Perhaps Kathryn, Kate and the rest of the NR delegation to Italy convinced the voters? Exit polls this morning are looking good for Silvio Berlusconi. He should finish with a narrow parliamentary majority in the lower house. The Senate elections, based on an unusual regional system that favors small parties (a system Berlusconi created before the last election), could go either way.

From the old country, naturally.  The Boston Globe has the details in a succulently illustrated article that you can find here: The English food company Aunt Bessie's has invented an unusual way to keep the popular pub specialty 'bangers and mash' (sausages and mashed potatoes) in one tight parcel. Their solution is the 'mash cone.' The Metro in England ran [a] photo under the headline, 'World most disgusting ice cream,' with the caption, 'horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible.' Well Aunt Bessie's was understandably upset. So the company delivered mash cones to the offices of The Metro, where the staff felt obligated to eat them and really say what they thought. Here's the review: 'Metro is happy to report that that the mash has 'good texture', the sausage is 'pretty tasty' and the gravy 'actually quite nice'. Unfortunately, the makers have had to backtrack on the actual cone element of the product, as the cones were disintegrating. However, they said they'd give serious consideration to our suggestion that they should make the cones out of Yorkshire pudding. Some further suggestions: the mash is perhaps a little bland - it could use a bit of gentle spicing up. Also, it would be awesome if you could get a kind of 'gravy ripple' effect running throughout the mash, rather than just as a sauce on top. Eat your heart out, Alain Ducasse.

SMART GUNS, DUMB LEGISLATORS: "Mark DeSaulnier, a Democratic California state legislator, wants to require guns to have biometric technology that doesn’t exist before they guns can fire."...

That is what Popes are intended to do -- they are to represent Christ, the Prince of Peace, in a world that is and has always been a maelstrom of passions, conflict, and wars. Popes have sometimes been warlike, but that ill becomes their office, and nearly always causes lasting repugnance. That is why in 2003 many Americans who believed that the war in Iraq was justified, also believed that it was very good for Pope John Paul II to oppose the war.  The Pope should not be, and should not even be allowed to seem to be, a proponent of war, especially of a war with so many complex religious tendrils, and with so many centuries of conflicted history. It was right and just for Pope John Paul II to oppose the war. The role and munus (office, burden, duty) of the Presidents of nations are different. Presidents must make a probable judgment about the long-run implications both of inaction and action, and about what in the long run will have been the most creative path for them to have taken. These are excruciating judgments, for they usually involve long-run costs, discouragements, and difficulties. Many of us of a certain age remember the long sacrifices and costs of World War II. This background is important to grasp, since Pope Benedict XVI will almost certainly judge that he is duty-bound to call for the violence in Iraq to cease. The edge of his words will be felt more sharply here, where he delivers them, than among Al Sadr and his Shia militias, who are now causing so much of the violence in three cities in Iraq. The Shiites militias very much want the Americans to stop fighting, and to depart.The Pope may also continue saying, as he has often in the last year, that the religious freedom and dignity of every person in Iraq must be protected, and minority populations (in this case, one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world) must be especially respected. He may repeat his deep conviction that violence is contrary to the nature of God. Benedict XVI may also wish the future of democracy and the rule of law in Iraq to flower fully,  and to be long-lasting. He may express the hope that these will bear good fruit for justice and human dignity throughout the Middle East, and all around the world. The Pope is not primarily a political player, and yet the cultural and moral power of his words and actions this week may well have long political consequences. On the record, we are entitled to have confidence in Benedict's bravery, balance of mind, and concern to do his duty.

Yuval may be reluctant to engage in shameless boosterism of his work, but I ain't. Read his piece. It's very enlightening on a number of fronts, typically thoughtful on every front, and remarkably free of profanity.  Yuval's spent a lot of time thinking about science and the left and I have some substantive quibbles and questions and other things that begin with 'qu' but they need to wait until I get the time to commit them to paper, or pixels or whatever. Seriously, it's a very worthwhile read for those even remotely interested in these things. 

The latest issue of The New Atlantis is now online. It includes, among many other offerings, an essay by yours truly on science and the left; reflections on the limits of neuroimaging and on the unintended consequences of its use in capital cases; Cheryl Miller on infertility bloggers; and some thoughts from the editors about John McCain and the stem cell debate. While you're there, have a look at the rest of our newly revamped website -- offering some brand new blogs, and of course the opportunity to subscribe.

If only someone would get Pope Benedict  a good job, he'd quit making such a fuss and we wouldn't have these traffic problems.

