by TAKEO "BABE" UTSUMI

Years ago there was a female journalist for an Atlanta newspaper named Peggy Marsh, I believe. One day, unfortunately, she broke her knee bone and was thus unable to perform her news-writing routine.

On top of that, arthritis started to set in on that particular area. So with her limited mobility, she was more or less confined to her home.

Thanks to the fact that she had a loving and understanding husband who encouraged her to go to the library to keep her mind alert, Marsh was interested in U.S. history; she read and pored over every bit of information on American history.

Later, her husband suggested that she write a book with all the information she had accumulated. So she embarked upon her first novel, a very long one, and submitted it to a book publisher.

They were quite impressed and they decided to change the original title, "Tomorrow Is Another Day," to "Gone With the Wind." She also returned to her original maiden name, Margaret Mitchell, and literary history was made.

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I remember in the past that basketball was being called the "casaba game." To tell you the truth, I can't see the relationship of the game to the fruit. Further on basketball, there was news that Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors will not be playing for a while because of an injury to his leg. This accident happened when Ellis was riding around on his moped.

There are stipulations in most professional athletic contracts that certain vehicles are not to be utilized during the off season, such as bikes and motorcycles. Parachute jumping and any kind of activity that could injure the player during the off season are forbidden.

Ellis, who became a star point guard for the Warriors last season, was fined by the team and will not play for 30 games. This layoff will cost him about $3 million.

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A few years ago, Jeff Kent, the hard-hitting second baseman for the San Francisco Giants, reported to the team with an injured leg. He claimed that he got hurt falling off a truck on his ranch in Texas. However, management thought that his injury was the result of an accident involving his motorcycle, which he loved to ride around on.

Kent was such a valuable player as a key hitter and second baseman that the Giants organization accepted that alibi and waited until he recovered fully a few weeks later.

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During this period of a dismal economy, many businesses, such as retail stores, restaurants, bars and even museums suffer. However, the recently rebuild and reopened Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park is drawing huge crowds.

This is a wonderful display of nature, animals, aquatic life and a planetarium. It is the only one of its kind in Northern California, and everyone should try to visit the museum, especially those with children, to educate themselves by viewing the magnificent displays.

It's not full of gimmicks and gadgets like Disneyland or other theme parks, but of natural history and science.

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Generally, I stay away from comments on religion and politics. There is no way to please everyone, and I withhold my opinions on these subjects. However, I find it necessary to discuss the recent breaking news.

Colin Powell, the retired four-star general and secretary of state under George W. Bush in his first term, acknowledged that he will endorse the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, who has been lambasting the Bush Administration for involving the U.S. in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Remember, it was Powell who urged the invasion and even went to the United Nations to display photos and diagrams of Iraq's preparations to assemble weapons of mass destruction. Even Congress voted by a landslide for the invasion.

Now, Obama expressed his gratitude for Powell's backing and promised to utilize him somewhere in his administration if he should win the election. So, what gives?

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During the late afternoons I twirl the dials on TV and occasionally come across a program called "Bizarre Foods." This program shows chief Andrew Zimmern, who travels around the world checking out strange edibles.

He has been to every continent, tasting food that you and I would not think of putting into our mouths. However, this rotund food taster seems to enjoy everything he eats — things like fried maggots, all kinds of animal innards, parts of the brain, even blood.

A recent episode in Los Angeles was very interesting. This is a huge city and thus many eateries abound in that area. He visited and ate at Korean, Chinese, Mexican and many other ethnic restaurants.

A stop at a Thai restaurant in Santa Monica featured things like fat-fried pork ears, fried eyeballs and other "delicacies."

An interesting stop was at a Japanese restaurant called Nobu. The owner learned his trade in Japan, went to South America and then came to the U.S. He has 22 restaurants bearing his name.

You could say that his cuisine is quite exotic. For an appetizer, he poured a red sauce with wasabi into a small plate. Then he placed a small, circular slice of pate made from uni and topped it with a spoonful of caviar.

I am sure the rest of the meal is pretty pricey, but who cares? This guy is on an expense account, so go for broke!

Nobu's is truly Japanese style in many ways. Rocky Aoki made a fortune with his Benihana chain, but let's face it, his menu was simply cut-up steak and vegetables on a teppan grill, cooked by a chief who was a part-time juggler and entertainer. Simple meal, but he was tremendously successful.

Roy's of Hawaii has a number of operations here also, but his menu is part Hawaiian and part Asian.

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The other night we were able to view a bit of Americana on TV. There was a big fundraising banquet at the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. This occasion, I understand, comes up every four years, during a national election, to honor the memory of Al Smith, the late four-time governor and mayor of New York City. The money is donated to catholic charities.

I don't know who wrote the scripts for John McCain and Barack Obama, but during the "roast," the two candidates made digs at each other in a most humorous and hilarious manner. Sen. Hillary Clinton was shown nearly falling off her chair in laughter.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the banter. Now this is only a few weeks before the election and the bitter battle is still brewing. But you can say that only in America can an event like t his take place between two opposing candidates.

Can you think of any other place in the world where you culd display such good-natured humor?