Given that it looks like we’re free and clear here in the Valley of the Sun as far as near-freezing nights go, so this weekend will be spent doing outside chores and getting everything ready for the landscapers winter pruning in the next couple of weeks.

Glad frequent commenter Jana survived the severe storms and tornadoes that passed close to Louisville on Tuesday and Thursday. I remember when we lived there the worst severe storm we got was during the January 3 outbreak of 2000. It was weird watching the TV and the meterologist telling you exactly the cross streets and neighborhoods where the tornado was passing through.

I agree with the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham: I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Sox make a big move and trade third baseman Kevin Youkilis before the start of spring training. The Sox need to clear some salary in order to beef up their starting rotation, and he’s the player with the most value. Watch the Tigers, now that they’ve lost Victor Martinez for the year with a torn ACL.

The big political question of the day: how does Mitt Romney regain his stride? I don’t understand why he’s had so much trouble with the whole Bain Capital and tax return issues. There’s nothing wrong with turning his opponents’ arguments around by defending his success in life as a result of his hard work, primarily in the private sector. This primary season should have been a slam dunk for him, but he’s made a total mess of things. There’s a flaw there, not sure what it is. Still plenty of time for him to turn it around, though…

I’ll be surprised if Newt Gingrich’s latest surge lasts.

But Ron Paul I can see staying right to the end and becoming a major player at GOP convention. He’s going to have beaucoups chips to play before this is all over.

Have to agree with Mark Levin on this one: if the mainstream dino-media is going to probe into every nook and cranny about every GOP candidate’s history, I want them to do the same to Barack Obama. But I won’t hold my breath…

Was never much of a fan of Southwest Airlines, this story will make me even less so. Here’s an idea to save money: why not just eliminate seats altogether and have people stand while strapped against poles?

R.I.P. Etta James. She had a hard life, but what a voice. “At Last” is one of my all-time fave tunes of the doo-wop era.

Another debate, another debate without any question about the biggest issue facing the United States of America today: the fact that we’re awash in debt to the tune of $15 trillion - that’s $15,033,607,255,920.32 as of two months ago. I myself don’t understand it, but evidently the mainstream dino-media elites think that money grows on trees, or that it’s not really a problem. Of course, when you spend all your waking moments inside the Beltway or in New York City, it’s easy to think the federal government can just go on and on and on printing money and the Federal Reserve and China buying up our debt as we kick the can further and further down the road to total economic collapse.

Certainly, Newt Gingrich’s prior marital problems trump anything like that when it comes to presidential politics!

But I digress.

While tonight’s debate was just as entertaining as Fox News’ Monday night affair, it continues to amaze how, nearly eight months after the first GOP debate (has it been that long?) the same questions are still being asked over and over: immigration, abortion, Obamacare. Not that these aren’t important in and of themselves, but this is all well-trampled ground by now. There were no questions about the federal deficit, no questions about the candidates’ plans to cut the size of the federal government, no questions about trade, no questions about energy independence (how Obama’s rejection of the Keystone pipeline wasn’t brought up as an issues astounds, but then again we are talking about the Clinton News Network).

Still, as good as all the candidates were - and I believe, by and large, they were all pretty good tonight - there were winners and losers.

1. Ron Paul - I can’t believe I’m wring this, but Paul won the debate by constantly focusing every one his responses, no matter what the question, to the fiscal mess were in and the misguided priorities and policies of this country. I liked his theme that the very cause of personal freedom is something that can bring people of various political and philosophical stripes together. Because of his continued focus on the gravity of our fiscal house, he’s a winner in my eyes.

2. Mitt Romney - Not as much of a winner, more of a draw, perhaps, but Romney I think did next best. Why he has such problems answering questions about his taxes is beyond me: you’d think he’s have a ready stock answer that was definitive and forceful by now. Still, he kept the focus of most of his answers on Barack Obama, so he’s more a winner than a loser.

3. Newt Gingrich - Unlike (I’m guessing) most conservatives, I didn’t think Newt was as good tonight as he was on Monday. While he was his usual glib self and had some good answers (especially regarding Obamacare and immigration), he looked and sounded old to me. Too many answers about what he did in the ’70s and ’80s, too much “inside baseball” political talk, and he never responded to Rick Santorum’s comments about why he was tossed out as Speaker only five years after being elected to that position. He might indeed win South Carolina, but he’s going to have a lot of trouble relating to young people and independent voters if he’s the nominee.

