From The Fens: To Gehenna With You

Happy New Year to our readers. While Yankee fans exult over this free agent season, Boston fans aren't exactly breaking out the champagne.

As promised, from the shadows of Fenway Park, here's Red Sox fan Bob Ekstrom's take on the Mark Teixeira signing:

After a Christmas week crushed under the carbon footprint of my visiting daughter and the gold thumbs of Hal & Hank Steinbrenner, yesterday was a good day. I got my daughter to the airport and the Red Sox finally signed a couple of free agents, so I've survived the holidays, albeit a little worse for the wear.

Waiting for 30-minute showers and $180-million contract talk to end can try even the most patient of father and fan, but the days when I was either are over. That bubble popped three years ago when I stood knee-deep in the wrapping paper remnants of my daughter's Christmas list, numbed to this paternal joy by the recent defection of Johnny Damon.

So there I was again this Christmas, seated in a hard wooden pew at morning service befuddled as to how Yawkey Way got jujitsued out of Mark Teixeira. The sermon was reveling in the purity of this day and urged us all to fight its exploitation by the forces of greed. Suddenly, its words shone brighter than my downstairs after my daughter got up for a snack in the middle of the night: the Yankees are killing Christmas and should be cast into Gehenna where there will be much wailing and grinding of teeth.

I'm sorry, Lisa, but if you prefer we drop the 'Evil' when referencing The Empire, you must first stop sabotaging our traditional New England Christmases. It's not enough for you to sign the winter's top three free agents. No, you have to grab the last just two days before Christmas. You've taken Whoville's toys, our ornaments, and now, with the Teixeira signing, our rare Who roast beast under the cloak of night.

Everyone knows Johnny Damon wasn't worth $52 million; signing the iconic idiot was just for the mantelpiece. Teixeira is another matter. He offers considerable worth to both teams, and Theo Epstein's inertia here is inexcusable. Theo fell in line with all those pundits lulled into complacency by Yankee smokescreens, and the whole band of them were sent wandering around December like Spinal Tap looking for the stage in Cleveland.

Maybe The Empire has had the better this offseason, but as long as there are Whos gathered round the tree on a barren Christmas morning, so too can Red Sox Nation rebound. And we have with the inking of Brad Penny and Josh Bard.

That's right . . . Penny and Bard.

Although he doesn't have the potential of an A.J. Burnett, it's even money that a healthy Penny will perform as well as Burnett for one year, making him a low cost countermeasure to the Yankee signing. Besides, as ERA goes, 6.27 is the new 3.75. He's also hit .231 over the last two seasons, making it easier to bring back Jason Varitek. Every fifth day, Francona can DH in the catcher's slot to avail himself of Penny's more potent bat.

Speaking of which, we now know how Theo could non-tender back-up catcher Kevin Cash, where those hairy green Empire fingers dropped from the fireplace to snatch him like some crumb too small for a mouse. Good friend Josh Bard - who was run out of town in 2006 after allowing ten passed balls in seven appearances with Tim Wakefield - is back again. It's not every day a catcher is pursued for his ability to play balls off the wall.

So pause, Evil Empire. Put your hand to your ear and hear the sound rising over the snow. The sound sounds merry, though it couldn't be so.

It's the song of Red Sox Nation, happy with the bare tree we stand around, hand in hand, celebrating our coupon-clipping GM.

Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze!

To read Ekstrom's previous Subway Squawkers Hot Stove dispatch, click here.

What do you think? Leave us a comment! And have a happy - and safe - new year!

Shuman Receives Full License

After operating on a provisional license from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health for the last 6 months, Shuman Juvenile Detention Facility has now received a full license. The facility's full license was revoked in June when an inspection unveiled concerns about understaffing, overcrowding, insufficient medical records and building management. An August inspection showed that those same problems had not yet been remedied. However, according to Stacy Witalec, spokesperson for the Public Health Department, a December 2 inspection showed a "complete overhaul" of the facility and its staff. Witalec says all of Shuman's problems have been corrected or are planned on being corrected in the near future.

Next Steps For Prasugrel: The Anatomy of an Advisory Committee

Eli Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo used the morning of New Years Eve (‘tis the season for hiding news) to announce that the delayed anti-clotting drug prasugrel will be considered by the Cardiovascular-Renal Advisory Committee February 3. (Shameless self-promotion alert: We predicted that February meeting in October.)

Now that a date has been offically set, let the next round of speculation begin.

That news can be viewed in two ways: optimists (like Lilly and Daiichi investors) will argue that the meeting is a signal that the review is wrapping up and a decision is close at hand. Pessimists will argue that the meeting is an indication of the internal strife at FDA over prasugrel’s benefit-risk profile—and that products that go before an advisory committee are less likely to be approved on the first cycle.

Here's our take. First, we should note that the confirmation of the advisory committee meeting is a milestone in prasugrel’s development. It’s the first word to come out of FDA on the drug since June, when the agency extended the review by three months. FDA then let the revised September 26 review deadline pass without an approvability decision.

Another positive indicator for Lilly and Daiichi is that FDA is only convening the Cardio-Renal committee—and is not asking for a joint review with the Drug Safety & Risk Management Advisory Committee. A joint meeting would indicate significant concerns at FDA regarding prasugrel’s safety profile, which we have delved into in this earlier post.

Of course, that certainly doesn’t preclude FDA from drawing from members of the Drug Safety & Risk Management Advisory Committee as needed—including its newest member, Public Citizen’s Sidney Wolfe, who is unlikely to look kindly upon the prasugrel NDA.

Wolfe is just one extra member that could be asked to show up on February 3, given the current vacancies on the Cardio-Renal advisory committee. There are just eight permanent Cardio-Renal members, including a consumer rep (Consumers Union’s Stephen Findlay) and a non-voting industry rep (AstraZeneca’s Jonathan Fox).

That can make for a lot of last-minute additions. At the committee’s last meeting, FDA added 13 temporary members, including two regulars: University of Washington statistician Thomas Fleming and Duke University human cognition expert Ruth Day.

So who might be asked to serve? With a product like prasugrel, one obvious choice for a temporary member is Steven Nissen, the head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic—an expert on cardiovascular drug safety and a former chair of the Cardio-Renal advisory committee.

Nissen’s participation on the committee would be a positive development for Lilly and Daiichi, given that he has come out in favor of prasugrel—first giving the drug a thumbs up for approval and then criticizing FDA for not delivering an on-time approvability decision. Nissen isn’t exactly a shrinking violet, so if he still favors a prasugrel approval, he stands a good chance of getting the committee to see things his way.

