And when the DNC calls asking for money for a fifty state strategy, I can't help but laugh.  Maybe I'll give money to the "fifty-state" strategy when the Obama campaign acknowledges that West Virginia is one of the fifty states.  

The hard core NASCAR fans I have met here in FL are incensed that non-American cars were allowed into NASCAR this year. One woman I work with cancelled her season pass to Daytona.

When was the last time you heard of a stock car race not associated with NASCAR?

One needs to remember that NASCAR is a family-owned business which decides which teams get to participate, how much to charge them for the right, whether a particular driver should be disciplined for his road manners, and all the rest.  It resembles nothing more than a traveling carnival exhibition, where all the workers are working for the carnival and the carnival owner is in charge of pretty much everything.  Or maybe pro wrestling.  I'm not sure how many of the tracks are publicly owned, but to the extent they are, NASCAR gets a nice benefit from tax dollars.

This isn't to say that the races and racing aren't real.  They and it are.  Rather, it's to say that there is no organization truly independent of the family which owns NASCAR to do the accreditation/regulation and run the races.

But my fave is zucchini ripiene -- sliced rounds stuffed with essential meatball mixture, then stewed in tomato sauce -- from the late, great Romagnoli's Kitchen show on PBS (I got the cookbook, and if you can find it, get it for many more Italian goodies).  I like it in part because it's good for what to do with huge zucchini.

It was tongue in cheek...um, I think it was, anyway.  I've grown some large and powerful zucchinis! ;-).

We grill, but the fave recipe, the one I swear my kids would eat every day, is zucchini pancakes.

Grate 3 medium zukes, medium fine, press as much water out of them as possible.

Add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour, grated parmesan (real stuff) to tastes, about 2 oz or so. Salt, pepper. Cook like pancakes.

My kids love them rolled up with catsup... hot, warm or -ugh- cold.

I'm softening my attitude about it as well.  I didn't like the idea of O doing one too many events straight out of the JFK playbook, but as it turns out Kennedy didn't actually speak in front of Brandenburg Gate (RR did), but instead a few miles away in front of City Hall.

So now I'm basically on board.  I don't think he could match Kennedy's speech and its reception by that massive crowd, but he could come close.  If he pulls it off without a hitch, that's going to translate into some very positive coverage back here.

In Europe, Obama is more popular than McCain by something like 76-20, and she's been exposed as a Bush-poodle.

Put your dough in a plastic back and form a log. Make sure there are no air pockets. Gently push into a clean, empty Pringles container for refrigeration or freezing.

Whether you cut off just a few or bake the whole batch, you'll have uniform cookies.

You can also use the empty cardboard from paper towels or TP, or, if you like bigger cookies, a cardboard mailing tube from an office supplies place. (They're 3-5 inches.)

Check the hardware store out too for plastic tubing and get them cut to your preferred length (and available in diameters to suit your particular baked good need.) Always make sure you line it with a paper bag, as they'll SAY it's food safe but you never know.

STUPID DOUGH TRICKS

Freezing pizza, biscuit, flatbread and wet doughs (like for muffins) is good in tubular mode too -- a 'soft' round tin like a coffee container's good. (Clean it with hot water and vinegar so the coffee aroma is out, and be sure to line it with a plastic bag.) It's better to portion and separate it first.

Save the aluminum shells from tarts (or buy a bunch) and flatten into disks. Portion and spread your doughs for biscuits, mini pizza rounds, flatbread for the grill, etc.

You can let the pizza doughs thaw and cold rise in the fridge and then add fresh toppings (my preference) or top before freezing.

This is also good for calzones, empanadas and tamales. Just thaw, add the filling to one half and fold over or have an open faced version

STUPID ESKIMO PIE TRICK

Get an appropriate sized tube and line it with a plastic back. Layer with cookies and ice-cream or tempered chocolate and scoops of ice cream.

I have always frozen cookie dough, then just baked a few at a time in my toaster oven. That way we are not eating the whole batch in a day and the cookies are always freshly baked.

In a pinch, you could reuse a foil pie pan for the tart shell pan.

And, who says you can't use chocolate chip cookie dough (or other than straight sugar cookie) for a tart shell, anyway?

It's now the middle of July 2008. The Presidential election is in four months. Bush & Co. are due to leave in 5 months. Even if they considered having impeachment hearings, etc., by the time anything could be set up, let alone investigations, it would be Sept or Oct. What would be the point?

I'm amazed at what people will turn over without knowing where the info's going or even asking. I use a corporate credit card and give the business PO box, and/or my accountant's office as my address.

I als got tired of disinfecting my computer of nosy Mac, Real Player and AOL borgware that were tracking my tune plays. I discovered the pesky corps were downloading Album Art for tunes I ripped from vinyl and my own CDs.