had used for briefing the President the morning before a press conference or for that matter or the morning before his first debate with Nixon which is to read a list of questions including the most difficult ones I could imagine, just to make sure that he had all the facts he needed to handle the question and that he was comfortable with that question. And try to help him fill in information where he was not.
Bobby joined in to some extent and would satisfy himself whether his brother Ted was ready for that. That night—I think it was in a high school auditorium if I remember it correctly in mid state. That debate took place and the toughest moment came and not when any of the questions that I had prepared were asked by the moderators.
The toughest moment came when Eddie McCormick turned and said almost sneeringly, "If your last name was Moore, Edward Moore Kennedy, if your last name was Moore instead of Kennedy, you wouldn't have a chance."
That's one we hadn't thought about. And at first, Teddy looked a little flustered. But he relaxed; he came back with a very statesman-like answer about how proud he was of his name and his brother. We relaxed and he did ok and he won.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
SORENSEN: Interestingly enough, if you've got another minute, interesting enough a year plus later, Teddy was scheduled to appear on "Meet the Press" the HARDBALL of its day.
MATTHEWS: Right.
SORENSEN: ...and on national television. And it was a Sunday a week after the Cuban missile crisis ended. The president knew that the rest of the world would consider anything said by the president's brother on television as being the position of the president and the inside story about the Cuban missile crisis. So he sent me up—actually, it was the actual weekend the crisis ended to brief Teddy about the Cuban missile crisis. And I enjoyed that responsibility as well.
All these years have gone by. And he doesn't need any briefings from me, you, or other experts. He has a superb team of his own and he has proven in those 46 or 47 years to be a superb United States Senator.
MATTHEWS: What's the difference if you had to describe their personalities among the three Kennedys -- Bobby, Jack Kennedy who you work for and Ted?
SORENSEN: Bobby was more passionate and emotional. Jack was more intellectual and perhaps more eloquent, I say immodestly. And Ted was more at home in the United States Senate. His two older brothers were impatient with the deliberate—as they call it—pace of the senate where so little gets done and procedure is so important.
Ted was willing to work with that. He was also willing with his genial personality and fabulous smile to reach across the aisle and work with the Republicans who were willing to join him and co-sponsor legislation for causes in which they both believed.
And it was quite a conservative Republican who once told me when Ted Kennedy gets up on the senate floor to speak, we all pay attention.
MATTHEWS: Wow.
SORENSEN: Because we know he's done his homework. We know he has not only a terrific staff, but a terrific mind and what he has to say on an issue is going to be worth hearing.
MATTHEWS: Its great having you on, Ted Sorensen, you're one of my heroes. Ted Sorensen, counsel of the president, the greatest speech writer in history.
We're going to have much more on the life of Senator Ted Kennedy.
And in a moment we're going to talk to former First Lady Nancy Reagan. She's going to call in from California. What a great honor that's going to be.
Plus a special preview of our documentary tonight which will go on for an hour tonight starting at 9:00 eastern, we're very proud of it here at MSNBC. "The Kennedy Brothers;" we've worked on it for months and it just happens to be ready just at this sad time for premiering tonight at 9:00 --
9:00 Eastern tonight, "THE KENNEDY BROTHERS" for an hour.
KENNEDY: We are the party. We are the party of the new freedom, the new deals and the new frontier. We have always been the party of hope. So this year, let us offer new hope; new hope to an America uncertain about the present. But unsurpassed in its potential for the future.
KENNEDY: And some day, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. May it be said of our party in 1980 that we found our faith again.
MATTHEWS: Wow. Welcome back to HARDBALL. Tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, it's the premier of our documentary "THE KENNEDY BROTHERS;" An unprecedented look at the lives and impact of Teddy Kennedy, John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and also Joseph Kennedy Jr., all four Kennedy brothers and their amazing saga.
Here now is a look at Ted Kennedy's speech at the 1980 Democratic convention in New York.
MATTHEWS: At the convention, Ted gave more of an acceptance speech than what it was supposed to be, an endorsement of Carter.
KENNEDY: For me a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.
ROBERT SHRUM, TED KENNEDY ADVISOR: They got to see the Ted Kennedy they should have gotten to see earlier in that campaign.
MATTHEWS: By convention's end with the balloons falling and the Democrats vetting President Carter, Kennedy speechwriter Bob Shrum quietly counselled Ted to be a good soldier and a team player.
