According to his facebook, Secretary of State Trey Grayson has announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate in the Republican primary against Jim Bunning.

I like Trey and think he's a great guy. However, against Jack Conway, he stands no chance of winning.

Sorry horse racing lovers, ESPN isn't televising the post position draw so you're out of luck if you planned to watch it live. Stay tuned. However, you can stream it online at the C-J's website if their website cooperates with your browser. The draw will be starting in a few minutes.

The field is as follows for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby:
1 West Side Bernie (Stewart Elliot/Kelly Breen)
2 Mr. Hot Stuff (John Velazquez/Eoin Harty)
3 Mine That Bird (Calvin Borel/Bennie Woolley Jr.)
4 Advice (Rene Douglas/Todd Pletcher)
5 Hold Me Back (Kent Desormeaux/Bill Mott)
6 Friesan Fire (Gabriel Saez/J. Larry Jones)
7 Musket Man (Eibar Coa/Derek Ryan)
8 Join in the Dance (TBA/Todd Pletcher)
9 Pioneerof the Nile (Garrett Gomez/Bob Baffert)
10 Regal Ransom (Alan Garcia/Saeed bin Suroor)
11 Chocolate Candy (Mike Smith/Jerry Hollendorfer)
12 General Quarters (Julien Leparoux/Tom McCarthy)
13 I Want Revenge (Joe Talamo/Jeff Mullins)
14 Atomic Rain (Joe Bravo/Kelly Breen)
15 Dunkirk (Edgar Prado/Todd Pletcher)
16 Papa Clem (Rafael Bejarano/Gary Stute)
17 Summer Bird (Chris Rosier/Tim Ice)
18 Nowhere to Hide (N/A/Nick Zito)
19 Desert Party (Ramon Dominguez/Saeed bin Suroor)
20 Flying Private (Robby Albarado/D. Wayne Lukas)

Yom Ha'atzmaut is the Israel Independence Day. It almost always falls on the 5th of Iyar as well celebrate the declaration of the state of Israel by David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar, 5708).

In tribute, here are some pictures my from incredible journey to Eretz Yisrael last June. After that, Hatikvah and other songs.

Independence Hall

Photo of David Ben Gurion

A photo on the wall, showing the room in 1948

Jeremiah 31:8

Isaiah 35:1

The Declaration Room

Theodore Herzl quote

Amos 9:14

The Kotel aka Western Wall


Hatikvah
Kol od baleivav p'nimah
Nefesh y'hudi homiyah
Ulfa'atei mizrach kadimah
Ayin l'tziyon tzofiyah
Od lo avdah tikvateinu
Hatikvah bat sh'not alpayim
Lihyot am chofshi b'artzeinu
Eretz tziyon viyrushalayim

As long as in the heart, within,
A soul of a Jew is yearning,
And to the edges of the East, forward,
An eye gazes towards Zion,
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

כל עוד בלבב פנימה
נפש יהודי הומיה,
ולפאתי מזרח קדימה,
עין לציון צופיה,
עוד לא אבדה תקוותנו,
התקווה בת שנות אלפים,
להיות עם חופשי בארצנו,
ארץ ציון וירושלים.


David melech Yisrael chai chai vekayam
Am Yisrael Chai, Od Avinu Chai

Lu Y'hi (Let It Be)
Words: Naomi Shemer

There's still a white sail bravely gleaming,
Though the clouds are black and low,
Everything we wish let it be.
And when at evening by the window,
Sabbath candles softly glow.
Everything we wish let it be.

Let it be, let it be,
Only let it be,
Everything we wish
let it be.

I hear the sound of people singing,
Bugle notes that fill the air,
Everything we wish let it be.
Above the fanfare and the music,
Let them hear my silent prayer,
Everything we wish let it be.

Let it be, let it be...

Within a green and quiet village,
Stands a house with open door,
Everything we wish let it be.
The summer's ended and the journey,
Bring the soldiers home once more
Everything we wish let it be.

Let it be, let it be...

And when a distant star in heaven
Lights our darkness from above,
Everything we wish - let it be.
Oh, give them strength and give them quiet,
Those we cherish, those we love,
Everything we wish - let it be.

Let it be, let it be...

