Pags for Senate!

(Be sure to watch this all the way until the end -- I thought they were asking about ice cream, too!).

60th Vote

What a precocious toddler in the last shot (nephew #3).

Paging Mr. Blackwell

Working on a campaign in which election day is less than a month out, means that your day begins at 6am and lasts until 11pm.

Thus:

1.) You become Wurreyface-esque with your infrequent blogging.

2.) No time for laundry.

Thankfully, the good people at the 24-hour CVS on Centre Street in JP (across from Costello's, not the one across from the Alchemist) sell tee-shirts and socks. I have stopped there just about every three days for the last couple of weeks.

As such, my wardrobe is now furnished by: Hanes, "Dress Circle," and Botany 500.

There goes my shot at landing on Boston.com's Most Stylish Bostonians.

Speaking of the campaign, look who's in second place in this 7News/Suffolk Poll! (And, to the Field Director's delight, look who's crushing with the question: Which candidate has waged the best campaign?).

Also, check out our new ad with a special appearance by my Uncle Skip, cousin Jess and Harv, and a brief cameo by the nephews.

Happy 40th

Sesame Street!

Unlike Camden the Grouch, I, along with Google apparently, celebrate your milestone.

Here's Oscar singing the song that I hum every Tuesday morning as I'm pulling out the barrels. It's been stuck in my craw (on trash day) for the last couple of decades.



Slainte!

Boston Votes: 2009 Council At-Large

Overview

Tuesday's election gave the Boston City Council two fresh faces alongside two incumbents. With the departure of Councilors Flaherty & Yoon, who gave up their seats for unsuccessful runs for the mayoralty (and deputy mayoralty?), a talented and diverse field emerged after the September preliminary election. In that race, incumbent Councilor John Connolly topped the ticket, followed by his colleague Steve Murphy. First-time candidates Felix Arroyo and Ayanna Pressley would round out the September top four. These results would remain the same after Tuesday's balloting. The only difference would stem from those candidates who found themselves in positions four through eight.

Murph misses ticket-topping bragging rights by just over 300 votes.

All victorious candidates were able to grow their numbers in the final election dramatically. Freshman Connolly was able to defend his spot as the ticket-topper by receiving 51,308 votes. However, veteran Murphy, who came in second place (5,000 votes behind) in the preliminary election, narrowed the gap considerably. On Tuesday, Murph finished a solid second with 50,962 votes. Arroyo, who will become the second Latino on the council (the first being his namesake) again place third with 45,099 votes. Pressley, the first woman of color to serve on the council (and doubler of the council's overall female population), rounded out the victory circle with a fourth place win from 41,847 votes.

Finishing fifth with 30,173 votes was Tito Jackson (quick story: Tito, an old friend, asked me to record a robo-call on his behalf. I happily obliged and recorded it last week. The day before the election, my cell phone rang. "Hi, Matt O'Malley." I answered. The voice on the other end replied: "Hi, this is Matt O'Malley..." It was spooky).

Andy Kenneally fell from a fifth place preliminary to a sixth place finish in Tuesdays election with 24,215 votes. Tomas Gonzalez moved up a bit from an eighth place preliminary to a seventh place finish on Tuesday with 18,297 votes. And Doug Bennett rounded out the field in eighth place (after coming in a surprising seventh in the preliminary election) with 16,817 votes.

Best and Worst

John Connolly won five wards outright (1, 2, 3, 5 ,and 20). He placed second in eight wards (6, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, and 22) and showed third in two wards (4 & 18). He did not come in fourth in any ward, however he did place sixth (his worst showing) in Ward 12.

Steve Murphy won seven wards outright (6, 7, 13, 16, 18, 21, and 22). He placed in five wards (1, 2, 3, 5, and 20). He did not show in any ward and came in fourth in seven wards (4, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, and 19). His worst showing was in Ward 11, where he placed 6th.