But those statements may prevent Nissen from serving—especially given FDA’s tougher line on conflicts of interest. Indeed, Nissen himself has questioned whether he is qualified to serve on an advisory committee under the new CoI guidelines. The meeting roster will be out in the next month. Lilly and Daiichi should hope Nissen's name is on it.

Human brain image courtsey of flickr user hduhadaway.

Financial Literacy Course Tested in Pittsburgh

A free online financial literacy course is being tested in Pittsburgh in hopes that it will help local workers better manage their money. The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board has been piloting the seven-module course with several community groups. The modules cover things like bank accounts, budgets, taxes, wages, and the global economy. Each module has a test at the end to help evaluate the user's progress. Program Monitor Shad Henderson says after the pilot is finished next year, the program will be refined and then expanded to more participants.

Henderson says at first, the Workforce Investment Board just posted a link on its website to other online financial literacy resources. But users found it difficult to navigate, and there was no way to test what they'd learned.

The online software was developed with a grant from the Heinz Endowments, which wanted to learn more about how money management problems might affect worker productivity. Henderson says earlier studies have suggested that workers with money problems tend to spend time on the job addressing them.

Community groups have offered various incentives to volunteers who have been willing to go through the program. But it's also available to anyone who wants to do it. You can access it on the website alison.com.

Network Would Connect Local Latinos

Local Latinos are trying to create a network of "promotores," or community members who would help connect others with with health-related services. The network would target two groups of immigrants: families with children and men who are living apart from their families.

Various groups offer health-related services to Latinos, but their efforts are fragmented. The promotores would serve as a central starting point to help immigrants who may feel isolated and may have limited fluency in English.

Patricia Documet, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, is helping to coordinate the promotores effort. She moved to Pittsburgh from Peru seventeen years ago. Documet says her group applied for a grant last year, but it was rejected at least partly because they were trying to do too much. Their proposal also included a community center for Latinos. She says that's something they would still like to do one day in order to have a place where Latino immigrants could connect with social services and each other.

Allegheny County's Latino population is small, but growing. Latinos made up one percent of the county's population in 2000.

Squawker media alert: I will be on the radio Friday

Hope everybody had a cool holiday season. I'm back in action, just in time to kick 2008 to the curb. And I will be squawking on Sound-Off With Sinkoff this Friday at 4:10 p.m. The show airs on Albany's ESPN 104.5 The Team. Click here to listen live to the show online.

Free agent season aside, 2008 was a lousy year for the Yankees, the Jets (sorry, Squawker Jon), the economy, and for Roger Clemens. The magazine Texas Monthly named the Rocket their Bum Steer - make that Bum Steeroid - of the year. Given that Clemens is all about Texas pride, that's gotta hurt. Fortunately for Yankee fans, the article emphasizes him being an Astro instead of a Bomber.

I still can't quite believe that the Yanks got Mark Teixeira. And Squawker reader/Red Sox fan Bob Ekstrom is still coming to grips with the signing as well. Come back later today to read his take on the signing.

What do you think of the state of the Yankees? Leave us a comment!

Lowered Rates for Mine Subsidence Insurance

Effective Jan. 1, mine subsidence insurance will become more affordable for Pennsylvania residents. Residential premiums will decrease by 25 percent, while commercial rates will decrease by almost 60 percent. Acting Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger says more than one million Pennsylvania homes sit on top of abandoned mines. He says it is a very real problem.

Hanger says homeowners can purchase mine subsidence insurance for $157 per year for $250,000 of coverage. Business owners are able to get the same amount of coverage for $314 per year.

To apply, property owners can call the Department of Environmental Protection at 800-922-1678 or visit www.pamsi.org. The Web site includes information that tells visitors whether or not an owner's property sits on top of an abandoned mine.

CHRISTIAN MILLER RE-JOINS COMPASS360 RACING IN 2009

December 31st, Toronto, Canada -- Compass360 Racing has added another long-time Grand-Am competitor to their driver roster. Christian Miller, who drove full-time with the team last year, returns to drive one of C360R's Honda Civic Si's in 2009.

"We're so glad Christian's joining us again," enthused Team Principal Karl Thomson. "He had a great year in 2008, but I feel we have a little unfinished business to take care of: Chris really deserved a podium last season!"

In fact, although Miller had six top-ten finishes (including a remarkable five sixth-place results), he and initial co-driver Kevin York were the only C360R driver pairing who were denied a top-three finish in 2008. Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood took two wins last year (at Watkins Glen and Trois Rivieres) and were second at VIR, while Thomson and Travis Walker were third (at Daytona), as were Jeremy Willard and Ken Wilden (at Iowa).

"After Mosport last year we did our best to give Christian a good co-driver who would help him to bring that top-three finish home, and for a variety of reasons, it never worked out," noted Thomson. "We're looking to resolve that this year!"

Miller worked with the team developing the new Civic Si platform throughout 2008, and is bullish on the car's prospects. "I've come to know these cars pretty well," he remarked, "and (Technical Director) Ray Lee sure has put together one heck of a package. We worked on improving a lot of little things last year and I think the new C360R Hondas will be strong from the get-go."

Interestingly, all of the drivers signed to the team are alumni: Travis Walker has been with the team since 2005. Matt Pritiko began his KONI Challenge career with Compass360 Racing in 2007, and Thomson's been part of the Grand-Am community since 2003. "We've got a solid group of drivers who have proven results in the series, and specifically with our team," noted Lee. "We'll be finalizing our line-up for our Hondas over the next few weeks and are confident we can once again field equal team cars that can challenge for race wins and the KONI championship."

The KONI Challenge race schedule starts on January 22nd in Daytona, Florida, and will be televised on SPEED.

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Marketing Communications, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit http://www.c360r.com/ or http://www.compass360.com/

PR inquiries about the Compass360 Racing team should be directed to Team Principal Karl Thomson at (416) 465-2299 x21 or email karlt at compass360 dot com

Why Moderates Win in North Carolina: Overview

This is part of PPP's new report on why moderates win in North Carolina. You can read the whole thing here.

________________________________

In 2002 Elizabeth Dole ran for the US Senate and mostly projected herself as a moderate. She got a great deal of crossover support from conservative Democrats and Democratic women, and fared strongly with independents. She won convincingly.