SHRUM: I looked at him and I said are you going to raise his hand aren't you? And he said yes. And he went up and I went out into the audience and it never happened.
And some people in the crowd still shouting we want Ted, we want Ted.
This is slightly awkward.
And finally I guess at the very end there was some sort of you know, brief hand touch but it was on full view of the nation, this absolute physical contempt for the senator toward the president.
MATTHEWS: What a documentary "THE KENNEDY BROTHERS" premiers tonight at 9:00 Eastern right here on MSNBC.
Up next, former First Lady Nancy Reagan is going to join us with her thoughts on Ted Kennedy.
We're going to have much more in the life of Ted Kennedy when we come back here on HARDBALL, the place for politics.
OBAMA: His extraordinary life on this Earth has come to an end. The extraordinary good that he did lives on. For his family, he was a guardian. For American, he was the defender of a dream.
T. KENNEDY: My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. To be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, who saw suffering and tried to heal it, who saw war and tried to stop it.
MATTHEWS: That was of course Ted Kennedy's famous eulogy of his brother Robert back in 1968. President Obama will deliver the eulogy this Saturday at Senator Kennedy's funeral. We're back now and we're joined right now by a real treat, former First Lady Nancy Reagan is with us by phone from California. Mrs. Reagan, thank you so much for taking the time to call us tonight.
NANCY REAGAN, FORMER FIRST LADY (on phone): You're welcome.
MATTHEWS: Tell us about your thoughts, Nancy, about Ted Kennedy.
REAGAN: Oh, well, I think it came as a surprise to a lot of people that we were as close to Ted as we were, are, were, because we were obviously of different parties, but we were close. And it didn't make any difference to Ronnie or to Ted that one was a Republican and one was a Democrat. And of course, there should be more of that today. But we were, we were close friends. And of course, I became close to Ted because of the stem cell.
MATTHEWS: It seems to me great presidents like your husband seem to pay tribute often times to other great presidents of the other party. So many times I've heard, and you, of course, have known this. President Reagan spoke very fondly of his memory of Franklin Roosevelt. And of course, the Kennedys, your husband paid tribute to Robert Kennedy after taking office, delivering to him, giving to him an award that the Carter administration had held up.
REAGAN: I know.
MATTHEWS: Have you noticed that the mountain peaks seem to notice each other?
REAGAN: I hadn't thought of it like that, but yes, you're right. I don't know why that award wasn't given to Bobby, but it wasn't, so Ronnie gave it to Ethel.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you something about Ted all those years. You know, you were—well, you were around all the Kennedys, they all came on so fast. Jack Kennedy came out of nowhere in the late '50s, was elected and then was gone in so few years. And then same with Bobby, what do you think was different among all the brothers? Did you sort of notice the difference among these guys?
REAGAN: The difference between them?
MATTHEWS: Among them, yes.
REAGAN: No, I didn't know the others that well, really. So no, I didn't.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me ask you about stem cell and how it worked. What kind of an effort did you think Ted Kennedy made on behalf of really getting federal money for stem cell research, on issues like—well, diseases like Alzheimer's?
REAGAN: Well, just getting the stem cell bill passed was a great effort. And I drove everybody crazy because I kept calling. I'm sure the poor men, when they were told that I was on the phone again and they would say oh, lord, she's there again. She'll never give up and of course, I didn't and neither did Ted.
MATTHEWS: A lot of Republicans seem to have opposed you on that.
REAGAN: Oh, yes.
MATTHEWS: And you stood out there on your own. There are other people who backed you. Arlen Specter when he was a Republican was on your side and you had people like Orrin Hatch on your side, too.
REAGAN: Yes, that's right. That's right. But you know, it all worked out. And Ted and I worked well together. And it just worked out.
MATTHEWS: Do you think we're going to get anywhere in our lifetimes, this dealing with diseases where stem cell can play a part?
REAGAN: Oh, yes, I do. Yes I do. First of all, you have to be optimistic, right?
MATTHEWS: Right.
REAGAN: You have to look on the bright side. No, I do think so.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about Ronald Reagan, the end of the Cold War, Jack Kennedy, the Cuban missile crisis. Does it seem like presidencies are defined after all the years that the years that these men serve by maybe one moment, by one great achievement?