JERUSALEM IS MINE
By Kenny Karen

I am the sun, Jerusalem,
You are a painted sky
I am a bird, Jerusalem,
You have the wings to fly
You are the father of my dreams,
I am a gift of time
I am your child, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem is mine
You are an orchard in the sand,
I am the fruit you bear
You are the glove that warms my hand,
I am the smile you wear
You are the music of the hills,
I am the words that rhyme
I am your song, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem is mine

You are the cradle of freedom,
and I am the harvest of springtime
You are the dawn of a new day,
I am tomorrow, you are forever

You are my shelter from the storm,
I am your guiding light
You are a book whose leaves are torn,
I am the page you write
You are the branches of a tree,
I am a clinging vine I am your prayer, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem is mine
I have come home, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem is mine

Oseh Shalom
Oseh shalom bimromav Hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu V'al kol Yisrael V'imru, v'imru amen.
May the One who makes peace send peace to us and all of Israel, and let us say, Amen.

Im Tirtzu
Ein zo agada
Lih-yot am chofshi b'artzeinu
B'eretz tziyon virushalayim

I you will it, it is not a dream
To live as free people in our land
In the land of Zion and Jerusalem

Seriously, WTF is up with quotes like that?

Welcome to the party, Senator Specter! The Pennsylvania senator released a statement today.

Statement by Senator Arlen Specter
April 28, 2009

I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation.

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party. But, I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing.

Since then, I have traveled the State, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion. It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.

I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election.

I deeply regret that I will be disappointing many friends and supporters. I can understand their disappointment. I am also disappointed that so many in the Party I have worked for for more than four decades do not want me to be their candidate. It is very painful on both sides. I thank especially Senators McConnell and Cornyn for their forbearance.

I am not making this decision because there are no important and interesting opportunities outside the Senate. I take on this complicated run for re-election because I am deeply concerned about the future of our country and I believe I have a significant contribution to make on many of the key issues of the day, especially medical research. NIH funding has saved or lengthened thousands of lives, including mine, and much more needs to be done. And my seniority is very important to continue to bring important projects vital to Pennsylvania’s economy.

I am taking this action now because there are fewer than thirteen months to the 2010 Pennsylvania Primary and there is much to be done in preparation for that election. Upon request, I will return campaign contributions contributed during this cycle.

While each member of the Senate caucuses with his Party, what each of us hopes to accomplish is distinct from his party affiliation. The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. And no Senator, no matter how loyal he is to his Party, should or would put party loyalty above his duty to the state and nation.

My change in party affiliation does not mean that I will be a party-line voter any more for the Democrats that I have been for the Republicans. Unlike Senator Jeffords’ switch which changed party control, I will not be an automatic 60th vote for cloture. For example, my position on Employees Free Choice (Card Check) will not change.

Whatever my party affiliation, I will continue to be guided by President Kennedy’s statement that sometimes Party asks too much. When it does, I will continue my independent voting and follow my conscience on what I think is best for Pennsylvania and America.

With Al Franken, this would put us at 60 Democrats.

That's news to me but that's what Shack is saying over at The Rural Democrat. It doesn't surprise me. I have been following is blog for a while now and he's a die-hard Mongiardo supporter while the rest of us (Joe, Jake, anyone else I'm forgetting here) are very much in the Jack Conway column.

Granted, I don't do as much political blogging as I used to do back in the day. The fact is well, I'm not going to get into that debate right now.

It's funny though. Shack makes no mention of Page One or Barefoot and Progressive. Yea, I've had some rough times with them and I've made no light of that. But that's over. I've moved on. We're all in this together.

Um, I wonder who actually voted in that survey...because Jack Conway has experience. What's with all the stuff about personal attacks? I'll give Shack the same free advice that Mark gave me back in the day: ignore the comments. After a while, I just ignore the negative comments and let it go. There's no point in stressing out over a debate that will just be heated.

But you want experience?!? Jack Conway served in Governor Paul Patton's office for six years in senior level cabinet positions. You want more experience? Just click here.

But to feud online with other bloggers just because they disagree with you on your candidate of choice? Wow.

I saw two camels humping at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. You can't make this stuff up...

Seth Rogen honors committment to the joke and talks about why he lost weight.

Q: Since you're a writer, are you more careful about the scripts you choose?
A: Definitely. It's not a coincidence that I do very few movies that I myself am not a producer or writer on. ... It comes down to, you get sent a lot of scripts, they're not that good and you think, why would I do this bad movie when I can just write a better one?

