| Fred's Fired Up
Mitt Romney has said that if his Mormon faith becomes an issue in his race for the presidency, he will address it at length in a speech. Does he have space on his calendar tomorrow? The press is writing about his religion. Pollsters are asking about it, and GOP voters inevitably bring it up in any discussion of the 2008 candidates. Will his faith affect how he governs? Will it hurt his chances at winning the nomination? A debate in the blogosphere rages over Andrew Sullivan's posting of a picture of the undergarment worn by some Mormons, an act that some of the faithful have found offensive. When they're talking about your bloomers, it's time to clear a few things up. It's not that Romney should come clean about his clean laundry—he should please stay quiet about that—but now is the time to improve on his current approach, which has largely been to make fun of misconceptions about Mormonism.
BOX OFFICE REVIEW: 'Game Plan' wins, Stiller, Farrellys find box ...
LOS ANGELES (AP) _ There's something about a reunion of Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers that audiences didn't want to see.Stiller and the Farrellys' "The Heartbreak Kid" pulled in a modest $14 million during opening weekend, coming in at No. 2 behind "The Game Plan," which remained the top flick for the second-straight weekend with $16.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.Paramount and DreamWorks had expected more from "The Heartbreak Kid," which reteamed Stiller with Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The trio collaborated on 1998's smash "There's Something About Mary."The studios had gotten positive reaction from audiences at advance screenings, but reviews for "The Heartbreak Kid" came in much harsher than expected, said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan."We were surprised," Sullivan said.
Rondo finds room to grow
When the game film from this one gets passed around from team to team, there is going to be a collective imbibing of hemlock across the NBA. Rajon Rondo is now making threes, too? Who's next, Leon Powe? Rondo's outside shooting has always been perceived to be the Achilles' heel of the otherwise powerful Celtics' offense, even though he shoots a high percentage. The kid gets open looks all the time. He's encouraged to shoot the ball. He makes more than he misses. He still gets open looks. And other teams scratch their heads. "That's not going to change, either," Doc Rivers said. "Even if he makes them, they're [not] going to stop [leaving him open.] Because they're not going to believe it. So we'll take it." So, in the classic game of pick your poison, the Orlando Magic last night were victimized by the nerveless Rondo, who matched his career high of 23 points in the Celtics' 103-91 victory.
Mourners remember detective killed in line of duty
His father, Jim, shared childhood memories of his son, saying Shivers' heroes were John Rambo, the fictional movie character that helped rescue American soldiers, and MacGyver, a television character known for using common items to get out of life-threatening situations. Marshall said it took a special person to dedicate his life to public service. "To Detective Shivers, we salute you," Marshall said. "We commend you for a job well done." John Hopkins, (757) 222-5221, john.hopkins@pilotonline.com He was charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Frederick is scheduled to be arraigned in Chesapeake General District Court Jan. 30. On Tuesday afternoon, a black hearse, led by 49 police motorcycles, carried Shivers under overcast skies to his burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk.
Raining all over the WASL
So far, we haven't heard any complaints, which is unusual when you run a photo of a dead person on Page One. There was some trepidation at this morning's meeting about whether we ran the photo to big, but photo editor Dan Pelle argued that if we ran it any smaller, we wouldn't be able to see the expressions of desperation on the faces of the family. The discussion at the table mirrored the blog discussion pretty closely - consensus being that the photo told the real story of this disaster in a way that images of looters or smashed-up casinos cannot.
Killing the messenger Reporter Ben Shors got an earful from supporters of Morning Star at a press conference yesterday. Apparently, one man said to Ben "all I wanted to do was choke you" after reading his August 25 story on two men suing the ranch over alleged sexual abuse.
Three-day work week could get to be habit-forming
We had two holidays last week, Veterans Day on Monday and our Centennial Statehood Day on Friday, both of them well worth celebrating. This week is Thanksgiving, and a good many people will take off Thursday and Friday again. This business of a three-day workweek could get to be habit-forming. I learned when I was teaching that one had to do anything only twice to establish a tradition. I can still hear my students saying, "But, Mrs. Milligan, we've always done it this way." Next thing we know people will be vowing, "But we've always worked a three-day week."Since I'm retired, I'm not crazy about all these holidays. When every day is a holiday for me, I would prefer that the rest of the world stay with its regular routine. I go out and check the mailbox before I remember they're taking the day off, and I mutter to myself about it.
A reading list
Originating in England, it was America's most popular cookbook in 1776. The U.S. edition was published in 1805. • American Cookery by Amelia Simmons (Dover Publications). An exact reproduction of the 1796 edition of the first cookbook published in the United States. It includes recipes for pumpkin pudding, winter squash pudding, Indian slapjacks and spruce beer. • Civil War Recipes: Receipts from the Pages of Godey's Lady's Book by Lily May Spaulding and John Spaulding (University Press of Kentucky). The recipes are from Godey's Lady's Book, a popular women's magazine with a national circulation of 150,000 during the 1860s. • Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer (Prospect Books). America's greatest cookbook when published in 1896, it was the first to use standardized measurements, rely on simple directions and show concern for nutrition.
Reporter's Notebook: Coach Clev remembered
Montana Hall of Fame coach Bob Cleverley's name may not sound that familiar among the players currently on the roster of the undefeated Ennis/Harrison football team (2-0, 6-0).But there is little doubt that their fathers know who he is.In Ennis, Cleverley created an eight-man football powerhouse over the course of 38 seasons. His contemporaries remember Cleverley as a teacher first for several generations of Mustangs, leading a life's worth of lessons.Cleverley died Saturday of cancer at age 69, after spending all of his adult life in the Madison Valley. His successor, principal and football coach Greg Fitzgerald, inherited the school and a program that transitioned seamlessly nine years ago to the 11-man game. Fitzgerald said Cleverley was the consummate small-town football coach, a position loaded with tradition and expectations.Cleverley respected and transcended that legacy.“Never too busy to talk to you," Fitzgerald said.
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