On a strictly personal, hometown-related note, may I just say what a huge thrill it is to see the Pitcher And Piano in York suddenly at the centre -- well, sort of -- of the US election campaign, and in a scandalous fashion, no less! This riverside bar is easily the most pleasant of the chain drinking establishments competing for business with York's countless historic pubs, and was an excellent choice of venue on the part of the York University students who planned to raise money from their friends then give it all to a US citizen to donate to Barack Obama, thereby hoping to bypass the federal ban on foreigners contributing to election campaigns. Which was a terrible idea, as they now rather honourably acknowledge. [via Metafilter, which pulls together some more links on the grey area of foreign fundraisers for Obama.]