During her time in the Senate she ended up voting largely in lockstep with the President, accumulated little to speak of in terms of bipartisan accomplishments, and generally shed her moderate image in favor of a more conservative one. She paid the price on Election Day.



Dole’s shift from moderate to conservative was not a smart one in the scheme of North Carolina politics. This is a state of moderates.



Self Identified Ideology of North Carolina Voters:

Moderate Democrats	24%
Conservative Republicans	20%
Liberal Democrats	18%
Moderate Republicans	14%
Conservative Democrats	10%
Moderate independents	6%
Liberal Republicans	4%
Conservative independents	3%
Liberal independents	2%

44% of North Carolina voters identify as moderates, compared to 33% who are conservatives, and 24% who think of themselves as liberals. That adds up to a state that’s about as centrist as it can be, and that helps to explain both why there were so many competitive statewide races this year and also why moderate candidates tend to defeat those who tilt too far one way or the other in major political contests. Candidates like Kay Hagan, Bev Perdue, and Walter Dalton who were successful in high attention races this year are all cut from the same cloth of moderate Democrats who make up a plurality of voters in the state.



All things being equal in North Carolina politics:



-A moderate Democrat should beat a moderate Republican

-A moderate Democrat should beat a conservative Republican

-A moderate Republican should beat a liberal Democrat,

-A conservative Republican should beat a liberal Democrat

-A moderate Republican should beat a conservative Democrat

-A conservative Democrat should beat a conservative Republican



Of course all things are rarely equal. For instance by this token moderate Democrat Jim Hunt should have beaten conservative Republican Jesse Helms in 1984 and moderate Democrat Terry Sanford should have won reelection against conservative Republican Lauch Faircloth in 1992. The drag of Walter Mondale at the top of the ticket in 1984 and uncertainty over Sanford’s health in 1992 were extenuating circumstances that resulted in exceptions to the rule in each of those cases, and there have been plenty of others. But generally speaking in 21^st century North Carolina the above rules should hold true, and it speaks to the fact that both Democrats and Republicans concerned about general election viability should support the nomination of moderate candidates for major offices.

Why Moderates Win in North Carolina: Why Liberals don't win Democratic primaries

This is part of PPP's new report on why moderates win in North Carolina. You can read the whole thing here.
_____________________________________
Several candidates running for statewide offices in the Democratic primary last spring, including Senate candidate Jim Neal and Lieutenant Governor candidates Dan Besse and Hampton Dellinger, ran campaigns that seemed to be strongly targeted at liberal voters in the party. All were unsuccessful. That can be traced back to a myriad of reasons, but one is quite simple: there just aren’t enough voters who identify themselves as liberals to win with them as your base, even within the Democratic Party.

Self Identified Ideology of North Carolina Democrats:

Liberal 35%
Moderate 46%
Conservative 19%

Starting out with a strong moderate base, with an ability to also appeal to either the liberal or conservative wing of the party is the path to victory in a Democratic primary, and obviously a well worn one through the years.

It is not impossible for a well funded liberal candidate to win in the primary, but the chances are particularly small if multiple liberals run. There needs to be unity around a single candidate for the more left leaning segment of the party to get someone nominated.

A common misconception in reaching out to black voters in a Democratic primary may be that they are all liberals. Our analysis found that is not the case.

Self Identified Ideology of Black North Carolina Democrats:

Liberal 27%
Moderate 53%
Conservative 20%

Black Democrats are actually less likely than Democrats in general to think of themselves as liberals, and more likely to think of themselves as moderates. There was a school of thought last spring that with the contested Presidential primary coming to North Carolina increased turnout from black voters would make it more likely for liberal candidates to win in the other statewide primaries, but this data indicates that appealing to black voters as liberals may not be the best path to earning their votes.

There is good news for liberal Democrats. Among folks within the party over 45 just 29% identify as liberals, but with voters under 45 that number increases to 43%. And a majority of Democrats under the age of 30 describe themselves as liberals. There could be a leftward move as the party shifts generations.

Why Moderates Win in North Carolina: Republicans: their own worst enemies?

This is part of PPP's new report on why moderates win in North Carolina. You can read the whole thing here.

__________________________________

While the Democratic Party is ideologically diverse, with a plurality of moderates and healthy segment of both liberals and conservatives, the Republican Party is considerably less so.

Self Identified Ideology of North Carolina Republicans:



Liberal 11%

Moderate 37%

Conservative 53%



A majority of North Carolina Republicans describe themselves as conservatives, and that nearly scuttled any chance they had at winning the Governor’s Mansion this year. PPP surveys in early 2008 showed that Pat McCrory was the only Republican who would be even remotely competitive with Bev Perdue or Richard Moore. But McCrory was thought of by some within party circles as too moderate to be an acceptable nominee.



He did just barely clear 40% to win the nomination, but it seems quite possible given the ideological disposition of party voters that if he had been forced into a runoff with Fred Smith he would have lost. A majority of Republican voters cast their ballots for candidates who projected more as conservatives, even though the nomination of any of those candidates would have virtually handed the race to the Democratic nominee without much of a fight.



The makeup of the Democratic Party is predisposed towards nominating moderates, who are their strongest possible candidates. Republicans, on the other hand, are more likely to nominate folks in contested primaries who are too far to the right to be the most viable candidates in this increasingly centrist state.



Looking forward to a 2012 race for Governor and a 2014 race for Senate, Republicans may be best off clearing the field for the candidate they think has the best chance of knocking off an incumbent Democrat.



There are two pitfalls for a strong moderate Republican candidate in a contested primary. The most obvious one is that with a majority of the party’s voters identifying as conservatives, they may just throw electability completely out the window in a clear cut race between a hard right candidate and a more moderate one, and undercut their general election chances by nominating the conservative.



More likely, the moderate candidate may have to adopt a more conservative tone and issue positions to ensure a victory in the primary, but by extension open themselves to attacks of extremism from the Democratic moderate opponent in the general election. If Republican candidates are forced to pander to the right to get through the primary it weakens their general election chances.



Republicans are more likely to win in the general election with someone on the right flank of their party as a nominee than Democrats are with someone on the left flank of their party as a nominee. But both parties’ best chances for victory come from centrist candidates.

Why Moderates Win in North Carolina: Other Observations

This is part of PPP's new report on why moderates win in North Carolina. You can read the whole thing here.

_____________________________

-75% of liberals are Democrats, 17% are Republicans, and 8% are independents.