Q: You've lost weight. Was it for this film?
A: For "Green Hornet" (which he and Goldberg wrote, and Rogen is starring in). That was literally the only reason. ... I'm doing a movie where you've got to believe the guy can run around and beat the (expletive) out of a bunch of guys. I didn't quite look like that before. ... For this movie, it takes me looking a certain way because I know we don't want the joke to be a fat superhero who is inept, physically incapable of doing (stuff). That's just not the joke for the movie. That might be a movie, but that is not the movie that we want to make.

Q: You've worked with Judd Apatow since "Freaks and Geeks." Nice to see that, with the extended chase scene at the end of "Observe and Report," you are continuing his goal of having as much male nudity as possible.
A: Me and Jody just blew his (butt) out of the water. That (chase scene) is literally my favorite thing ever, in any movie. The end of "Observe and Report" is, to me, from now on, ending-wise, I'm just chasing the dragon. I've had my first hit of crack and I'm just forever going after it again. I do have to accept (that) that's the best ending of any movie I will ever have anything to do with. From now on I'm just going after that.

Adam Sandler is one of Hollywood's most valuable comedians.

On paper, Adam Sandler's much anticipated Funny People looks like another treacly, cliché-ridden Hollywood bomb. In the Judd Apatow-helmed project, Sandler plays a wealthy, lonely comedian who survives a cancer diagnosis, discovers life's meaning and finds true love with a beautiful ex-girlfriend.

Movie journalists may find the flick charming or nauseating. Yet whatever the critical consensus is, it won't likely matter to Sandler's future prospects. The 42- year-old funnyman ranks as the top comedian in Forbes' Star Currency survey.

There's a saying that chicks dig comedians. Seth Rogen has more.

Seth Rogen says having a sense of humour doesn't necessarily attract girls.

The comedian - who is currently getting in shape for his role as a masked crime-fighter in upcoming film The Green Hornet - believes women favour looks over a sense of humour, telling the Daily Telegraph: "If a girl had a choice between Brad Pitt or me, she'd pick Brad Pitt - and I'm a lot funnier than he is!

"It's definitely not true what women say about just wanting a man with a sense of humour - what women mean is they want a guy with a sense of humour who is really handsome."

Elizabeth Banks and Leslie Mann are teaming up in What was I thinking?

The film will revolve around a woman who gets dumped during her engagement party. Her friends spring into action and whisk her away on a ski trip for healing and hedonism. Threading through their adventures on the trip are four flashbacks dealing in "worst ex-boyfriend" tales.

"It's a story of how women help each other," said Obst. "And we do that by telling stories." Obst also described the project as "a girls' Apatow movie," referring to filmmaker Judd Apatow's signature male-centric comedy style.

Here's a young Seth Rogen doing stand-up in 1996:

Israel responded harshly to the rhetoric from Iran at Durban 2.

Speaking from the podium of the Durban II conference in Geneva on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a “racist” state, prompting sharp rebukes from around the world and a not-so-veiled threat from Jerusalem.

"We will not allow Holocaust deniers to perpetrate another Holocaust against the Jewish people,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several hours afterward in his speech at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday night. “This is the supreme duty of the State of Israel and my supreme duty as prime minister.”

Netanyahu’s remarks were a reminder of the seriousness with which Israel views Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons: Many Israelis see Ahmadinejad as a modern-day Hitler.

"Seventy-three years after the Berlin Olympiad, yesterday the world saw the return of Adolf Hitler,” Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday. “This time he is bearded and he talks Persian. But the words are the same words, the goals the same goals and the resolve to use effective means to achieve them is the same threatening resolve.”

The Israeli government says it cannot allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons capable of obliterating the Jewish state, and the comments from Israeli officials on Holocaust Memorial Day were a reminder that Israel could resort to military action to enforce that view.

Despite the boycott, the delegates did adopt a final outcome paper.

The Chzech Republic pulled out altogether after the walkout yesterday.

Czech Republic pulled out of the United Nations-sponsored conference on racism in Geneva.

The Czechs were one of 23 European Union countries to walk out Monday during an anti-Israel, anti-Western address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and they did not return when the conference reconvened Tuesday.

"As is the case with a number of our democratic partners -- whether they are among the EU Member States or not -- we cannot allow our presence at this conference to legitimize the completely unacceptable anti-Israeli attacks, i.e. a repetition of events that had a strong negative impact on the previous conference in 2001, " read a statement from the Czech Foreign Ministry.

Israel, Canada, United States, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany had boycotted the conference before it began.

A counter-conference opened in New York.