REAGAN: How is that, Chris?
MATTHEWS: Isn't the achievements, the individual achievements that really define these presidencies? I mean, you know, you were there to the very end at ending the Cold War with President Reagan.
REAGAN: Yeah.
MATTHEWS: And Jack Kennedy, Ted Kennedy's brother was remembered for the Cuban missile crisis.
REAGAN: Mm-hmm.
MATTHEWS: Doesn't it seem these are the ones that matter? These issues, the big ones are the ones that count, the home runs?
REAGAN: Well, I guess so, yes.
MATTHEWS: OK, I'm leading the witness here. Do you have any final thoughts on Ted Kennedy tonight on this night of history?
REAGAN: I'll miss him very much and I'm sure we'll all miss him. We would have gotten farther in the whole health issue if Ted had been in there, fighting.
MATTHEWS: Yeah. Are you hopeful we get a health bill?
REAGAN: I hope so. I hope so. I don't know enough about the bill discuss it, but I hope we get something, yes.
MATTHEWS: OK. Well, thank you very much. Nancy Reagan, the former first lady taking the time tonight to give her thoughts and feelings about the loss of Senator Ted Kennedy. We're going to have much more on the life and death of Senator Kennedy as we go on tonight and continue our edition tonight, our second edition here at 7:00. His absence is going to be felt so much in the United States Senate over, as Nancy Reagan just mentioned, over this health care bill. His leadership was essential and has been missing. We'll be right back.
T. KENNEDY: As long as I have a voice in the United States Senate, it's going to be for the Democratic platform plank that provides decent quality health care, north and south, east and west for all Americans as a matter of right and not a privilege.
T. KENNEDY: Join in this historic journey to have the courage to choose change. It's time again for a new generation of leadership. It is time now for Barack Obama.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. We're joined by "The Washington Post's" Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson, he's an MSNBC political analysts. And also tonight, "Politico's" Roger Simon.
Gentlemen, we watched over our lives the passing of the torch from Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed in World War II. He was supposed to be the candidate for president in that family to John F. Kennedy. The bookish member of that family turned out to be quite a politician. He was president of course. And then when he was lost, Robert Kennedy and when he was lost, Ted Kennedy took over for some 40 years now. The torch has been passed now to a member, not of the family, but of the belief system, you might say of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama. I want you to go first, Gene. How well will he be able to handle, Barack Obama, this enormous responsibility of being the new brother?
EUGENE ROBINSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, that's quite a responsibility to be the keeper of the torch of Camelot, I guess you would call it. It's a fascinating thing that such a torch exists, that there is this legacy that we all sense being passed down from holder to holder.
Clearly Obama now is the repository of the hopes and dreams of the people—of the acolytes of Camelot, of the people who believe in that vision of America. But he's not of the family. There's not the sense of Noblesse oblige that there was with the Kennedys. None of them had to do this. There was a—there was a sense that these were people of great privilege who were giving something to the country, their time, their effort. Barack Obama is a different person. His story is certainly no less inspiring and he is no less compelling as a personality, but it's a different set of circumstances. I don't know if we can see the torch in exactly the same way.
MATTHEWS: You know Roger, the people around the Kennedys, people like Greg Craig and Ted Sorensen and of course Caroline Kennedy herself, in many ways to me, the most inspiring people to me, just as public servants over the years, especially Ted and Greg Craig and people like that. They're the ones that gave me a sense there was something there with Barack Obama that was politically and nationally special. What did you think about the fact that those people backing him so early in this race for president last year?
ROGER SIMON, POLITICO: Well, I certainly think that both figures, both Senator Kennedy and President Obama engender intense loyalty from the people who work for them. You never got the sense that Barack Obama's top people, like Ted Kennedy's top people were hired guns. There are a lot of hired guns out there and they go from candidate to candidate. And they don't really care about the people so much. They have certain core issues, but they work for whoever pays them. But Barack Obama has people who are really loyal to him, are loyal to him. And loyal to what he wants to accomplish. And that will help him a lot.
It says something good about them. It also says something good about him. You know, a lot of powerful people, you won't believe this, Chris, are difficult to work for. And it's a good sign when a powerful person like Barack Obama, powerful person like Ted Kennedy, has loyal people who work for them for a long time.
