Happy New Year!

A blessed and Happy New Year to all of our Jewish friends and indeed, to everyone! May you be inscribed for a wonderful year.

Vote NJ Hall Of Fame

Voting for induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame has begun and will continue through the end of November.
You can cast your vote this year and tell your family, friends and colleagues to do the same. It's fascinating to see who is from New Jersey and the Hall of Fame is great for the state's image!
When you vote, if you provide a valid email address, you will be eligible to win front row tickets and backstage passes for two to the second annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday, May 3 at NJPAC in Newark.
In the Historical Category, the nominees are Grover Cleveland, Molly Pitcher, Paul Robeson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Walt Whitman and Woodrow Wilson. In the field of Arts & Entertainment, the nominees are Abbott & Costello, Count Basie, John Bon Jovi, Jerry Lewis, Jack Nicholson and Sarah Vaughn. In Sports, the list includes Larry Doby, Althea Gibson, Carl Lewis, Shaquille O’Neal, Phil Rizzuto and Joe Theismann. In Enterprise, the nominees are Milton Friedman, Guglielmo Marconi, Mary Roebling, Carl Sagan, David Sarnoff and Wally Schirra. And in the General Category, the nominees are Justice William Brennan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Admiral William Halsey, Dorothy Parker, Philip Roth and William Carlos Williams.
Vote by clicking here.

The Encounter

It's been happening more and more.
I wear a McCain button or a McCain tee shirt and total strangers come up to me to commend me and tell me they're voting for McCain.
I can't count the number of times this has happened. And it happens to others I know as well.
Today in the supermarket line a man with a foreign accent tells me that he's a proud American citizen and he's voting for McCain because "if you want communism, you can vote for the other guy." He calls Democrats "communists" because he says they want to deprive good, honest, productive people of their hard earned money -- they want to "take money from people who work and give it to people who don't want to work."
Of course, the view sounds extreme and maybe just a tad simplistic.
But then the guy tells me he's from Russia and he's so proud to be an American citizen. He says he lived under communism once and he doesn't want to live under it again. He admits that people in other countries may not like us "but they respect us." And then adds: "If they don't like the U.S., how come they all want to come here?"
He tells me he doesn't want everything turned over to the government because the constitution says "'We the people' not 'We the government.'"
"If I have to leave here, where would I go?" he asks. "Mexico? Canada? I don't want to live in those countries."
But he says he's not worried - not worried at all. And he predicts an easy victory for McCain.

Halloween: Truly Scary!

Today while browsing through a store I saw one of the dumbest things I've seen in a long time: A Halloween Tree!

It's a bare "tree" with orange or orange and purple lights lining the branches.

There is so much Halloween 'junk' for sale in the stores and so much Halloween stuff adorning homes that's the trend is truly scary. When Halloween begins to rival Christmas as a holiday you know we've got a problem. And it is rivaling Christmas.

As I wrote not very long ago in the Philadelphia Daily News:

Halloween is now so big that Americans spend almost as much on this faux-holiday as they do on Christmas. And Halloween is now the third largest party occasion, after New Year's and The Super Bowl. More candy is sold on Halloween than on Valentine's Day and people will actually send each other 28 million Halloween cards.
I don’t know about you but I’m not longing to receive a Halloween card from anyone. And it’s been decades since I’ve been out trick or treating.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for children enjoying the day dressed as ghosts, goblins and super-heroes and I’m happy to greet them. . . .

For children Halloween is a way of gently dealing with fright and fear while having some old-fashioned fun.
But grownups seem to have forgotten this and they’ve now set about stealing Halloween from the kids. Today, huge numbers of adults celebrate Halloween and at least half of them spend more than $100 each doing so. To me there’s nothing more awkward than a grownup trying to trick, astound, frighten or repulse somebody by wearing a Halloween costume. Most costumed adults look just plain dumb. Let’s face it, many of these people don’t need costumes to begin with and some of them are downright frightening no matter what time of the year it is.
But people will find countless ways to make fools of themselves and so the costume stores now start appearing in early August. When I see some costumed lackey trying to wave me into one of those huge, tacky Halloween stores I run in the opposite direction.
Still, I’m starting to feel like I’m the only one not costumed for Halloween. Even dogs have gotten into the act. Where did this dreadful trend start? Who was it that first thought: “Hey, let’s strip our beagle of whatever bit of doggy dignity it may have had by forcing it to wear a tiara and a tutu.” Dogs in costume look totally bewildered, and rightfully so. Dressing them up and parading them around on Halloween is just this side of cruel.
In fact, the whole Halloween situation is out of proportion. Haunted houses are a good example. Isn’t the world frightening enough without paying to visit a haunted house or participating in some other type of contrived horror? Why would you spend your money this way?
And why would you decorate your house in orange lights? When you think of it, orange is a pretty garish color to begin with. It should be used sparingly, if at all. Its time on the scene should be mercifully limited. But now we’re awash in a virtual sea of orange from mid September onward. Ugh!
To me, natural, seasonal adornments are fine. But now driving through suburbia I’m assaulted by Halloween lawn decorations included animated witches, skeletons and ghouls. And the strangest custom of all involves people who put tombstones on their front lawn. Think about it: Why would you turn your front lawn into a cemetery? Why would you welcome death itself to your door?
I pose this question because when you think about it Halloween is all about death. Its ancient origins are said to lie in Celtic traditions observing the night when the Celts believed the dead returned to earth. With the coming of Christianity, this festival was turned into Halloween – the eve of All Saints and All Souls days. But the observance is still rooted in death.
When an observance that celebrates death begins to rival Christmas as one of our biggest holidays we’ve got a problem. My solution: put a few pumpkins out, sip some cider, enjoy the fall foliage and let the dead rest in peace.

