Blog Round-Up

Trying to kill time before I have to suit up, boot up, and go out to "plug in the house," I did my morning blogroll and came up with following:

PoliticsPA raised over $8,000 in an online auction, with the winner spending the day with Flavia Colgan, including attending talk show tapings. The man with the winning bid donated the prize to two young Iraqi war vets. Proceeds go the to Boys & Girls Club, an asset to many communities including mine. Good job all around.

America's Hometown highlights a bill to deny gay and lesbian couples any family benefits. Call your state reps and senators and give your opinion on this. Personally, I think this is bad legislation, morally and legally.

Joe Hoeffel has a nice entry on needed campaign finance reform.

Attytood has an intriguing idea -- have the Pew Foundation buy the Inky and the Daily News.
If done well that would be a splendid solution to the newspapers' future.

Two new'ish blogs to watch: PennPatriot and Barnestormin.

For other news round ups visit A Smoke-Filled Room and the other blogs listed on my sidebar.

An explanation of "plugging in the house" for the curious -- in heavy snow our house tends to develop "ice dams" that force melting water into the attic and through the walls into the kitchen and dining room. Mr. J put specially designed wires on the roof that can be plugged in to melt the bottom layers of snow on the roof. Somehow this lets the upper layers melt into the gutters instead of being forced into the house. The physics of it are beyond me but if you ask a clerk in the hardware or home building supplies stores, they can explain it to you. I just plug and unplug as directed.