Cinco minutos

I know you’ve been wondering which Symphony Orchestras are the best in the world. I can help you with that. This is my own order of preference: Vienna Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Paris Conservatoire, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra. I cannot go into why I chose these but I can tell you I gave the list some thought – about two minutes’ worth. When you’re an expert at something, you don’t need to re-think your biases too much, no? That, by the way, is the best concert hall in the world, too. Take my word.

Kennedy

I picked this up from an investment newsletter I get on a regular basis, although it had already made the news a few months back. Politics as usual....

Voters in Massachusetts have expressed overwhelming support for an energy-producing wind farm project that has been opposed by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The Cape Wind Project would erect 130 windmills in Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Massachusetts, and could provide three-fourths of the power needed by Cape Cod and nearby islands, which is now largely supplied by coal-fired plantsThe Cape Wind Project has been "frustrated at every turn by a handful of yachtsmen, Kennedy included," wrote columnist Froma Harrop, who is on the staff of the Providence Journal. A book by Peter Schweizer, "Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy," also disclosed Kennedy’s efforts to torpedo the wind farm. "The Cape Wind Project would be built in Nantucket Sound, about six miles off the coast from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis," Schweizer explained."The problem was not aesthetic; the Kennedys wouldn't be able to actually see the turbines from their home. Instead Robert Kennedy Jr., who had been beating the drum for alternative sources of energy for more than a decade, complained that the project would be built in one of the family's favorite sailing and yachting areas."
– NewsMax

That's not the Kennedy castle on the left - it's an old European castle with a huge, protective moat around it. The Kennedys don't need a moat, they have something a lot better - friends in very high places.

Carolina Herrera New York

Here's a short list of people who either live, lived, or have close relatives in El Paso. Are you ready? F. Murray Abraham, Ana Alicia, Julie Andrews, Rich Beem, Tony Bennett, Vicki Carr, Sam Donaldson, Albert B. Fall, Greg Foster, Bobby Fuller, Pat Garrett, Eddie Guerrero, Jack Handey, John Wesley Hardin, Don Haskins, Carolina Herrera, John Houser, Victoriano Huerta, Tom Lea, Benjamin Loeb, Lisa Loeb, Ron Lucas, Don Maynard, Cormac McCarthy, Sandra Day O'Connor, George S. Patton, John Pershing, Mike Price, Debbie Reynolds, Nolan Richardson, Gene Roddenberry, Omar Rodriguez, Pepe Romero, Irene Ryan, Willie Shoemaker, Urbici Soler, Nikki Sixx, Lee Trevino, and Pancho Villa. It's not much, but it's all I've got. The list would be ten times as long if the local population would just call in to let me know that they have a famous relative in Chicago or Atlanta or London or Moscow or wherever. Take my word for it.