4. Rick Santorum - Newly crowned winner of the Iowa caucuses, again, too much talk about his positions and what he did when and where. Hard to tell what his actual positions are. Spent all his ammo on the other candidates (Mitt and Newt in particular) and very little on Barack Obama. Obviously bright and very intense, but it’s always about him and not about who he would be running against in a general election. I know he’s trying to appeal to the conservative base, but I think he’s running out of time and out of votes.

Final analysis: No one really harmed themselves tonight except Santorum. I expect Romney and Newt to virtually tie in South Carolina, with Paul a distant third and Santorum coming in last. Santorum will last until Florida, perhaps Nevada, and then there will be three.

I’ve broached this topic in the past, but no one listens to The Great White Shank. In that same vein, Liz Peek’s column in the Financial Times is worth (pardon the pun) more than “a peek”.

Forget the stupid “1% vs. 99%” sloganeering of the Occupy Wall Street clowns, the real divide in this country is between the public sector unions and the states, municipalities, and the taxpayers across the country who have to pay for outrages like this (hat tip: Free Republic). And if you think the PSUs are going to give up one inch of the ground they have gained without protest (both non-violent and violent) you’re dreaming. For, as Peek writes:

Progress like that is taking place elsewhere, but not always so civilly. Governor [Scott] Walker’s efforts to rein in unsustainable public employee costs in Wisconsin (and to reduce a sizeable budget deficit) became the rallying point for terrified union leaders who see their only growth opportunity – public employees – under attack. Though Walker proposed terms that were still more generous than the national averages, his attempts to limit collective-bargaining rights (like 24 other states) aroused labor’s fury. Union leaders struck back, rallying workers from across the country to their cause; they are now trying to force the governor from office.

Another battle pitching organized labor vs. the public interest is the effort to join our competitors in expanding trade deals with other countries. President Obama finally signed trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama which had languished in Congress for years, held up by unions. Even the labor-friendly Obama administration had targeted such pacts as essential to boosting exports and jobs.

These confrontations have left Big Labor bruised but unbowed, and eager to turn public anger elsewhere. They have nurtured and funded the Occupy Wall Street protests for just that reason, ginning up resentment against the “one percent” and especially against banks and bankers. Better to raise taxes on the wealthy than to cut government payrolls. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has over one million members and much to lose from widespread government reform efforts, has been especially eager to support the protests. Stephen Lerner, a highly regarded union organizer and former SEIU official, spoke to students at Pace University last March about his plan to “destabilize” the country through civil disobedience, strikes and large-scale protests. Acknowledging that labor was under pressure and needed to stay out of the spotlight, he insisted that students and community groups take the lead. Welcome to OWS.

Look, I have no problem paying police, firefighters, and state HHS organizations what they earn (not necessarily what they collectively bargained); at least here in Arizona the majority of them do a great job. But others (and most especially, the teachers unions and the bureaucrats) know how to game the system and have been doing it and looting the taxpayers for years.

As long as the states, municipalities, and, of course, the federal government have had the ability to raise taxes on virtually every kind of thing you can imagine, the PSUs have been innculated by the scams they are. But the problem with liberalism in any and all of its forms is that sooner or later you start running out of things to tax, and when that happens (or the economy starts to slow) the greed, graft, corruption, and cronyism necessary to keep the PSU boat afloat starts to take on water.

And greed is at the very core of the PSUs: they love to howl and protest about how police, firefighters and education (after all, children are our future, you know…) will all suffer if even $1 of spending is cut from anywhere, but the only thing they’re really concerned about are their already-grotesque fat-cat compensation packages. It’s all about more money and more benefits, to hell with the fiscal health of the states and municipalities that employ them. With the PSUs it’s all about THEM.

The good news is, as Peek mentions in her column, the tide is turning, primarily because there is no more money. The federal government is some $15 trillion in debt. States like New York, California, and Illinois are like the European Union, on the brink of fiscal disaster. And you can bet you’ll see more of this in 2012 as whole cities (Detroit is a sure thing) declare bankruptcy or make draconian (and I mean true draconian) cuts in services. Of course, you can bet that Democrats from the Atlantic to the Pacific will try and find new avenues of revenue - gas taxes, plastic shopping bags, sales tax increases, etc., but the facts are that the cupboards are almost bare, and facts, as they say, are stubborn things.

My prediction is you’re going to see a sometimes violent pushback from the PSUs this coming year. They’re desperate, they know their time in the sun is running out, and, tough words and threats aside, they’re scared. And they oughta be.

I think Dave E knows more about walleye than I do, but I needed a word with a “W” and he’s such a happy looking fish that I couldn’t resist.