The conference, sponsored by the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, and co-sponsored by more than 20 organizations, is being held through Friday -- the same dates as the United Nations-sponsored anti-racism conference taking place in Geneva.

The counter-conference "will address the real issues of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance which the Durban I and Durban II were officially convened to address; but as happened at Durban I, the Durban II proceedings in Geneva will likely ignore, distort, or misrepresent these issues," according to a statement from the association.

Jews in Argentina criticized their government.

Argentina's Jewish community criticized its country's diplomats for not walking out during the Iranian president's address at Durban II.

In response, the Argentine Foreign Ministry “categorically” rejected the anti-Israel statements by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's made to the United Nations-sponsored conference.

“For Argentina, Holocaust denial is unacceptable," the Argentine government said in a statement. "That is why Bishop Richard Williamson was expelled from the country last February: He had doubted that Jews had been victims of genocide.”

The Israeli ambassador to Argentina criticized conference organizers for allowing Ahmadinejad to speak.

“The extremist and racist countries of the world are taking advantage of the ingenuity and good will of democratic countries,” Daniel Gazit said.

John Bolton applauded the Obama administration for skipping the conference.

The Obama administration's decision not to at tend this week's "Durban II" conference on racism in Geneva means that boycotting outrageous United Nations parleys is now officially bipartisan US policy. This is real US leadership[...]

The absence of America eliminates any pretext of global legitimacy, which greatly concerns the international left. Depriving the original Durban conference of that legitimacy is exactly why the Bush administration -- hesitatingly and at the last possible moment -- quite properly walked out in 2001.

Not surprisingly, the leftist Human Rights Watch complained that the absence of an American delegation would leave Durban II with a lack of "diplomatic gravitas." That, of course, is precisely the point. Rep. Barbara Lee of the Congressional Black Caucus said that "this decision is inconsistent with the administration's policy of engaging with those we agree with and those we disagree with." This, too, is correct.

These reactions underline the long-term significance of President Obama's decision, which effectively reaffirms President George W. Bush's 2001 approach and makes withdrawing from UN events a respectable policy option. It legitimizes the US assertion of its interests and those of its friends and allies, rather than repeatedly succumbing to the simplistic notion that "engagement" is always preferred.

May G-d remember the souls of all the communities of Israel in the European Diaspora who were sacrificed on the altar during the years of the Holocaust (1939-1945): six million men and women, boys and girls, young men and women, infants and the elderly, who were cruelly slain and butchered, and mass murdered in their dwellings places and cities, and in the forests and villages.

Those surviving were brought like sheep to the slaughter to the concentration camps where they died unnatural deaths, and were burned to ashes in the furnaces of the terrible camps of destruction in Germany and Poland, and in the rest of the occupied countries, at the hands of the murderous German people and their Allies, all of whom were of one counsel to annihilate, kill, and utterly destroy the Jewish people, to wipe out the memory of Judaism, and to erase any association with the name Israel.

G-d of vengeance, Judge of the Earth, remember the streams of blood that were spilled like water, the blood of fathers and sons, mothers and sucklings, rabbis and their students, and repay the oppressors of your people seventy times over.

Do not silence the scream of "Shema Yisrael!" uttered by those who were taken to their death, and let the groan of the afflicted ascend before the throne of your glory. Avenge, speedily in our days, before our eyes, the blood of your pure and sanctified sons and daughters who were never had the privilege to be buried as Jews… As it is written: "For He will avenge the blood of His servants, and vengeance he will serve on their oppressors, and He will atone the Land of His people."

Amen. Selah.

This is exactly why the United States government decided to boycott Durban II.

JTA:

European diplomats walked out of a session of the Durban II conference when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the world to unite against Israel.

In a speech at the U.N.-sponsored anti-racism conferencein Geneva, the Iranian president first blamed the West for injustice, then went on the offensive against Israel, calling it the “racist perpetrators of genocide.”[...]

He was briefly interrupted when several protesters in rainbow wigs yelled “Racist!”

At the first mention of “Jewish,” representatives of the 23 European Union countries that chose to participate in the conference noisily got up from their seats and marched out the door -- a move met by more clapping from Iranian and Arab delegates, while other diplomatic delegations refrained. The walkout dealt another blow to organizers of the conference, which is being boycotted by nine countries, including the United States, Israel and several European nations.[...]

During the speech, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remained in his seat, just behind Ahmadinejad. However, the U.N. chief issued a denunciation shortly afterward, expressing regret that Ahmadinejad had not heeded his earlier request not to attack Israel on the floor.