Felix Arroyo won five wards outright (8, 9, 10, 11, and 19). He placed in three wards (4, 15, and 18) and showed in seven wards (3, 12, 13, 14, 17, 21, and 22). He came in fourth place in four wards (1, 2, 5, and 20). His worst showing was his fifth place finishes in wards 6, 7, and 16.

Ayanna Pressley won two wards outright (4 and 17). She placed in three wards (11, 12, and 14) and showed in seven wards (5, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 19). She came in fourth place in five wards (3, 13, 18, 21, and 22). Her worst showing was her sixth place finishes in Wards 1, 2, 6, and 7.

Tito Jackson won three wards outright (12, 14, and 15). He placed in three wards (8, 9, and 17) and showed in one ward (11). He came in fourth place in one ward, as well (10). His worst showing was his eighth place finish in Ward 1.

Andy Kenneally did not come in first or second in any ward. His best showing was his third place finishes in five wards (1, 2, 6, 7, and 20). He came in fourth in one ward (16). His worst showing was his eighth place finishes in four wards (4, 9, 12, and 14).

Tomas Gonzalez did not come in first, second, or third in any ward. He came in fourth place in one ward (11). His worst showing was his eighth place finishes in nine wards (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 16, 20, 21, and 22).

Doug Bennett did not come in first, second, or third in any ward. He came in fourth place in two wards (6 and 7). His worst showing was his eighth place finishes in eight wards (8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, and 19).

Curiouser and Curiouser

Interestingly, no ward produced an order of finish that mirrored the citywide average.

A quick note from an also-ran

Great job to the bottom four finishers. You all added class and character to the race and we Bostonians are better off for your running. You all did yourselves, you families, and this city proud by standing for election. You should all do it again sometime! (Particularly you, Tito Jackson, whose strong numbers in communities of color show that you would absolutely be a powerful contender for the District 7 seat currently held by embattled Councilor Chuck Turner).

Ward-by Ward Analysis

Ward 1 (East Boston)
*Home ward of Andrew Kenneally
Connolly, 2290 votes
Murphy, 2249
Kenneally, 2117
Arroyo, 1427
Bennett, 918
Pressley, 729
Gonzalez, 697
Jackson, 519

Ward 2 (Charlestown)
Connolly, 2557 votes
Murphy, 2138
Kenneally, 1177
Arroyo, 1148
Bennett, 1080
Pressley, 951
Jackson, 503
Gonzalez, 348

Ward 3 (North End/Chinatown/Downtown)
*Home ward of Doug Bennett
Connolly, 2903 votes
Murphy, 2597
Arroyo, 2158
Pressley, 2008
Bennett, 1389
Kenneally, 1115
Jackson, 1069
Gonzalez, 829

Ward 4 (Fenway)
Pressley, 1767 votes
Arroyo, 1734
Connolly, 1609
Murphy, 1531
Jackson, 1126
Gonzalez, 515
Bennett, 503
Kenneally, 423

Ward 5 (Back Bay/Beacon Hill)
Connolly, 2808 votes
Murphy, 2590
Pressley, 2322
Arroyo, 2135
Jackson, 1190
Bennett, 1004
Kenneally, 717
Gonzalez, 615

Ward 6 (South Boston)
Murphy, 3134 votes
Connolly, 2972
Kenneally, 2157
Bennett, 1577
Arroyo, 1017
Pressley, 920
Jackson, 437
Gonzalez, 416

Ward 7 (South Boston)
Murphy, 2831 votes
Connolly 2443
Kenneally, 1722
Bennett, 1190
Arroyo, 1141
Pressley, 936
Jackson, 603
Gonzalez, 528

Ward 8 (Roxbury/South Bay)
Arroyo, 827 votes
Jackson, 730
Pressley, 671
Murphy, 556
Connolly, 522
Gonzalez, 326
Kenneally, 166
Bennett, 153

Ward 9 (Roxbury/South End)
Arroyo, 1297 votes
Jackson, 1136
Pressley, 1106
Murphy, 774
Connolly, 695
Gonzalez, 662
Bennett, 240
Kenneally, 178