MATTHEWS: Gene, one thing the two men had in common, Barack Obama, and he certainly holds it in common with Ted Kennedy and his legacy was both men had the instinct, and I would say the value system to know that the Iraq war was not an American war in the sense of our values. It was an aggressive war. It's something we had never done before, that kind of war. Almost unique among the Democrats. They said no. Ted said it was the most important, the best vote of his entire career.
ROBINSON: That's true. And I think that's an important link between the two. I think that was very important to Senator Kennedy's developing sense that the heir to the legacy, that he then held, was, in fact, Barack Obama.
That he was the person to carry forward the vision, not just the vision of the Democratic Party, but the vision of the country, that we could represent with the short hand Camelot, that we could talk about the it in terms of the legacy of the other brothers who went before him, or we could just call it the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
But whatever we call it, I think the Iraq war and their shared opposition to the war was an important element in Kennedy's conviction that Obama was next in line.
MATTHEWS: I think with the key reason—go ahead, Roger, your thoughts.
SIMON: I think it was the key reason, Chris. When Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama and it was a huge endorsement in January of '08, the first thing that Kennedy mentioned was the Iraq war vote and as I wrote at the time, it was not just an endorsement, it was a rebuke. It was a rebuke to both Hillary and Bill Clinton.
The first thing that Senator Kennedy mentioned was that while some stood silent and some went along, Barack Obama opposed this war from the beginning and that was a direct rebuke of Hillary Clinton.
The second thing that he mentioned was while Barack Obama feels passionately about things, he doesn't demonize those he opposes and that was a rebuke of Bill Clinton by Ted Kennedy. It was a very strong moment.
It was just more than saying "I want Barack Obama to win." It was Kennedy's way of saying "I not only want him to win, but he is a better person to hold this job."
And the third thing Kennedy said was Barack Obama is ready from day one, which was Hillary Clinton's big selling point, to hold this office.
MATTHEWS: Well you know, that's the language of my heart you're speaking there. Thank you very much, Eugene Robinson, Roger Simon. Stay with us. We're going to have a couple more thoughts about the loss of Ted Kennedy today. And as we go to break, take a look at how the Boston Red Sox, the Sox, paid tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy tonight at Fenway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We now ask you to join us in a moment of silence as we remember the life and legacy of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy.
MATTHEWS: We're back with so little time with Gene Robinson and Roger Simon. Gene, first, the speech on Saturday, the president of the United States will offer the eulogy at the Catholic mass for Senator Kennedy. Will that speech deal with the future or the past?
ROBINSON: I think that speech has to deal with his legacy, so it will deal mostly with the past I think. And by implication the future but I think it will talk about Senator Kennedy's enormous contribution over the years. I would be surprised if the president didn't mention issues such as health care because obviously that's a big part of it. But I think it will be a speech about the man, about his ideas, about his mission, about his vision of America and the implication will be to carry that forward.
MATTHEWS: Roger, will he torque it forward?
SIMON: I agree with Gene. It's about, I think, not only Senator Kennedy's actual legacy but the ability to leave a legacy. If you're a hyperpartisan and all you care about is the next election, you don't leave any legacy behind. All you did was get elected, you cast a bunch of votes against the other parties because that's all you cared about.
But Senator Kennedy left a legacy because he believed in bipartisanship, and I think President Obama is smart enough to understand that that's a powerful message to send at this time and that, you know, that kind of bipartisanship could lead to real improvement in the lives of Americans.
MATTHEWS: Gene, last thought?
ROBINSON: Last thought, it's a sad day but this is a life that we can really celebrate, a life lived in full. The story of Ted Kennedy's life is the story of America over the last half century and it's an incredible story when in so many ways we should be so proud of. So we should keep that in mind in our sadness at his passing.
MATTHEWS: Your wisdom warms me as always, Gene. You only get one life and he got a big one. Your thoughts, Roger?
SIMON: I think Senator Kennedy really lived up to his family's unofficial motto, to whom much is given, much is required. And this is a family that had wealth and power, but a lot of families have wealth and power. This was a family that used it and Ted Kennedy used it and he used it for other people.
MATTHEWS: Thank you so, well said, Roger Simon, Eugene Robinson, as always. In one hour, it's 9:00 Eastern, by the way, please watch the premiere of our documentary "The Kennedy Brothers" for one hour. It will really tell you the story of this incredible family of brothers. "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann starts right now.