“I deplore the use of this platform by the Iranian president to accuse, divide and even incite,” Ban said in a statement. “We must all turn away from such a message in both form and substance.”

President Barack Obama defended the decision to boycott Durban 2.

President Obama said the U.S. would have been "putting an imprimatur on something we just don't believe" if it had participated in the Durban II conference.

A statement Saturday by the State Department said it was too late to address critical problems with the anti-racism forum and its decision not to attend was final. The statement commended conference organizers for additional improvements to a draft outcome document that removed explicit criticisms of Israel, but said the document remained unacceptable because it endorsed the 2001 Durban Conference, which singled out Israel for criticism.

The new document's inclusion of the endorsement, which does not specify Israel or the Palestinians, “has the same effect as inserting that original text into the current document and re-adopting it.”

Answering a question at a news conference in Trinidad & Tobago about the U.S. decision to boycott the Durban Review Conference, scheduled to start Monday in Geneva, Obama noted that the initial 2001 Durban conference, which was supposed to be about racism, instead "became a session through which folks expressed antagonism towards Israel in ways that were oftentimes completely hypocritical and counterproductive."

"We expressed in the run-up to this conference our concerns that if you adopted all the langugage from 2001 that's not something we could sign up for," Obama said. "If you're incorporating a previous conference we weren't involved with that raised a whole set of objectionable provisions, it wouldn't be worth it to participate because we couldn't get past that previous issue."

He added if that if there had been a "clean start, fresh start," the United States would have been "happy to go."[...]

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee applauded the decision by the United States not to attend.

“President Obama's decision not to send U.S. representation to the event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings,” AIPAC said in a statement.

Both Germany and New Zealand also pulled out of Durban 2.

Jewish leaders applauded decisions by Germany and New Zealand to skip the Durban II conference now underway in Geneva.

While praising Germany's decision to boycott the U.N.-sponsored anti-racism conference, Dieter Graumann, a vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, added, “it was shameful that Europe is so discordant over this.”

David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, said he hoped Germany's decision would encourage others to do the same.

Germany's decision was announced late Sunday night by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who said he had consulted with several other European foreign ministers before deciding not to participate.

"The federal government has reached the conclusion that despite all the intensive work ahead of the conference, particularly by E.U.-member states, there is still a serious risk that this conference, like its predecessor in 2001, may be misused as a platform for other interests," Steinmeier said. "This is not acceptable to us."

Harris called the move a "reaffirmation of Germany's special friendship with Israel and its commitment to core democratic values."

Explaining Holland's decision to skip the conference, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Sunday that the Netherlands could not participate together with countries that appeared ready to accuse Israel alone of human rights abuses without looking at their own records.

New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully said Monday that the 2001 World Conference Against Racism held in Durban, South Africa gave rise to “expressions of anti-Israeli views which undermined its focus on genuine anti-racism initiatives.”

In a statement he said: “I am not satisfied that the wording emerging from preparatory discussions will prevent the Review Conference from descending into the same kind of rancorous and unproductive debate that took place in 2001.”

New Zealand Jewish Council president Stephen Goodman applauded the conservative government’s “courageous action” and blasted Labor and the Greens, who he said accused John Key’s government of “pandering”.[...]

In addition to Germany, New Zealand and the Netherlands, countries boycotting the conference include the United States, Israel, Canada, Italy and Australia.

It's so great to eat chametz again.

Pesach is over so the Jews are flocking to bakeries once again.

Mr. Ahmed and other bagel makers say that the first business day after the holiday ends — Friday — is typically one of their busiest days of the year as Jewish customers line up to observe the passing of at least eight days of yeast privation.

Bagel makers spent Thursday contemplating the end of Passover. Some, like Mr. Ahmed, gave their ovens and mixing bowls the once-over after time off during the holiday, which started at sundown on April 8. His store follows kosher dietary rules and treats Passover as an eight-day holiday, as many observant Jews do. (Reform Jews typically celebrate Passover for seven days, said Rabbi Andy Bachman, the senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn.)

During Passover, many Jews avoid leavened products in commemoration of the exodus from Egypt, during which, according to Old Testament tradition, the Israelites had so little time to flee that the bread they were baking did not have time to rise, and came out of the ovens as matzo.

That means eight bagel-free days, unless you make bagels with matzo meal (there are recipes on the Internet). People who have not had a bagel in eight days make the post-Passover time busy — as busy, Mr. Ahmed said, as Thanksgiving Day, when crowds watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade stream down Central Park West, a block from his shop.

