Uncategorized

Iran's Nuclear Position, 'This Matter Is Over'

Eliminating all questions as to whether Iran can be negotiated with, especially over their uranium enrichment program, Iran’s position is simple. The ‘matter is over.’  This presents a special problem for the Obama campaign.

For however many months or years the IAEA has been trying to gain physical access to all areas of Iran’s nuclear program, it now appears they never will. Instead, Iran’s total response is 200 pages of paper and a bunch of meetings. OK, we’re done here. Now scram.

Tehran had turned over “more than 200 pages of explanations and documents” and held more than 70 hours of talks with U.N. inspectors, Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said, denying his government had issued only empty denials.

“We left no question unanswered. We have done our job. This matter is over,” he said as the four-day meeting ended.

related links: Iran says answered bomb allegations, “matter over” | While You Were Out, Iran Called |  Iran President Ahmadinejad condemns Israel, U.S.

Iran, Media, Politics, United Nations

While You Were Out, Iran Called


While everyone was busy worrying about American Idols, the politician and the one on TV, and who’s priest said what, cranes falling, and Hollywood burning, we all missed Iran’s way of negotiating with the IAEA when it comes to their nuclear ambitions. For months now, Iran has refused to cooperate with the IAEA. Negotiations aren’t over. But negotiations do have and ending point where the problem is either solved one way or solved another way. Here is a short list of news from the wire services for the last 10 days.


You should be mad as hell at the media. ALL of them didn’t so much as mention this BIG problem. When they start connecting the dots as to why it had to be solved militarily, they better start right here.

Why the virtual blackout? From the get-go it is out of Obama’s grasp. Iran says their uranium enrichment is none of the U.N.’s concern, and, is not negotiable. That, and a threat of this magnitude would play to the Republican’s strong suit, national defense. And maybe a little circling the wagons by downplaying the reality of a threatening Iran in order to present a different ‘reality,’ that of nominating a rookie, in every sense of the word, to the most powerful job in the world. It is better for Democrats, politically, to just ignore it.

related link: Barack Obama Picks His Cabinet

Uncategorized

Rick's Steaks Has To Leave Reading Terminal

Rick Olivieri, of Rick’s Steaks, son of Pat Olivieri of Pat’s Steaks in South Philly, has reached a settlement with the Reading Terminal. He has until Oct. 31, 2008 to vacate the premises. Not the settlement he was hoping for. The Reading Terminal wanted to replace Rick’s with Tony Luke’s, another popular and one of the best cheesesteak joint.

From a marketing standpoint, this kind of a move isn’t a move at all. It does kind of smack of something personal rather than contractual.

A spokesman for the Reading Terminal management, Kevin Feeley, disputed Olivieri’s claim that the eviction was retaliation for Olivieri’s work as head of the merchants’ group. ‘It’s a convenient story line but that’s not the way it happened,’ said Feeley.

So Rick’s is out of the Reading Terminal, where he has been since 1982. He’ll reopen once he finds a spot.

link: Rick’s Steaks out of Reading Terminal by late Oct.

NewsBustedTV, Politics

NewsBustedTV

Topics in this episode:
–John McCain releases his medical records
–Do Americans want less government and lower taxes?
–Al Franken still in trouble for failing to pay his taxes
–Hillary Clinton hangs on
–American Airlines charges passengers $15 per bag
–Is Angelina Jolie pregnant with twins?

Uncategorized

Hamas, Regulars With Obama Advisor

We know what Sen. Barack Obama thinks about talking to Hamas when he said Jimmy Carter should not have talked to Hamas on his freelance visit to the Middle East recently. So you might be surprised at this headline at Timesonline, ‘Barack Obama sacks adviser over talks with Hamas.’ Seems his Middle East policy adviser was no stranger to Hamas.

For Barack Obama, it’s just another straw for general election camel’s back.

related link: Timesonline story

2008 Election, Immigration, Politics

DNC Pow-Wow, No Peace Pipe

Democrat Party officials met today and decided what to do about the Michigan and Florida delegates. It ended up in a compromise that nobody likes. Instead of giving them no delegates, like their rules had spelled out, the DNC decided to count the votes as half a vote, which ends up with the States getting half of their delegates represented at the convention. They also took 4 of Hillary’s delegates and gave them to Obama.

Harold Ickes, speaking to the Rules Committee for Sen. Clinton, said that she . . .

had instructed him to reserve her right to appeal the matter to the Democrats’ credentials committee, which could potentially drag the matter to the party’s convention in August.

and

“There’s been a lot of talk about party unity — let’s all come together, and put our arms around each other,” said Ickes, who is also a member of the Rules Committee that approved the deal. “I submit to you ladies and gentlemen, hijacking four delegates … is not a good way to start down the path of party unity.”

Doesn’t look like she intends on quitting any time soon.

Reactions from the peanut gallery that was permitted to witness the meeting . . .

“How can you call yourselves Democrats if you don’t count the vote?” one man in the audience shouted before being escorted out by security. “This is not the Democratic Party!”

