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Miss Run Amok and "All The News That's Fit to Print", Not*Tina Brown's comments in the Post, "Seeing Right Through The Times's Transparency", cannot be disputed. The failure of NYT to exercise control over a rogue reporter (self-described Miss Run Amok!) is a mystery. Why was she allowed to continue as a loose cannon after her reports about Saddam Hussein's WMD were proven to be false ? Those in charge of running the NYT are still behind her. Perhaps they have good reason for doing so; perhaps their hands are tied.

uHe had it coming * It couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. Warmed the cockles of my heart to read that a warrant has been issued for arch bully Tom Delay, aka the Hammer, aka the Exterminator. The report in Washington Post by Susan Gamboa of Associated Press reads: "AUSTIN, Texas -- A state court issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday for Rep. Tom DeLay, requiring him to appear in Texas for booking on state conspiracy and money laundering charges". He might froth at the mouth about vengeful prosecution but he will have to go through the motions required under our legal system.

Anti-abortion Position Comes to Light*What will be her argument as she tries to wiggle through this? The Washington Post report by Charles Babington and Fred Barbash "Miers backed abortion ban in 1989" leaves no doubt about her position. "Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers agreed in 1989 that she would "actively support" a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban abortion except when necessary to prevent the death of the mother." It is doubtful that her views have changed since 1989. But one really didn't need a paper trail. It became clear some time back (after publication of the treacly letters and notes that she sent over the years to G.W. Bush and Mrs. Bush that this Bush groupie could never do anything to displease her hero.

Authors Past and an Author Present*The first time I read "Brideshead Revisited" I couldn't put it down. Got caught in this novel about people and places that had nothing in common with my bacground. Perhaps that was what made it so interesting. Of course, Evelyn Waugh's wonderful prose was part of the magic. I returned to it in the eighties after watching Granada Television's adaptation (1982) of the novel. Superb production, as most of them are. Recently, I went back to the book--for the third time. Don't think I'll be around to read it again. I went through it in a leisurely manner and savoured it as much as I did when I read it the first time.Chapter I" 'I have been here before', I said; I had been there before, first with Sebastian more than twenty years ago on a cloudless day in June, when the ditches were creamy with meadowflower and the air heavy with all the scents of summer; it was a day of peculiar splendour, and though I had been there so often, in so many moods, it was to that first visit that my heart returned on this, my latest."*"I am not I: thou are not he or sheThey are not they"Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966)The Raj Quartet, Paul Scott's saga about India in the final years of British rule is in a different league. Mr. Scott came from a humble background and it took him a long time to gain recognition. He went to India in 1943 as an air supplies offer and served in India and Malaya. The first volume of The Raj Quartet appeared in print in 1966. The final volume was published in 1974. The book brought him fame. It was made into a serial by Granada Television. The production did full justice to the book. For me, it revived the sights, smells and sounds of India I knew.Some, including the author Salmon Rushdie, criticized Mr. Scott's depiction of India and Indians. I thought that the book came quite close to accurately describing the conditions that existed. That Paul Scott was able to capture the nuances during his brief stay in India and able to write about them with such clarity speak a lot about his talent. It was not an easy thing to do.Paul Scott died in 1978 from cirrhosis of the liver. He was 58. His last years were plagued by his drinking problem. Shortly before his death he received the Booker Prize for "Staying On", a novel about an English couple who decided to remain in India after the end of the British rule.*"This is a story of a rape, of the events that led up to it and followed it and of the place in which it happened. There are action, the people, and the place; all of which are interrelated but in their totality incommunicable in isolation from the moral continuum of human affairs."--The Jewel in the Crown, 1966; part one of The Raj QuartetA fellow blogger, fogdux, wrote on October 9th about Henning Mankell, the Swedish author of mysteries. Her tribute to this gifted writer leaves nothing to add. I discovered Mankell a few years back and voraciously went through all the Kurt Wallander books that the library had. There was one that I didn't like--"The Dogs of Riga". Mankell's latest book, "Before the Frost" features Linda Wallander, Kurt's daughter, as a detective. I am looking forward to reading it."You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend."

The White House on Tenterhooks*Online edition of the NY Times,which made a mockery of its motto "All the news that's fit to print",is carrying an Associated Press report about the ongoing investigation of CIA/Valerie Plame leak by Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald. "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA-leak inquiry is focusing attention on what long has been a Bush White House tactic: slash-and-burn assaults on its critics, particularly those opposed to the president's Iraq war policies."

More collateral damage - Kill them, kiss them*A few ragheads here, a few ragheads there. The AP report in the Post reads:BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. warplanes and helicopters bombed two western villages, killing an estimated 70 militants near a site where five American soldiers died in a weekend roadside blast, the military said Monday. Residents said at least 39 of the dead were civilians ."More than 50% of the total casualties reported to be civilians who happened to be in the area where the military action took place. As in the past, we can expect the deaths of civilians to be confirmed with the usual expressions of regret.

