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By Ed Mahon

emahon@ydr.com @edmahonreporter on Twitter

We covered Democrat Tom Wolf's campaign stop at York Day Nursery on Aug. 22.

Here are some more highlights from a news conference during the stop.

Tomalis

When asked about criticism from Democrats of former state Education Secretary Ron Tomalis, Wolf said he's just asking questions.

"I'm just asking, I think as all of us are, for some more information on Ron Tomalis," Wolf said. "What was he doing? And what did he do to justify the $140,000 and the bump he got in his pension plan?"

Corbett announced in May 2013 that Tomalis would step down as education secretary to become a special adviser.

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story in July said that information obtained under the state's Right-to-Know law raised questions about how much time Tomalis spent on his duties to his earn his about $140,000 salary. Corbett in August defended Tomalis, saying he wasn't a "ghost employee."

Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq on Aug. 12 announced that she accepted the resignation of Ron Tomalis, effective Aug. 26.

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Democrat Tom Wolf on Ron Tomalis, GOP complaint

Most thais want temples to declare assets survey

The Nation - Sunday 31st August, 2014

Up to 87.24 per cent of Thai Buddhists see that Buddhist temples should declare their assets, an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration ...

The Nation - Sunday 31st August, 2014

He was charged with violating the order of the National Council for Peace and Order, instigating unless and violating the Computer-Related Crime Act. Chaturon's lawyer, Naritpong Jinapak, said ...

NDTV - Sunday 31st August, 2014

Bangkok: Thai police on Sunday arrested at least two people for distributing leaflets demanding renewed legal action against ex-premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and his then deputy for their roles in a ...

Arabian Business - Sunday 31st August, 2014

Tourists go down from the top of Wat Arun temple on August 29, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai government has approved a regulation that allows tourists to extend their stay in Thailand by a further ...

Yahoo!7 News - Sunday 31st August, 2014

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Former Democrat MP jailed for state land encroachment

(CNN) -

After President Barack Obama said he didn't yet have a strategy for ISIS in Syria, even a Democrat on Sunday criticized the President's approach to fighting the extremist terror group.

There's been the expected GOP criticism: Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, said the President's statement was "unfortunate," a predictable assessment from someone who disagrees with the Obama's handling of foreign policy.

But more notable is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, who split with the leader of her party.

"I think I've learned one thing about this President and that is he's very cautious. Maybe in this instance, too cautious," the California Democrat said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Feinstein's description comes as the Obama administration is implementing a split strategy in dealing with the group now calling itself the Islamic State.

In Iraq, where America recently concluded a long war there, the United States has continued airstrikes against ISIS, including strikes near Amerli Saturday. In Syria, meanwhile, the President has been reluctant to pursue military action as a complicated web of factions, including ISIS, is fighting to defeat President Bashar al-Assad, also a U.S. opponent.

The threat

While members of both parties indicated that Syria is the most dangerous country in the world right now as it is considered ISIS' home base, Republicans differed from Democrats in that they insisted that the threat ISIS poses to the U.S. is immediate. "I believe strongly that ISIS does plan on attacking the United States," Rep. Peter King said on "Fox News Sunday."

Sen. John McCain went even further on CBS News' "Face the Nation": "I think it starts with an understanding that this is a direct threat to the United States of America, that it may be one of the biggest we have ever faced."

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Feinstein latest to criticize president

The fight for the Connecticut governorship between Republican Tom Foley and incumbent Democrat Dannel P. Malloy has generated significant national attention and, behind the curtain, attracted seasoned political operatives to both campaigns.

With early rounds of negative advertising already on the airwaves, these staffers are busy behind the scenes, shaping their candidate's message, gearing up for debates and looking ahead to November turnout strategy.

Malloy's staff has been ramping up for months in anticipation of a rematch with Foley, whom he barely beat four years ago. The slightly smaller Foley team is heavy with Connecticut political veterans and former staffers of one or both of Linda McMahon's U.S. Senate runs.

Malloy's Team

Malloy has assembled a staff of operatives with extensive and diverse resumes. As of the campaign's July 10 filing with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, eight of the 24 staffers listed had out-of-state addresses.

Mark Bergman, a top-level Malloy adviser, is not new to the state. He has experience over the past 10 years in Connecticut and across the country, working in both winning and losing races. He worked on the winning campaigns of Democrat Maggie Hassan for governor of New Hampshire in 2012, Democrat Brad Schneider for Congress in Illinois and U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney for re-election in Massachusetts. Bergman also was the press spokesman in losing Democratic races for governor in Pennsylvania and U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.