Seeing this primary fight between the Clinton and Obama camps is bittersweet. On the one hand, this fight for the Democrat nomination is a treasure trove of ad material for republicans and conservatives in the general election campaign. John McCain excepted. Sen. Obama’s campaign may self-destruct as more people learn more about him and the kind of people he surrounds himself with and seeks counsel from. The bad part of this protracted primary fight is that McCain won’t use any of it. How could he? Much of the democrat candidates’ positions on key issues are the same as his so it wouldn’t work. Immigration, more business regulation, ‘windfall’ profits tax actions against BIG OIL, man-made global warming, just to name a few.

Conservatives have their work cut out for them. Forget the last 40 years of toil. We’ve got to start over. We have to find conservatives, real ones, and run them in our city, county, state elected positions. From the ground up again, Yes We Can. (sorry, it just happened)

related links: Officials say Fla., Mich. delegates will get half-votes | Should Republican Leadership Resign?

Uncategorized

Subway Contest, Homeschooler Entries Not Accepted

What’s up with this?

Subway, the sandwich restaurant, wants to hear your child’s story – unless he or she is homeschooled.

The national chain’s “Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest” offers prizes and a chance to be published on the Subway website and in Scholastic’s “Parent & Child” magazine but specifically excludes homeschoolers:

It’s their marketing department, but if it were mine, I wouldn’t exclude that part of the population that is home-schooled. If it has anything to do with the grand prize itself, which is $5000 of athletic equipment for the entrant’s school, then what is stopping them from awarding the prize to what would be the entrant’s school if he/she were to use it? To me it would be a win win. The school would be happy to accept the donation, and the winner would be happy to have been responsible for them getting it. How great is that? That makes too much sense to me. A whole lot more sense than dividing up contestants by how they are educated, and excluding some. A little NEA’ish perhaps??

related link: Subway sandwich contest: Homeschoolers not wanted

updated 5/27/08

Uncategorized

Cheesesteak News

The cheesesteak. Can you think of a sandwich that carries more sway and passion with aficionados? I can’t. Some disturbing news out of Philly. Coming from a big win last month by being chosen the best cheesesteak in Philadelphia, John Bucci, 42, owner of John’s Roast Pork is now fighting preleukemia and preparing for a bone marrow transplant. Bucci’s spry 75 year old mother, Vonda, also a fixture at the shop, has a lot to deal with. And she will. ‘I have to have faith,’ she says. Vonda, our prayers are with you and your son and family.

On a much lighter note. What kind of cheese belongs on a cheesesteak? A recent survey showed American Cheese first, followed by Provolone. Cheez Whiz came in third. We use White American by default at Philly’s. IMHO, it offers the best blend of flavor for most cheesesteak lovers. Mozzarella is pretty good too but didn’t make the top three. As for the Wiz, I agree with Vonda at John’s Roast Pork. I prefer real cheese to a concoction made in a laboratory.

related links: The tender and the tough | Cheez Whiz is overrated for cheesesteaks

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Uncategorized

Overplayed Assassin?

Is this primary season getting on your nerves just a bit? What makes ‘news’ nowadays is virtually anything that either candidate says becomes an issue of some sort of attack when in reality, they are not. Take Hillary Clinton’s statement below for example. I’m on her side (what did he say?) on this issue that ought to be a non-issue. In response to critics asking her to quit, she has said the following on more than one occasion.

“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

Coming from someone who’s life’s dream is to become the President, from someone who, obviously, is not a quitter, not when it comes to the race for the presidency, what she said was not only true but are two good reasons to reject calls from others in her party for her to drop out of the race.

This controversy is a lot like what Geraldine Ferraro stepped in when she also correctly analyzed the political landscape as relates to Sen. Barack Obama.

Here is what RFK Jr. said about Hillary’s statement.

Clinton campaign issued a statement from Robert Kennedy Jr. on Friday night in which he said Clinton’s reference to his father’s death was “clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political circumstance in order to support her decision to stay in the race through June. I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband’s 1992 race, both of which were hard fought through June. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense.”

Continue reading Overplayed Assassin? →

Pensacola

How About A Recession Plate For 2.99?

Great story in the local paper today about a small business owner Sharon Ray, 61, owner of Ray’s Bar-B-Que, who recently started selling a “Recession Plate.”

The lunch plate, which includes two mini-barbecue sandwiches and a side of fries, is Ray’s attempt to help ease what she described as “Pensacola’s recession.”

One of the best ways to turn a recession around is not to participate in it, like Sharon Ray. This isn’t a turn lemons into lemonade story. This is a story of how a smart business entrepreneur can preserve her customers and business during tough times. Kudos to Sharon Ray of Ray’s Bar-B-Que. I gotta check them out. Not just because of this article, but because I’ve always considered myself to be a ‘common-sewer’ of fine foods, and will travel for great ribs and a good pork sandwich.

related link: Barbecue restaurant offers ‘Recession Plate’ lunch

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.