-55% of moderates are Democrats, 32% are Republicans, and 13% are independents. The fact that a majority of moderates in the state identify with the Democratic Party speaks to the difficulty Republicans have with casting a broad enough net to reclaim control of state government and, in this most recent election, even to win federal races in the state.

-61% of conservatives are Republicans, 30% are Democrats, and 9% are independents. This again speaks to the difficulty of North Carolina Republicans in assembling a broad enough coalition to consistently win statewide races- the percentage of conservatives, who should be the GOP base, that are Democrats is almost equal to the proportion of moderates who are Republicans.

-There are major differences in ideological identification between women and men. 44% of women are moderates, same as the population as a whole. But there are more women- 30% -who call themselves liberals than there are conservatives- 26%. Among men the numbers of moderates and conservatives is almost equal- 42% for the former and 40% for the latter. Only 17% of men identify as liberals.

-White voters are evenly split between the two political parties, with 44% identifying as Democrats and 44% as Republicans.

-82% of African Americans are Democrats compared to 9% who are Republicans, and 9% who are independents.

Rick Young's 'Rick at the Races' 2008 Review... Part 1

2008 SEASON REVIEW     (Part One)

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND PROSPOROUS NEW YEAR!

PIC 1      SUPERSTOX action at ARENA ESSEX (Thurrock, UK)

PIC 2    TRACKCHASERS at CLARENCE CREEK (Ont) .. L to R . Randy Lewis ( Calif),Yours Truly (Ont), Carol Lewis (Calif), Will White (Pa) Guy Smith (Pa), PJ Hollebrand (NY) Mike Knappenburger (Pa) Paul Weisel (Pa)

PIC 3    Action at the  BERTRAND FABI CIRCUIT, SHERBROOKE , QUE

PIC 4    KASEY KAHNE at the WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY (Pa)

PIC  5   Action at the CAYUGA COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY, WEEDSPORT (NY)

PIC 6   Action at the MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY (Ont)

PIC 7   Action at the HUMBERSTONE SPEEDWAY, PORT COLBORNE (Ont)

PIC 8   Action at the CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY,OTTAWA (Ont)

PIC 9   Rain stops the action at the AUTODROME ST EUSTACHE (Que)

PIC 10  JESSICA ZEMKEN wins at the BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY

PIC 11  'KID ROCKET' JOSH RICHARDS before his win at the CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Ont)

PIC  12  WoO LATE MODEL Victory Lane celebrations at the CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

As 2008 comes to an end , it's time to reflect on the year that's just passed. Last January I had no idea how eventful 2008 would be for me. This fall, after living in Maxville, Ontario since 1996, I sold my house and moved to Long Sault nearer to my work in Cornwall (my regular 'day job' is based in the city, and I'm also part of the media team at the Cornwall Motor Speedway).

The relocation kept me busy but I still managed to attend 75 racing events , including two trips back to the UK. Somehow I still found time to launch the www.rickattheraces.com web-site, as well as taking on additional media commitments at the Capital City Speedway (Ottawa). It definitely was an eventful year!

Things started early (Jan 19) when I attended the Arena Essex track in England. It was my Dad's eightieth birthday on Jan 16 so my brother Chris, and sister Anne, secretly arranged for a flight back to the UK, so I could make a surprise appearance at the celebrations. I was only over there for a few days but managed a trip down to 'Arena' located East of London , near to the Dartford Tunnel (that goes under the River Thames).

Once back in Canada, I attended ice racing events during January and February at Mont Carmel, St Eulalie, Kahnawake, Sherbrooke and Beauharnois in Quebec as well as gaining my first 'new track' of the year, at Clarence Creek in Ontario. At Clarence Creek I met up with many of my TRACKCHASING friends who'd traveled far and wide to claim the new track

My Easter weekend (21/22 March) was spent at the Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedways in Pennsylvania. The original plan was to be at the 'Grove' for Sprint Cars on Good Friday and then at Hagerstown (Maryland) on Saturday for the ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES for Big Block Mods. This didn't materialize as once again Hagerstown canceled due to predicted bad weather. I have now made four attempts to see racing at this track and I've only been lucky once.

It's a ten hour drive to get there, so it's got to be my unluckiest track for 'long distance' rain-outs. Thankfully, like on one of my previous visits, the Lincoln Speedway ( about 50 miles away) were in no haste to cancel. Once again they saved many long distance race fans from a wasted trip. The highlight of the Sprint Car racing witnessed at the 'Grove' and Lincoln was the appearance of NASCAR SPRINT CUP driver Kasey Kahne in the spare Joey Saldana car ( owned by Kahne).

In April I had two racing weekends away from home. I went to the Can Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY  on April 19 , where I slept overnight before moving on to the Cayuga County Fair Speedway at Weedsport NY the next day.

The following week (April 26 ) I was down in the Niagara Falls region where I attended the Merrittville Speedway (Ont), opener of the 358 SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES. This was won by Dale Planck .The next day (April 27) I gained my second 'new track' of the year when I payed a first time visit to the nearby Humberstone Speedway at Port Colborne Ont.

In May, my local tracks had their season openers, so I took a break from the long distance treks for a while. I have five tracks which I consider my 'locals'. They are the Cornwall, Brockville and Capital City Speedways in Ontario, the Autodrome Edelweiss in Quebec and the Mohawk International Raceway just across International Bridge in Hogansburg NY.

Another track that's not far away from me which I rarely visit is the Autodrome St Eustache, just north of Montreal. On June 1 the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was taking place there so I decided to go along. Unfortunately, like so many other big races in 2008 it got rained off.

In between dodging wet weather at my local tracks I made a trip to the Fulton Speedway NY  on June 7 for the ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPERDIRT CAR SERIES , which was won by Billy Decker.

During May and June, Jessica Zemken was making a name for herself at my local tracks with three feature wins. Driving the 358 Modified # 96z of Mike and Lori Lasalle she picked up two wins at Brockville and one at Edelweiss. 

Mother Nature was kind to us on Jun 22 when the Cornwall Motor Speedway held one of Canada's biggest dirt racing shows of the year. The Triple Crown was an event which headlined the WORLD OF OUTLAW Late Models and had a support program of ESS SPRINT CARS and 358 DIRTCAR Modifieds. It was held on a lovely sunny day in front of a massive crowd who saw 'Kid Rocket' Josh Richards take the big win.

PART TWO (July To December) to follow...