Edmund Morris’ “Colonel Roosevelt” is just as good as his first two books in his TR trilogy. It’s a great read. I’ve bought them all separate, but the bundle would make a great gift for someone interested in reading about a President who, unlike the current media-created fraud occupying the Oval Office, truly was larger than life.

In the mail: Mark Levin’s “Ameritopia”. His “Liberty and Tyranny” ought to be required reading in every classroom civics class (if they even have them anymore); I have no doubt Levin’s latest will be just as good.

This is actually pretty funny but true. Wikipedia has almost everything you need to know at a moment’s notice. Still, over the years I’ve learned that you link to it only if you can’t find a better website elsewhere. It’s like anything else - let the so-called buyer beware. I would hardly call it the gospel on anything, but for a quick reference it’s invaluable.

Have you noticed that the days are already getting longer?

While I feel bad for Rob, his LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints all losing their big games over the past two weeks, even he would agree that this weekend promises some really great football to watch.

One of the reasons why I enjoy Instapundit so much is you get cool links like this.

More evidence that the “Occupy Wall Street” movement has had its fifteen minutes of fame. If all you can get on a national holiday in the nation’s capital is several hundred protesters, that ain’t sayin’ much. Of course, tossing a smoke bomb over the White House fence isn’t likely to garner you a whole lot of friendly attention, either, but these losers have been out of bounds for a long time now.

That was a pretty entertaining debate last night in Myrtle Beach. Now that the GOP field has been winnowed down to five, it gave more time to the candidates to answer questions and to - gulp! - actually debate each other without one losing track of the scorecard. I enjoyed this debate immensely, and I look forward to Thursday night’s CNN debate hoping that there will be more questions about the federal deficit and reigning in this country’s reckless spending. Here are my winners and losers from top to bottom:

1. Newt Gingrich - Newt was en fuego tonight, as he reverted back to the entertaining, substantive, and combative Newt of earlier debates. He wiped the floor with Juan Williams when the latter attempted to bait him into race and class warfare with his Obama “food stamps President” comment and his suggestion about teens learning good work habits by doing light janitorial work at schools. Newt turned Juan’s question around masterfully, accusing liberal elites like him of hating capitalism in its most basic form. For that, he got a standing ovation from the audience. He was good pretty much throughout, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the gap between him and Mitt Romney close significantly over the next few days.

2. Rick Perry - his best debate yet by far, but it’s too little too late for him and his campaign. If the Perry that showed up last night had been there from the start he’d already have the nomination locked down. His answers were direct, to the point, easy to understand, and spot-on conservative red meat. For Perry, it’s a case of what might have been. Too bad.

3. Rick Santorum - had a decent-enough performance, but he was dwarfed by both Gingrich’s and Perry’s performances. He obviously knows his stuff, but he spends too much time qualifying or defending why he believes in or stands for something instead of just letting it rip. Because he’s going after the same voters as Gingrich and Perry, I don’t think his performance will give him any boost in the polls.

4. Mitt Romney - to me it seemed like he was a little off center all night. He did a poor job answering the initial questions on Bain Capital, had a poor answer on the Super PAC question, completely blew the question on releasing his tax returns, and was all over the place just about everywhere else. Tonight was the first time I saw him a little unprepared: not a good feeling for conservatives who dread the idea of Romney getting the nomination. He had a real chance to nail down the nomination with a boffo performance last night; instead, this was his worst debate yet and he’s opened the door for a Gingrich revival.

5. Ron Paul - tonight Paul reverted back to the “crazy uncle” act that we’ve seen in just about every other debate. Newt was right to slam him for comparing peaceful, democracy-loving Chinese dissidents here in the US with Osama bin Laden, and Paul seemed to get tied up in knots defending that. When he dragged out Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex” line, it was turn out the lights, Gracie. The guy is batsh*t nuts.

The big unseen winner tonight was the audience who tuned in to see a debate without Jon Huntsman in it: having him drop out of the race earlier today was the campaign equivalent of when the most drunk and obnoxious person at the party finally leaves: everyone lets out a deep breath and begins to relax and have some fun.

160.

I’m ready to head into the second phase - weeks three and four - of my “Six Weeks Cure For The Middle-Aged Middle” diet and I’m pleased to report I’ve already achieved my goal of losing ten pounds to start off the New Year. As by design, weeks one and two were like a boot camp for my body (my liver especially), and I can see the weight loss, strangely enough, in my face and neck more than anywhere else. I wish I had taken a measurement of my midsection before starting the diet, but I figured my clothes would tell me if I’ve lost circumference there more than anything, and it feels like I’ve lost an inch or two - enough to make a couple of my previous snug-fitting clothes fit a whole lot better.