PORK, New York style. Oink....

From his interview with Raymond Arroyo (which aired Friday and can be viewed online at ewtn.org): Q Do you think it's important, though, to have a pro-life President on the Republican ticket? What might be the ramifications? THE PRESIDENT: I think it's important for people to understand that a culture of life is in our national interests and that -- it's also important to understand that the politics of abortion isn't going to change until people's hearts change, and fully understand the meaning of life and what it means for a society to value life in all forms -- whether it be the life of the unborn, or the life of the elderly; whether it be the life of the less fortunate among us, or the life of the rich guy. I mean, it's a moral touchstone, I think, that will speak to a healthy society in the long run. And I don't know what's going to happen in American politics, I really don't. I do know that in order for a President to be effective he better bring a set of principles from which he will not deviate, and articulate them as clearly as he can -- or she can -- and then not worry about immediate popularity, because popularity comes and goes, but what doesn't change are solid principles. And I'm going to remind His Holy Father how important his voice is in making it easier for politicians like me to be able to kind of stand and defend our positions that are, I think, very important positions to take.

AP - A growing majority say they won't buy a home anytime soon, the latest sign of increasing pessimism about the nation's housing crisis, a poll showed Monday.

It's been bothering me since the beginning of the Pennsylvania primary race 6,000 years ago (give or take). The Democrats keep insisting that the economy in Pennsylvania is abysmal. The pundits keep comparing the state to Ohio. Barack Obama says the state's economy is so bad that a once prosperous and secular people have been driven to embrace their sky god and shoot animals for sport. But my impression had always been that the Pennsylvania economy wasn't that bad. I've been there a bit   over the last few years and the talk has always been that the hard times were pretty much over and that Pennsylvania, unlike Ohio or Michigan, had largely succeeded in diversifying its economy. No one ever said it was Shangri-La or anything, but the grim picture we get these days doesn't jibe with what the students, politicos and professors I'd chatted with had to say. Anyway I was searching for some stats and instead found this newsletter from last Summer from Ed Rendell, the Democratic Governor and Hillary Clinton's state chairman: Pennsylvania's economy is strong and growing, and new data released this week offers more solid proof of our continuing success and progress. May was the fourth consecutive month that Pennsylvania's economy outperformed the nation's economy. Our statewide unemployment rate of 4.2 percent was three tenths of a percentage point below the national rate for the month. During my time in office, Pennsylvania's unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate in 43 out of 53 months - more than 80 percent of the time. This, coupled with the strength and growth of our job count, is a positive indication that our efforts to improve the quality of our workforce and expand the state's business climate are indeed working. To measure Pennsylvania's economic strength, consider these four factors: * Our unemployment rate is low: Only the most cynical of analysts could say that the 30-year record low we recorded earlier this year was anything other than good news. And, as I noted earlier, our jobless rate remains considerably below the national rate. * We are a leader in available jobs: In this category, Pennsylvania is truly off the charts. For nine of the last 10 months, we have broken our record for the all-time-high number of jobs in the state, according to Department of Labor statistics. Pennsylvania's overall job increase - 168,000-plus jobs in the last four years - makes us a leader among industrial states. * We're a magnet for business expansion: According to a 2006 study released by IBM Global Consulting, 'Pennsylvania jumped into first place as the top destination state in terms of investment projects in 2005. In 2004, it did not make the list. For manufacturing projects, it moved from third to first place.' * State revenues are strong: The growth of the Pennsylvania economy produced a surplus of nearly $1 billion at the end of fiscal 2006. And when fiscal 2007 ends in a few short weeks, we expect to build on that growth and produce an additional $500 million surplus. Although these four measurements are more proof that our economy is robust, there is more important work to be done. My proposed Jonas Salk Fund and the Energy Independence Program are examples of how we are continuing to find ways to generate new economic growth. Investments through the Salk fund proposal will greatly strengthen Pennsylvania's reputation as an international center for biotechnology research and development. The Energy Independence initiative, which has already created more than 2,500 jobs in renewable energy production and technology, is projected to generate 13,000 new jobs and $3.5 billion in new private investment. In addition, the $2.8 billion economic-stimulus program we enacted in 2004 clearly is producing results, and we have almost 40 percent of the funds in that program left to invest. The economic growth we are creating through these strategic investments will provide new opportunities for Pennsylvania workers today and for generations to come. Sincerely, Edward G. Rendell.  

"YOU WILL BE PUNISHED."...