From Scratch

Mrs. Clinton:
First, please know I did not choose that form of address just because protocol dictates it, when not addressing you as Senator Clinton. I chose it because, for all your lip service to feminism, you quickly come to mind when I think of women whose success is tied to their husbands’. Without him and […]

After last season’s debacle, they ought to rename this show The Next Food Network Employee. And when it returns Sunday night, you and I will no longer have a say in the hiring. For Season 4, the FN judges, not the viewers, will choose the winner; viewers will only be able to vote for a weekly […]

Now it’s on to Chicago and let’s win there.
Those were among the last words we heard Bobby Kennedy speak.
Hillary Clinton has apologized for invoking his 1968 assassination yesterday and Robert F Kennedy, Jr., who has endorsed her, issued a statement that said: “It is clear from the context that Hillary was invoking a familiar political […]

Cindy, Cindy, Cindy. I’m sure you won’t mind if I call you that; you told me to, the times we met in New Hampshire when you were standing by your man in his quest to become president.
I always liked you and admired your smarts, your easy charm, impeccable grooming and appearance, although the New Yorker […]

William F. Buckley, Jr. has died. He was 82, and while the cause of death is not known yet, his son Christopher (Thank You for Smoking) says Buckley suffered from emphysema and diabetes.
Buckley was an eloquent voice among conservatives, possibly the most eloquent. He never had to be encouraged, as toddlers of soccer moms are, to […]

Here’s an example why Hillary Clinton is a formidable candidate. During last night’s contentious Democratic debate, sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and CNN, she was asked by Corrrespondent Suzanne Malveaux about her husband’s increasingly vocal role in her campaign. Note how quickly and smoothly Clinton turned her reply into her “day one” campaign statement, […]

By all accounts, Europe is extraordinarily interested in this year’s presidential race and primaries; coverage has been extensive and in-depth. I wondered how it all seems to my fellow blogger, roadsofstone, who is an incisive thinker and a terrific writer. I am pleased beyond words that he’s agreed to be my first guest blogger, especially as he […]

At long last, the dispute between New Hampshire and Michigan over primary election dates is over, after the Michigan Supreme Court gave that state the go-ahead to hold its primary January 15. New Hampshire then announced its primary will be January 8, retaining its first-in-the-nation status. That’s the earliest presidential primary ever and is three […]

If I didn’t know Bravo’s got its ducks in a row for Season 4, I’d think this season of Top Chef is never going to end. After interrupting the season not even half way through for that silly “reunion” and after stretching the restaurant war to two episodes, there is no episode again next week. […]

This one’s personal. Irish music legend Tommy Makem died yesterday of lung cancer here in New Hampshire, his adopted home for decades. He was 74. He, along with the Clancy Brothers, became household names with their Ed Sullivan Show appearances in the early Sixties. He also performed solo, never failing to bring down a house […]

Tom Snyder died of leukemia yesterday. He was 71. He was a radio and television pioneer, legendary enough to have been fondly spoofed on Saturday Night Live. If you’ve forgotten — or if you’ve never known — how good and often-newsworthy a talk show can be in the hands of a master,  please enjoy this tribute […]

Yes, just my opinion but at some point Top Chef needs to eliminate two people in one episode. This series is becoming tedious, almost painfully so; beginning with 14 contestants instead of 12, as in Season 1, has not done a thing to increase my enjoyment. To the contrary.
There are so many contestants there are some […]

The Food Network can quit pretending now. It’s not about cooking.
Last night a new schedule took effect, with Chef Emeril Lagasse moving to 7 PM Eastern, an hour earlier than the time slot he’s had for years. When I heard the promo, I assumed it was so the network could re-run his show at 10. […]

Season 3 of Top Chef begins tonight and two episodes of the latest round of The Next Food Network Star are under our belts, and I’m scratching my head, at least figuratively, over the challenges that enable winners to advance in these competitions.
Food Network first. It was apparent immediately that many of this year’s challenges […]

Yes, that’s Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd of CT getting a cut, not in a salon or a stylist’s chair, but in a plain old barber’s chair in Manchester, NH. Specifically, he was was at Dude’s Barber Shop where Francis “Spike” Smith ensured Dodd remained campaign-trail-ready. Message? Dodd might not have a snowball’s chance of winning the primary, but don’t […]