That bagel after Yom Tov last night tasted so good!

Considering how my Colts take on Arizona over Kol Nidrei, I feel for Jets fans. Granted, Indianapolis is not New York. Nor is Arizona.

The Jets, upset about being scheduled for home games on consecutive Sundays in direct conflict with Jewish holidays, sent N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell a letter Thursday asking that one of the game times be changed. The Jets’ home opener is Week 2 against New England at 1 p.m. on Sept. 20, which falls during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The Jets then play Tennessee at 4:15 p.m. the next Sunday, with Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, beginning at sundown.

Norm Coleman wears tefillin.

He has learned to ignore the big “Franken” signs on his neighbors’ yards that taunt him when he walks out his door, a daily reminder of his five-month battle with Al Franken over the Senate seat Mr. Coleman, a Republican, won in 2002 and neither quite retained nor lost in November. Mr. Coleman said he begins each day with ritual Jewish morning prayer to help him though these trying times.[...]

“I have more dinners home with my wife than I ever have before,” said Mr. Coleman.

He said that every morning, he puts tefillin — black leather boxes containing scrolls — on his arm as part of a morning Jewish prayer ritual. “I bind myself every morning,” he said. “I bind myself to God every morning because it’s in his hands.”

He paused. “David Letterman will make fun of me for this,” he said.

John Madden has retired as an NFL analyst for NBC.

John Madden, the burly former coach who has been one of pro football’s most popular broadcast analysts for three decades, is calling it quits.

Madden worked for the past three seasons on NBC’s Sunday night NFL game. His last telecast was the Super Bowl between Arizona and Pittsburgh.

“It’s time,” Madden said. “I’m 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and their five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I’m home and, more importantly, when I’m not.”

Madden said he still loves all aspects of the game and his job, and that’s why it took him a couple of months to make the decision.

Madden’s blue-collar style and love for in-the-trenches football endeared him to fans. His “Madden NFL Football” is the top-selling sports video game of all time.

Madden is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.

He began his pro football career as a linebacker coach at Oakland in 1967 and was named head coach two years later, at 33 the youngest coach in what was then the American Football League.

Madden led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl victory and retired in 1979. He joined CBS later that year.

He worked at CBS until 1994 when the network lost rights to broadcast NFL games, leading him to switch to Fox. He left Fox in 2002 to become the lead analyst for ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and joined NBC in 2006 when that network inaugurated a prime-time Sunday game.

2009 schedule
Preseason
Aug. 13-17: vs. Minnesota
Aug. 20: vs. Philadelphia
Aug. 27-31: at Detroit
Sept. 3-4: at Cincinnati

Regular season
Sept. 13: vs. Jacksonville, 1 p.m., CBS
Sept. 21: at Miami, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Sept. 27: at Arizona, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Oct. 4: vs. Seattle, 1 p.m., Fox
Oct. 11: at Tennessee, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Oct. 25: at St. Louis, 1 p.m., CBS
Nov. 1: vs. San Francisco, 1 p.m., Fox
Nov. 8: vs. Houston, 1 p.m., CBS
Nov. 15: vs. New England, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Nov. 22: at Baltimore, 1 p.m., CBS
Nov. 29: at Houston, 1 p.m., CBS
Dec. 6: vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m., CBS
Dec. 13: vs. Denver, 1 p.m., CBS
Dec. 17: at Jacksonville, 8:20 p.m., NFL Network
Dec. 27: vs. New York Jets, 4:15 p.m., CBS
Jan. 3: at Buffalo, 1 p.m., CBS

I'm looking forward to next season already.

This is good news. Here's an excerpt from the apology for the offensive ad.

I would like to take a moment of your time to explain that first of all, as editor, I saw the ad the same time you, our readers, did. Although this individual wanted to run the ad again, it was up to me to make the decision of whether or not it would. I decided without hesitation to pull the ad; it will not run again.

Second, let me explain how the paper works. The Cardinal is broken into two groups, the editorial side and the advertising side. This paper is an independent student newspaper, a non-profit organization that makes all its income via ad sales. Those of us on the editorial side do not have anything to do with the ad sales part. Although, I am sure when this particular ad was purchased, our ad people were under the assumption it was a legitimate request for assistance in a research project, which we get all the time.