So all is good in diet-land. Now onto the next two weeks of the Eades’ plan: the so-called “meat weeks”.

For the first two weeks it was three “Power Up!” protein whey powder shakes a day plus one low-carb regular meal. No alcohol. No caffeine. Some dairy. For weeks three and four, I can go back to my two cups of half-regular / half-decaf coffee a day (boy, does that taste good!), and am even allowed two glasses of wine or two 12 oz. beers every week for the next four weeks of the diet (yeah!). But the emphasis will be on meat meals - three 3-4 oz. portions of meat per day, absolutely no carbs at all, and no dairy, grains, beans, or sugar-heavy fruits and vegetables for the next two weeks. The only things left over from the first two weeks are the exercises eight times a day and the vitamin supplements, including a leucine supplement to replace the awful-tasting powder I added to my shakes twice a day.

I’m guessing that, because I wasn’t starting from a point that required a lot of weight loss to begin with, my weight will probably stabilize from here on out, but the diet ensures that there will still be a lot of inner-body recomposition going on as midsection fat is turned into muscle - at least that’s what the Eades say is supposed to happen. Just being off the shakes and making it through the first phase is a great accomplishment, and I feel good about having the self-discipline the first two weeks required. I’m learning to eat better, moderate my lifestyle choices, and make better decisions regarding what goes into my mouth. It’s been a great learning experience - who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? - and I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks bring.

Stay tuned…

Took a picture of this cool plant, not sure what the name is, and whether it falls into the palm, cactus, or succulent family. Two years ago I got it as a hunk of dirt with a little green sprout at the top in a supermarket plastic bag from one of Tracey’s co-workers; he just ripped it off a huge plant in their backyard and told me to plant it. Which I did, starting it off with plenty of water, and then I just left it alone. It didn’t do much for a while, but then the green leaves starting getting bigger and bigger.

One day, I’m walking in from a jaunt to the mailbox and I see this big sprout popping out of the top of it. It started small but then got taller and taller. Then the shoot started getting small ivory-colored, bell-shaped white flowers coming off it. Getting a little closer to look, I realized we didn’t have just one plant anymore, but two plants - you can see the two individual plants from their trunks.

I know these things get huge, because Tracey’s co-worker’s plant filled a whole corner of their backyard. My hope is the flower shoot isn’t any more than an indication that it likes where it is and is willing to takes its sweet time in getting any bigger than it already is.

This is something that bears watching. The dominoes are starting to fall…

Along those same lines, if the GOP-controlled House allows Barack Obama to add another 1.2 trillion to the defecit this year, Speaker John Boehner ought to be pilloried and then primaried. We need some people with testicles courage in the houses of Congress. What’s going down in Europe is exactly what happens when nations live beyond their means.

I know Chris Isaak’s “Baja Sessions” CD is a an old release of his, but it’s a keeper. Definitely commenter Jana’s kind of music.

We need more politicians like FL Rep. Col. Allen West who are willing to cut through the bullsh*t and tell people how it really is.

Same with this courageous Girl Scout. Me, I’m sick of all this transgender rights crap. I long predicted this was going to happen, because social progressives are never satisfied happy without a new cause to take up. First it was gay rights, now transgender rights. Mark my words, legalizing polygamy is next, then beastiality after that. If this country doesn’t wake up to the cultural termites eating away at this country’s historical foundations we’re just Rome waiting for the barbarians.

This is very cool. Reminder from a time when men were men. No room for a transgender restroom in there, I’ll bet…

Look, I’m as critical of President Obama as anyone, but I’m not going to quibble where dude spends his vacations. If you can’t get at least some perks from being President, what’s the point? Harry Truman had his southern White House in Key West, remember. Of course, once Michelle and the kids get in on it, traveling separately on the taxpayers’ dime, THAT’s when I have a problem.

Like just about everyone in America, I’m looking forward to tonight’s Pats-Broncos matchup. It ought to be a great game. My prediction: Pats win 38-30 in a wild and crazy back-and-forth tussle.

Not by The Beach Boys, but these songs are BB-esque in terms of feel and style to various degrees. All are excellent tributes to the classic Brian Wilson style and a testament to their unique blend of voices.

Chicago, “Wishin’ You Were Here” - Recorded in 1974, this song features solid backgrounds throughout by BBs Alan Jardine (who helped with the arrangement), Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson.

Elton John, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” - Also from 1974, this song (my favorite EJ tune, BTW) features Carl Wilson very prominently on background (his voice is hard to miss) as well as former BB (at that time) Bruce Johnston. A great track.