Politics Prevails Over Aid to Earthquake Victims*Makes one weep. A stark example of man's inhumanity to man. It is the decades old enemity between India and Pakistan over territorial rights in Kashmir that is preventing medical and other forms of assistance from reaching villages on the Pakistani side of the border. More than 38,000 dead according to latest reports. From Dan McDougall's report in The Observer "'We are desperate for heavy machinery: drills, backhoes, anything that can help remove the debris and perhaps save lives,' said Abdul Qayyum, a Bagh schoolteacher. 'The government should send heavy machinery so we can get bodies or save those who are still alive. If they can't help us, then let the Indian army over the border. They are only kilometres away. What is more important - politics or lives? We can hear the call to prayer from their mosques floating across the line of control. Their buildings are standing - they can help us.'

Is the noose closing in ?*The grand jury for the CIA/Valerie Plame leak investigation by Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald is due to expire on October 28th. Patrick Fitzgerald is expected to announce his decision by that date whether or not to prosecute any of the people involved. For some of the players it must be an agonizing time. The special prosecutor and his office succeeded in preventing the investigation from turning into a circus. For that alone Mr. Fitzgerald and his staff are worthy of praise. What a difference when compared with Ken Starr who was in charge of the Clinton investigation ! His office leaked like a sieve and he revelled in appearing before TV cameras. The Washington Post is carrying an excellent summation of the background by Howard Kurtz.All The News That's Fit to Print ! The NY Times One of the journalists involved is Judith Miller of the NY Times. David Corn's column in The Nation includes the following:"So much for without fear or favor. This is an awful acknowledgment for the nation's leading paper. Taubman and Jill Abramson, a managing editor, called the situation "Excruciatingly difficult." It was worse. As I've written before, Jayson Blair bamboozled his editors; Judy Miller handcuffed hers. If a deal could have been reached a year earlier, the Times would not be as embarrassed as it is today. No wonder, as the paper reports, when Miller made a post-release speech in the newsroom, claiming a victory for press freedoms, her colleagues "responded with restrained applause." ...

Choice between the proverbial "A Rock and a Hard Place" *Charles Babington writes in the Washington Post that : "While the turmoil on the right offers Democrats a tantalizing opportunity, party strategists said, it also will confront them with a difficult choice: Confirm a conservative with close ties to President Bush, or oppose her and join ranks with hard-right activists who historically are their arch enemies." Yes, a difficult decision to make. Anywho nurses the thought that Ms Miers, Bush Groupie No.1, is going to disappoint him is out of touch with reality. No, if confirmed, Harriet Miers will enable the president to include her, along with Scalia and Thomas, as a "strict constructionist". We know what that means.

Earth's bounties during the cold weather*Rutabaga as gourmet fare in expensive restaurants in Washington DC ! The Washington Post article by Walter Nicholls has a link to interesting recipes. Don't know about gussified rutabaga but some of us who dabble in cooking have always recognized the merits of this and other root vegetables. Simply roasting root vegetables mixed with olive oil, a dash of Herbes de Provence or cumin powder will produce a hearty, healthy, flavorful dish. Enjoy it with a soup made from roasted Acorn squash or orange-flesh sweet potatoes (yams), accompanied by rustic bread and a light red (Rhone style) wine. A great supper on a chilly evening. If a vegetarian meal is not your thing, broil some sausages, slice them in 1" pieces and serve on a platter to accompany the vegetables.This is how I do it. About 1/2 lb. of each would be enough for four plus leftover.RutabagaParsnipCeleriac (Celery Root)Fennel bulbTurnipBeet rootDaikonYamRed OnionGarlicSalt and black pepperHerbes De Provence or Cumin powderPeel, cut into bite size pieces. Dice the onion, mince the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, Herbes De Provence, a dash of cumin powder, salt and coarse ground black pepper. Mix well. Bake in 375 deg. oven for 30/35 minutes (until soft, not mushy). If desired, drizzle extra virgin olive oil before serving.Herbes De Provence1 teaspoon thyme1 teaspoon summer savory1/2 teaspoon lavender1/4 teaspoon rosemary1/2 teaspoon oregano or basil1/4 teaspoon sageI exclude bay leaf. Comments Anonymous — 2005-10-17 Dear Mister Perfect, Say it ain't so -- you can't possibly be a vegan along with all your other talents, can you??? I'm scraping the floor with my bows. :) My breakfast: multigrain total, tofu powder, fresh peach, mixed nuts and ground flax. Yummmmmmers. Best regards, f musafir — 2005-10-19 No, a 'vegan' I'm not but on most days I have vegetarian meals because I like them and they suit my lifestyle. Your breakfast: exotic! I have oatmeal...every day.