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Riesling Report: Weingut Immich-Batterieberg C.A.I. Riesling 2009
July is riesling month! We're drinking it all month long...and maybe longer. Got a favorite riesling? Recommend it in the comments!
From the steep slopes of the Mosel. At first sip, this wine smacks you on the lips a bit: "Do you like acid? Then I'll give you acid..." It's a frenetic wine, with an electric buzz of lime, fresh hot ginger, zingy like a super-tart margarita (or a 9-volt battery.)
But this tangy, thirst quenching wine isn't just for acid hounds. Underneath the tart knife, there's asian pear and a rushing stream of cold powdery mineral water, muddled peach and mint. We didn't give the power of the slate presence enough credit at first, but when your palate gets accustomed to the acidity, the rocks are there, waiting just beneath the surface.
This wine shines with food, singing through earthier dishes like chow fun and moo shu pork, but bright and fresh enough to hold its own against spicy Sichuan food as well. It's easy drinking at 11.5% ABV, and gone too soon.
Around $24, sample provided for review
More Riesling Reports
From Germany:
Stein Blauschiefer Riesling Trocken 2009 »
S.A. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006 »
From Austria:
Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling 'Gobelsburger', 2010 »
Weingut Jäger Riesling Smaragd Ried Achleiten 2009 »
From Italy:
St Michael-Eppan Montiggl Riesling 2009, Alto Adige »
From New York:
Hermann J. Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling 2009 2009 »
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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"Nothing has been resolved, it has simply been delayed… It will bankrupt governments, including the U.S."
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Marc Faber – Latest Thoughts…
Posted byAmy Jamison at8:17 AM
World View & Market Commentary.
Forest first; Trees second.
Focused on Real & Knowable facts that filter through the "experts" fluff and media hyperbole. Where we've been, what the future may hold and developing a better way forward.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Guests: John Heilemann, Dana Milbank, Jonathan Martin, Aaron Schock, Jim
McDermott, Josh Marshall, Cynthia Tucker>
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Jersey boy.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington.
Leading off tonight: Can`t take my eyes off of you. For weeks,
Republicans have been on their knees, begging Chris Christie to save them
from themselves. Romney`s a bore. Perry can`t win. Bachmann`s, well,
Bachmann. Please, they beg, please get in the race and fill the vast void
that is the race without you.
Today, Christie said no. He loves his home state of New Jersey and is
now -- and he says now`s not the right time for him. Well, Christie`s
performance today might make Republicans like him even more, actually, but
he`s out. And we`ll talk about why the Republicans wanted him in so much
and what happens next.
So as Stephen Stills wrote years ago, if you can`t be the one -- be
with the one you love, honey, love the one you`re with. And who does it
look like the Republicans are with right now? That old boyfriend, the
really nice guy who doesn`t turn them on, Mitt Romney. Why the GOP can`t
fall in love with Mitt.
Also, right on cue, good-old Eric Cantor has said that President
Obama`s American jobs bill is dead on arrival. Well, that`s an original
idea from him. What else is new? The president`s on the road, today, of
course, out there doing what we at HARDBALL have been saying he should be
doing and is doing, pushing a jobs bill and urging America to build, baby,
And here`s a way to destroy a successful career. Pretty reliable one,
too, by the way. Refer to the president of the United States as Hitler.
That`s what Hank Williams, Jr., did. He`s the guy who sings "Are you ready
for some football?" every Monday night. Well, just another example of the
relentless out-of-right-field accusations we here call Obama derangement
And "Let Me Finish" tonight with what`s left for the Republicans now
that Chris Christie has said thanks, but no thanks.
We start with today`s announcement by Christie himself. Howard
Fineman`s an MSNBC political analyst and The Huffington Post Media Group
editorial director, and John Heilemann is "New York" magazine`s national
political columnist. Thank you, gentlemen.
No means no. He`s out. He took a veiled swipe -- here he is today
announcing his decision not to run, and hitting on a theme he`d repeat
throughout the press conference, which, by the way, was a clip, I think
they still call it in football, against a couple of other potential
presidential candidates. Here he is in New Jersey. Let`s listen.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: It wasn`t until recently that I
paused to really reflect on my decision. When you have serious people from
across the spectrum, not to mention from all across the country,
passionately calling on you to do something as consequential as running for
president of the United States, I felt an obligation to earnestly consider
their advice. Together with Mary Pat and our children, I believed I had an
obligation to seriously consider what people were asking me to do. I will
always be grateful for their confidence in me.
Over the last few weeks, I`ve thought long and hard about this
decision. I`ve explored the options. I`ve listened to so many people and
considered whether this was something that I needed to take on. But in the
end, what I`ve always felt was the right decision remains the right
decision today. Now is not my time. I have a commitment to New Jersey
that I simply will not abandon.
MATTHEWS: Wow. Well, you know, Howard, I`m going to be cynical here.
How many times have we heard, I want to spend more time with my family,
when you`ve been fired? And here we have a guy who says, I want to spend
more time with New Jersey.
MATTHEWS: Now, was that a veiled shot at Palin for skipping a job
she`d been elected to? Was that a veiled shot at Rick Perry, who has
plenty of time to run across the country, and he`s still governor of a
bigger state than New Jersey, and he`s got all the time in the world to go
running around the country. (INAUDIBLE) shots, or a shot at Mitt Romney,
who couldn`t get elected -- reelected governor of Massachusetts. How many
bullets were in that gun today? Just a thought. I`m being nasty.
HOWARD FINEMAN, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: No, I--
MATTHEWS: Howard?
FINEMAN: No, but I -- well, look, I think -- I think if you remember
the speech that Chris Christie gave out at the Reagan library, he basically
said in that speech, I`m the only guy who has the record to show the way
forward in the Reagan style, in the Ronald Reagan style.
That speech itself was full of very sharp elbows, which is one of the
reasons why people began to say, Hey, wait a minute, maybe this guy is in
the big tease here. Maybe he might want to do it.
MATTHEWS: Sure.
FINEMAN: Because he really was saying in that speech, I`m the only
guy who`s got the right credentials. So this is just a follow-up to that.
MATTHEWS: Well, yes, there was a big striptease. And I think when
you come out with all the feathers on, you`re think you`re basically a
feather dancer. Anyway, Christie suggested being a conservative doesn`t
mean you can`t compromise.
Let`s listen to his argument for something. I don`t know why he`s
still campaigning if he`s not running. I want John to respond. Why is the
guy up there selling, and who`s he selling for? Let`s listen.
CHRISTIE: I`ve said all along I am a principled conservative and --
but I also said in the Reagan speech, as Ronald Reagan did, you have to
compromise at times to get things done. And that doesn`t mean compromising
your principles, but it means not getting everything you want. Now, if
someone calls that liberal, being compromising, then they`re dead wrong.
MATTHEWS: What was longer, guys, John, the Christie "I`m not running
speech" or the Weiner "I`m quitting" speech? These were pretty long
speeches to say, No, I`m leaving.
JOHN HEILEMANN, "NEW YORK": Well, you know, Chris -- Chris --
Matthews -- Chris Christie likes the attention. He`s not really made much
of a -- any bones about that. He likes being in the center of the
spotlight. He also wants to be president. He doesn`t think he can be
president now, but this is a guy who has national ambitions.
He, again, hasn`t really minced around very much on that topic. And I
think he is trying to follow the old show biz rule, which is to leave your
audience wanting more.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HEILEMANN: And he decided this was not his time. It`s a fair -- he
may be right, he might be wrong about that, but I think he`s not saying his
time isn`t coming. And whether that time is 2016 or 2020, there`s a lot of
people, all those people who tried to urge him in -- he wants to keep
reminding them as much as possible why they wanted him so badly and to have
them still be hungry for him, whenever his time does come.
MATTHEWS: Well, if he`s counting -- if that`s true, he`s counting on
Obama getting reelected.
HEILEMANN: Well, or 2020, you know?
MATTHEWS: Well, wait a minute, 2020 -- you mean eight years from now,
after Republicans (INAUDIBLE) he`s going to make it `16. That rarely
happens in American politics. If your party wins eight, it`s very unlikely
you`ll come in and make it 12 or 16. You know that. Tell me how often
that`s ever happened.
HEILEMANN: I`m not saying that the odds--
MATTHEWS: Either you grab your turn or you don`t get one, it seems to
me, history tells us, John.
HEILEMANN: Chris, I`ve been saying all along that I thought that he -
- that he -- if he doesn`t do this this time, he may never get a better
shot. So I`m with you on that. But clearly, he came to a different
conclusion, and he doesn`t want to close any doors down the line, whether
it`s one cycle from now or two.
MATTHEWS: Howard, why did he avoid this fight when it looks like
there`s a great opening?
FINEMAN: Well, I think there are the practical factors of timing, the
sense of timing and the practical factors of getting it done. By the way,
I want to congratulate ourselves on being probably the first political show
to mention the 2020 presidential race.
MATTHEWS: Yes, well, we`re working on it.
FINEMAN: But in any case, just the logistics of this would have been
difficult, much more difficult than I think people realize. He had no
ground structure anywhere. And yes, he could raise a lot of money, get a
lot of fat cats to bankroll, you know, a lot of super-PAC money from -- but
you can`t just do it with that. You still need to have a ground game of
some kind.
MATTHEWS: Yes, that`s true.
FINEMAN: And to put together one in places like Iowa and New
Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida in the equivalent of a New York
minute would have been very, very difficult.
MATTHEWS: But a New York minute has propelled Mr. Herman Cain to the
top, almost, and it`s propelled even Donald Trump to the top for a couple
weeks there. This is a very volatile crowd. Let`s--
FINEMAN: Yes, it is.
MATTHEWS: Here`s the reporters asking Governor Christie if his calls
for him to run said something about the Republican field for 2012 without
him. And now it is without him, so let`s get his answer to that. Here`s
what he had to say.
CHRISTIE: I don`t think it says anything particular about the field.
I`d like to think it says something about me. And you know, there are
folks who feel like what we`ve done here in New Jersey, in a blue state, in
bringing people together and getting things done, is something that they
like to see in the country.
And I think that`s what it was really all about, John. It wasn`t my
charm and good looks. You know that. So you know, I think it was the
accomplishments that we have here in New Jersey that made people excited
that maybe divided government could work, maybe, you know, leading in a
very bold and direct way could forge compromise.
MATTHEWS: Astounding thing here. I`m thinking of "The Hustler" and
those two guys, Jackie Gleason against Paul Newman. I`m thinking of
hustling and how good he is, John Heilemann. And I`m not knocking a
hustler because a lot of politics is hustle. You find a way to bring
people in the tent. This guy knows how to do it. And I don`t mean hustle
as a street corner band (ph) thing. It`s so hard to get people in the
tent, and this guy seems to have that ability, that Mitt Romney won`t have
in a million years, to make himself interesting.
HEILEMANN: Well--
MATTHEWS: Mitt Romney will never be interesting, and this guy`s more
interesting walking away from it than running for it.
HEILEMANN: He`s got a quality in politics, Chris, that you can`t
learn and you can`t buy, which is both to be, as you say, interesting, and
also to feel authentic and real. And we talk about authenticity all the
time in this business. But you know, everyone who looks at this guy, even
people who don`t like him look at him and feel like he`s talking from the
gut, talking from the heart, talking from the head, that what you see is
what you get with this guy, that he`s not playing hide and seek.
And that is a very attractive quality, especially at this time in our
politics, when so many people on both the left and right are sick of poll-
tested, overly canned politicians.
MATTHEWS: I`m thinking of Jackie Gleason, not just about his size,
I`m thinking of a guy -- Howard, you and I grew up with Jackie Gleason,
Minnesota Fats. You couldn`t take your eyes off that guy in that movie and
you couldn`t take your eyes off Gleason. There are some people that are
interesting and some people who are not, and Mitt Romney is a not. And
that`s their problem, and you know it. We`re getting to that in the next
segment, by the way, the big "not."
FINEMAN: No, I know. But in the case of Christie, I think there`s
also a little bit of an edge to him. I think John would agree with me on
this. There`s a little edge to Chris Christie, just a little touch of
resentment that--
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: -- you know, You don`t think I can do it, well, let me show
you. I might be this big guy who doesn`t look like your standard
politician, but I can do it. Look at what--
MATTHEWS: OK, last question--
FINEMAN: -- I`ve done here. Look how I take things on.
MATTHEWS: Why do we love him more than the guy with the perfect jaw
and the perfect hair and the perfect everything? Why do people prefer him
in their sort of deep--
FINEMAN: Well, you answered the question you`ve been asking. He`s
HEILEMANN: Yes.
FINEMAN: Chris Christie`s imperfect. He`s a guy who seems to
overcome obstacles. He`s tough. He`s combative. Men love him. The polls
in New Jersey show that women are scared of him. They don`t like him,
especially because of what he`s--
FINEMAN: -- especially because of what he`s done on education. But
guys like him. Guys really, really like him, and it`s because of that edge
that he has, a little bit of a combative edge that he has.
FINEMAN: Howard`s exactly right. And it`s an edgy time, Chris.
You`ve been pointing this out for the last week. It`s an edgy time in
America, and being an edgy candidate is not a bad thing. It`s an
attractive thing for an awful lot of voters.
MATTHEWS: People are so tired of being told what to do, including by
their wives, I think. Anyway, thank you, Howard--
MATTHEWS: Not ours, of course. But thank you. They`re wonderful.
Anyway, thank you, Howard Fineman. They`re sweet. They`re adorable.
Anyway, thank you, John Heilemann, as well.
MATTHEWS: Coming up: So with Chris Christie out of the picture, can
Republicans learn to love the one they`re with? There he is, Mr.
Excitement! I can`t believe it! He`s got his shirtsleeves rolled up.
Boy, is he wild! Wild! He`s getting really wild.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Election day in Virginia (SIC) today. They`re going to the
polls there for a special election for governor that has implications far
beyond the Mountain State. The Democrat in the race is acting governor,
Earl Ray Tomblin. But Republican challenger Bill Maloney has been surging
of late. A week ago, Tomblin was the favorite, but now it`s a toss-up.
And if Tomblin loses the governorship there, you can bet fingers will be
pointed at Barack Obama in Washington.
President Obama`s approval number in West Virginia is among the lowest
in the country. Polls close at 7:30 tonight. We`ll know about that late
tonight. And we`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. Now that Chris Christie has
decided not to run for president, Republicans turn their lonely eyes back -
- this is like Mrs. Robinson -- back to Mitt Romney. He`s leading in the
polls, but for most Republicans, he`s more Mr. Right now than Mr. Right.
(SIC) Anyway, he`s the one big winner today, of course, on the Republican
side, I think, now that Chris Christie`s out.
Dana Milbank`s a columnist for "The Washington Post." Jonathan Martin
-- you`re the experts, you two guys, coming on here. Who picks up the
crumbs that this guy`s not eating, Chris Christie?
DANA MILBANK, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, it`s terrific news for Mitt
Romney. In fact, I think Mitt should give him a wing in one of his houses
that he`s been building. But this is exactly going according to the
original Mitt Romney plan.
You see Perry fading. Romney`s again the front-runner. There`s no
other establishment candidate out there. You`ve got all these guys
fighting over the Tea Party votes. You`ve got Herman Cain, unbelievable,
in third place in this poll. And you`ve got a little bit of Bachmann here
and there. So Romney--
MATTHEWS: Wait a minute. Let`s go to the numbers. I like this
theory about -- we`ve been playing with the idea of the woman who`s very
attractive and all the guys who are chasing after her, but one guy just
waits and waits and waits.
Here`s the new "Washington Post" poll of Republicans and Republican
"leaners." I love that. They`ve got Romney leading at 25 -- boy, he`s
been holding at 25 for a long time. Rick Perry and Herman Cain now tied in
second place at 16 each. But look at the movement, how we got to this in
the last month. While Romney`s remained steady, of course -- he always is
steady -- at 25, Rick Perry`s dropped 13 points, losing his lead, whereas
Mr. Herman Cain, who`s the businessman from Atlanta, he`s gone up 12 points
to tie.
This is so amazing, Jon -- J-Mar (ph). It is unbelievable that you
see this kind of movement on the Republican side, where there`s so little
product loyalty that they go from a guy they were red hot over, Rick Perry,
just a couple weeks ago, and all of a sudden, a guy who was sort of like an
also-ran is now a contender, Herman Cain.
JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO.COM: Well, because they don`t know much
about these contenders, Chris, and they`re support is very week-to-week
because they are falling in love with the idea of the candidate, not the
candidate themselves. If you asked those Republicans who were polled what
they knew about Rick Perry, besides governor of Texas, they probably
couldn`t tell you very much.
But look, let`s not count out Perry. He`s going to raise what I am
told is going to be over $15 million for this quarter. That`s a lot of
change for a guy who`s been on the campaign for about six weeks now. If he
can sort of straighten up at these debates and perform a little better, he
could be in this thing. Don`t forget, he`s got a super-PAC--
MATTHEWS: Who wants him to be president? Let`s go to -- let`s go to
who`s paying the piper here. Who would want that guy to be president of
the United States?
MARTIN: A lot of conservatives around the country.
MATTHEWS: OK. Yes, but particular kinds of conservatives -- rural,
business guys, real right-wingers?
MARTIN: Yes, a lot of business guys. I mean, a lot of folks from the
South, you know, I think business types that just don`t totally trust
Romney. I think a lot of grass roots activists who want a more pure
ideological messenger beyond Romney.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
MARTIN: I think there`s lots of folks out there, Chris, who I think
you can see get on Perry`s bandwagon. But look, there`s no question he`s
had a rough couple of weeks here. Cain`s sort of filling that void. But
you know, Herman Cain doesn`t really have much of a campaign going. Look,
when you leave the campaign trail, Chris, to have a book tour, it says a
lot about the seriousness of your campaign.
MATTHEWS: Yes, well, let`s take a look at David Brooks, one of the
brighter lights in the conservative field, a generally conservative writer
out there. He wrote something really smart today. It was called "In
defense of Romney." It was a bit sad, but it was a good point, I think.
Quote, "Republicans don`t want Organization Man, they want Braveheart.
Romney can be dull, but often the best leaders in business, in government
and in life are not glittering saviors. They`re professionals you hire to
get a job done."
Boy, that is a lean argument for Romney. It`s like an astronaut
argument. You know, he`s steady.
MILBANK: But it might be -- steady might be good enough when there`s
so much dissatisfaction in the field. In "The Washington Post"/ABC poll
out today, only 9 percent of Republicans are very satisfied with the slate
of candidates, which is about half as much as were at this point in 2007.
MATTHEWS: OK, OK, you stop for a second. I`ve been interested in
politics since I was 6 years old. I`m not interested in organization men.
I don`t know anybody of any party that is. When you`re down there in
Tampa, Florida, next September, dressed up like a big cheddar cheese
because you`re from Wisconsin and you`re totally excited about life, are
you going to be cheering for Mitt Romney with any enthusiasm?
MILBANK: I don`t -- No, I don`t think they can get fired up about him
at all. But the situation he`s in is he`s wanting to be the last man
MATTHEWS: OK. OK. Same question to you, Jonathan. Can they get
excited and go out and ring doorbells and put out leaflets and everything
else for this guy--
MARTIN: Chris -- Chris, John McCain -- John McCain, the author of
McCain-Feingold, won the nomination for the GOP last time. A lot more
doubts, especially among professional Republicans, toward John McCain than
there are towards Mitt Romney.
MATTHEWS: He`s a war hero.
MARTIN: If they can come around--
MATTHEWS: He was a war hero. He spent seven years in Hanoi Hilton.
I mean, he did something for his country.
MARTIN: Which helped him--
MARTIN: Which helped with the grass roots overcome his sort of
maverick tendencies. But among sort of professional conservatives, I think
there was a lot more doubt about McCain than there is Romney. How did
McCain fix his problem? Well, he put somebody on the ticket who prompted a
lot of enthusiasm from the grass roots.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
MARTIN: I think you`ll see Romney tend to make a similar move.
MATTHEWS: Just to move quickly, it`s not my plan here, but do you
think Chris Christie was auditioning for VP today? I think he was.
MILBANK: I loved his line about how the presidential nominee would
need a food tester if he were the VP.
MILBANK: But he very plainly wasn`t ruling it out.
MATTHEWS: I disagree. I think he wants it. He wasn`t ruling it out.
MILBANK: Wasn`t ruling it out.
MATTHEWS: Don`t you agree, Jonathan--
MARTIN: Of course not!
MATTHEWS: -- he wants--
MARTIN: Absolutely.
MATTHEWS: He wants the job.
MARTIN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: And you get it without campaigning. You pick it up next
Labor Day.
MARTIN: That`s the idea!
MATTHEWS: And you don`t have to campaign (INAUDIBLE) By the way, one
last thought -- 55 percent of people in this country now believe the
Republican candidate will win the election against Obama. That`s how
people out there are playing pundit. So that tells you they think Obama`s
in trouble. And I think Obama`s going to jujitsu this and say, OK, I`m the
underdog. I can beat (INAUDIBLE)
MILBANK: Right. That`s the generic thing. But when you look at the
actual candidates compared to Obama--
MARTIN: It`s closer, yes.
MILBANK: -- he`s even with or slightly ahead of all of them. And that
makes -- you know, that`s all the difference there.
MATTHEWS: That`s what makes politics interesting. Thank you, guys.
The world without Chris Christie -- what a huge displacement. It`s not
there anymore. Anyway, thank you, Dana Milbank, great guy. Thank you,
Jonathan Martin.
Anyway, up next, speaking of Mitt Romney, wait`ll you hear what the --
what he said about why he didn`t respond to that debate crowd. Remember
those guys that booed the gay soldiers over in Iraq and just dumped on the
guy? Well, not exactly a profile in courage for Mitt Romney here. He
won`t even say now he has a problem with that booing, even now!
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL. Now for the "Sideshow." First up, the
Supreme Court Justices are back on the job after a summer recess. What`s
on the table to kick off the season? A ruling on the constitutionality of
President Obama`s health care bill, specifically the individual mandate.
Well, let`s take a look at how Steve Colbert teed up the debate just
last night.
STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": The big matchup on the
LOU DOBBS, FOX BUSINESS: "Obama care" headed for the Supreme Court.
BILL O`REILLY, FOX NEWS: "Obama care" -- is it unconstitutional? The