And finally, I would like to apologize to anyone who was offended by the ad in question. As the niece of one of the first American troops to enter Auschwitz; I have heard personal accounts of the mayhem committed against an entire race. The genocide has left a scar on mankind, which will never fade. It is important for us not to forget what happened; I know when my uncle thinks back to entering the camp, he becomes emotional. This man, larger than life, the monarch of our large family, cannot escape the memories of what he saw that day.

I no longer live in the state so thanks to the joys of the internet, I was able to follow the live blog on Barefoot and Progressive and I'm able to watch the videos on YouTube.

I echo everything that Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson said.



House Speaker Greg Stumbo gave a killer speech:


Congressman John Yarmuth endorses Jack Conway and I echo everything said about how far Jack Conway can go:


State Auditor Crit Luallen chimes in and reminds you that Jack Conway can get things done:


Congressman Ben Chandler, the man we all thought would run in 2008 or 2010, gives a ringing endorsement of Jack Conway:


Part one of Jack's speech:


Part 2:


Hard to believe that it's been 11 years since we've had a Democrat in the United States Senate.

Nice to see a crack at Kim Geveden with the whole Duke joke.

"It's not where you went to school, it's what you do with your education."

Jack Conway loves the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He will make a great public servant in the United States Senate.

This never gets old. Especially Cameron Mills' 3 pointer to take the lead.

Hat tip to Jake for bringing it up. Why did the student paper even accept the money for that advertisement to begin with?

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their longtime broadcaster, Harry Kalas, today at the age of 73.

Longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas died at 1:20 p.m. ET on Monday, shortly after collapsing in the team's broadcast booth before the series opener against the Nationals.

"We lost Harry. I've been 39 years with the Phillies and 39 years with Harry and, as I said in this clubhouse, we lost our voice today," said team president and CEO David Montgomery at about 1:50 p.m. outside the team's clubhouse. "He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization."

The 73-year old Kalas was found in the team's broadcast booth around 12:30 p.m. and was taken to George Washington University Medical Center. Team officials quickly cleared the locker room and talked with the Phillies.

Montgomery said he didn't know the exact cause of death.

"I know that when they took him away that they were very concerned," he said.

Interesting Rolling Stone article on Freaks, Geeks, and Paul Rudd in the Judd Apatow universe. It's an interesting tour of what's happened with everyone since then.

Last month, Chevy Chase was tapped for the NBC comedy pilot, Community.

The Sony-produced "Community," which is being directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, is described as "Stripes" at a community college. It centers on Jeff (Joel McHale), a lawyer who is back in school after his college degree is deemed invalid.

Chase will play another student at the community college who has been married five times.

What does Judd Apatow keep in his office?

Seth Rogen admited that filming Funny People was a challenge.

"We all had to do stand-up comedy, and we filmed all the performances like live comedy performances," he explains.

"So all the actors would go out, and do improvisation and theatre at the weekends where they would do comedy and kind of hone their acts and write a lot of their own material. It was a nightmare and I'm glad I never have to do it again."

This has to be a joke...

Back in March 2002, I had the honor of meeting then-congressional candidate Jack Conway at his campaign headquarters on Taylorsville Road in Louisville. I knew at that time that he was going to go places. Granted, I also introduced myself as a future president of the United States but we saw how that career turned out...

There's no doubt in my mind that Jack Conway is going places. I had hoped that he would have run again for Congress in 2004 but he didn't. In 2006, everyone thought that he would have run again. In fact, I hoped he would have. But that didn't happen for professional and personal reasons. In late 2006, with the 2007 statewide elections, it was great to see that Jack Conway was running to be Kentucky's next Attorney General. I'm glad that he won. Kentucky's a better state as a result with him in the Attorney General's office.

Jack Conway will make an excellent United States Senator because as Jake said: Jack Conway is "a guy who has a solid record of fighting against everything that’s wrong and standing up for everything that’s right."

That's who Kentucky needs right now. A leader that will stand up for the people and truly represent what they want. I believe that Jack Conway is that guy.

Please visit Jack Conway's campaign website as he embarks on his Senatorial career and if you have the money, make a donation. We need Jim Bunning voted out of office and we found our candidate in Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.

I ask that my fellow Kentuckians back home make the best decision this time when it comes to the Senate race and vote for Jack Conway in the primary.



Go watch Jack Conway officially kick off his Senatorial campaign on Monday at 4:30 P.M. at the Ali Center in Louisville. G-d knows that I would be there if I could.

It broke late last night or early this morning but ESPN reports that DeMarcus Cousins has committed to play for John Calipari and the University of Kentucky Wildcats!

