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The book is packed with many such interesting nuggets and melds them into the larger tale of the immigrant community. [Michael Barone] looks at immigrants by discussing two groups at a time. He draws parallels between the experiences of Latinos and Italians, blacks and Irish, and Asians and Jews. By comparing and contrasting these subcategories on a number of parameters such as literacy levels, crime rates, family structure, motives to migrate, etc., Barone asserts that there are striking resemblances between them. The study yields notable observations, among them, that neither Italian nor Latino immigrants placed much value on education, and that both the Irish and blacks created and dominated their own churches. The arguments raised by Barone remind me of what the political right has been demanding in India. The main opposition party, the BJP, has attacked the ruling Congress-led UPA for following a policy of minority appeasement, which the former calls pseudo-secularism. The BJP contends that pseudo-secularism ensures that minorities stay just that -- minorities. Barone similarly attacks the left-liberal agenda, which asks for bilingual education, or religious preachers being given a free hand to preach what they like, for harming the long-term well-being of the immigrants. He discards any misgivings one may harbor regarding the future of immigration in America. Just as the Irish and Jews were considered separate races in the early years of the 20th century (yes!) but are an essential part of American life today, so will Asians and Latinos be accepted into the American mainstream over time. In fact, Barone looks forward to such an eventuality. What he advocates as Americanization is not a blanket disavowal of all things non- American, but a blending of different cultures into a heterogeneous whole, much like how pizza is as much an American snack today as Italian.

Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission - New commission beginning April 2006. This Commission advises the City Council and the Metropolitan Airports Commission with regard to matters affecting the operation of Flying Cloud Airport. Commission membership will be seven members; one member representing and appointed by the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

The jet touched down in Anchorage on Friday and Michael Barone stepped onto the snow-covered Alaskan soil for the first time. All around him, people were behaving normally, unaware that they were part of a teeming sea of data. Barone's satisfaction was tinged by a slight sense of anticlimax. In political circles, Barone -- a senior editor at Reader's Digest here in Washington -- is a high priest of statistics and the lucid interpreter of those numbers. His book \"The Almanac of American Politics\" has been called \"the bible of American politics\" by George Will. It is a thick compendium filled with the biographies, liberal and conservative ratings, and key voting records of each state's senators and representatives. More to the point, though, the almanac contains nonpartisan essays on all 435 congressional districts, including historic, geographic and demographic descriptions and summaries of recent elections. For political junkies, journalists and anyone who wants to know what life is like in, say, Oregon's 3rd District, the book is an indispensable desk fixture. Barone, 53, and co-author Grant Ujifusa write the descriptions based on reporting, election results, census data and the accrued experiences of Barone's many travels.

Blade ombudsman Jack Lessenberry wants to respond to reader questions about fairness and accuracy...

LEIGH SALES: Over the weekend, US presidential candidates have faced a crucial test in what's been billed as the 'the money primary'. Democrats and Republicans are trying to outdo each other in the fundraising stakes and more than ever before, the successful candidate will be the one with the most to spend. Washington Correspondent Michael Rowland reports.

The exhibit will also include kids' activity areas where LEGO enthusiasts can engage in free play and a \"LEGOS in the Garden\" summer-day camp for first- through fourth-graders Aug. 5-6. For more information, go to arboretum.umn.edu. \"The Poetry of War and Peace\" will be the topic of a program to be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Edina Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Square. Ed Schwartzbauer will lead a discussion of World War I poets. Those attending are encouraged to bring in poetry about any of America's wars. For more information, call 952-833-9570. The Women's Club of Hopkins will meet at noon on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Mizpah United Church of Christ, 412 5th Av. N. Lunch will be served at noon, followed by a business meeting and a 1 p.m. program featuring concert pianist Meg Redmond on \"The Life and Times and Music of Gershwin.\"