Ward 10 (Mission Hill/Jamaica Plain)
Arroyo, 1838 votes
Connolly, 1244
Pressley, 1201
Jackson, 1113
Murphy, 1074
Gonzalez, 858
Kenneally, 381
Bennett, 256

Ward 11 (Jamaica Plain/Roxbury)
Arroyo, 2590 votes
Pressley, 1981
Jackson, 1866
Gonzalez, 1285
Connolly, 1266
Murphy, 1094
Kenneally, 327
Bennett, 210

Ward 12 (Roxbury)
*Home ward of Tito Jackson
Jackson, 2077 votes
Pressley, 1887
Arroyo, 1659
Murphy, 750
Gonzalez, 578
Connolly, 499
Bennett, 134
Kenneally, 115

Ward 13 (Dorchester: Savin Hill/Harbor Point/St. William’s)
Murphy, 1657 votes
Connolly, 1525
Arroyo, 1418
Pressley, 1410
Jackson, 1031
Kenneally, 608
Gonzalez, 592
Bennett, 528

Ward 14 (Dorchester: Blue Hill Ave/Columbia Road)
Jackson, 2364 votes
Pressley, 2223
Arroyo, 1971
Murphy, 1220
Connolly, 816
Gonzalez, 735
Bennett, 209
Kenneally, 181

Ward 15 (Dorchester: St. Peter’s/Ronan Park)
Jackson, 1073 votes
Arroyo, 946
Pressley, 918
Murphy, 808
Connolly, 610
Gonzalez, 390
Kenneally, 248
Bennett, 215

Ward 16 (Dorchester: St. Brendan’s/St. Ann’s/St. Mark’s)
*Home ward of Ayanna Pressley
Murphy, 3685 votes
Connolly, 3505
Pressley, 2364
Kenneally, 2019
Arroyo, 1769
Bennett, 1229
Jackson, 1079
Gonzalez, 722

Ward 17 (Dorchester: Codman Square/Lower Mills/St. Greg’s)
Pressley, 2674 votes
Jackson, 2236
Arroyo, 2201
Murphy, 1811
Connolly, 1638
Gonzalez, 887
Kenneally, 475
Bennett, 355

Ward 18 (Hyde Park/Mattapan/Readville)
*Home ward of Steve Murphy & Tomas Gonzalez
Murphy, 6319 votes
Arroyo, 5715
Connolly, 5415
Pressley, 5197
Jackson, 3948
Gonzalez, 3199
Kenneally, 2075
Bennett, 1334

Ward 19 (Jamaica Plain/Roslindale)
*Home ward of Felix Arroyo
Arroyo, 4183 votes
Connolly, 3251
Pressley, 3165
Murphy, 2449
Jackson, 1988
Gonzalez, 1633
Kenneally, 1032
Bennett, 599

Ward 20 (West Roxbury/Roslindale)
*Home ward of John Connolly
Connolly, 8076 votes
Murphy, 6870
Kenneally, 5234
Arroyo, 4108
Pressley, 3856
Jackson, 2599
Bennett, 2514
Gonzalez, 1538

Ward 21 (Allston)
Murphy, 2241 votes
Connolly, 2192
Arroyo, 2132
Pressley, 1997
Jackson, 708
Kenneally, 627
Bennett, 515
Gonzalez, 504

Ward 22 (Brighton)
Murphy, 2584 votes
Connolly, 2472
Arroyo, 1685
Pressley, 1544
Kenneally, 1121
Jackson, 778
Bennett, 665
Gonzalez, 440

Boston Votes: 2009 Municipal Election

As is quickly becoming tradition, below, please find my analysis and overview of yesterday's mayoral election. I was heartened by the number of people I saw at the polls yesterday who told me how much they enjoy my channeling my number-crunching inner-geek.