Transcription Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material other than for research. User may not reproduce or redistribute the material except for user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon MSNBC and CQ Transcriptions, LLC's copyright or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.> transcript
Watch Hardball each weeknight
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Transcription Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No license is granted to the user of this material other than for research.
User may not reproduce or redistribute the material except for user's
personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed,
nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion
that may infringe upon MSNBC and CQ Transcriptions, LLC's copyright or
other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal
transcript for purposes of litigation.>
Watch Hardball each weeknight at 5 & 7 p.m. ET


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Well, it looks like they finally rolled out Osama bin Laden. I wonder how long they have had this guy on ice, waiting for the perfect moment to bring him out. The question is, which Osama did they kill? The fat one? The skinny one?
What a blessing for the Obama 2012 campaign! Obama will use this stage-managed event to justify more war in Libya and elsewhere. The timing couldn't have been better for the president. Now, people will forget all about this:


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MS Office encryption: keep making the old mistake
In one of the last articles I considered in details the process of the encryption evolution in different MS Office versions and concluded that it became better and better with every next version. However, as it is often happens in a updating of a software version, the new problems can appear unexpectadly, proving that the best is the enemy of the good. Read more »


text: This book purports to expose the details of a clandestine relationship between Pakistan and the United States government, beginning in the 1970s, in which the U.S. ignored mounting evidence of the expansion of Pakistan's nuclear program. The authors, journalists Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark, argue that the U.S. government deliberately ignored Pakistan's growing nuclear program because Pakistan was considered a valuable ally in conflicts with the Soviet Union, al-Qaeda, and Iraq. Written as a factual narrative, the book details the rise of Abdul Qadeer Khan and his role in the proliferation of nuclear technology to some of the most volatile regimes in the world. It explains that Pakistan facilitated Khan's activities while the U.S. government turned a blind eye, and Pakistan not only greatly expanded its own program, but also aided several unstable regimes in the acquisition of nuclear information and technology. The book's evidence traces contemporary (2007) nuclear crises to origins in Pakistan, thereby implicating several U.S. administrations as complicit in the proliferation of nuclear weapons to countries that the U.S. perceives as threatening. Extensive notes accompany the text, detailing sources which include personal interviews conducted in several countries, U.S. government documents, reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and correspondence and official reports originating in a variety of countries, including Russia, Malaysia, and Pakistan.


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Cheapest $16
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There are 2 buses from Adra to Padul.
Faretrotter is a travel aggregation resource that gathers travel company amenities and statistics and compares modes of transportation between cities. Use Faretrotter to plan your next trip, or purchase a ticket your next city.
There is just 1 way to travel from Adra to Padul. 2 buses are possible between the two areas. The bus from El Lance de la Virgen to Padul is the cheapest and fastest.
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Spirit of State nominations due Friday
With the sixth annual Spirit of State Awards, Mississippi State will recognize outstanding contributions made by our students toward improving student life. All forms should be submitted online by Friday.
These premier awards are open to all Mississippi State students from all campuses and recognize excellence in campus involvement; service to the university community; actions that promote the Spirit of State; and overall impact on peers and the broader campus community. The awards will be presented at a special recognition program in early April.
We need your help in two very important ways:
1. Identifying students who embody the Spirit of State and making them aware of the award program.
2. Supporting outstanding students by nominating them, or writing a letter in support of their application if asked.
Students who feel they represent the ideals of this award and those who wish to nominate a deserving student may complete the appropriate forms at http://www.saffairs.msstate.edu/spirit.
All forms should be submitted online by Friday


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May 29, 2003The 7th annual Abe Ackerman Staff Excellence Award was announced on May 27, 2003, at a special reception attended by faculty, staff and students. Anderson staff members Linda Baldwin, director of admissions, Bev Soroka, special assistant to the associate dean for finance and operations, and Shirley Keen, academic personnel coordinator, received the school's highest honor in staff achievement.
The winners were nominated by colleagues at Anderson who submitted written recommendations detailing their commitment and service to The Anderson School. This year the Abe Ackerman Staff Excellence Award Committee received 27 staff nominations.
"The award recipients truly exemplify the excellence that Abe Ackerman inspired and have contributed to the mission of the Anderson School," said Susan Corley, manager of academic planning at Anderson. "Their dedication and commitment to the Anderson community is much appreciated and we recognize their exceptional work."
