Elizabeth has waited a long time for a bloke like Sam to come along, and, as you can see from this picture of her fitting, she is as happy as she is beautiful.  After the wedding she will move to Germany, leaving her beloved greyhounds Talent and Falcon with us for safe-keeping while adding a new transatlantic aspect to our family life.  Anne and I were thrilled to meet Sam’s parents Pauline and Richard last night, and we look forward to visiting them in their home town of Buckingham this summer.  Stay tuned for reports on the wedding.

There are plenty of pop moments on “Demon Station,” an invigorating five-song EP by locals More Humans. Many come when members of the trio combine for sparkling vocal harmonies. But instead of hearing the usual “ooh oohs” or “yeah yeahs,” you’ll get a phrase such as “Welcome to the Childhood Home of Andy Warhol and Dan Marino.” And that’s not just a lyric – it’s a chorus.

That balancing act defines “Demon Station,” which presents a band that plays rock music with a sense of purpose and precision. Songs are jolting one moment and pretty the next, filled with twists and turns that add and release tension but never become a distraction. The crooked guitars that kick off “Mason-Dixon” suggest the non-stylized sounds of ’90s indie rock everymen Chavez and Polvo, but the song quickly rumbles into a pristine, New Pornographers-esque chorus. The wordy chorus of “Warhol and Marino” (they’re talking about Pittsburgh, by the way) turns into an unlikely singalong.

Music with sharp cuts and carefully considered vocals deserves stellar production, and that’s another strength of “Demon Station” – it simply sounds great, perfectly crisp and clear. Even though it’s only 14 minutes, the EP is packed with enough personality that you feel as if you really get to know More Humans and you quickly want to know them even better.

–David Malitz, Nov. 4, 2011

But that was before the Civil War established once and for all our identity as a single nation–a house undivided, as it were. The notion of states’ rights lives on in both our national conscience and our legal structure, but pretty much every U.S. citizen now sees him or herself as an American first and a “Virginian” or a “South Dakotan” second.

We’re not the same country we were in 1776. We are a nation of 300 million people who are not equally represented. We need to fix that, so let’s dump the Senate. Just erase it from the Constitution. It would not only make our democracy more representative but would also greatly reduce legislative gridlock in Washington. Two birds with one stone. No brainer. Let’s do it. Seriously.

The Obama Administration saved thousands of jobs and potential collapse of the American automotive industry by taking a partial ownership position in GM and assisting in its restructure.

When Obama took office, roughly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of this year, that number will be cut in half, and it will continue to decline. Adherence to the Geneva Conventions has been a hallmark of this administration, including a ban on all forms of torture. Obama’s policies have greatly improved our standing in the world.

President Obama has worked tirelessly to find common ground with a recalcitrant opposition to reduce the federal deficit in a way that everyone pays a fair share; essential social services are protected; and the economy is not further dragged down through capricious and draconian budget cuts.

Oh yeah, and he got that son-of-a-bitch Osama Bin Laden.