Supreme Court might rule.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The challenge to the president`s health care law
officially reaches the highest court in the land.
COLBERT: Yes, these nine Justices could kill "Obama care." I told
you there were death panels! Now, folks, the heart of this case is the
individual mandate, which will require all uninsured Americans to purchase
health insurance. And the only preexisting condition that will cure is
liberty. Yes, the government cannot force you to buy things. It can only
tax you, draft you, seize and sell your property, arrest you, incarcerate
you and execute you!
MATTHEWS: I think that`s Stephen`s way of saying he hopes the
Supremes don`t kill a good thing, "Obama care."
And next up: Bring on the wishy-washy. That`s right, I`m talking
about 2012`er Mitt Romney. Remember this moment at the most recent
Republican debate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2010, when I was deployed to Iraq, I had to lie
about who I was because I`m a gay soldier and I didn`t want to lose my job.
My question is, under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumvent
the progress that`s been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?
MATTHEWS: Well, you heard the boos then. And well, ever since that
rather shocking moment of booing that guy in the field, saving our country,
working for us, Gary Johnson, Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, and even Rick
Santorum have condemned that eruption of booing we just heard. But then
there`s Mitt Romney.
MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don`t recall
whether this soldier -- whether people were booing his question or just
booing him--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They booed as soon as he identified himself as a
gay person.
ROMNEY: You have to look into that. I don`t know when they booed and
I don`t know why people booed. But there -- I will tell you that the boos
and the applause has not always coincided with my own views, but I haven`t
stepped in to try and say, This one`s right and this one`s wrong. And
instead, I focus on the things that I think I ought to say.
MATTHEWS: Well, the question you have to ask is, who is he afraid of
offending there? Who boos American soldiers, Mr. Romney? And are they
friends of yours?
And now for the "Big Number," the everyday concerns of what people
bring to their representatives in Washington. Well, so does everyone else.
That`s according to a new report by the Congressional Management
Foundation. Apparently, Capitol Hill has been experiencing a surge of
constituent correspondence in recent years, thanks to recent hot button
issues like health care reform and the debt ceiling debate.
So what`s the total increase in letters and e-mails since 2002 for the
Senate alone? A 548 percent increase. Unfortunately, several offices in
the Senate admit they struggle to respond to this "write your congressman"
rage. But a 548 percent increase in communications from voters. And
that`s tonight`s very "Big Number."
Up next: Eric Cantor says President Obama`s jobs bill is dead on
arrival. That`s an original thought. The Republicans say no again to the
president. Can President Obama make them pay politically for being no
people? Can he get America to build, baby, build? We`ll be right back
with that hot question. It`s about jobs and doing something.
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Build, baby, build. That`s our theme here.
We`re back.
President Obama is making a strong push for his jobs bill. He even
said yesterday he would be calling on the leaders of both parties to vote
on the bill by the end of this month, that`s October.
It didn`t take long -- it didn`t take long for Republicans to push
back. About an hour later after the president, the House Majority Leader
Eric Cantor of Virginia told reporters the comprehensive bill was dead on
arrival because Republicans wouldn`t bring the bill to the floor,
preferring to work on -- as he put it, I`m not sure he`s telling the story
here -- individual pieces of legislation they say will help the economy.
Anyway, Cantor`s pussyfooting here. He went on to say, quote, "This
all or nothing approach is unacceptable. First, he has problems on his own
side of the aisle, as there are provisions in the bill that Democratic
members disagree with. There are many issues that I`ve listed here that we
can work together on instead of maintaining this campaign posture here."
Well, the president kept the pressure on in this afternoon at a
community college just outside of Dallas, Texas. He called out Cantor, in
fact, and the GOP.
Listen to the president.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I`d like Mr. Cantor to
come down here to Dallas and explain what exactly is in this jobs bill does
he not believe in? What exactly -- what exactly is he opposed to? At
least put this jobs bill up for a vote, so that the entire country knows
exactly where members of Congress stand.
MATTHEWS: Well, the president was speaking right there in Mesquite,
Texas, which happens to fall in the congressional district of Jeb
Hensarling, the chairman of the Republican conference, where Transportation
for America reports there are 42 structurally deficient bridges just in
that district alone. And these are bridges that need of immediate
maintenance or outright replacement, including the bridge on U.S. 80 West
over the Big Brushy Creek near Forney, Texas. It carries nearly 20,000
cars a day, every day, including trucks.
And throughout this segment, we`re going to list those 42 deficient
bridges in Jeb Hensarling`s district at the bottom of the screen. Those
are bridges Americans could be put to work to fix right now.
So, will Republicans, generally, continue to be obstructionists or
give the president a vote on his jobs bill?
Joining us right now, U.S. Congressman Aaron Schock, a Republican from
Illinois, represents Peoria.
Sir, I got to get to this question. What`s your party`s position on
the president`s jobs bill? It`s the only jobs bill in town right now. Are
you against it or what?
REP. AARON SCHOCK (R), ILLINOIS: Well, I would challenge that it`s
the only jobs bill. We`ve been pushing a lot of bills that are pro-jobs,
that are pro-growth. It`s the private sector, Chris, as you know, that
ultimately will create jobs that are sustainable, that are controlling --
MATTHEWS: You control the Congress, did you pass them?
SCHOCK: We`ve passed over 100 pieces of legislation, Chris, since
Republicans took control of the House that are parked over at the Senate
that Harry Reid will not allow for straight up or down vote on it. And
whether it be regulatory reform, you name it, we have passed --
MATTHEWS: No, we`re talking jobs bills, putting people to work.
SCHOCK: Yes, what`s the jobs bill? What`s the jobs bill, Chris?
MATTHEWS: A bill that creates a job.
SCHOCK: A bill that creates a job. And what we`re focused on is
creating an environment, Chris, that allows the private sector to create
We have tried the last two years to create jobs by the federal
government spending money. And it has failed miserably. In August and
September, zero jobs net created.
SCHOCK: But I want to get to something --
MATTHEWS: Well, let me get to my question here, and then we can move
on to your ideas. It seems to me every time a Republican wants to get a
regulation, get rid of regulations, they don`t like EPA regulations or get
rid of taxes they don`t like paying, they put the word "jobs" on it because
that makes them feel good, at least when they sell it.
Congressman, I want to ask you a question about your district you
represent. How many bridges in your district roughly do you think are
below code, are described by the Department of Transportation of Illinois
as being below code?
SCHOCK: Too many.
MATTHEWS: How many? Give me an estimate? How many in your district
that you represent --
SCHOCK: Too many, Chris.
MATTHEWS: Come on, give me a number, roughly.
SCHOCK: And you know what? The president`s stimulus bill that he
promoted --
MATTHEWS: You`re not giving me an answer.
SCHOCK: -- that he president`s stimulus bill that he promoted, that
he promoted in Peoria, Illinois, my hometown, that was going to put
Americans back to work, that was going to invest in America`s
infrastructure, was a (AUDIO BREAK) stimulus bill went to infrastructure --
MATTHEWS: Well, we`re talking about infrastructure right now, sir --
SCHOCK: But I want to talk about the president`s jobs --
MATTHEWS: Let`s talk all politics is local. OK, let`s talk about
your district.
SCHOCK: I want to talk about the president`s jobs bill. I want to
talk about the president`s jobs bill --
MATTHEWS: You don`t know how many bridges in your district are
dilapidated? OK.
SCHOCK: -- was supposed to fix those bridges and it didn`t.
MATTHEWS: If you did what we did today and called the Department of
Illinois, and your own district and checked it out, you`d discover that you
have a total of over 277 structurally deficient bridges in your district,
we just posted it right now. We spoke with someone from the Illinois
Department of Transportation right now, just a few minutes ago, and they
told us the number`s actually up to 319 now structurally deficient bridges
in our district.
SCHOCK: I agree. It`s outrageous.
MATTHEWS: You agree? You didn`t know.
SCHOCK: Chris, it`s absolutely outrageous. How much of the
president`s jobs bill that he`s promoting now will go to infrastructure?
MATTHEWS: At least a third of it.
SCHOCK: No, $50 billion of the 400 billion, Chris. The exact amount
that he had in the last stimulus bill.
MATTHEWS: No.
SCHOCK: How much of that $50 billion that`s in this bill --
MATTHEWS: In this bill that he`s trying the American jobs bill -- a
third of the American Jobs Bill goes to infrastructure. You know that.
SCHOCK: And it has to be spent in the next year. How much of that
can go in a year to go and fix those bridges that you point out are
structurally insignificant?
What we really need, Chris -- Chris, what we really need is a six-year
highway bill. That`s the kind of infrastructure investment that
Republicans and Democrats can get behind --
MATTHEWS: I`m all for it.
SCHOCK: Well, let`s pass that. Let`s talk about a six-year highway
bill --
MATTHEWS: The problem is, you guys deal in ideology and theory and
I`m bringing you information about your district that you need to know,
which is you`ve got --
SCHOCK: No.
MATTHEWS: -- you`ve got over 300 bridges that are deficient that need
to be fixed that are below safety code.
I want to go right now to Congressman Jim McDermott and be fair here.
He has 19 bridges in his district that are safety code, that are deficient.
The argument is that one way you can get people to work is give them
jobs that need to be done. Don`t create jobs, do what needs to be done.
Make our bridges safe.
Just to start, your thoughts, Mr. McDermott?
REP. JIM MCDERMOTT (D), WASHINGTON: Well, it`s very clear, Chris,
that the president has been stymied at every turn by the Republicans,
because Mitch McConnell made it very clear, a long time ago, that his only
goal was to prevent the president from being re-elected. And to do that,
he has to prevent him from getting the economy back on its feet and getting
people back to work.
People want jobs. There is work everywhere in this country. And they
stymied him in the amount of money that they would let put in for
infrastructure back at the beginning of his term, and now they`re still
doing it. And they`ll find a million excuses why they can`t do it.
But it isn`t happening without stimulus from the government. You are
going to have to have that kind of infrastructure money.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, Congressman -- Congressman Schock, I`m with
you, by the way. I wish more of these stimulus packages -- I wish the
whole 100 percent of them were infrastructure.
But let me ask you this question, to make your point. Would you vote
right now yea to support the infrastructure piece of the president`s bill?
Just the bridge building and road fixings? Would you vote for that yes?
SCHOCK: If we can pay for it. I was on a bill -- Chris, two points.
Number one, on the president`s original stimulus bill two years ago, I
joined with then-Chairman Jim Oberstar on an amendment. There were 40
Republicans at that time who joined Jim Oberstar in an amendment that would
have doubled the amount in the president`s original stimulus bill to be
spent on infrastructure and Nancy Pelosi would not even allow a single vote
on that amendment.
I`ve been pushing our leadership here in the House, John Boehner and
Eric Cantor, to allow for a six-year highway bill to move forward.
Now, why is a six-year highway bill significant? Number one, it`s
about $400 billion to $500 billion of infrastructure investment, close to
10 times what the president wants to spend, number one.
Number two, it`s over six years, so the infrastructure community, the
construction industry --
MATTHEWS: Why don`t you become a Democrat?
SCHOCK: I don`t need to become a Democrat --
MATTHEWS: Because your Republican leadership isn`t backing this.
SCHOCK: No, no, no. The same reason President Obama hasn`t advocated
for a six-year highway bill is the same reason that the Republican
leadership hasn`t offered the plan, is because you`ve got to come up with a
way to pay for it. John Boehner a few weeks ago in a speech here in D.C.
to the Economic Club said he`s looking at doing a six-year highway bill
using the current gas tax coupled with revenue from offshore leasing of
offshore drilling rights.
I don`t care what the pay-fors are, but Ronald Reagan passed one, Bill
Clinton passed one, George W. Bush passed one. A six-year highway bill
that`s paid for --
MATTHEWS: I know, the problem is, Eisenhower broke the interstate
system back in the `50s. He wouldn`t be sitting around pussyfooting like
you guys, coming up with reasons you can`t get it done.
You say --
SCHOCK: Well, wait a minute --
MATTHEWS: Let`s get back to Mr. McDermott. We`re using up his time.
Mr. McDermott, why don`t the Republicans, like this Republican, he
says he was with the great Jim Oberstar, who they bounced out of the
Congress last year, why aren`t they -- why don`t they support what they
say? He says he`s for building bridges and fixing bridges and all, but his
leadership isn`t pushing this bill?
MCDERMOTT: You`re getting the good cop/bad cop experience here. He`s
the good cop who says, I want a six-year highway bill, and John Boehner is
the bad cop and he says, I can`t find any money to do it.
Now, they know where the money is. They could tax people over
$250,000 in income. They could take away that tax pick right now. They
could take money from the oil companies. They have had profits out the
And there`s plenty of places that they could take money, but they will
not make the effort to get the money. They do not want to do it. It`s
just that simple.
MATTHEWS: OK, look, thank you, gentleman. I think that`s the answer.
Thank you, Congressman Jim McDermott.
Thank you, Congressman Aaron Schock. By the way, Congressman Schock,
I agree with you about road building. Let`s do it.
Up next, Obama derangement syndrome. The latest example: Hank
Williams Jr., I don`t believe this guy, referred to the president as
Hitler. That`s the way they do -- that`s the way they do it these days.
How far over the top will the talk about President Obama get? Is
there anything they won`t say? Is there anything their sanity will not
permit? That`s ahead.
This is HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: President Obama`s looking to take a bite out of some of
that argument Republicans may try to make against him. The president says
Americans aren`t better off than they were four years ago, but he says his
administration has made steady progress to fix the economy. The new CBS
poll finds nearly seven of 10 say the president has not made real progress
on the economy versus just a quarter who said he has.
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Just when you thought the crazy talk from the right about President
Obama couldn`t go any lower, there comes a new example. Hank Williams Jr.,
the singer most famous for "Monday Night Football`s" opening theme was
asked about presidential politics on "FOX and Friends" yesterday. He took
the opportunity to make a ludicrous analogy about the president, who last
month played a round of golf with Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Let`s watch Mr. Williams Jr.
HANK WILLIAMS, JR., SINGER: You remember the golf game they had,
ladies and gentlemen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Remember the golf game?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boehner --
WILLIAMS: That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you not like about it? It seems to be
a really pivotal moment for you.
WILLIAMS: Come on. Come on. That would be like Hitler playing golf
with Netanyahu, OK?
WILLIAMS: Not hardly. And the country this shape is in -- the shape
this country is in, I mean, no --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s an analogy actually --
WILLIAMS: Well, I`m glad you don`t, brother, because a lot of people
do. You know, they`re the enemy. They`re the enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who`s the enemy?
WILLIAMS: Obama! And Biden. Are you kidding? The three stooges.
MATTHEWS: He can`t even count. I think he said Obama and Biden,
that`s three? No, that`s two.
Anyway, he did make matters worse for himself, he did make them worse.
Yesterday releasing a statement that read in part, "Some of us have strong
opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme -- but it was
to make a point."
Well, today, Williams issued a second statement in which he
acknowledged his comments were dumb and he said he was very sorry if it
offended anyone. Of course, that`s the old dodge. Of course, Williams`
dumb comment, as he put it, was one in a long line of crazy statements
about President Obama coming from the right. What is going on here?
Cynthia Tucker, the visiting professor now at the University of
Georgia. And, of course, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist.
And Josh Marshall is the founder and editor of "Talking Points Memo,"
Lady and gentleman, I want you to ask -- I want to get to those larger
question, you know? This stuff about the president being Hitler, and his
words go on to make it clear he made it venomously. It wasn`t just two
opposites fighting with each other. It was one evil man he called the
Hitler, the president.
CYNTHIA TUCKER, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: Well, this talk is so common
among the right wing, Chris, that Hank Williams Jr. was probably a little
surprised that he`s gotten the criticism he`s gotten.
MATTHEWS: He wouldn`t in his crowd probably.
TUCKER: How many times? Well, it`s not just him. How many times did
Glenn Beck compare Obama to Hitler? This is commonplace on the far right
wing Web sites. We`ve seen the signs at Tea Party rallies comparing Obama
to Hitler.
MATTHEWS: Those little mustaches they like to put on there. Yes.
TUCKER: Exactly. So, this is, unfortunately, very commonplace. This
is what political discourse on the far right has come to.
MATTHEWS: Let me go to "TPM," Mr. Marshall on that, and this question
of -- it does seem like the demonization of the president by the right, the
people who are wacky and are just stupid, who make stupid comments, and I`m
not going to single this guy out. I don`t know Hank Williams Jr. His
father obviously was quite great.
But what do you make of this?
JOSH MARSHALL, TALKING POINTS MEMO: Well, to your point, just because
your cad is a genius doesn`t mean you`re not going to be a moron.
You know, I think that -- as you said this, stuff happens all the
time. It`s been happening for three years. In a sense, it`s just dog
bites man. It`s nothing surprising.
I think what`s different in this case is that Hank Williams Jr. has
this footprint in mainstream media, not just in the sort of the FOX bubble
where you can say Obama is Hitler, and he`s Stalin and he`s -- you know,
doing all these terrible things.
MATTHEWS: But I must say in fairness, just to be immediate on this,
in fairness I`m not a big fan of "FOX and Friends" in the morning. I watch
"MORNING JOE." But I thought they were appalled. They looked like they
couldn`t believe what they were watching. I`m sorry. That was my reading.
MARSHALL: No. I think in that particular case, but I think people on
the FOX Network in general, there`s really, you know, wide -- sort of wide
tolerance of this kind of stuff and the right wing media generally. The
problem is, obviously, ESPN has fans of professional football who aren`t on
the hard right wing, and so, it was a problem for them.
So, you know, in that -- that`s what stands out to me, just that,
again, he has a footprint in sort of the mainstream, not just the right
wing media, and he paid a price for it. But as you said, it`s not like
it`s shocking. There`s stuff like this that gets out all the time.
MATTHEWS: Well, Hank Williams Jr. obviously wasn`t the only example
anti-Obama derangement syndrome recently. Earlier today, a right wing
commentator Dinesh D`Souza appeared on FOX News and insinuated that Obama`s
economic policies had to do with a deep down hostility towards capitalism.
D`Souza in the past, of course, has tied Obama to the Mao Mao movement
because he says his mindset comes to his father, he`s somehow a Mao Mao,
killing white people every day. They get away with this stuff.
TUCKER: Well, this is
MATTHEWS: Let`s watch, by the way, what Dinesh D`Souza had to say
today, just to keep up with this stuff.
DINESH D`SOUZA, AUTHOR, "THE ROOTS OF OBAMA`S RAGE": Some people have
thought about Obama, that he`s just clueless about the economy. But my
thesis is that he actually has a deep strain of hostility to capitalism and
also to America`s kind of commanding role in the world.
MATTHEWS: Theory. Isn`t it great to say a theory? It`s just a
TUCKER: Well, it is one of the other strings that is extremely common
among the far right wing is trying to paint Barack Obama as someone who
hates America.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
TUCKER: And as somehow who is somehow alien. He isn`t like the rest
of us. He hates capitalism.
You know, he -- his father was born in Kenya, and maybe even he`s a
Kenyan anti-colonialist, which is what Dinesh --
MATTHEWS: I thought we were all anti-colonialists.
MATTHEWS: Excuse me, I grew up thinking the British were wrong and we
were right. I thought we were right.
Weren`t we right when we fought being a colony?
I`m sorry. Back to you. Last thought, Josh, even the terminology is
going crazy, you damn anti-colonial person.
Anyway, thank you, Josh. We`re out of time. Josh Marshall, this
loony tunes stuff will continue. I`m sure.
Thank you, Cynthia.
When we return, "Let Me Finish" with what the Republicans are left
with, blah, Mitt and Rick. Can you stand the excitement?
You`re watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with this. Chris Christie goodbye,
Chris Christie don`t cry.
I watched some of the speech today, the New Jersey governor kissed
goodbye to the presidential race, kind of a letdown overall. He said he
couldn`t come up with a reason not to complete his term as governor which
made, I figure, a couple of not so great points.
One, he`s no Sarah Palin heading off from a job he had been duly
elected to, a job which he, in his words, asked to have.
Two, he`s no Rick Perry who`s quite willing to spend a year running
for president while still keeping the governor`s job down in Texas.
Three, he`s no Mitt Romney because he`s not clearly intent on, now,
clearly intent on -- unlike Romney -- running for and winning a second term
as governor of Jersey.
Christie`s decision not to run for president leaves a dreary field
back there, a field so dreary, so needy, that it sat there in the political
time-out corner while he made up his mind. So, left behind that it`s now
only in the wake of Christie`s departure that we also that Rick Perry is
now tied with Herman Cain in the national polls of whom Republicans say
they want to have as their nominee -- not only that but he`s rising at such
a pace that he could be by next week the party`s out and out front-runner,
Herman Cain.
Donald trump, then Michele Bachmann, and then Rick Perry and then the
quest for Chris Christie -- now, the real Debbie Downer, the cold sad final
realization that this, Mr. and Mrs. Republican, is all there is. This is
going to end up the Mitt and Rick show, from here to Iowa, New Hampshire,
Nevada, and South Carolina.
And after that, soon probably and only one of them, only Mitt or only
Rick. Geez, I can`t see the Republicans nominating either one of them with
any conviction. Picking Mitt would be like outsourcing competition and I
can`t believe Tea Party is excited about trading four more years of
attacking Obama for eight more years of applauding Romney?
Should Perry end up the nominee? Millions of Republicans will go to
bed each night scared that their nominee will have blown it before they get
up the next day.
So, the only choice Republican voters have now is one candidate who`s
proven himself to be a bit shaky, the other who`s as solid as a rock, but
also many of them are afraid as exciting as one.
Can`t wait to get to Tampa, can you?
That`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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Guests: John Heilemann, Dana Milbank, Jonathan Martin, Aaron Schock, Jim