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The new party chair

It is going to be very interesting to see what happens with the new chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Under the Dome mentions today that Dannie Montgomery, currently first vice chair of the NCDP and someone well known to the activist segment of the party due to her present position, has thrown her name in the ring. Also considering it is Richard Sullivan, a skilled fundraiser and the brother of one of Bev Perdue's main fundraisers.

I don't know much at all about either Montgomery or Sullivan, but they both sound like they bring some great strengths to the table.

What's going to be interesting to see is whether this becomes a repeat of the 2005 contest for party chair, where the rank and file rejected Mike Easley's choice of Ed Turlington and elected Jerry Meek. Will Perdue's preferred candidate be acceptable to the party activists who have the votes on the matter, or will they once again rebel against their elected Governor's preference and put in somebody perceived as being more committed to the grassroots wing of the party?

Perdue certainly has put more effort into courting party activists over the last year than Easley had in 2005, the product of a contested primary and a different personality. But it's very unlikely party leaders will give her choice a rubber stamp unless he/she is clearly committed to the kinds of bottom up initiatives that have made Meek wildly popular with party activists.

There was concern when Meek was first elected about whether he would be a strong enough fundraiser to keep the ship running smoothly. Four years later it is clear he has done an outstanding job of building the party both money wise and people wise. The new chair needs to be someone who can continue to successfully juggle both of those party functions.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out, and how Perdue plays her cards. If the person she puts forward is not elected NCDP chair that would be an early blow to her Governorship that she can surely do without. Since the days where the Governor can just dictate the chair may have passed with the results of the 2005 election, it means she's going to have to really go to bat for her preferred choice with party activists and convince them that he or she is the person who can ensure continued success at the level North Carolina Democrats enjoyed in 2006 and 2008.

One thing's for sure: this is another place where Easley has made Perdue's job harder. If Easley had held enough sway four years ago to get Turlington in place, the custom of the Governor being able to almost exclusively control this process may have continued.

City Council Overrides Vetoes

Pittsburgh City Council has voted to override two line-item vetoes at their meeting this morning after Mayor Luke Ravenstahl submitted them late yesterday. The two budget items are to have a special lawyer for city legislators and to provide video of council meetings on the Internet. Ravenstahl’s message said these things would've cost more than $120,000 combined.

But City Council President Doug Shields says his submission was too late. The mayor had 10 days to either approve or reject the bills that were submitted to him. Shields says Ravenstahl received the bills on Dec. 19, and then sent the vetoes to council Dec. 29 at 4:32pm, two minutes after the Clerk’s Office closed. Shields says he was surprised by the mayor's last-minute action. Council voted 7 to 1 on each ruling, with Councilman Jim Motznik voting against each override.

2008 ARCA Racing: By the Numbers

From Jackie L. Franzil / ARCA

2008 ARCA Racing: By the Numbers

5…..Record setting number of different drivers who came into the final race of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series at Toledo Speedway with a chance to win the championship.

6…..Number of race wins by Justin Allgaier, who broke Frank Kimmel’s streak of eight consecutive (nine overall) titles by earning the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship. Allgaier posted race wins on a variety of tracks on the diverse ARCA RE/MAX Series tour, including Salem, Cayuga, Pocono, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Talladega and Toledo. Six is also the number of SunTrust Rookie of the Year contenders who finished in the top-10 in the final point standings this season.

7…..Race wins in 2008 by Canton, Michigan’s Paul Hahn en route to the 2008 ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series title, bringing his career total to 22.

10…..Different ARCA RE/MAX Series race winners in 2008, including Matt Hawkins, Scott Speed, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Matt Carter, Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Frank Kimmel, Scott Lagasse, Jr. and Justin Lofton.

17…..Number of consecutive years that Frank Kimmel has finished in the top-10 in the final ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings. Kimmel’s career has included an unprecedented nine driving championships (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) and a Series’ leading 9,958 laps led in 184 races among 74 career victories. He finished second in the 2008 point standings during his first year as a car owner/driver.

20…..Approximate number of cases of Red Bull that the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing team went through each race weekend while stocking the fridge next to their hauler. The supply usually consisted of ten cases of Red Bull and ten cases of Sugar Free Red Bull.

38…..Days until the 2009 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

62.75…..Average percentage of green flag laps during ARCA RE/MAX Series races in 2008.

95…..Age of ARCA Matriarch Mildred Marcum upon her upcoming January birthday. Marcum founded ARCA in 1953 with her husband John Marcum and still works at the ARCA Home Office in Temperance, Michigan, on a daily basis.

100…..Total career ARCA sanctioned feature wins by Flat Rock-Toledo Speedway racer Ron Allen in ARCA Late Model, Street Stock and Sportsman division racing. Other drivers with more than 100 career race wins include Joey Fair and Bob Studt.

110…..Number of ARCA-sanctioned events in 2008; spread out among the ARCA RE/MAX Series, ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series, Flat Rock Speedway, Toledo Speedway and demolition derby racing at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Michigan. The number does not include ARCA West-sanctioned events.

161…..Number of drivers that made ARCA RE/MAX Series starts in 2008. Drivers in the Series represented 31 U.S. states and four countries, including Canada, France, Belgium and Scotland. A total of 203 drivers attempted to make ARCA RE/MAX Series race events.

407…..Number of laps that Scott Speed led in 2008, spread out among 14 races, to clinch the Aaron’s Lap Leader award for Eddie Sharp Racing. Frank Kimmel and Tim Steele, who are ranked first and second among all time lap leaders, both have multiple seasons which they have led 1,000 laps or more in a single season of competition. Steele led 1,513 laps in 20 races in 1996 and 1,412 laps in 19 races in 1997. Kimmel led a career high 1,474 laps in 20 races in 2001 and went on to lead more than 1,000 laps in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In 2005, Joey Miller earned the lap leader award in his rookie season of ARCA RE/MAX Series competition with 1,002 laps led in 15 races.

1,159…..Racecars inspected by ARCA RE/MAX Series officials in 2008.

3,042…..Number of people who have signed up for ARCA Nation, the community-based social networking enhancement to arcaracing.com that allows fans, teams, sponsors and ARCA to communicate in real time.

3,406…..Miles of ARCA RE/MAX Series racing in 2008, spread out among 21 events.

30,424…..Highway miles logged by a typical full time Concord, North Carolina-based race team transporter driver to get to and from ARCA RE/MAX Series race events in 2008.

$3,607,850…..Total prize, point and contingency money paid to ARCA RE/MAX Series race teams this year.

For more information on the ARCA RE/MAX Series, visit www.arcaracing.com.

