(This analysis was triggered by Karl Rove’s comment this weekend that, if the election were held today, Barack Obama would have three electoral votes more than he needs to be elected.  Everything here comes from conservative Republican analysts and strategists.  I say that because several passionate conservatives honor me by following my comments and taking the time to respond, often passionately.  I got the same passionate criticism, and accusations of bias, from the passionate wing of the Democratic Party during the Presidential Primary campaign.  When passionate partisans on both sides say you’re biased against them, it usually means you’re succeeding at being an analyst, not an advocate.  It’s also important to note that the state polls I draw from here were all conducted BEFORE the vice-presidential debate.  State polls are always “lagging indicators.”)

“Sooner or later, every man sits down to a banquet of consequences” - Robert Louis Stevenson

My mother grew up during the Depression and had to eat mustard sandwiches. As a result my sensibilities have been influenced by many of her penny-pinching habits.

 This entry was written a few years ago, the actual event took place in October 28, 1988. 

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. No, make that $700 billion!

THESE SENATORS ARE GIVING THE FINGER TO THE VOTERS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT MOST PROGRESSIVES WILL RE-ELECT THEM. WHAT A BUNCH OF DISTASTEFUL, UNETHICAL EXAMPLES OF EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH WASHINGTON.

Clementine and Lily are the youngest of our heifers.  Both were born this summer, Clementine to Nectarine and Lily to Muguet.  Their moms are the matriarchs of the herd with Muguet being the top cow and Nectarine her number two. Lily is the sweetest calf imaginable, following anyone like a dog, eager to have her ears scratched. 

I was sitting at the counter of a local dining establishment waiting for my order. I had relinquished the menu, and having forgotten a newspaper I was at a loss for reading material, until I noticed some instructions taped to a refrigerator door. It was a list of how to make various beverages, and it started:

“Latte: 23 ounces of a full new gallon of milk and 20 ounces of latte mix”

It’s an established convention in the food industry that a place that makes a decent cheeseburger is probably not going to excel in the exotic coffee department. And the cheeseburger (with fries) was why I was there: it was a chilly rainy day and I needed some comfort food. I guess I always knew that there was some kind of short cut to making coffee beverages, but I never realized how short a cut it might be.

Having never made a latte myself, I wasn’t totally sure what was involved, so I called my friend Jeff Petrovitch, a noted barista from Keene, and he explained the process. It begins with espresso – a “well pulled” espresso. The beans should be freshly ground to just the right consistency, and tamped down (he recommends about 40 lbs of pressure) evenly. Then milk is steamed to between 130 – 140 degrees, and poured gently (he does his down the side of the cup) so that it does not break the “crema” the slightly foamy surface that has a somewhat oily finish. Finally, just a small topping of foamed milk that sets over the crema. This is an abbreviated summary – it took Jeff five minutes to describe every little detail, and he noted how shortcuts at any step of the way would reduce the quality of the beverage.

I enjoyed my cheeseburger, paid the bill, and went back to work, but I couldn’t get this latte thing out of my head.
My first experiences of coffee were from my grandmothers percolator, and at various diners on Cape Cod, where I spent summers working for my grandfather on his cranberry bogs. The only variation that one sometimes heard about was Sanka. Some years later I had occasion to visit Seattle where coffee was just beginning to come out of the closet, as it were. What a revelation! It’s a mixed blessing to discover such things, since one’s standards tend to become more demanding, and not always met.

This is not really an in-state rivalry, let's call it an in-state matchup. UNH has outgained Dartmouth 310-92. Dartmouth's deepest penetration has been to the UNH 31 and the Big Green has just 6 first downs to 16 for the Wildcats.

2008 DEERFIELD FAIR TO OPEN SEPTEMBER 25

“New England’s Oldest ‘Family Fair’^®” – the Deerfield Fair – opens September 25 for its 132^nd year. Four full days of events, both old and new, take place at the Deerfield Fairgrounds in Deerfield, New Hampshire. “You can’t help having a good time at the Deerfield Fair! This is a good old country fair, a family fair,” explains Alan O’Neal, Deerfield Fair board member. “Just one low price and acres of free parking.”