text:
What's The Point?
This past Friday, I surprised some by embracing the change that standing starts would bring. This was in complete defiance of my "Change is bad!" mentality. Today, I revert to the frame of mind that abhors anything different. Well…sort of.
With the unveiling of the 2013 rulebook last week, there have been many changes. Some I applaud, while there are a few that I question. For example, there is a new rule that numbers on the rear wing end plates must be at least eight inches tall – an inch taller than last year. While I'm happy that the series realizes that numbers were hard to see last year, I'm not sure an inch is enough to increase visibility that much. At least they didn't allow further shrinkage.
The good and bad scenario applies to the point system, as well. The good is that they have altered the structure that previously awarded twelve points to any driver that finished eighteenth or lower. With a twenty-five car field, there was no real incentive to race for position late in the race if you were in the back of the field. Under the 2013 system, points decrease one point per position from nineteenth to twenty-fifth. A driver finishing nineteenth is awarded eleven points, while a driver finishing twenty-fifth earns only five. Anything under twenty-fifth remains at five points. That's fair and rewards competition at the back of the field. Plus, a driver shouldn't earn twelve points just for starting a race, when the winner only earns fifty.
That's the good. So what is the bad? The series has always awarded a point to the pole winner and two points for the driver that led the most laps. Those were fine. But for 2013, the series has decided to follow the NASCAR model of awarding a point to every driver that leads a race for just one lap. Please.
Just when they put more of a value on points by lowering the points awarded to the back of the field – they cheapen points by giving them away to any chump that stays out during a yellow. Follow that strategy for every race and that's an additional nineteen points available to every driver.
I always thought that was a ridiculous policy that NASCAR followed. I considered it a point of pride that the IZOD IndyCar Series didn't cheapen their points system that way. It reeks of Tee-Ball and awarding a trophy to everyone just for competing. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to win a race. It also is very demanding to win a pole or to lead the most laps in a race. If I were a pole winner, I would find it insulting that winning the pole would count as much as one of the Lotus cars staying out for a lap under caution just to follow the pace car around and "earn" a point. Why not award racing points at the end of the season for winning the fan vote for Most Popular Driver?
As a fan, I'm insulted that points are awarded to drivers just for leading laps. In NASCAR, we've seen this policy abused by teammates holding back just to allow a fellow teammate to earn the obligatory free point. I can see a scenario at Mid-Ohio where lead changes are minimal. Will Power is leading early and Helio Castroneves is running second. Power would allow Helio to run up beside him at the line and earn the point before edging back ahead to take the lead before the next turn. But then they make sure no one else gets close to the front. Helio may not lead another lap, but he would be awarded the same as the Pole Winner and only one point less than the driver leading the most laps all day.
This is a rule that cheapens points and lends itself wide-open to be abused. It also further encourages "points racing" instead of what racing is all about – winning.
Most that know me know that I'm not exactly a CART advocate. I took their side at the beginning of the split, but they did a lot of things wrong. However, I've always said that their points structure was almost perfect. Twenty points went to the winner, sixteen went to second place. On the way down, points dwindled to the point that twelfth place was awarded one point – anyone finishing below twelfth received no points. While that encouraged those running twentieth late in the race to park their cars, it certainly put a premium on points. CART also paid one point for winning the pole and one for leading the most laps. Maximum points paid for any weekend was twenty-two. Leading a lap gave you nothing more than a warm & fuzzy feeling.
I've always been perplexed at football players doing a ridiculous dance after making a tackle. Isn't that what they are paid millions to do? Should I expect high-fives from my co-workers for showing up to work on time every morning? No. Racers are expected to make their way to the front. It's the good ones that can stay there. Being at the front by staying out during a yellow shouldn't even help a driver's self-esteem, much less pay points.
Since his hire last year, Chief Steward Beaux Barfield has made a lot of changes – some better than others. That's the nature of the position. Standing starts and double-file restarts have raised a few eyebrows, but they have the potential to improve racing. For the life of me, I can see no reason whatsoever to award a point for those that lead a single lap. It crosses the line from trying to improve the show to just being a simple and absurd gimmick. What's the point? There is no need to adopt NASCAR rules for IndyCar. C'mon Beaux – you're better than this.
George Phillips
9 Responses to "What's The Point?"
Agree with you on the CART point structure. No need to reward back markers with points. I do not think it encourages those back markers to park it though unless they are several laps down. F1's point system shows us this. As for a point for leading a lap, I am not crazy about it but can live with it.
Free Andrew Craig!
I agree with you. I thought the CART point system was the best system ever. I have never agreed with every starter earning points. A driver should not get a point just for leading a lap as your scenario shows. I would be more in favor for a point for the fastest lap of the race.
Earning a point for leading a lap is not unprecedented in American open wheel racing. ChampCar awarded a point for leading a lap from 2004 to 2006. They also dished out bonus points for fastest lap, most positions gained, and a point for the fastest qualifier on each of the two days of qualifying.
That doesn't mean I'm a fan of the change, though I think it is less ridiculous than giving out a point for gaining the most positions (think Luiz Garcia Jr. winning CART's "Hard Charger" award for improving the most positions during the course of a season). It is also less ridiculous than the IRL points system from 1996 and 2001-2008 that awarded no bonus points for winning pole position.
The 1983-2003 CART points system is probably still the best. I like the fact that it is possible for drivers to fail to score points in a race. However, with the TEAM guarenteed prize money allocated based on the points earned by full-time entries, awarding points to every car is necessary to create some seperation between the backmarkers.
At the top, the current points system does a pretty fair job of replicating the results of the CART system.
Hmmmm, that idea about awarding a point to the most popular driver might have some merit…….. 🙂
I think that I can live with it. As for Will Power letting Helio take the lead for a point, well he might just see a competitive guy like that take the lead and NOT give it back. I do agree that the CART point system was near perfect.
I could get behind awarding a point for leading a Green Flag lap but not under yellow.
I like the 2013 IndyCar points system better than the old CART points system, except for the point for leading the race. If BB King insists on keeping this rule, it should at least be for leading under green.
Vince Lombardi famously said about touchdown celebrations: "If you score a touchdown, act like you've been there before". Pretty much the same thought as for being rewarded for leading under yellow.
Not a lot of props here for backmarker points, but I think those opinions make light of the amount of time, effort, and money that it takes to just field a team. If we show up for work every day at our regular jobs, at some point and in some way we are usually rewarded for that. I prefer to see racing all the way through the field.
Agree that the point for leading a lap is lame.
I agree with George the old CART point system was awesome. The only change I'd make is 25 points to win, then keep the rest exactly as was.
Also, glad IndyCar changed the points for the rear of the field.