Overview
In a climate where incumbents were losing or facing much closer-than expected results, four-term incumbent Mayor Thomas M. Menino again proved that he is the exception to the rule. While Councilor-at-large Michael Flaherty put up a valiant fight, Menino again romped.

Winning 57% to Flaherty's 42%, Menino won a broad victory across the city. Communities of color in particular, provided Menino with a firewall of support that made his defeat impossible.

Floon Effect?

Flaherty and his troops should be commended for waging a serious campaign, and their inclusion of vanquished preliminary opponent Sam Yoon as a "running mate" was an inspired move. Indeed, Team Floon helped narrow the gap in many progressive wards where Flaherty barely registered in September. Some of this made up lost ground can be explained by the increase in voter turnout (which hit over 31% by day's end), but certainly the unorthodox pairing of these two colleagues gave Flaherty some extra-oomph leading into yesterday's vote.

It worked in some progressive wards (Flaherty narrowly won affluent Ward 5, after coming in 3rd in the prelim), but seemed to have a negligible effect in communities of color. In predominantly African-American wards 8, 9, and 14, Menino's numbers were solid -- and Flaherty didn't stand a chance.

Highlights (or lowlights, depending on your candidate preference)

After winning just 3 wards in the preliminary election (South Boston and Charlestown), Flaherty won 5 yesterday (Charlestown, Back Bay/Beacon Hill, his native South Boston, and part of Dorchester). Menino carried the remaining 17 wards. This is impressive for Flaherty, as Menino won all 22 wards in his 2001 and 2005 reelection fights.

More interestingly, Flaherty claimed a total of 72 precinct wins scattered across the city. He won 7 precincts in Ward 2 (Charlestown), 2 in Ward 3 (Downtown), 2 in Ward 4 (the Fenway), 9 in Ward 5 (Back Bay/Beacon Hill), sixteen in Wards 6 & 7 (South Boston), 2 in Ward 10 (Mission Hill), twelve in Wards 11 & 19 (Jamaica Plain), 7 in Wards 13 & 16 (parts of Dorchester), and fifteen in Wards 21 & 22 (Allston/Brighton).

Menino won 179 precincts across the city. He could claim shut-outs (winning every precinct) in Wards 1 (East Boston), 8 (Roxbury/South Bay), 9 (Roxbury/South End), 12 (Roxbury), 14, 15, 17 (various parts of Dorchester), 18 (Mattapan/Hyde Park), and 20 (Roslindale/West Roxbury). The only Ward where Menino lost every precinct was Ward 6 (South Boston).

Best and Worst (Redux)

Excluding the unnecessary polling location Ward 1, Precinct 15 (Harbor Islands), where one person cast one ballot for Menino (and thus gave him 100% of the vote), the Mayor's best showing percentage-wise was Ward 14, Precinct 9 (Dorchester), where he defeated Flaherty by a margin of 82.35% - 17.65% (196 - 42 votes). Flaherty's best showing percentage-wise was Ward 6, Precinct 8 (South Boston), where he defeated Menino by a margin of 75.78% - 23.76% (488 - 153 votes).

In terms of raw numbers, Menino earned the most votes in Ward 18, Precinct 20 (Readville), where he received a whopping 714 votes to Flaherty's 233. Flaherty captured the most raw votes in Ward 7, Precinct 3 (South Boston), where he out-polled the Mayor 597-273.
[The worst raw vote totals for both candidates (excluding the Harbor Islands) comes from Ward 21, Precinct 2 (BU) where Flaherty defeated Menino with a vote of 17 - 9.]

Boston Battlegrounds

Menino and Flaherty tied in three precincts in the city. In Ward 1, Precinct 7 (East Boston), both men received 129 votes; in Ward 16, Precinct 2 (Dorchester), they both received 141 votes; and in Ward 22, Precinct 1 (Brighton), they both received 222 votes.

There were three wards that were separated by less than 100 votes. The closest, Ward 16(Dorchester) saw Flaherty defeat Menino by 45 votes (3157-3112). Menino took Ward 22 (Brighton) by 58 votes (2306-2248). Flaherty won Ward 5 (Back Bay/Beacon Hill) by 72 votes.