Paul Newman, 1925-2008

Those piercing blue eyes.

That devilish smile. Or alternately, the pout.

He could be the outcast, the rouge or the guy around the corner.

But always there was something about him that simmered, that was unexpected, that was real.

Today, the New York Times is calling him "one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars."

And he certainly was a star by every measure of the term.

Like all great stars Paul Newman came alive on the screen. His face, his stance, his style, his frame -- all were made for the camera. He wasn't a big guy. But he was always Very Big on the screen. At the same time, he could play an intimate scene in a way that would make women melt and make guys think: "So, that's the way it's done."

He exemplified the American spirit and captured that spirit in westerns, small-town dramas, mysteries, adventure films, irreverent comedies, urban film noir and one of the all-time great buddy movies, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

Paul Newman was a real guy who knew who he was and understood what he was all about. He cared about his country and the world and he never hesitated to act on his beliefs in a positive way that sought to not only advance his views but benefit others as well.

I like the fact that he was married to the same gal for 50 years and that he always maintained a well-grounded, sensible, measured sense of himself.

Paul Newman was a Eugene McCarthy delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968 when I was just one of the "McCarthy kids." I worked alongside him that year during the Indiana primary in Indianapolis and again at the convention in Chicago. He didn't have an entourage or a limo or a press agent or handlers.

He was Paul Newman. That was his actual name. That's who he was. And that was way more than enough.

Wonderful Wegman's

Is there a better supermarket than Wegman's?

If there is, I haven't discovered it.

Right now, Wegman's can be found in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. New York is the home base for this chain (founded in the 1930s) followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.

Wegman's growth is concentrated in the mid Atlantic region and additional stores are planned in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. So far there are 71 Wegman's stores.

If there is one near you, consider yourself very, very lucky.

What is it that makes Wegman's so special? It's hard to know where to begin: aware, friendly staff people; plenty of help for shoppers; a huge selection of tempting, fresh gourmet and everyday food, groceries and household items; bright, attractive, clean, easy-to-navigate stores with wide aisles; a great "eat in" selection and a spacious, comfortable seating area; helpful advice on meal selections and meal preparation and competitive prices on everyday items.

Wegman's people are courteous, knowledgeable and friendly. They go out of their way to help shoppers. The whole package actually makes food shopping a treat.

People actually camp out overnight so there can be there when the doors to a new Wegman's store opens. It's that special.

This much is certain: Once you shop at Wegman's, you'll never shop at a "regular" supermarket again.

THIS Is Leadership

From John McCain:
America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.
Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns.
This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward.I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.
It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration' proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time. Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative.
I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me. I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved.
I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.
I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people.
All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.
Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.

New & Hot: Distrito!

Our spies tell us that the new Philly restaurant Distrito in University City is one of the most exciting eateries to open since the beginning of Philadelphia's famed restaurant renaissance.
Jose Garces, the top Latin chef who brought authentic tapas to Philadelphia with his acclaimed restaurants Amada and Tinto, has opened Distrito (40th & Chestnut streets) as a high-energy culinary destination inspired by the spirited culture of Mexico City.
The menu reportedly "traverses the city's rich gastronomical landscape, serving contemporary interpretations of classic Mexican fare in a fun 'small plates' format that incorporates authentic Mexican ingredients into fresh presentations like 'Nacho Libres,' a variety of both traditional and Chef Garces' signature tacos."
We're told that Distrito's vivacious decor, designed by Jun Aizaki of Crème Design Collective, pays homage to the diverse elements of Mexico City's culture, among them the colorful masks of the lucha libre or "free fight" professional wrestlers.
The word on this place is that's it's big, bold and sensual.
It's a huge, imaginative investment - audacious, with dramatic lighting, vivid colors and tempting alcoves.
And we hear that a hip crowd is flocking to Distrito just to experience the full effect of one of the hottest places in town. Hurry!

Mum's The Word

While the Democrat Congress dithers (because "no one know's what to do") and while Obama & Co. take more polls and convene more focus groups to find out "what will fly" the nation waits for the kind of stong action and solid reform which McCain has proposed all along.

Nearby Asian Fare

Over the weekend we revisited Coconut Bay restaurant in nearby Vorhees to sample Asian fare.
Coconut Bay has an extensive menu featuring Chinese, Japanese and Asian dishes (as well as sushi) and the prices are reasonable.
If you go to Coconut Bay we recommend one of the combination "box" selections. These are served in a Chinese "box" - actually a multi-divided, decorated platter and typically include entree, vegetables, rice, spring roll, salad and sushi. There is more than enough for one person in these boxes so you can share or have some to take home.
We enjoy the jumbo shrimp platters, beef and broccoli, light chicken dishes, seafood combinations and chicken with cashews.
Like most restaurants of its type Coconut Bay is a BYOB.
We wish we could say that the restaurant has worn well since it opened a few years back but, regrettably, it does need a bit of a face lift. The large space is quite bare and little has been done to add to the ambiance. The place seems to do a great business so we'd recommend a little reinvestment in the property.