Christmas Eve dinner - I need something that I can prep ahead and leave in a crock pot

while I'm at the 5PM service. Or else something elegant and that I can prep ahead and cook up super quick. I'm feeding two vegetarians to top it off!

I just got a "Get-out the vote, do you need a ride to the polls?" call from a group supporting

Dan Maffei here in the NY 24th!

Politics in church -

I've noted many posts demanding that the IRS check into churches where the leaders have endorsed Romney. I've also seen posts lauding churches where the leader endorses Obama.

Does politics have any place in church ( or synagogue, mosque, temple etc) at any time, only when the church is on our side, or what?

FWIW, I think discussions of politics in church are more likely to drive people away from that church than to influence how people vote!

Is the reporting about the storm aftereffects is distorted by misunderstanding local culture?

New Yorkers turn out to help one another when the going gets tough; we all learned that on 9/11. But they have never been shy about complaining, especially about their local government. On the other hand, Garrison Keillor has made a running gag out of the way Midwesterners refuse to admit that anything is wrong or that they need help. Does "we're all dying out here on Staten Island" actually translate to "I'd like the power to come back on and someone needs to get rid of that downed tree blocking the road"?

My husband is signing up on-line for next year's company provided health insurance.

By the time he's done, i think he's going to need some beer and motrin!

Nor'easter - shouldn't that be No'theaster?

Ann Romney: If elected, "mental well-being" Mitt's biggest challenge"

Flood insurance - up in Syracuse there is a problem-

the flood plain for Onondaga Creek overlaps with some of the poorer neighborhoods in the city. So the options are -

- redraw the lines for the flood plain (i.e. pretend if we all close our eyes, the area will never flood)

- require flood insurance, forcing people out of their homes who can't afford to live anywhere else

- somehow subsidize insurance for existing buildings without encouraging future construction.

I imagine some of these same issues apply in the areas hit by Sandy.

Do we build a flood wall for the Financial District and tell the homeowners on Breezy Point to move?

Things I learned this week as a result of Hurricane Sandy coverage:

1. Hoboken is below sea level

2. A lot of people live on the Jersey shore, enough to warrant an entire Congressional district!

3. Virginia beach Virginia is a major city.

The $5000 spent at Walmart to stage a canned foods giveaway for Mitt -

did the money come out of Mitt's pocket, or the campaign's?