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The overnight transformation of a jealous dog -
|by Deborah Collins
|"Charlie", as I shall call him, is a gorgeous-looking Himalayan male terrier of 6 years. He lives in a close-knit community and has one owner, an elderly woman, of whom he is extremely protective, and one woman who takes him for walks, as well as many people who would like to be his friend. If you try to approach him for a pat, however, you need to count your fingers afterwards, as they are sure to be bitten! His guardian is forever warning people to stay at a distance, and the local doctor is forever treating people for bite wounds,
as he can be quite vicious in his attacks. He barks furiously at any approach, and charges up to anyone he sees as an intruder. His basket was often placed just outside the door of his owner, but this led to so many injuries from people who wanted to knock at her door that it was moved further away. Still, approaching his owner has always been a problem, and any attempt to pat her resulted in fierce barking and possible attacks; "She is mine! Keep away!" His sexual behaviour was "over the top" – jumping onto any dog in sight, no matter how much bigger or smaller than himself, and he would often rub himself against people's legs in an unmistakably sexual manner, often to their distress.
It seemed to be an obvious case of Hyoscyamus, and the local homeopath and I decided to give him one dose of the remedy in a 200C potency. The change was astounding – overnight Charlie turned into the dog that had always been there just under the surface, a friendly loveable playmate. He loves being patted now, pushing his nose up to one's hand and demanding a pat, then licking the hand instead of biting it. He comes running up to people for a pat, and does not rub up against their legs anymore. He is no longer jealous when his owner is being hugged – he just sits nearby, with a look in his eye that says "I'd like a hug, too!" Under that thin layer of Hyoscyamus there appears to be a Phosphorus dog – or perhaps just a very healthy, happy dog at last.
Vicki Mathison
Photos: Hyoscyamus: Vicky Mathison