Exhibit Documents Women's Movement in Pittsburgh

A new exhibit documents the rarely-told story of Pittsburgh's role in the women's movement. Sociologist Pat Ulbrich compiled the "In Sisterhood" exhibit, which includes a portrait gallery and excerpts of interviews conducted with Pittsburgh women. It will open at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside January 9th.

Ulbrich says scholars who study the women's movement usually focus on New York or Los Angeles, but Pittsburgh made some important contributions. In 1969, Pittsburgh added "sex" to its anti-discrimination ordinance. Soon after, the National Organization for Women sued the Pittsburgh Press over its sex-segregated employment ads, a practice that was common at the time. NOW won, leading to changes in newspapers around the country. Three national leaders of NOW have been from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh also had the first feminist press in the country.

Ulbrich says the women's movement in Pittsburgh was unique because it bridged racial and economic divides that existed in some other cities. Ulbrich says NOW members in Pittsburgh helped make the national organization more inclusive.

MAIN CARNEGIE LIBRARY CUTS HOURS

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is cutting back the number of hours at its main branch in Oakland. Starting Friday, January 2, 2009, the main branch will open one hour later Friday's and Saturday's only. The new hours will be 10:00 am to 5:30 pm on those days.
Spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes says they determined that those were the hours when the Oakland library was least populated. She says the service cutbacks are a result of reduced state funding for 2009 and flat local funding. Nearly 70 percent of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's annual operating budget comes from the Allegheny County Regional Asset District. She says the dependence on the sales tax has made the library more vulnerable in the current economic climate.

Bill Puts Cap on Commercial Truck Idling

Senate Bill 295, also known as the as the Diesel-Powered Motor Vehicle Idling Act, will put a limit on how long commercial trucks can idle at one time. The measure designates that trucks can only idle for five minutes of every hour. State Senator Patrick Browne, the legislation's primary sponsor, says the act is a result of local concerns about the impact of idling on air quality. He says residents in a neighborhood near a truck depot were suffering from poor air quality from unnecessary idling. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and local law enforcement agencies have the power to enforce the law. Those found in violation can be charged with a summary offense and face fines between 150 to 300 dollars. There are a significant number of exceptions to the bill, however. Trucks can idle for longer than five minutes for the purposes of climate control, refrigeration, inspection, and repair. The measure takes effect on February 6, 2009.

UPMC 'CONDITION L'

UPMC is announcing a new initiative to locate missing patients. It's called 'Condition L.' Holly Lorenz, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services, says staff will be mobilized from across all areas of a facility in a comprehensive effort to rapidly locate a patient. She says that would include doctors, nurses, security, maintenance and housekeeping workers. There would be an announcement made with a description of the missing patient broadcast throughout the facility. She says local police would be notified. This new procedure is being implemented following the recent death of an elderly patient who was missing from Montefiore Hospital. Rose Lee Diggs, who suffered from dementia, was found dead on the hospital's roof earlier this month after wandering away from her room.

Lorenz says "Condition L" will be utilized first at UPMC Presbyterian and then put in place throughout the UPMC system. UPMC wants to have photos taken of patients who are identified as at-risk when they are first admitted to help in the identification process. Those patients would also be given special hospital gowns to make them easier to spot if they leave a unit. Lorenz says UPMC is also evaluating the use of trained search dogs to help locate missing patients.

City Council President Reacts To Budgetary Vetos

City Council President Doug Shields today reacted to the mayor's last-minute veto of two line items in the 2009 budget. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl nixed from the budget an amendment that would provide the Council with its own independent lawyer, and a $56,103 earmark that would make council meetings and other events available on the city's website.

Shields says he was surprised by the vetos, because he spoke with the mayor at a social event beforehand and asked if they "had a budget." Shields says Ravenstahl responded "yes." Shields says the way in which the mayor presented the vetos shows that he is not willing to work cooperatively with the Council.

The amendment to provide the Council with its own lawyer was passed by a preliminary vote by a count of 8-0. At least six votes are needed to override the veto.

1st Ever Audit Of City Council Completed By City Controller

City Controller Michael Lamb released the first ever audit by the city controller of city council. In the audit the controller makes few reccomendations to council. Most notalby Lamb recommends that council rid itself of the practice of pre encumberence. Pre encumberence is when council members designate amounts of money to be used in the future for specific items or services. He said that council currently does not specify what the money is to be used for. Although any money being spent needs to be approved by the council body, eliminating the practice can improve transparency and add money into the general fund balance.

Lamb also recommened that council set a minimum amount of money that can be awarded in community development block grants. Currently council has no set minimum and has awarded grants of only $500. Lamb said the practice is not cost effective and that he would like to see a minimum award of at least $2,500.

The audit of city council was asked for by council president Doug Shields earlier in the year. The audits recommendations have been received well by council according to Lamb. Plans to audit the mayors office are in the works for 2009.

Gender and the Colorado Vacancy

While gender has become an issue in the Colorado Senate vacancy process, it's interesting to note that when we did our survey of who voters in the state thought should be appointed a couple weeks ago even female voters didn't show a high level of support for a female candidate. 8% of all voters preferred Diana Degette and 2% of all voters wanted Cary Kennedy. Among female voters those numbers were just slightly higher, with 9% wanting Degette and 3% for Kennedy. Female voters had pretty much the same preferences as the general population- 22% for John Hickenlooper, 16% for John Salazar, and 11% for Andrew Romanoff.

Polly Baca, Joan Fitz-Gerald, and Swanee Hunt weren't being mentioned as prominently at the time we conducted our poll so we didn't include them.

The results of our survey from a few weeks back are here if you didn't see them the first time.

Brighton Speedway gears up for Winterfest January 31

 
The New Year is just around the corner and planning for the 2009 Brighton Speedway schedule is well under way!!
 
It promises to be jampacked with ultimate racing action starting with the 6th Annual Winterfest Oval Ice Races on Saturday, January 31st. The lineup includes snowmobiles, four wheelers and enduro cars taking their turns on the 1/3 mile iced oval.

Gates open at 9am and racing will begin at 11 am. Admission is only $10.00 for the grandstands or the pits. (All minors entering the restricted pit area must have current 2009 parental consent forms filed with the Speedway Office prior to their entry to the facility).

Further information including registration forms, waivers, consent forms and racing information can be found at www.brightonspeedway.com.

As the crew begins to brave the cold and prepare an amazing icy racing surface, the Rinaldi family and staff of Brighton Speedway wish all of our fans a safe and Happy New Year.