David Lee Roth, “California Girls” - my all-time favorite MTV music video, featuring a cast of characters that wouldn’t look that much out of place at a Goodboys Invitational weekend (without the Viking hats, of course). Another song that features Carl prominently. He had a gorgeous voice.

Johnny Rivers, “Help Me Rhonda” - From 1975. The otherwise-reclusive at that time Brian Wilson, and former BB at that time Bruce Johnston are on background vocals.

First Class, “Beach Baby” - From 1974. No BBs at all on this one, but a fine tribute to Brian and the Boys. This song brings back many memories of me, my brother Mark, and his friend Doug Luciano driving up to Hampton Beach.

Henry Gross, “Shannon” - From 1976, this song was written about the passing of Carl Wilson’s dog (really!). No BBs on this, but Gross was a huge fan of Brian’s falsetto during their heyday and it shows in both the background vocals and arrangement.

Lobo, “I’d Love You To Want Me” - not that close BB-style wise, but I always liked the Brian-esque falsetto in the chrous. Dig his hair and the clothes in the video - hard to believe we used to dress like that. A wicked cool ’70s tune that reminds me of high school.

Lorrie Morgan, “Don’t Worry, Baby”, from The Beach Boys’ “Stars and Stripes” CD, in which they back a bunch of country and western artists singing their hits. Morgan has a great voice, and the Boys do a great job on the backgrounds.

Kathy Trocolli, “I Can Hear Music”. From the same collection above.

…and my personal favorite:

B.J. Thomas, “Rock And Roll Lullaby”. I remember hearing this song back in 1972 and the DJ saying the BBs sang background. Not true. Nevertheless, that’s a very BB-like sounding chorus with an arrangement right out of the Brian Wilson playbook.

Welcome to my kitchen during my “6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle” diet program. All daytime activity in the kitchen is focused squarely on the arrangement you see in the picture. Let’s take them from left to right:

* The Eades’ book that provides all the “how tos” and “whys”, as well as guiding all activities during the program, including meal guidelines and recipes for all meals during the program.

* The three big canisters in the rear are the three whey protein powder products that go into the three “Power Up!” shakes you drink every day for the first two weeks of the program. There’s vanilla, banana and chocolate, all of which are OK, as long as you drink them fast and cold. These shakes contain two spoonfuls of powder mixed with 1 cup ice, 2 tablespoons coconut milk, 3/4 cup cold water (for my chocolate noontime shake I use decaf coffee), and, for the vanilla morning and banana afternoon shakes 3.5 grams of strawberry-flavored amino acid supplement for the 5-7 grams of leucine the Eades Diet requires these first two weeks.

* The Elite canister contains the amino acid supplement. Damned good thing it’s mixed with the vanilla and the banana, because, even through strawberry flavored it’s gross. Hey, no one said fad diets were all pretty!

* Next are the vitamin supplements - a daily multi-vitamin plus magnesium and potassium supplements. I take all those with my noontime Power Up! shake.

* My trusty blender, which is the hardest-working appliance in the house right now.

(Not shown, but of equal importance: the container of Thai coconut milk, the measuring cup for the water, ice, and decaf coffee for the various shakes, and the exercises I’m doing eight times a day to tighten my midsection.)

Right now I’m nine days into the first two weeks of the program, and I have to say I’m pretty impressed. While I think (at least I feel, I may be wrong) that my initial 8-lb weight loss has slowed, perhaps plateaued, I am already starting to see improvements in my midsection, I haven’t had to take a single Prilosec for acid reflux since the diet started (a pleasure, since I’ve been relying on them for the past year), and I definitely feel like I have more energy.

I have four days (counting today) left on the first phase of the diet, then next week enter into what the Eades call the “meat weeks” (weeks 3 and 4). Gone will be the shakes (thank God!), and I’ll be allowed to return to my two cups of half regular / half decaf coffee in the mornings, plus - get this - I’m allowed 4 oz. of wine or a 12 oz. beer twice a week for those two weeks! I’ll be allowed to eat almost as much beef, chicken, fish, and poultry as I want, but what few carbs were on the menu for these first two weeks are completely eliminated. Supposedly there won’t be as much weight loss during this period going on as a continued recomposition of the muscle and fat around the midsection as the body adjusts and the exercise regimen continues.

On the Eades diet there are no concerns about saturated fat or red meat - this is all super protein stuff. What is absolutely verboten is anything containing high-fructose corn syrup (a real killer that’s found in more products than you can imagine), polyunsaturated vegetable oils, fruits and vegetables with high sugar content, and, of course, anything with lots of carbs.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I weigh myself next Monday AM, stay tuned.