The award recipients have been an essential component to Anderson's success. Shirley Keen has worked at The Anderson School for more than 29 years. "No matter what else is going on, she is always cheerful and helpful. She goes out of her way to find some way to make things easier. It's such a pleasure to walk into her office and know that you are valued," said Barbara Lawrence, associate professor of management at The Anderson School.
Bev Soroka has been with Anderson for 20 years. "Bev's tenacity and attentiveness to tasks given her are legend. She inspires me to do the best I can and I'm sure that she does so with others," said Michael Heafey, general manager Anderson complex & events and a former Abe Ackerman Award winner.
Director of Admissions of the Full-Time MBA program, Linda Baldwin, has worked at Anderson since 1987. "Linda has brought the finest MBA classes in the world to UCLA every year for the past 11 years. Her considerable skills in identifying and recruiting excellent people, her keen knowledge of organizations and her generous spirit makes her a pleasure to work with," notes Eric Mokover, assistant dean and director of Anderson's Full-Time MBA program.
The award is a memorial to Abe Ackerman, a beloved Anderson School employee who passed away in 1997. A Holocaust survivor who lost his family in the concentration camps, Abe gave 40 years of service to UCLA, the first half with the Facilities Division, and the last 15 years working for Anderson. After his death, Anderson faculty, staff and alumni created the award as a way to honor the man who is remembered as unflaggingly helpful, humble and warm.
"Abe's infinite generosity and commitment to the UCLA community will always be remembered," said Bill Broesamle, senior associate dean of the MBA program. "The Staff Excellence Award serves as a great measurement of achievement and honors Abe's legacy."


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Thomas Reiter returns to Earth after his long mission
The German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter completed a successful mission and an extended stay in space when Discovery (STS-116) completed a successful landing. Prof. Sigmar Wittig, Chairman of the Board of Management of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) greeted Thomas Reiter himself after landing and congratulated Michael Griffin, Head of the American space agency NASA, on the successful landing of the Discovery.
"First and foremost, I am glad that, after his 169-day voyage, Thomas Reiter and the entire crew of the Discovery have landed safe and sound. Once again, Europe has proved its expertise as a partner within the ISS programme", said Prof. Wittig.
"In particular, the Columbus Control Center within DLR's facility in Oberpfaffenhofen has had the opportunity to prove its performance over the last six months and at the same time gain valuable experience ahead of taking control of the European Columbus laboratory", Wittig continued.
Thomas Reiter performed 33 experiments on behalf of European institutions during the Astrolab mission and undertook an EVA (extra-vehicular activity). Through his work, he has built up worldwide recognition amongst all his colleagues and the scientists involved in the mission.
The STS-116 mission, Discovery's 33rd voyage and a space shuttle's 20th assembly mission to the ISS came to an end after 13 days. Along with the changeover of a member of the permanent crew, an additional structural component (P5) was installed during the mission and the existing temporary ISS electrical and cooling systems were reconfigured.
During the STS-116 mission, four spacewalks were undertaken. After undocking from the ISS, the Discovery crew also launched three micro-satellites into orbit around the Earth. The satellites form part of the Atmospheric Neutral Density Experiments (ANDE) and their mission is to measure the density and composition of the atmosphere in low earth orbit.


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Recorded: Friday, March 9th, 2012, noon – 1 pm in Baillie Court
Duration: 00:56:26
Join philosopher and author Alain de Botton for the next in a series of brown-bag lunch-time talks. Born in Zurich, Switzerland and now living in London, Alain is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as 'philosophies of everyday life.' He's written on love, travel, architecture and literature. Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain has long been passionate about modern architecture and was instrumental in starting the organization Living Architecture, as well as writing The Architecture of Happiness, which asks the question "what is a beautiful building?" His latest book, Religion for Atheists, is a deeply moving meditation on how we can still benefit, without believing, from the wisdom, the beauty, and the consolatory power that religion has to offer. A book signing with the author will follow. Alain will bring to this talk his extensive knowledge of art history, aesthetics and the art world.
The Brown Bag Lunch & Talk series is generously supported by
Maxine Granovsky Gluskin & Ira Gluskin


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April 19, 2012
Can Happiness Be Engineered?