Ward-by-ward breakdown (with preliminary results from 9/23/09)

Ward 1 (East Boston)
Menino 2984 votes (In the preliminary, Mayor Menino received: 2145 votes)
Flaherty 1927 (In the preliminary, Councilor Flaherty received: 924 votes)

Ward 2 (Charlestown)
Flaherty 2243 votes (preliminary: 1172 votes)
Menino 1800 (preliminary: 1088)

Ward 3 (North End/Chinatown/Downtown)
Menino 3195 votes (preliminary: 2006 votes)
Flaherty 2600 (preliminary: 868)

Ward 4 (Fenway)
Menino 1824 votes (preliminary: 1030 votes)
Flaherty 1554 (preliminary: 340)

Ward 5 (Back Bay/Beacon Hill)
Flaherty 2544 votes (preliminary: 613)
Menino 2472 (preliminary: 1215)

Ward 6 (South Boston)
*Home ward of Michael Flaherty
Flaherty 3663 votes (preliminary: 2495 votes)
Menino 1452 (preliminary: 888)

Ward 7 (South Boston)
Flaherty 2988 votes (preliminary: 2005 votes)
Menino 1796 (preliminary: 1203)

Ward 8 (Roxbury/South Bay)
Menino 1224 votes (preliminary: 740 votes)
Flaherty 580 (preliminary: 137)

Ward 9 (Roxbury/South End)
Menino 1637 votes (preliminary: 1049 votes)
Flaherty 905 (preliminary: 185)

Ward 10 (Mission Hill/Jamaica Plain)
Menino 1818 votes (preliminary: 1153 votes)
Flaherty 1212 (preliminary: 336)

Ward 11 (Jamaica Plain/Roxbury)
Menino 2198 votes (preliminary: 1367 votes)
Flaherty 1784 (preliminary: 332)

Ward 12 (Roxbury)
Menino 2278 votes (preliminary: 1633 votes)
Flaherty 953 (preliminary: 210)

Ward 13 (Dorchester: Savin Hill/Harbor Point/St. William’s)
Menino 2066 votes (preliminary: 1446 votes)
Flaherty 1508 (preliminary: 624)

Ward 14 (Dorchester: Blue Hill Ave/Columbia Road)
Menino 3342 votes (preliminary: 2369 votes)
Flaherty 736 (preliminary: 264)

Ward 15 (Dorchester: St. Peter’s/Ronan Park)
Menino 1659 votes (preliminary: 1160 votes)
Flaherty 736 (preliminary: 221)

Ward 16 (Dorchester: St. Brendan’s/St. Ann’s/St. Mark’s)
Flaherty 3157 votes (preliminary: 1858 votes)
Menino 3112 (preliminary: 2128)

Ward 17 (Dorchester: Codman Square/Lower Mills/St. Greg’s)
Menino 3333 votes (preliminary: 2251 votes)
Flaherty 1638 (preliminary: 542)

Ward 18 (Hyde Park/Mattapan/Readville)
*Home ward of Mayor Menino
Menino 9637 votes (preliminary: 6616 votes)
Flaherty 3558 (preliminary: 1492)

Ward 19 (Jamaica Plain/Roslindale)
Menino 3337 votes (preliminary: 1895 votes)
Flaherty 3125 (preliminary: 844)

Ward 20 (West Roxbury/Roslindale)
Menino 7418 votes (preliminary: 4578 votes)
Flaherty 5240 (preliminary: 2639)

Ward 21 (Allston)
Menino 2234 votes (preliminary: 1474 votes)
Flaherty 1614 (preliminary: 419)

Ward 22 (Brighton)
Menino 2306 votes (preliminary: 1557 votes)
Flaherty 2248 (preliminary: 939)

Attention all NKOTB Fans:

Donnie Wahlberg: Vote PAGS!

