| the has-been
For such a confused party, Fred Thompson seems like a knight in shining loafers. Not only can he play the tough guy in Tom Clancy movies, he's the affable D.A. on "Law & Order" – the show Michael Kinsley famously called "The Secret Vice of Power Women." Conservatives pushing Thompson's candidacy routinely tout his crossover appeal. In a glowing column last month, former Wall Street Journal editorial editor John Fund wrote, "Fan blogs for 'Law and Order' note that since the show is especially popular among women, a Thompson race could help close the GOP's 'gender gap.'" The "Law & Order" vote is more contested than you might think. If Michael Bloomberg doesn't run, Thompson's co-star Sam Waterston could win the nomination for the independent Unity08 ticket. Waterston's predecessor, Michael Moriarty, says he is running for president as a Libertarian.
17 pricey puppies stolen from store
Whoever made off with 17 puppies at the Pet Luv Pet Center apparently knew what they were doing.
After smashing the store's front window late Saturday or early Sunday, the burglar bypassed the $24.95 guinea pigs, the $49.99 bunnies and even the $499 Shetland sheepdog and headed straight for the gold mine: a collection of frisky, tail-wagging puppies that retail for as much as $1,000 apiece.
The burglar is believed to have filled one of the store's plastic garbage cans with golden retrievers, boxers, beagles and huskies, plus a Shih Tzu, a puggle and a Pekingese before escaping out the back door.
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HOT DISH: CMA Awards Slighting Hall of Fame Inductees
What has got me so ticked off that I cannot sleep? The latest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame will not be spotlighted on this year's CMA Awards show. Instead, three top-of-the-line honorees -- Vince Gill, Mel Tillis and Ralph Emery -- will be formally inducted during a private, invitation-only medallion ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
So it looks like the CMA Awards won't be providing any television exposure for these three great men who have given so much to this business. Hey, if the TV show needs time, I've got a suggestion: Drop the Eagles' performance. What qualifies the Eagles to perform on what is supposed to be country's biggest night?
One of our biggest acts in country music is Rascal Flatts, and they've apparently gained the right to perform two songs on the CMA Awards.
You can vote today, but some stuff closed for MLK Day
Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail, North Port; and the Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice. For information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask about the county schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In Venice, city hall will be closed. Garbage, recycling and yard waste will be collected as usual. DeSoto County Public schools are closed. All DeSoto County and city of Arcadia offices are closed, except the Supervisor of Elections office, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for early voting. The library and DeSoto post offices will be closed. There is no trash pickup. For city residents, Monday's usual routes will be picked up on Tuesday, and Tuesday's usual routes will be picked up on Wednesday.
Open Mike: Models? Strip poker? Sign me up
The words are painful for me to read, mostly because I wrote them. It was back at the end of July, when the Houston Astros did nothing to improve themselves at the trade deadline. The gist of that column was that the least the team could have done was trade Roger Clemens to give him one more chance to win. It made perfect sense at the time, but that's what the captain of the Titanic thought when he chose not to worry about icebergs. Of the Astros' prospects, I wrote: .
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