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This page is all about YOU !
Yes You!
I love to interact with this beautiful WP family, So I've decided to do this thing where I'm going to be posting other blogger's posts to showcase their talent….doesn't matter if you are new to this blogging thing or have been blogging for a while….you are welcome here anyways !
You can submit your posts here on my e-mail address :
I'll give all of your posts a read and will post it 🙂
I'll give all the credit to your blog and your writing.
Don't hesitate, you are the best. You can do it !
Looking forward to your talented submissions.
Thank you 🙂
Much Love, Zee ❤


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Im in a new season of my life; and Im attempting to get rid of the old. the old is the child in me running everything because he was neglected and had to take over; but he's not even old enough to use trucks.
There was no reason for me to be destroyed; destroyed when young; no reason for it. And Im trying to come back from what was done to me.
Im attempting to get my life back so I can live a life; life.
Im attempting to learn how to live.
Im asking for help at the places I visit for recovery; I have a lot of pent up anger and hatred and resentments I have to work through in order to stand on my own 2 feet.
I feel hated and anger; However, I have to face it and deal with it and move on!
I don't even had a truck; I don't drive; not married, now house, no friends; I have friends; but not deep enough friends; I have nothing; and I want to do something about it; Ive been afraid I will sell out if I do; but thats not the right approach.
Would I rather be angry on the streets homeless in the snow or be angry and deal with my anger in a new truck. Simple answer.
So; Im attempting to deal with the massive bulling and manipulation from eery direction when young; the PTSD that still takes me over; I still dissociate; and Im not here; and in these areas; I musts wake up because in these areas are real life; and Im being blocked.
ITs one day at a time; one minute at a time to stay present and learn to manifest what I want in the present.
I don't want to be in the present with no hope, repressed anger and hostility with a false smirk on my face called a smile while I do forced labor and have no direction or life; or to be a drifter the rest of my life; Thats not what I want.
I have a lot of hurt and pain to work through;
Those years of pain; one is to create a future for themselves; work; career; occupations; all was abandon through anger and rage; no doubt on purpose by the perpetrators who did this to me. I had no defense; I was just a child; not fair. non of it.
So; I have to work through many things; and get back on my feet; my inner thinking must change, and not be directed by the past pain or focus on the past pain. Im always focusing on what happened to me in the past; this has to stop; this must stop; STOP!
So; I have a lot of work to let go of my childhood and what I thought was going to be a grand life; it all must come down and I start over again. So; the child in me must become present into the present and focus on whats in front of me and not the past; so much from the past must be worked through. and I must emerge onto the other side with a new life; things and the past worked through.
So; paths unfolding to do this; How! what direction; Im like an 8 year old who is lost and doesnt no anything about the present. Im looked in the past and the gap between where Im at and the present is to big for me; So; I must work with the universe to imagine a bridge gapping me from then to now.
Ive done this before; this bridge. Now I must go deeper.