The surprising theory of top management scholar Rakesh Sarin
By Judy Lin, UCLA Today
If only you had gobs of money, a cool car, big house, non-stop vacation -- you'd definitely be happy, right? Don't be so sure, says Professor Rakesh Sarin, Paine Chair in Management at UCLA Anderson School of Management, who has spent more a decade studying what makes people happy. In addition to his own studies exploring the correlations among money, time and happiness, Sarin has delved deeply into the World Database of Happiness and the World Values Survey. He found, for example, that American millionaires living in maxi-mansions are barely happier than Masai warriors living in huts. Sarin, who trained as a mechanical engineer as well as in business, shares what he has learned in a new book, "Engineering Happiness: A New Approach for Building a Joyful Life" (UC Press, March 2012), co-authored with his former graduate student and co-investigator, Manel Baucells, now on faculty at Universitat Pompeau Fabra in Barcelona. Sarin recently talked about his work with UCLA Today senior writer Judy Lin.
You're a business professor with a background in mechanical engineering, as is your co-author. How is it that you ended up studying happiness?
We had been working for a long time on preference theory and decision analysis - how people make choices about business plans and investments, for example. We looked at the research on happiness - why people choose A over B because A will make them happier or more satisfied. At that point, we were not looking at the mechanism that creates happiness or unhappiness.
But then we started thinking that maybe there were some general principles that pull all of these together. There's lots of information out there about how to be happy, but it's haphazard and disorganized. That's where engineering comes in - quantifying things, with the goal of setting happiness as a well-formulated decision problem that employs analytics for solutions.
You define happiness mathematically, and you've invented "happydons" as a unit of measure. But can the complex state of happiness really be measured this way?
Being happy is all about making choices, and describing happiness mathematically helps us see this. We define happiness as the total sum, over time, of momentary emotions, feelings and states of mind. Moment-happiness - pain or pleasure in a particular moment - is very volatile, prone to outside influences and not a good measure. To truly get a sense of overall happiness, we need to measure the intensity and duration of moment-happiness over an extended period of time, similar to the way a seismogram measures ground motion over time.
Stated simply, total happiness is the sum total of pleasures minus pains. Happydons, while they're not really precise, are still a good unit of measure for all those "How are you feeling right now?" moments over time. Let's say, using a 10-point scale for happydons, I'm having a good conversation: I'll rate that as nine happydons. Later, I'm having a stressful time dealing with an agitating email - I'll give that a five. Viewing your happiness like a 24-hour seismogram - the numbers above the midpoint of the graph and the numbers below - the question then becomes, "How can I improve the total sum of happiness? How can I increase the frequency and duration of the positive and reduce the negative?"
You put a big emphasis on happiness as a choice. Why this emphasis?
Some people think they don't have choice. Happiness is like a pendulum, they'll say - some days you are happy, some days not, and there's not much you can do to change that.
Some people even consider happiness genetic. Psychologist David Lykken, who did extensive studies of twins and concluded that most psychological traits are largely based on genetics, said that "trying to be happier is as futile as trying to be taller."
I believe that each person, wherever they are in the world or in their lives, can choose to improve their happiness. When I say, "Happiness is a choice," it almost seems like a trite point. But frankly, many of us don't make a choice. Life is like a river with many different branches you can choose to follow. But often we just go with the river's main flow, which, for most people, is their profession. We say, "My job is to advance in my profession to earn more money." We go along with social expectations while other aspects of life - our relationships, our health - get short-changed. Sometimes, especially when an important decision comes along, you really have to pause, think and make a choice that's consistent with what you want to do.
What a lot of us want is have a ton of money and live happily ever after. But your book cites the cautionary tale of the $315-million Powerball lottery winner Andrew Jackson "Jack" Whittaker, Jr. What happened?
In 2002, Jack and his wife made headlines as America's richest lottery winners. Before that, he was already happy, running a successful plumbing business he had built. Two years after winning the lottery, he had been arrested twice for drunken driving and involvement with gambling and prostitution schemes. Five years later, his wife left him, and the downward spiral continued.
What happened? When too much money unexpectedly comes your way, happiness depends on making wise choices about what to do with that money and how to maintain your family life and relationships with friends.
We are not against people improving their standing, even monetarily, but if that becomes an exclusive focus, then you lose sight. So people have to think a little bit about what is it that makes them happy and create a balance in their life.
