Daily Martini, Pomegranate

Van Gogh Vodka has, perhaps, the most complete selection of flavored vodkas on the market - and it keeps growing. Latest added to their collection is Pomegranate. It is absolutely fabulous.

I had a chance to sample it at Byblos, an Arab hookah bar here in Philly.

Give it a try.

Pomegranate Citrus Cosmo

1 1/2 oz. Pomegranate vodka

1 oz. Triple Sec, Gran Marnier

1/2 oz. Pomegranate juice

1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice.

Serve in a chilled cocktail glass with orange slice garnish.

Enjoy.

CNN conducted an unofficial internet poll that I found interesting. As of 3:38 pm EST today, there were 90,192 responses - which was what caught my eye.

The question:

Do you agree with Rep. Charles Rangel that bringing back the draft would deter politicians from launching wars?

38% - Yes (34,503)
62% - No (55,689)

I'm curious, where do these 34,000 people live?

Some injuries in Iraq are unseen, many unreported.

Staff Sgt. Raymond Lee recieved a head injury when a roadside bomb blew up his humvee. A coma rendered his military career over.

This South Carolina produced report was a captivating retelling of the soldiers story. But, what I found disturbing in it is a statement, buried in the middle amidst a bunch of mundane detail about Lee's instant messaging habits: the Pentagon "refuses to release information about soldiers injured in Iraq" for fear that the information may be beneficial to the enemy.

Two questions: How? And, why?

I can't think of any reason why the type of injuries sustained by our military men would be of any benefit to the so-called enemy. Perhaps details about when and where incidents that involved injuries would be problematic, but statistics themselves?

I don't buy it.

That information would be valuable only to war protestors who would argue, as CNN did, that there would be far more deaths and casualities reported in this war if not for the brilliant efforts of medical staffers to keep our boys alive.

Pesbyterian Church needs to make up its mind. Its getting queer

The Presbyterian Church dropped charged against Janet Edwards, a Presbyterian minister who oversaw a gay marriage in June 2005. The commission hearing the case decided on November 15 that charges against Edwards had been brought past the deadline to file.

The constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reserves marriage for a man and a woman, although ministers may bless other types of “holy unions.”

Sounds a lot like the Democratic party to me.

Waffling.

Read More!

USA Today Blogger got it right... slightly left of center.

Kristen Powers, a blogger a USA Today argued that the Clintonian Era ushered in a new kind of liberal, and more importantly, a new kind of Democrat: the centrist Democrat.

This election cycle, the Dem camp spoke about faith, God and actually had nominees on the ballot who oppose abortion. They are growing more fiscally conservative. Perhaps this is in reaction to the neo-con believe in debt spending, but more likely, it is a party in jeopordy of losing its identity by meandering too close to the middle of the road.

Check it out, she nailed the ballot and the liberal misgivings.

Not surprising, the reactions in posted comments did as well by missing the point.

Truth.com

Mike Seate of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review laid out a plea to our public officials: Come Out Already.

His article mademe think of two things: My Aunt Sharon and Gray Davis. Remember him?

Yeah.

I understand that Mr. Davis kept an apartment in West Hollywood, a window-dressing wife and a fetish for twinkies.

Are you surprised?

I mean, like Seate said, you mean to tell me that this guy can't find a date... or even better, where is his "wife?"

Arizon Sen. John McCain expresses concern about party platforms, I'm concerned about his.

John McCain is my choice for president in 2008. Let me just put that out there.

But, I a must say I am a bit concerned with his positions. Why?

He believes in small government.
He opposed the war in Iraq, but now that we are there, he has taken a stance that we have to finish what we started in order to preserve stability in region.

McCain does seem to have a firm grasp on his strengths. According ot a Business Journal report, he told a conservative political action committee this week that he felt the party's greatest strength was in the weakness of the Democratic party.

"The election was not an affirmation of the other party's program. Try as hard as I could, I couldn't find much evidence that my Democratic friends were offering anything that resembled a coherent platform or principled leadership on the critical issues that confront us today," McCain [said].

McCain wants a return to traditional Republican values of limited government. He says he has faith in the conservative nature of Americans. I like it.

Here are my concerns.

McCain is governor of the only of eight states to reject a ban on gay marriage this midterm election. I need to know if he accredits this to the conservative belief in limited government, or if he recognizes that there is a significant liberal contingent in this country that wants to see equal rights for everyone.

Second, he says he believes in small government, but he wants us to stay in Iraq and embed American personnel in their police force. This says American Colonialism to me.

I hope to hear a clarification on how he justifies these positions... soon.

More election follow-up: Nearly the worst report I have ever read.

I hate to bring disrespect to other people's writing, but if this is the product we are printing, there is no wonder why the public is not interested in news anymore.

John Smith is the editor of the Religion section of the Reading Eagle. He wrote a report on the key issues that brought voters to the polls this midterm election, headline: "Moral issues key in election results."

It seems that the point he was trying to come to was that voters were displeased about the moral stances of the candidates, and this was there primary motivation in hading to the voting booth.

Quote, after quote, after quote.

There is no rhyme or reason here.
In fact, the truth that I came to out of quotes in Smiths' report is this: First, middle Pennsylvania, like middle America is far more conservative than the rest of the state; and second, more people turned-out because they were dissatisfied with the status quo.

We're at war, John, and everyone hates it.
Remember.

I think what John was trying to say is that voters do have an array of issues on their collective radar, but he failed to convey the message effectively, because he failed ot recognize the growing disconnect between rural and city life. He may have hit his audience in Podunk, PA, but it was dishonest and incomplete.

Check out the same argument, more complete and sure of itself, from a city dweller.

Now if we could only merge these two discussions.

The Philadelphia Inquirer tried, but they missed by making the same mistake as John Smith in Reading: a declaritive statement about the political landscape. It is a good assessment though, if we are forced to make an educated guess.

Wikipedia Blocked in China

Less than one week after lifting a year-long ban the infamous user-created and edited encyclopedia, the Chinese government has again denied access to Wikipedia in several areas of China.

The People's Republic of China reportedly blocked access to the site in October of last year to prevent over-exposure on controversial issues such as Tibet and Taiwan. The block was officially lifted in the english version on October 21, and the Chinese version on November 13.

But, many users report recieving an error message when trying to access the site. Residents and reporters in the region believe this is a false message, that the government is still regulating access on the site.

Read more.