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Longing. I swear I long for longing itself. Much the way I've been so adept at falling in love with the ideas of things, I hunger for the ache and the want, for the beginnings based on everything we bring to them. I'm infatuation-centric, which explains my highs, even the height of my lows. It means I still long for the giddiness, the sexy surprises, the can't think straight without you motions. In so many ways, ways that reveal my naiveté, I still believe one of my deepest loves was one of my first loves. It was like walking in the dark, with the obvious obstacles of being teens living in your parents home. We'd speak on the phone for hours, and then there were letters. Little folded nuggets of gold, unfolded and inflated, as real as the chambers of a heart. Although I was young—fourteen-years-old, I was in what felt, what still feels, like the deepest love of my life. I don't know if I've ever come as close. I know, usually we chalk early love up to innocence, to a time when big life events don't lean on you, when really, you're more in love with what the other sees in you than in what you see in them.
My earliest relationships were intimate, not in the physical exploration of our bodies as much as in exposing our current emotions, laying our feelings out raw, like a bouquet of wildflowers, picked fresh, still sticky and damp, loosened from a fist, splayed across a table. There was an intimacy of confession, of how we really feel about our parents or our uncles, people and thoughts we pretty much keep to ourselves when we're "fully grown" adults ourselves, when the top-of-mind parents and uncles cats & cradle their way toward the back of the line. We fall asleep in a web of thought and song lyrics, mixed tapes, where theirs is the voice you want to hear most. Where their's is the first call when you have news. And at such a young age, it's all shared in the living of it, not in the retelling. "You grow up together, then you grow apart." Or, at least that's what I was told. He just "grew apart. Changed, wanted different." "Wanted different" would lodge itself into my female book of male wisdom pages, marked beside the page on "wanting the chase more than the woman." "Make yourself unavailable, and he'll want you all the more." I wrote it with bubble dotted i's in my high school journal. People underestimate teens. I don't know, truly, how much I've changed since those early years. It's the same me in there, fascinated by what motivates people to behave as they do, still seduced by mixed tapes, lyrics and acoustic guitars.
I wonder what wisdom I know now, the way I did then, without directly expressing it. Wonder what I'd long for in us, the us we are today. I wonder how the coffee clutch conversations of girls would change, what I'd long for privately when falling asleep at night. If I'd think of you when I'd hear some passerby chirp about "living life. It's so short, and you only have one, so make it count." I'd wonder if I should've held onto us longer, learned to have longing without losing, or if I should've been long gone, making up for a life that hasn't really been lived yet. I wonder how I'd wear that retrospect.


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This week in What the Hell Happened To we remember former power forward, Sidney Wicks.
Wicks was a beast in college to say the least. In his 3 seasons UCLA went 86-4 and won 3 national titles. He helped bridge the gap between Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton.
However Wicks' dominant college game and team success did not translate into team success in the pros. The No. 2 pick in the 1971 draft, he was Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers and made the All-Star game in each of his first four years. But after averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds as a rookie, Wicks saw his scoring average decline in each of his next nine seasons.
He was sold to the Celtics in October of 1976 and would last the 77 and 78 seasons in Boston. His numbers in Boston were solid: 82 games his first year and he averaged a double-double in 32 minutes a night (15 points and 10 rebounds). His second year he played in 81 games and put up 13 and 8 in about 29 minutes a game. He even made a SI Cover (pictured here), something no Celtics did between Reggie Lewis and when the New Big 3 formed in 2007.
After the 1978 campaign the Celtics moved Wicks to the Clippers for Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes, Billy Knight and two second round draft picks (one that turned into Danny Ainge). What an amazing deal that was for the Celtics, getting the starting point guard in Archibald who would help lead them to a title in 1981, taking the risk on Barnes and turning one of the second round picks into Danny Ainge.
|I sort of resemble LeBron in this one
When he retired in 1981, he had appeared in only nine playoff games -- only one of his teams made the playoffs and just two even had winning records -- and was generally regarded as having fallen short of living up to his enormous potential. Indicative of Wicks' career was while he was on the Blazers in 1976, the Celtics won the title. Then he joined the Celtics in 1977, while the Blazers won it all that year.
Just like Marvin Barnes, I would've loved to have seen Wicks play. Based on his stats, I've always thought his career has gotten a bad rap. He made 4 All Star Teams his first 4 seasons in the league. To put that in perspective, the only 2 rookies since Shaq's first year in Orlando just to make an All-Star team in their inaugural season, were Yao Ming and Blake Griffin. In other words, it's not easy to get in there, especially your first season. Wicks also collected some MVP votes in both 1973 and 1975 (of course so did this guy in 1983, but we won't even get in to that for now).
After he left the NBA, Wicks played another season in Italy and spent an additional year living there. He returned to UCLA and served four years as an assistant coach under Walt Hazzard.
If you're a frequent reader of WTHHT, it should come as no surprise that Sidney is involved in Real Estate today. However he's not a real estate agent, just an investor. It's tough to see just how active Sidney is in this field. But he lives in North Carolina today and also owns a house in Los Angeles.
For a list of all the "What the Hell Happened To" Series please click here. tb727 10/23/2011 01:52:00 PM Tweet Edit


