St. Patty's Day Is as Sweet as Tupelo Honey

She's an angel of the first degree.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq3YLhtuzTQ

Chicago Tribune Front Pages Tenth Dems 10th Congress. Story

The Chicago Tribune today ran a front-page story on the 10th Congressional District Democratic primary.



Here is the online version of the story. The photo from the online version was taken at the Tenth Dems-hosted debate on Sat., Feb. 25. This was held in conjunction with WCPT radio and was broadcast live. The Tenth Dems, however, aren't mentioned at all in the Tribune story. (I wonder why?)

But the candidates did get front-page treatment.

Tenth Congressional District Democrats Volunteer of Month, Jan 2012

I was named the Tenth Dems Volunteer of the Month for January 2012. The honor brought me absolutely nothing, but it was a very nice gesture. You can read about it at the Tenth Dems' newsletter for that month, clicking on the link below.

http://www.tenthdems.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/201201-NL.pdf

I Was Quoted In The Paper Today

I was not quoted but was paraphrased in the Journal-Topics today, although I didn't know I was going to be. Tom Robb, a reporter I've dealt with for years, called and asked about the Tenth Dems 10th District-Wide Convention that we are holding on Sunday.

Here are my paraphrases:

Sunday’s Democratic convention from 2 to 4 p.m. is open to all but only 10th Dist. Democrat members will be able to vote in the event’s "straw poll", an informal vote for their favorite Congressional candidate, said Paul Kelly, a spokesman for the 10th Dems.

Kelly said he is finalizing a list of Congressional candidates and others running for state, county and other positions. He expects all four of the Congressional candidates––Brad Schneider, Ilya Sheyman, John Tree and Vivek Bavda––to attend.

Each of the Congressional candidates would be given about three minutes to address the convention before the straw poll, Kelly said. Candidates running for other offices will speak but will not be included in the straw poll.

So there you have it. I hope you can make it up to the convention. It will be a great time.

pk

Dallas Cowboys Yesterday & Today - a Book I Edited

One of my favorite projects was editing Dallas Cowboys Yesterday & Today. It was written by Jeff Miller, who also wrote one of my favorite books, Going Long, about the American Football League. Well, the Dallas Cowboys book has a Facebook page, so you should check it out. In the next couple of days, I am going to put up some of the photos of the spreads that are in the book. But here is the first spread that I have, which is the chapter on the great teams of the 1990s with the triplets. Of course, the 'Boys weren't my favorite team, but the book was really great to edit.

House of the Rising Sun ... Explained

"The House of the Rising Sun" is a great song. It was a big hit by the Animals in 1964. I remember first hearing Bob Dylan's version, which was recorded in 1961. I thought, "ah, that's where the Animals got it!" Of course, in the Dylan film "No Direction Home," Dave Van Ronk said that it was his arrangement and that Dylan stole it from him. I had heard years ago that it was a Leadbelly song. I subsequently learned that a lot of Leadbelly songs were in fact old folk and/or blues songs that Leadbelly sort of claimed.

Well, American Blues Scene has a piece on the origins of "The House of the Rising Sun." It was an old folk tune, with versions recorded as early as 1932 by Clarence Ashley. It may have been a tune from over the ocean. In any account, "The House of the Rising Sun" may not be a New Orleans brothel (though, of course, there is some dispute about that).

Ketchup on a Hot Dog? I Agree with Royko

Kevin Pang, writer for the Chicago Tribune, has a piece saying St. Mike Royko was WRONG regarding ketchup on a hot dog (though the point is that it's a Chicago hot dog). Pang quotes Royko thusly: "No, I won't condemn anyone for putting ketchup on a hot dog. This is the land of the free. And if someone wants to put ketchup on a hot dog and actually eat the awful thing, that is their right."

That is a perfectly valid argument. But Pang grows a pair and declares that Mike Royko was wrong.

I am against ketchup on a hot dog. I am pro ketchup on fries. I don't hate ketchup. I do like to soup up my ketchup with hot sauce, mustard, tabasco, and black pepper. But it is still recognizable as ketchup. I eat it. On fries. And like it.

But my kids like ketchup on hot dogs. I told them that they had to quit eating hot dogs that way when they reached 12, but my daughter has not, and she's past that age. My friend, who runs a little hot dog stand that nobody's ever heard of, says that he has no problem if a customer requests ketchup on a hot dog.

Royko was right, however. It's not the way to do, but I would never make fun of someone for doing it. (OK, maybe not never, but rarely.)