DeMarcus Cousins, the No. 4-rated player in the ESPNU 100, will follow recently hired coach John Calipari to Kentucky, his high school coach told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

"He told me tonight he's going to Kentucky," said Otis Hughley of LeFlore High School in Mobile, Ala. "He didn't say much after [John] Calipari left Memphis and, I told him I was there for advice and counsel, whatever he needed."

Cousins, a McDonald's All-American who is headed to Portland, Ore., on Wednesday to compete for the 2009 USA Men's Junior National Select Team at the 12th Annual Nike Hoops Summit, committed to Memphis during the season but never signed a binding national letter-of-intent. As a junior, he verbally committed to the University of Alabama-Birmingham but withdrew his pledge in favor of Memphis.

The 6-foot-10 post player averaged 29 points and 12 rebounds to help LeFlore, No. 27 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings, reach Alabama's Class 5A semifinals, where it was upset by Parker (Birmingham).

Last week, Cousins contributed 14 points and eight rebounds as the East squad won the McDonald's Game 113-110 in Coral Gables, Fla. Prior to the game he spoke about reopening his recruiting in the wake of Calipari's departure from Memphis. He said he was dreading it but conceded, "it's a learning experience."

In a shocking and unprecedented press conference yesterday morning, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced that he made the sole decision to eliminate the Chicago Cubs from the MLB.

Citing the flattering attempts by Cardinal and White Sox fans to kick the Chicago Cubs out of Major League Baseball, Commissioner Selig said he finally gave in and told Chicago Cubs management that the MLB oweners and players' association had unanimously approved Chicago's elimination. Here's his full statement to the press:

"It was with heavy regret and much sadness that the MLB has had to come to this decision. After much bickering during the 100 years of misery for Chicago Cubs fans, we decided that it is in the best interest of their fans to just end their suffering once and for all. I've had meetings with Chicago management and have assured them that both the International League and Pacific Coast Leagues will always have room for them but the MLB wants to have teams that can put up champions every year. What Chicago is doing just isn't good enough. You have the White Sox on the south side of the city and they actually have won twice in 100 years. You have the Brewers on the north and believe me, they are actually good this year. If the Cubs decide that they don't want to keep choking, we'll look at the situation next year but that will likely happen when pigs decide to fly."

Joining Bud Selig at the press conference were former Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella and former General Manager Jim Hendry.

Piniella read a short statement: "I accept full responsibility. The Chicago Cubs have played like f***ing crap so the ballclub doesn't f***ing deserve to play like the piece of s**t if they continue to keep choking like a bunch f***ing losers. How can you live with a team that can't even win a game during the f***ing playoffs two years in a row? I can't live with that."

Hendry, while holding back tears, made a short statement in front of the press: "I'm leaving the Chicago Cubs organization to start start touring the nation to tell people how they can run a business into the ground because this just isn't working out."

When President Barack Obama was told of this, all he could do was show his excitement and say, "Yes, we can have one team in Chicago. Yes, we can agree that the Chicago White Sox rule in Chicago."

Television commentators were some of the first to chime in.

Sportscenter's Stuart Scott was the first to speak after the news broke. "Booyah! This is the best news in all of baseball.

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, a former sportscaster for ESPN, wanted to get his two cents in. "That's a double play if you're scoring at home...or if you're by yourself."

Baseball Tonight anchor Karl Ravech started out the Baseball Tonight special with these words: Snap. Crackle. Pop.

It was only a matter of hours before The Daily Show with Jon Stewart got word of this. Opening up the show, Jon Stewart decided to postpone his scheduled interview with Jim Cramer to follow up on their first interview, and instead decided to celebrate. "Ladies and gentlemen, Major League Baseball has made a smart decision! If you missed it this afternoon and I'm sure you did because you were following the John Calipari coaching carousel, Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, decided that the Chicago Cubs were no longer worthy of playing in the big leagues. Roll the clip!" The clip of the earlier comments were shown. "If you had your money on Chicago choking before the season started, you were right!"

Not wanting to be outdone, Stephen Colbert in last night's show decided that the word of the day was to be mockery. "You made a mockery out of America's favorite past time, Bud Selig. You should be ashamed of yourself. This is a bad move. I, I don't want to have anything to do with you. Forget being placed on notice, Commissioner Selig, you are dead to me! Go f*** yourself!" Colbert swore to the audience.

We'll have more as the story develops...