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If you want to survive in the game of sports betting, Betting Tips And Predictions in Recommended then you have to use effective money management. I recommend that you follow these guidelines at all times.
- Only invest what you can realistically afford to lose. Soccer Predictions For Today you have to remember that you really do not need to start with al a lot of money. I got started with only $100 dollars and I followed the system and my money has doubled over and over again over the course of years.
- Do not make your initial bet too high. Only invest 5% of your total bankroll for a flat betting system (in which you bet the same amount each time) and no more than 2% for a progressive system. You need to be patient here and allow your systems to do their slow and steady work.
- Increase your initial bets when your bankroll has increased by 25%. This will increase your earning power, Betting Tips And Predictions just remember to stick to the suggested percentages in #2.
- Remember to Diversify your portfolio. If you have a total bankroll of $1000 and 4 systems that you would like to use, then each system should be allotted $250 and you have to keep those amounts separate.
You have to be disciplined in your use of your systems and in your money management strategy. It can be difficult especially you are doing exceptionally well or if you are losing badly. You may be tempted to deviate from the systems or the money management guidelines in either of those situations. But do not, All Today Football Match Predictions just remain diligent and the rewards are sure to follow.
Betting Tips And Predictions in Recommended?
Sports betting offers a fun and exciting way of earning money online. It combines the fun of enjoying your favorite game and the additional excitement of getting money from your sports team's victory. There are those who make online sports betting a way of earning money. They improvise a system that will make the chance of winning higher by using facts gathered from previous games. While some bettors bet based on instinct or according to their personal favorites, bettors that aims at earning money would use a formula based on available resources to improve their chance of winning. There are websites that use sports betting system to predict winners. Look for the best sports betting website for a more reliable predictions.Luck still plays a big role in winning or losing the game. But there are measurable aspects of the game that will balance luck with probability which therefore increase the chance of winning. Bookmakers often change the weight of winning and losing stake to encourage bettors in a lopsided game. There is a choice whether to stay on the safer margin or go against the odds for a larger stake. Wise bettors tend to go safe and ensure win with lower stakes while those who like to gamble would go with the spread for a larger stake.The best sports betting strategy is to bet against the public. Bookmakers will prompt you to bet against the public whenever certain games are causing the public to bet on a match in favor of a losing team. This will cause a high percentage of winning to those who will bet in favor of the winning team. Bookmakers often require subscription to be able to get alerts on the games with a high percentage of winning against a public bet. The subscription is actually just a small amount compared to the potentially large sum of to be won through their betting against the public alert. Look for a reliable bookmaker that will provide the best sports betting strategy.Subscribing to a bookmaker for best sports betting strategy is profitable in the long run. It would give the bettor an edge over other people because he would have an access to the bookmaker's trade secret which is the alerts whenever there are games where there are rampant bet against a team with high probability to win. The subscribed bettor will be ensured of a good percentage of winning. He would still be subjected to lose in some of his bet but because of the high rate of winning against losing, he will profit in his business over a period of time.Online sports betting is a profitable business for some people. There are ways to guarantee a high percentage of win by subscribing to website that specializes in analyzing information gather from previous games. The result of the analysis becomes the basis for a team's winning percentage in their next game. These websites offer the best sports betting system in the internet. They can guarantee that bettors subscribed in their website will produce good results.
Betting the House?
With the explosion of internet betting gone are the days when betting on the like of the NFL, NHL or the NBA are confined to just the outright winner or match handicaps (where the outsider is given a lead in order to make the best more even). As competition within the world of internet betting has mushroomed so has the range of bets offered as they compete to become 'the leading exponent of US sports'. On any match now you can bet on 'over & under' which is betting on whether you reckon the total amount of points scored will be over or under a given number. Wider afield you can go for what the first scoring play will be or even who the Man of the Match award will be given or MVP (Most Valuable Player).
As a result the popularity of US Sports betting has also risen simply due to the fact that there is more for the 'leisure' bettor to get involved with and more enticing odds that those in the two horse race that is one side or the other to win. Whilst there is a huge lobby to restrict internet betting in the US the feeling that the bird has flown the nest is very strong as off-shore operators are queuing up for the business and many have now even listed themselves on the UK stock exchange giving them an immediate credibility.
For those of you with a nervous disposition it's probably worth turning away now as the biggest growth area in betting in the US, outside of the monster that is Poker, is College sports! Yep, I'm afraid bookies will take bets on almost anything if the appetite is there – one was taking bets on how would die in the latest Harry Potter book another on the outcome of the Michael Jackson trial. Is nothing sacred, apparently not? And the NCAAF is no different – but before we judge to harshly, let's not pretend that private underground wagering on the College sports has been massive for years so why not bring it out into the open. For those interested, Florida State and Miami are joint favourites in the ACC Conference Championship.
In the more mainstream fields Indianapolis just head the betting in the NFL over New England for the Superbowl XLI, its hard to split the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators (who, with a name like, that should certainly know better than have a bet) in the Stanley Cup and in the MLB World Series its very tight in the betting between the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
Well, happy betting as our eyes start to turn away from the World Cup (that's soccer to those who only follow the US stuff) and look forward to a new season of Hockey, Baseball, American Football and Basketball
We hope this helps but visit TheSportsman.com or read the paper, out every day for more tips and hints.


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#RSL Tweets of the Day (@RealSaltLake)
Monday night ... @espn700 #OnFrame LIVE 6-8p MT w/@OriginalWinger @espn700james & @espn700jeremy talking #RSL& #RockyMtnCup on @NASNRadio
Heading back to SLC, big week ahead of us! Can't wait for our first home game #rsl
Weekly article planning. #RSL opens home play this week! Finally! The media gets just as excited as fans.… http://instagr.am/p/WsrGyRmgun/
Kyley Cederquist @smiley_kyley
Is it Saturday yet? (: #RSL
MLSsoccer.com: Highlights – Colorado Rapids 1, Philadelphia Union 2
MLSsoccer.com: Highlights – Chivas USA 3, FC Dallas 1
MLSsoccer.com: Highlights – San Jose Earthquakes 2, New York Red Bulls 1
MLSsoccer.com: MLS Goal Timeline: Watch all the goals from Sunday's matches
NASN.tv: The Best Soccer Show – Tim Howard, Week 2 and Petke
Real Salt Lake News & Notes
The Salt Lake Tribune: Real Salt Lake happy heading home with 3 points
MLS, Other News & Notes
MLSsoccer.com: Match Recap – Colorado Rapids 1, Philadelphia Union 2
MLSsoccer.com: Match Recap – Chivas USA 3, FC Dallas 1
MLSsoccer.com: Match Recap – San Jose Earthquakes 2, New York Red Bulls 1
MLSsoccer.com: Goalkeeping error costs Colorado Rapids for second straight week
MLSsoccer.com: Philadelphia Union's "defend first" game plan pays off with a win in Colorado
MLSsoccer.com: Chivas USA boss Chelis: Goats rose from the dead for first win
MLSsoccer.com: FC Dallas doomed by costly defensive lapses in blown lead vs. Chivas
MLSsoccer.com: San Jose Earthquakes after hero Adam Jahn's equalizer: "The new Goonie's here"
MLSsoccer.com: After another collapse, Mike Petke questions if New York Red Bulls want to be a possession team
SI.com: Canadian clubs shine in MLS' second week
Goal.com: Chelis: When you're in a barrel of feces, stick your head up for fresh air
Seattle Times: FYI Guy – How much do cities love their MLS teams?
Pro Soccer Talk: The Chelis era at Chivas USA has its first "W"
Pro Soccer Talk: Holy self-destruction! Red Bulls fall apart against San Jose


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You will need a C&A Pro mounting kit to attach your skis to your snowmobile. Mounting kits are available for all four snowmobile brands – Polaris, Artic Cat, Ski-Doo and Yamaha.
C&A Pro Snowmobile Skis Mounting Kit FAQ
Yes, every machine requires one.
Yes. Reference the instructions that were provided with the mounting kit. If you do not have the instructions, we have a downloadable copy on the Tech Info. page.
- Sort by Default Order


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Kyocera to develop solar projects in U.S.
Kyocera, a global manufacturer of photovoltaic panels with facilities in San Diego and Tijuana, is gearing up to design and develop solar farms for institutional clients, such as utilities, universities and government entities.
The move builds on Kyocera's recent experience as a solar power-plant developer in Japan, where it built a bundle of utility-scale solar project with financial backing from local partners.
U.S. projects would utilize Kyocera solar equipment, potentially boosting sales at manufacturing facilities in Tijuana that supply panels internationally. Kyocera said it is offering in-house design, engineering and project management services.
"This offers the customers a turn-key project where they don't have to worry about what kind of equipment will be used and who installs it," said Cecilia Aguillon, director of marketing and government relations for Kyocera Solar in San Diego. "Our goal is to protect the investment of the solar customer."
Out of U.S. solar headquarter in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kyocera is advertizing its technical know-how as well as the company's capacity for attracting competitive debt financing. In select cases, Kyocera may invest directly in projects.
Kyocera said it has initiated some limited U.S. commercial solar projects that will come online before the end of the year, but it did not provide further details.
Japan's quest for more renewable energy amid a prolonged nuclear-power shutdown enticed Kyocera into the role of solar developer.
The Kyoto, Japan-based maker of computer chips, solar cells and mobile phone parts is developing as many as 35 mid-sized solar power plants in Japan that together can produce about 70 megawatts — enough electricity to power about 20,000 homes.
"We started in Japan, and now we're moving it here," Aguillon said. "Kyocera is very conservative and moves step by step. So this is the next market where we're getting our feet wet and getting moving."
Most of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors remain offline in response to the tsunami-triggered meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011. Seeking to reduce its heavy reliance on imported natural gas, oil and coal, Japan implemented government policies a year ago that offer generous guaranteed prices for renewable energy, including solar.
Kyocera opened its Tijuana solar manufacturing plant in 2008, anticipating the ongoing boom in rooftop and utility-scale solar.
The company cited weak demand for U.S.-made panels in April, however, as it announced workforce reductions at its San Diego manufacturing facilities. That downturn coincided with the conclusion of stimulus funding that promoted U.S-made panels.