You say that balance begins with understanding the difference between "basic goods" and "adaptive goods." What are these?
Basic goods meet the needs of the body, mind and heart - and they do this consistently. In a poor country where people don't have food, a basic good, they will be unhappy. If they get more money, they can buy more food and be happier. In the United States, while most of us have enough to eat, food is still a basic good: If you skip a meal and you're really hungry, food is still going to meet that need. Basic goods that meet the needs of the mind and heart are things like spending time with friends and family and listening to music we love - things that consistently make us happy.
Adaptive goods satisfy our needs, but not consistently over time the way basic goods do. For a short while, you will be happy with that new iPhone, but then you will get adapted and not be so happy anymore.
This disappointment has to do with our expectations. In mathematical terms: Happiness equals reality minus expectations. By "reality" we mean things like your job and your salary. Expectations are your ideas about how, for example, having a better job and a higher salary to buy more expensive gadgets will improve your life.
An example I am intrigued by is that, between the years 1950 and 2000, income levels in the United States, Great Britain and Japan increased fivefold, but happiness in those countries hasn't budged much at all. That is because, along with income, expectations have also gone up. Expectations of the Japanese and Americans in the 1950s were very different from expectations in 2000.
You talk about the influence of "relative comparison" and "social comparison" on expectations. How do these figure into happiness?
We compare ourselves with others - trying to keep up with the Joneses - perhaps more than we would like to admit. This is expressed in our formula: Happiness equals "what I get" minus "what others get." Our book cites a research study conducted with students at Harvard who were offered a choice of living in one of two hypothetical worlds. In World A, they would earn $50,000 while other people earned $25,000. In World B, they would earn $100,000, but their peers would earn $200,000. The majority of the research subjects chose World A, preferring the lower income of $50,000 because their relative income would be higher than that of their peers.
Our consumer society tempts us with things that give us quasi-happiness and invite us compare ourselves with others. If you think you need to own more conspicuous items to be happy, maybe you'll work two jobs to earn more money, but end up stressing out and neglecting your family. No amount of success can increase your happiness if your expectations and social comparisons remain unchecked.
It becomes a vicious cycle. Can we sidestep it?
You can reframe your expectations - view them from a different perspective. When those comparative thoughts come - and they will - it is our choice to either brood on them and make them toxic or to see other aspects of life and be thankful that where we are is wonderful. I might think, for example, "My friend who works in a private-sector company makes more money than I do." Instead of brooding over that, I can remind myself that here at UCLA, I have more flexibility with my time than my friend does, and that I work on a beautiful campus with very pleasant people who are not out to get me.
We can also train ourselves to stop comparing. Happy people are those who don't worry too much about what others have or think. John Wooden said: "Don't worry about being better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be. You have control over that, not the other." If you practice this, it becomes second-nature after awhile.
So who's the happiest?
Studies in the World Happiness and the World Values databases suggest that, around the world, happiness is high among people with lots of friends; the young and the old, married or cohabitating, healthy and self-employed. Income has a moderate effect, but relative income matters the most.
The main message is that when it comes to the acquisition of material goods and money, beware: It's not going to make you happy. Companionship, friendship, relationships with your friends and family, doing something you enjoy, hobbies - these are the things that will make you happy, because these are basic goods. When you're enjoying a meal with a friend, you don't care whether other people are noticing you or not.
Should happiness be considered in public policy - including rethinking the concept of the Gross National Product (GNP) as a measure of a country's progress?
Robert F. Kennedy said in 1968 that the Gross National Product "measures everything ... except that which makes life worthwhile." While that's an exaggeration, because income also improves happiness to a certain extent, the problem is the GNP's single-minded focus on income. Countries have begun to think about this. In 2002, Bhutan switched from Gross National Product to Gross National Happiness, indexing things like education, health, psychological and emotional well-being, and good governance.
Recently, leaders from Britain and France created a committee to look at people's well-being. And in the U.S., the Gallup Poll started collecting data on people's well-being about two years ago. I believe that, ultimately, policymakers do want greater well-being for people, but they have to think about it explicitly. It's not about giving up on economic growth, but we should look at well-being as well as economic growth. The assumption that more money will automatically make people happy is not correct. We need to look at other dimensions that improve the quality of life for all citizens.
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