Bergman is an alumnus and former senior strategist for Mission Control, the progressive direct mail firm based in Mansfield that in the last decade has racked up a record of helping Democrats win elections. He also served as the campaign manager for Democrat Susan Bysiewicz, who lost in the August 2012 U.S. Senate primary to Christopher Murphy.

Another important voice in the Malloy campaign is Roy Occhiogrosso, a Malloy confidante who played a major role in the 2010 run and then spent two years as a top gubernatorial aide and Malloy's chief political strategist. This time around, the campaign is retaining Occhiogrosso and the New York-based consulting firm Global Strategy Group, where he is a managing director.

Before winning with Malloy in both the primary and the general election in 2010, Occhiogrosso was involved in numerous losing campaigns over a 15-year period. Those included unsuccessful races by Democrat Bill Curry for governor in 1994 and 2002, Westport First Selectman Diane Farrell for Congress against incumbent Republican Chris Shays, and U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in his loss to Greenwich upstart Ned Lamont in the August 2006 Senate primary.

Jonathan Blair, Malloy's campaign manager, has less in-state experience than his colleagues. But Blair is riding a winning streak after guiding the successful campaigns of U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in Illinois last year and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich in 2012. In Illinois, Blair worked with Mission Control Bergman's former employer and now a vendor for the Malloy campaign and gained respect for his analytics-driven approach, which resulted in Kelly prevailing over a deep field to win the seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr.

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Political Operatives: Campaigns Tap Veteran Staffers For Governor's Race Rematch

With just over a month left before writers from across Texoma gather for the first-ever Herald Democrat Writers Conference at Austin College, the program of presenters is set and registrations are starting to pile up.

We have been excited about the feedback we initially heard from some of the local libraries about young people wanting to attend the conference, said Herald Democrat City Editor Jerrie Whiteley. She added that the Herald is also excited about the response from locals who have participated in the Telling Our Stories workshops presented by Dr. Jerry Lincecum of Austin College.

The TOS group, and everyone who attends the conference, is in for a real treat. We have lined up a great roster of local writers who can help people navigate everything from the very beginning stages of a writing project all of the way through making decisions about how to go about getting something published, said Whiteley.

That roster includes New York Times Bestselling author Deborah Crombie, an Austin College graduate, who lives in Dallas. Crombie will make time for the Herald Democrat conference as she promotes her newest book, To Dwell in Darkness, the 16th in her series of mysteries set in modern-day London England.

We are very grateful to Ms. Crombie for fitting this conference into her busy schedule and know her fans are looking forward to being able to hear her speak. We have, in fact, had some people sign up for the conference just to hear her, Whiteley said.

Though Crombies keynote is sure to be entertaining and enlightening to both novice and experienced writers, she is not the only accomplished writer set to impart knowledge to would be wordsmiths. The program includes a wide range of writers who are all excited to talk to those interested in the craft of writing.

Herald Democrat columnist Amy Shojai will discuss the process of reinvention that every writer must embrace in the world of modern publishing.

Today authors must be masochists in order to endure both the real and imagined slings and arrows of writer-hissy-fit bullying, Shojai said in the description of her presentation. She will show writers,how to put on (their) big-boy (or girl)-panties, suck it up, and succeed whether its (their) first book, first blog or article or 50th. Writers will get easy to use tips on how to brand themselves; the benefits of collaboration; ways to build tribes and why writers should; how to leverage nonfiction to transition to fiction; ways to create diverse revenue streams; and how to use multiple platforms (e-books, POD, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, audiobooks, Facebook and more) to build an audience and career. And, since this presentation is coming from a renown animal expert, attendees can expect to see all of those things mixed in with some really cute puppy and kitten pictures.

Durant writer Marion Moore Hill will delve deeper into the process of creating characters to help fiction jump off the page and grab the readers attention.

A likable protagonist, a detestable villain, a mischievous sidekick any lively, intriguing character can help make the difference between a ho-hum book and one that readers not only cant put down but will remember afterwards, Hill said in the description for her presentation. Hill will help writers answer the plethora of questions one must tackle to write characters that keep readers the turning the pages book after book.

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Herald Democrat Writers Conference at Austin College right around the corner