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Many of these long-lived wonders have been restored to their original appearance with textbook accuracy. You can stop at just about any point along this winding road and find a house with historic past worthy of conversation. Unless, of course, you stop in front of my house. Now, if you're working on some kind of obscure doctoral thesis on classic 1960s Cape design, you might find a wealth of worthwhile information within my four walls. The use of knotty pine in just about any vertical application, say, or the evolution of speckles in vinyl tile flooring - 1965 through 1967. Otherwise, the 1,300-sq.-ft. structure that I call home is just another shingled Cape. It would fit comfortably in many aging suburban developments throughout the Northeast, but, instead, it's been plopped down in the middle of the country's longest continuous registered historic district.
Older Belligerent Men
If John McCain wins the nomination, he'll do so on the backs of older belligerent men. What is this new swing voter bloc? It's something I've teased out from exit polls and anecdotal observations. It helps explain why McCain has decent enough conservative appeal to keep racking up pluralities in places like South Carolina and Florida. First, the exit polls. McCain does best with older voters. He does better with men than women. He wins military veterans and those who believe the war in Iraq is the most important issue. None of this should be surprising. All of these qualities apply to McCain personally. But there is something more raw and instinctual at work here too. Older belligerent men are not afraid of confrontation, either personally or politically. I've heard more than one guy mention McCain's volcanic temper as a positive.
Restoring two jewels of the Barrens
They need some work and lack the fancy amenities of today's houses. But there's no denying the historic charm of the two mansions tucked away in the Pinelands - even though they need a few million dollars' worth of nips and tucks. Atsion, an 1826 Greek Revival mansion built by Philadelphia entrepreneur Samuel Richards, is getting a $1.2 million face-lift. And Batsto, a nearby 1784 mansion that was later remodeled and expanded by Philadelphia industrialist Joseph Wharton, is receiving a $2.9 million makeover. Both projects in the Wharton State Forest are expected to be completed this summer, when the houses will be reopened for public tours. "About 25 percent of the work is finished at Atsion and about 10 percent is done at Batsto," said Dana Loschiavo, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry of the Department of Environmental Protection, which is overseeing the project.
We all know game-day curses aren't real. But just in case...
Sports and superstitions go together like black cats and bad luck. Tonight, perfection is on the line, and the New England Patriots must defeat the New York Giants to become only the second undefeated team in NFL history. There’s no doubt that sports superstitions are a major part of the American psyche. According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released last year, one in five sports fans say they try to do things to bring good luck to their favorite team or avoid jinxing them. Since history could be in the making tonight, players and fans will likely be searching for any edge they can get to win. Sometimes, that means turning to superstitions. Covers Boding well for both teams is the fact neither a Patriot nor a Giant appears on the cover of this year’s Madden NFL.
More Letters to the Editor
Santorno's academic justification at last week's school board meeting was weak (the claims made are nothing a community school wouldn't do 10 fold) and her analogy to her own children was disappointing. I don't think of a junior cheerleader as the kind of mentoring a middle school male needs to stay focused. Yikes. If this is such a good idea, why isn't anyone doing it elsewhere? It looks like, smells like, and acts like costs saving masquerading as student benefit. Why wasn't a plan to give Sealth a Taj Mahal of their own created? Certainly the architectural lack of merit of their building must have at least whispered a tear down at which point cost would be contained by new building construction costs. This is in striking contrast to the complexities and astronomical costs of remodel associated with projects like Roosevelt, Garfield, and Hamilton which I guess from the era they were built gives them something warm and fuzzy to hang onto and go to the bank with.
Las Vegas' best off-Strip restaurants
Mike was a seven-year disciple of Emeril Lagasse, and opened Emeril's New Orleans Fish House at the MGM Grand. A look at each of the restaurants: Rosemary's While Table 34 and Todd's Unique are simple, unassuming neighborhood establishments, this restaurant offers a distinct air of sophistication - in decor, service and ambience. We felt like the only Strip refugees in the other two restaurants, but it was evident here (certainly by the luxury vehicles in the parking lot) that high-rolling foodies have discovered this 7-year-old restaurant. Some of the entree prices stray into the high $30s and the wine markups are a bit more conventional, but the payoff here is considerable. Jordan and wife Wendy have spent much of their careers cooking in the Deep South, and the preparation styles reflect that.
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