DIRTcar: Alan Johnson joins Thompson Motorsports to kick off '09 in Florida

Weedsport, NY – December 29, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director

All-time DIRTcar Racing Northeast Big-Block Modified feature winner Alan Johnson is all set to make the trip to Florida for a seventh straight winter come February. The car carousel continues to turn for ‘A.J. Slideways’ as 2009 will mark the sixth different team that he has opened the season with down south since the start of the new millennium.

When the mighty Modifieds compete in February for the 38th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, Johnson will be buckled into a familiar no. 14J Troyer ride although this season sporting sponsorship from Chiefs Tobacco & Gas and owned by Dave Thompson.

“It’s definitely been hard to get into a good rhythm lately, but certainly better than not racing,” figured Johnson, now 51, who kicked off the ’08 campaign at Volusia steering the Sherlock Motorsports Tri-State Roofing TEO entry before closing out the season up north aboard the no. 1J Jake Spraker Used Cars & Trucks-Spra-King Racing/Bicknell machine.

“Dave actually wanted me to run his small-block a couple times over the summer but we just had too many conflicts. I stayed in touch and things finally came together when I went to his shop in November. It’s over a five hour drive from my place to Hogansburg (NY) so I’ll probably just be going back maybe one more time to get fitted (seat). I still don’t even know the guys on the team very well yet,” remarked Johnson, who owns a DIRTcar NE high total of 358 Big-Block wins and 114 more in a Small-Block although just one has come at VSP despite capturing Florida tour point titles in 1983 and ’89.

Johnson will have an entire week to get well acquainted with crew chief Mike Burdick and his new Troyer team when the Advance Auto Parts Modified mini-series at Volusia begins February 11 and runs through February 14. DIRTcar’s 21st trip to gator country for the Big-Blocks features three 30-lap main events and a $5,000-to-win 50-lap finale on Saturday with optional practice sessions offered Tuesday, February 10.

Thompson hopes to make a return trip to the Sunshine State in February and see his squad leave the same way it did two years ago when younger brother Danny Johnson dominated in the no. 27J car with two wins to sew up the 2007 Florida DIRTcar Nationals Championship. Thompson last attended race weeks ‘06 at Volusia with current Advance Series hotshoe Dale Planck and Canadian standout Stewart Friesen doing double duty in a pair of his King Enterprises/Troyer mounts.

“I thought about getting out this last season with the family getting bigger and the business taking up more time,” said Thompson, 32, who fielded a car in ’08 for Frankie Caprara that he drove to seventh-place in the final Mr. DIRTcar point standings. Before initially teaming up with Danny Johnson in July of 2006, Thompson made his Advance Series debut earlier in the season with third-generation driver Friesen and Planck followed up by a brief stint employing the services of Kyle Jacobs in his Quality Concrete rides.

“I’ve been good friends with Alan for awhile and helped him when he won Mr. DIRT in ’06 for Tony (Laughing) and the NativePoker.Com team. We talked more lately and the timing was just right. We’ll have three new Troyer cars and some new Bedell big-block motors. I’ve also got a couple small-blocks for Alan to use in special shows so we’ll see what we can do,” Thompson added.

Johnson won the first of two consecutive Mr. DIRTcar crowns for Elaine-James Motorsports in 2002 and drove the same Doughboy Racing no. 1 at Volusia the following February. Upon termination of that team he joined forces early in ’04 with Troyer Race Cars operator Billy Colton and the H&H Motorsports tandem of John Holland and Al Heinke.

Prior to finishing third in Florida points last winter, Alan made a trial run with Roby and Randy Sherlock in 2005 while the Laughing/Rudalavage duo kicked off their championship campaign at Volusia in ’06. Johnson teamed with Canadian car owner Wallace Stacey down south in 2007 and may use his equipment on weekends once again for the upcoming season.

“Right now I’m planning to drive for Dave in the Advance Series and on Sundays at Cayuga County, anything else is on my own,” noted reigning Cayuga County points king Johnson, a five- Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Champion, who remains the only driver to win at least one Big-Block feature every year of DIRTcar’s existence beginning in 1976. “And that would mean using Wallace’s stuff on Friday and Saturday. It’s a long season, anything can happen. Hopefully, we’ll get off to a good start and keep things going the rest of the way.”

Joining Johnson on the list of more than 30 chauffeurs expected to make the haul south are all-time Alltel DIRTcar Nationals Big-Block feature winner and defending Florida Tour co-champion Brett Hearn, reigning Mr. DIRTcar points king Billy Decker and his Gypsum Express teammate Larry Wight, fellow New Yorkers Planck and Matt Sheppard, New Jersey star Jimmy Horton, Delaware driver Jamie Mills, Vermont invader Dave Camara, Massachusetts native Andy Bachetti plus Texans Doug and Jason Ingalls

Any drivers wishing to update team information for the pre-race roster, please contact DIRTcar Northeast PR Director Tom Skibinski by phone (585/350-8997) or through e-mail tskibinski@dirtcar.com correspondence. Specific questions regarding rules can be directed to Cory Reed (315/224-9009), DIRTcar NE Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning. <<JohnsonA_08.jpg>>

World of Outlaws: Countdown to 2009... A Look Back at Five Memorable World of Outlaws Races from 2008

From Tony Veneziano // WoO PR

Concord, NC— December 30, 2008—With just two days remaining in 2008, five of the most exciting races of the World of Outlaws season will be re-visited for five consecutive days in chronological order.

The fourth event that will be featured will be the October 17 race from Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California. The race saw Jac Haudenschild battle Steve Kinser in heavy lapped traffic on the ¼-mile, nearly taking the lead a couple of times, before the 20-time series champion prevailed. Both drivers climbed out of their cars on the front straightaway after the race and gave each other high-fives.

“It’s always fun to run with Haud,” said Kinser with a smile after the win. “We have had some fun ones over the years. We’re both fortunate that we are able to stand up in the seat and still get the job done once in a while.”

For a full race report as well as complete results from this race and a photo of Kinser visit: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint/News/2008/October/101708_SP_RACEREPORT.aspx.

Kinser started sixth in the 40-lap contest, but moved up to the outside of the front row after Daryn Pittman and Terry McCarl who lined up second and fourth got together on the initial start after McCarl’s car broke, bringing out a red flag. On the second start, Kinser won a drag race down the front straightaway with Danny Lasoski and led high into turn one. Lasoski dove under him in the second corner to take the lead, which he would hold for the first eight laps.