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More than 90 million card offers.
Proved trustee system for maximal trade protection.
Pure trading card game market with virtual accounts for easy transactions.
More than 300.000 buyers from over 30 countries.
No listing fees, no time constraints and only a 5% sales commission.
Only a few clicks to list your offer thanks to an up-to-date card and shipping cost database.
Card Offers
Cards Sold


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LeBron X
It is finally time to introduce you to the LeBron X. Just as every previous model, these feature the latest Nike technologies. However, the biggest innovation is the full-length combination of Max Air 360 and Zoom Air. Basically, it is a Zoom Air unit within the Max Air. The result is simply amazing. Great transition from heel to toe, huge comfort, responsiveness and impact protection, all in one. Nike LeBron X also feature the dynamic Flywire technology that was also installed within the Hyperdunk 2012. These nylon cables follow the foot's movement, providing lockdown and support. The upper part of the latest LeBrons was designed with the latest Hyperfuse technology. It is soft and durable, which makes these shoes ready to play immediately after unboxing, these do not need any break-in time. LeBron X's upper also features many cut-outs that greatly improve ventilation. The traction has also been upgraded. Special pattern allows multi-directional movements, quick cuts and crossovers without any slippage.


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This is the trailer's message -- don't f-ck with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher because he's all mystery and stealth killer moves that will hurt you in the night time but not if you're a woman in his bed. At least that's what I think it is, and that's a hard sell; it was a hard sell even before Katie Holmes broke up with him in public and told Xenu to piss off.
Here's the second trailer for Jack Reacher due out December 21 for those of you who don't want to see The Hobbit, Les Miserables (um, why not not?!?), Monsters, Inc 3D, Django Unchained, and/or Zero Dark Thirty. I feel like "I want the truth" in a Tom Cruise movie is becoming the equivalent of Rob Schneider appearing in Adam Sandler's.
OK fine, I smiled at the scene at the very end. A little.


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- Calgary, Alberta, Kanada
- 27 Haz 2018 - 5 Tem 2018
BEST location in Vancouver possible! WOWOur hosts were incredibly helpful, informative and communicative when it came to making sure everything was in place for our arrival. We visit Vancouver frequently and know the city well. Kits is the best neighbourhood to stay in as far as we're concerned. And this wonderful apartment is located about as good as it gets within Kits. Great restaurants near by, 2 blocks to Granville Island. Numerous theatre venues. Three blocks to Granville Island. Bike rentals and amazing wonderful bike paths all around. 20 minute walk to downtown, 20 minutes to the beach. And the apartment VIEW!!! Oh myyyyy. (and the very strange, regular evening inland migration of a huge pack of crows, right outside their windows. I think it was at 8:36 every evening. Most interesting) Anyways, we LOVED this exchange and you will too. Regards, Jill and Dennis.


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Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for decades. It was always about family and, of course, great food. The adults didn't seem stressed or as tired as they were in December. There was a lot of laughter and joking. Extended family would come by. Friends would drop by. It was just fun.
One Thanksgiving, when I was about 10 or 11, I was allowed to help with the dishes after dinner (before dishwashers). I really felt grown up because I wasn't shooed away like the younger children, and as I had been in the past. I wanted to help with the kitchen clean up because the ladies always seemed to have so much fun talking and laughing. And the kitchen was SMALL. So they were always "running" into each other. But it didn't matter.


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Stamp Fakes and Forgeries
By Ted Wilson, Registrar
The Postal Museum recently received a donation of 63 specimens (accession number 2012.2009) of fakes and forgeries of U.S. Carrier, Local, and Postmaster Provisional stamps. The collection was donated by Clifford J. Alexander of Alexandria, Virginia.
In the mid-19th century, private companies in many major U.S. cities established local posts that offered additional services, such as more frequent daily deliveries and convenient drop-off boxes. Local Posts issued their own stamps, which were used in conjunction with Post Office Department stamps. Carrier stamps were used by private companies that delivered mail to and from the post office in an era when home delivery was not yet available to most Americans. Postmaster Provisional stamps were issued by local postmasters following the July 1, 1845 Act establishing uniform postage rates but prior to the availability of the first U.S. stamps on March 3, 1847.
Fearing prosecution by the Secret Service, most forgers avoided regular U.S stamps and, instead, ventured into locally issued stamps. As a result, many of these early stamps are actually forgeries.
The specimens shown here include some of the best know stamp forgers:
John Walter Scott (New York City Carrier 2012.2009.19)
George A. Hussey (General Issue Carrier, 2012.2009.22)
Samuel Allan Taylor (the Brattleboro, Vermont Postmaster Provisional, 2012.2009.25)
Samuel Allan Taylor (the Baltimore Carrier, 2012.2009.15)


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At the start of summer I took off for Munich, and wrote a review of that Summer trip slated "First up: Munich" but then failed to ever report on subsequent forays. So here's a belated recap of some other summer adventures, with a couple teasers for travel posts still to come...
In late July, we visited Lucerne, Switzerland with my brother and his family. I wish I had been able to capture better photos, but the weather most of the time was miserably cold and rainy. What I do need to share is that we took an awesome (albeit freezing cold and wet) excursion that, one day, I'd like to repeat under fairer skies and which I strongly encourage you to take if you find yourself visiting the Swiss Alps. It was the Golden Round Trip to Mt. Pilatus. This tour involved a ferry ride across the incredibly beautiful, turquoise-blue Lake Lucerne, followed by a
One of the more exciting adventures for the men in our group was a day of Canyoning in Interlaken. Unfortunately, since the younger kids were too small for this, my soon-to-be sister-in-law and I got stuck taking the four little ones to a noisy, chlorine-filled indoor water-park. The kids loved it, we couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and crack open a bottle of red!
We departed Switzerland after a few days and headed for the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle. At least on this day, the weather gods blessed us so we were able to enjoy stunning views in the German Alps. Arriving too late to get tour tickets for the famous structure that inspired Disney's Cinderella Castle, we were able to tour the neighboring Hohenschwangau Castle, where King Ludwig II spent his summers growing up and actually lived while building his dreamy princess palace. The tour was fantastic and I was really glad we did it. The rooms of the castle are richly furnished and the wall murals are amazing. We were able to get a sense of what life was like in the castle during the early to mid 1800s.
The castle visit was followed by another trip to Munich so my brother and family could visit my daughters and experience a traditional German beer garden, among the other great sights of this historic city. Most of this rainy trip included the same points of interest I reported in the Munich blog post, minus the sunshine.
The Maldives
The final trip of our summer was a three-week dream vacation to a tiny atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean - part of the Maldive Islands. That trip, which was a gift from my in-laws, is going to need its own blog post, so I promise to get one up in the next couple of weeks! Right now, I'm still sorting through the thousand photos we took and trying to assemble an album to give them as a thank-you present.
Autumn Adventures
Then summer ended, I celebrated my birthday, and the first full year of my new life in Germany came to a sentimental close. School resumed and life moved on at a somewhat normal pace, with the expected highs and lows of kids continuing to adjust to a challenging situation. We were all grateful when fall break arrived. And with it, came a visit from the American grandparents. That, too, deserves its own post. So as soon as I gather all the photos from the various trips we took to the Baltic, to Belgium, along the Rhine, and throughout the Ruhr region, I'll get them up for you!
KettwigeFrau and Expat Emma already blogged about it, I'll refer you to their wonderful sites! (And they're religious about updating their blogs, so check in often and you might even learn more about what I've been up to).


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December 3, 2006
The December 3, 2006 Modern Art & Design Auction featured 60 lots dedicated to California 20th century design as well as 30 items designed by RM Schindler from 1927 to 1947 that are included in a separate auction catalogue entitled RM Schindler: The Gingold Commissions. This Schindler collection was considered the largest and most comprehensive survey of his works to ever appear on the market. In addition, the sale included over 350 lots of modern design and fine art.
Basia Gingold, a Los Angeles doctor who fled Germany in 1935 due to her Jewish heritage and outspoken nature, commissioned RM Schindler multiple instances over their 15-year collaboration. The catalogue included Schindler furniture designs and architectural plans from Gingold's Herman Sachs apartment in Silver Lake, her home in Beverly Hills, her Wilshire Boulevard medical office, and her Gale Street medical office and pharmacy.
Additional California and international designs included fine art by California Modernists (Roland Petersen, Stanton MacDonald Wright, De Wain Valentine, Billy Al Bengston, Laddie John Dill, Jan de Swart, and Stanley Hayter), rare enameled works by Gio Ponti and Paolo de Poli, a large selection of Architectural Pottery and other California studio ceramics, rare "Golliwog" plant stands by Estelle and Erwine Laverne, a unique prototype lounge chair by, Karim Rashid, handcrafted furniture by George Nakashima and Sam Maloof, and a Frank Gehry one-off commissioned desk.
Highlights from the sale included an Alexander Calder hair comb (Lot 31 est. $10,000 - 12,000) that realized $36,000, a Roland Peterson oil on canvas, 73 Checkers in a Blue Shadow ;(Lot 81 est. $15,000 - 18,000), that brought in $22,800, and an important Isamu Noguchi "Rudder" table (Lot 272 est. $10,000 - 12,000) that realized $21,600.


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Author: Mahl, Tom E.Publisher: Galahad BooksYear: 2006ISBN: 1578661587Binding: Hard CoverBook Condition: As NewJacket Condition: As NewSize: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tallDescription: New book, 300 pages.This book chronicles the good, bad, and the ugly of the world of espionage. It lists include the top ten intelligence agencies, real spy gadgets, code-breaking coups, covert operation blunders, colorful dirty tricks, and much more. History buffs and espionage enthusiasts will enjoy this irreverent but illuminating look at the world of spies and intelligence.
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