FactCheck.org is the home of the FactChecker, a non-partisan initiative of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. In examining John McCain’s statements about Barack Obama’s tax policies, they determined the following:

It seems to me that McCain is treading on thin ice with his constant questioning of Obama’s judgment. For openers, what does his constant stream of ad hominem attack ads say about his judgment? But much beyond that, McCain should take another look at his own judgment – experience notwithstanding.   

My S.O. used that word a couple of days ago.  To me it immediately brings to mind sexual assault, but that may just be the woman in me.  His use of the word came when he realized that some of our items were stolen out of our truck while we were at Gillette stadium Thursday night.  The items taken were of little consequence and easily replaced, but of course the initial reaction is a sick feeling in the gut that gives rise to a certain level of anger.  The quality and quickness of these emotions is directly correlated to the seriousness of the violation. 

Hi all. Just a note on blog comments here.

We do not ask or require that bloggers participate in comment threads. While we welcome everyone's responses, please do not make our bloggers, particularly ones who have recently started, feel unwelcome by saying they have to debate with you.

Friday night, after all the business journalists had left for the weekend, Pizzeria Uno announced that it cannot afford to pay the monthly interest on its debt.

With politics front and center in the news, I have had little time to focus on much else on my blog. Today I am taking a break to offer some quick mentions of new music from artists that you may have never heard of or have forgotten.

New Challenges       

A few months back, an anonymous person sent me a less than flattering letter filled with critique of my letter and blog writing.  They attacked me personally and brought up, what this pompous dolt thought were valid points as to why; I had no right to speak my mind on anything. 

It's Not a Tip Anymore

The TV commercial game is not a contest.  It’s an unscientific study of how memorable some commercials are, and how effective.  If you remember the commercial, but not the name of the product, the commercial is memorable, but ineffective. 

                The presidents of 100 top colleges are starting a campaign to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18, the Associated Press reported Aug 19.  They say it will reduce binge drinking, which is a major issue on college campuses.  Binge drinking is more exciting to students when it is illegal, they say.

Overheard recently in a workplace lunchroom: "They should be happy I'm getting the big things instead of being so upset over the little things I miss. Isn't that more important?" The worst of it was the group of coworkers sitting around nodding their heads in sympathy and agreement. How appalling is that?

I live on the watershed of the Merrimack and Connecticut river valleys. Out for a country stroll at the crest of the Old Stoddard Road, the processed early morning coffee may, with proper aim, be directed to both the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston, and to Long Island Sound, between New London and Mystic. This is not a daily ritual to be sure, but I must note that the rural isolation that accommodates such roadside relief is changing, and I am increasingly cautious about listening for the sound of a car coming up the dusty road, or worse – a jogger!

Nelson once housed over 1,500 citizens. After declining to just a couple hundred in the early part of this century, the population is now about 650. City Hill, which graces my view to the south, is said to have had , in the 1840’s, over 50 farms and homes, as well as at least one small “factory” (a clothespin mill), and a school. Sheep farming and the need for fuel had created mostly open fields – this was the case throughout southern New Hampshire. Population declined to under 200 in the early part of this century.

When I first moved here in the early 1980’s I expect I was cited as an example of a population explosion that was threatening the rural values of the community. Like most newcomers, it didn’t take me long to want to shut the door behind me. I helped to shape the town’s Master Plan (1984), and did a term on the Planning Board. In 2001 I was asked to come back onto the Planning Board, with a very specific agenda: folks felt that there should be a growth control ordinance, and having an updated Master Plan was a prerequisite to that. For several years I pursued this, reading, going to workshops, conducted a community survey, and started drafting the new Master Plan (which remains a work in progress).