Boston Votes: 2009 City Council Election

On Wednesday night, I'll be moderating a city council forum at a Dorchester Fall Social & Candidate's Night.

Here's their press release:

The strongest neighborhoods consist of well-informed citizens who unite to know not only the issues, but their neighbors as well.

To that end, four of Greater Neponset's civic associations have joined forces to present a Candidates Night / Fall Social.

You are cordially invited to come listen to the At-Large candidates for the Boston City Council while renewing old acquaintances or making new ones. Politicking & Socializing….what a great way to spend an Autumn evening !!

This event will be a catered affair with food & drinks for all.

Jointly Sponsored by:
Pope’s Hill Neighborhood Association
Cedar Grove Civic Association
Clam Point Civic Association
St. Mark’s Area Civic Association

Date:	Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	Richard J. Murphy School
Street:	7 Worrell Street
City/Town:	Dorchester, MA

The organizers have provided me with a list of questions. They all deal with serious and important concerns facing Bostonians. These are the main queries -- all of which were written by the Dot consortium (and not me) -- that will make up the crux of the evening.

However, I'd also like to include a couple of entertaining questions throughout the course of the night. I want to give the candidates an opportunity to tackle the tough issues like: What is your favorite Boston sports moment? Or Where's the best pizza in the city?

I'm looking to you for some more suggestions. Please have at it in the comment section or e-mail me (heymattomalley@aol.com) if you'd prefer.

To Whomever broke into my car last night:

And stole my GPS System. It was a birthday gift from the Sheriff.

She sent out a posse and is going to track you down.

What a crummy way to start the week.

Attention Residents of the South Coast:

Be careful out there.

Alligator Roaming Near Mass Highway.

In a related story, Wally Gator never got the credit that he so richly deserved. I counted that show among my favorites as a kid (Behind Popeye, above Wacky Races).

In another related story, I wonder if there are any wiseacre bloggers in Florida blogging about some random squirrel sighting in Pensacola. They don't have squirrels in the sunshine state, right?

Recommended reading.

There are two great stories on the cover of the Metro-Region section in today's Globe.

Here's one on Uphams Corner -- a dynamic little neighborhood in Dot that is finally getting it's due.

And here's a fascinating story on the Monopoly King (no, not Mr. Moneybags).

Who knew Monopoly now had three dice?!

Some walk by night.

Time has not been kind to these two!

The theme to Moonlighting has been stuck in my head all day. That show hasn't been on the air in over 20 years. How do I even know the words?

Welcome to the party, Timmy Martin.

Am I the only person on the planet who completely missed this story?

People were talking about it last night and I was utterly clueless.

Ah, campaign life...

Happy World Animal Day!

Boston.com has some great pictures.

As a member of the venerable Order of the Hippo, I particularly liked this one:

CHOMP!

Photo credit: Boston.com

Must See TV

No time for a blogging update.

Instead, I'll just take this opportunity to remind you that 30 Rock begins it's new season tonight at 9:30pm/8:30pm central on NBC. (I don't know why I just wrote the central time zone listing).

Here is a brief collection of my favorite Jack Donaghy quotes. Add yours in the comment section:

Jack: She needs to lose thirty pounds or gain sixty. Anything in between has no place on television.
***

Liz: His name's Floyd.
Jack: That's unfortunate.
***

Jack: Lemon, I need your help.

Liz: Really, Jack Donaghy needs my...
Jack: Don't gloat, it makes you seem man-ish.

Be true to your teeth

Among my varied interests are good dental health and tooth care. (See, Ladies, I really am quite the catch!) As a firm believer in the age-old maxim, Be true to your teeth or they'll be false to you; I am always on the lookout for a good toothpaste.

My dentist, the great Dr. Spags, recommended Sensodyne. I resisted it at first because it reminded me of Pepsodent, which I never much cared for. Plus, it seemed like old people toothpaste. Allegedly.