On the ninth lap, Kinser looked high on Lasoski for the lead in turn three and then dove under him exiting turn four to take the point as the pair negotiated lapped traffic. He would lead the rest of the way, though Haudenschild closed in late.

Haudenschild made a bid for the lead on the 35th lap, on the high side of turns one and two, drawing even Kinser. He used the same line on the next lap to inch ahead of Kinser on the back straightaway as the latter was held up by a lapped car. As the pair entered turns three and four Haudenschild was bottled up, allowing Kinser to get back by. Haudenschild battled back and rode the high side of the track for the last three laps of the race as he tried to catch Kinser.

“The car felt good tonight and has felt good all year long,” said Haudenschild. “We are really glad to be driving that car. Leonard (Lee) has it working good. We have a good race car and have been hanging in there up front all year long.”

The 2009 World of Outlaws season opens on February 6 at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida, with the 38th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

Perdue's Pace

I'm kind of amused by the handwringing among some media and pundits about the pace at which Bev Perdue is announcing her cabinet appointments. Is that really concern about whether she's doing something wrong, or just the product of folks coming off an exciting election needing something to amuse themselves during a long, boring December?

Taking the time to get it right is a heck of a lot more important than feeding the need for the chattering class, so I think Perdue has it right. Two years from now no one's going to remember how fast Perdue announced her team, but they'll sure know if someone wasn't sufficiently vetted or thought through and they screw something up.

Hopefully she's taking the time to make sure she's picking a well balanced team that will show she means business about changing things in Raleigh. If she takes all this time and then announces a status quo roster of appointees, that will be the time to whack her.

One thing we know for sure from this process: this is a team that doesn't leak. It's amazing how little substantive information has come out, and that shows a good amount of discipline on the part of her team.

Andruw Jones? Say it ain't so!

At first, I wasn't worried that ESPN's Buster Olney was reporting that the Mets were interested in Dodger disaster Andruw Jones, still owed something like $15M in salary and $7.1M in bonuses for one more year of his dubious services. After all, if you're going to get someone to take Luis Castillo, you have to take back someone the other team can't wait to get rid of.

And then Olney writes:

But it's unlikely that the Dodgers would have interest in Castillo, because they have a young second baseman in Blake DeWitt, and Castillo does not play a lot of different positions.

First of all, DeWitt was primarily a third baseman last year. According to baseball-reference.com, DeWitt played 95 games at third and 27 at second. So even if the Dodgers are planning to use him at second after acquiring Casey Blake, he does have another position if the Dodgers got Castillo.

No, the real reason the Dodgers are unlikely to have interest in Castillo is that it is unlikely that ANY major league team would have interest in Castillo at his salary.

But for the Dodgers to even mention trading Jones without taking back Castillo is just plain insulting.

In fact, the Mets might actually be better off with Castillo than Jones.

Andruw Jones hit .158 last year in 209 at bats. .158! A full 42 points below the Mendoza Line.

Pedro Martinez isn't exactly the Sultan of Swat, and he hit .154 in 2008. Johan Santana spent his whole career before 2008 in a league with the DH, and he managed to hit .141.

But the real comparison is with Castillo, who had a bad year at the plate, only batting .245.

That's 87 points higher than Jones.

And if you're thinking that maybe Jones, who used to be a power hitter, at least had most of his base hits leave the ballpark, nope, he only had three homers and 14 RBI in those 209 AB.

Jones' slugging percentage was .249, barely higher than Castillo's batting average.

Fortunately, metsmerizedonline.com and hotfootblog.com have both noted that Marty Noble of mlb.com says that the Mets are no longer looking at Jones.

And that's just as well, because not only is he a .158 hitter, but no good can come of the Mets trading for a former Braves star named Jones.

"Green" Resolutions

The Pennsylvania Resources Council wants individuals to spring into the new year by doing "green" tasks in order to make an impact on the environment. There are several activities PRC recommends. PRC Regional Director Dave Mazza says the easiest thing a person can do to make a difference is to recycle at home and at work. Other things topping the list include conserving water with a rain barrel and cleaning up litter, either by participating in a scheduled event or taking a bag on a routine walk to collect trash. For more information, go to http://www.prc.org.

Moore following the McCrory model?

One thing I've found interesting about Richard Moore's not completely ruling out a 2010 Senate run while also making it sound very unlikely is that in interviews with both WRAL and the News&Observer he's made reference to how things might look 'a year from now.'

It's hard to imagine just deciding to run for the Senate in 2010 in November or December 2009. Usually a run would require a good deal more preparation than that, and indeed Moore's primary campaign against Bev Perdue was already getting pretty tense in early 2007, if not earlier.

But Pat McCrory's January entry showed that you can put together a viable statewide campaign in a short period of time. McCrory decided to run when it was clear that the Republican field wasn't inspiring anyone, and he was able to win the primary even in just four months because his opponents were so weak.

It seems highly unlikely, especially after the Democratic successes this year, that the Senate field wouldn't look a lot more formidable than the trio of clowns that were the Republican choices for Governor this time a year ago. But Moore's statements seem to leave the door open that if for some reason high profile Democrats passed on the Senate race and left a mediocre pool of potential contenders in their wake, he might come in at the last second like McCrory did and give his party a stronger contender.

I doubt it will play out that way, but there seems to be some element of that in how Moore is playing this.

Have You Voted?

Voting for IN VIVO Blog's Deal of the Year continues, and with about 800 votes cast so far, Alnylam/Takeda is maintaining a pretty comfortable lead with 39% of the vote (not Eagles-over-Cowboys 44-6 comfortable, but still). But there's plenty of time left!

Click here to review the nominees and vote for IN VIVO Blog's Deal of the Year.

The poll remains open until January 6th.

F.A.C.T. Hearing

After filing a lawsuit against Allegheny County on Dec. 18, F.A.C.T. members appeared in front of Judge Judith Olson in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. They argued that the county is not allowed to use surplus money raised from the 10 percent drink tax or the $2 per-day tax on car rentals on anything other than the region’s Port Authority transit system. Allegheny Councilman Chuck McCullough said road and bridge restoration and repair should not count as an earmark.

However, Allegheny County Solicitor Michael Wojcik said the drink tax and car rental tax under Act 44 is "to provide financial support for transit systems." More constricted wording could have clearly marked the money for only the Port Authority to use.

Judge Olson said a decision on whether to place an injunction will be issued as quickly as possible.