Anyway, Sensodyne's new space-age (shaving cream-esque) packaging caught my eye at CVS yesterday, so I picked up a tube (bottle?). Here's a shot I snapped mid-brush:

Pretty nifty, eh?

I gave Sensodyne a whirl last night (and this morning), and can't say enough good things about it. Pleasant taste and deep-cleaning action.

Of course, I'm always looking for other suggestions. What's your toothpaste of choice?

Rooty tooty fresh and fruity

Remember when that crazy Texan from the Simpsons sued Oprah a couple of years ago for her disparaging remarks about meat? [If not, click here for a refresher]

Well, it was a fool's errand. We all know that in the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.

We also know that Oprah supersedes all rules of law (and gravity and thumb and...), so the Texas cattle ranchers never stood a chance. Despite a media spectacle, Oprah prevailed in the court case and Gayle only had to break a couple of juror's legs. Allegedly.

The reason that I'm dredging up a ten year old obscure news story is this: the other day, I wrote a seemingly innocuous blog about the delicious looking french toast football being served at IHOP.

This set off a comment from Josh:

josh said...
Next time you think about going to IHOP you may want to keep in mind that IHOP has been exposed for animal cruelty and food safety issues. Check out the undercover video of IHOP's egg supplier: www.humanesociety.org/ihopIHOP should do the right thing and join its competitors in moving away from using eggs from hens crammed inside cages so small the birds can't even spread their wings.
October 11, 2009 5:06 PM

To which I replied:

Two things:

1.) Is this Dawson?

2.) Hear, hear. I actually don't eat at IHOP, I just thought their
advertisement was funny. I'm all about the animals, however, and shall boycott them forthwith until they clean up their act. (Although I do eat eggs, so perhaps I'm being a hypocrite).
October 11, 2009 5:53 PM

And then the muckity-mucks from IHOP chimed in:

IHOP Communications said...
Hi Matt, this is IHOP Communications. We wish to clear up some of the misconceptions in Josh’s posting. IHOP is against animal cruelty and has supplier standards that go beyond what is required by law to ensure the dignified, humane treatment. If we find a supplier is not meeting our standards, we address those issues with the supplier.The Humane Society of the United States, a multi-million dollar organization, that many feel has a vegan/vegetarian agenda for the country (like PETA), has launched a campaign against IHOP because of our refusal to meet their demands to use cage-free eggs. Animal welfare experts’ opinions differ, and science has still not determined that cage-free housing is any better for laying hens then caged hens – in fact there are a number of reports that document the advantages and disadvantages of different systems for housing laying hens. Additional studies on how best to house hens are being done, and we remain open to the scientific-based outcomes of these reports. You can read more about it here. Ensuring a great guest dining experience is important to us at IHOP, and we hope that you and your family will dine with us again soon.
October 12, 2009 6:18 PM

So there you have it. Now let me first say that I'm thrilled that people other than my mother are commenting on my blog. Secondly, in the issue of fairness, I'm purposefully posting all three comments here. Read them all and make up your mind.

In addition to being about baseball, Boston, and giant dogs, this is blog is nothing if not fair and balanced.

Plus, I don't have Oprah money to mount a defense.

Dateline: Brockton

I know I usually link to articles that are absurd or nonsensical, but once in a while it's important to highlight a good news story.

Here's one.

While I believe that strict standardized testing does not always capture a student's full potential (I prefer more of a portfolio approach), the fact of the matter is that we have MCAS and NCLB. Some districts are taking innovative approaches to helping their students thrive; Brockton seems to be exemplifying that spirit.

Engaged administrators, supportive (and supported) teachers, eager students = success.

Go, Brockton!

Well, it's official:

I can no longer justify my having purchased an exorbitantly priced rug.

Thanks for nothin, Barry! (or Elliot!)

And to the Olde Towne team: Just wait until next year!

It's not all gloom and doom. I thought these K cards were pretty clever:

See you in Ft. Meyers, Boyos!

Dear IHOP:

You are a vile temptress.

Mmmmmmmm, french toast football....