Sunday, November 30, 2008

Semper Little Green Army Men

My five year-old son picked out a set of little army men today when I took him to Toys R Us to pick out a reward for FINALLY relenting to allow his hair to be cut at a hair cutting place (we've been cutting it at home, with mixed results, for the last two years because of his stylist phobia).

We get the army men set home and he recruits me to help him set it up. It's a fairly good sized kit for $12.99. In it there were the army men in both green and tan (opposing sides, don't you know) and each side also has its own tank and jet fighter-bomber. And for some reason the green guys also get an attack helicopter, tipping the otherwise perfect balance of arms.

Anyway, I was struck by how the army men were the exact same guys we used to play with 40 years ago.

You remember them, the guy leaning back getting ready to throw the grenade, the dude with the bazooka, the nut standing up firing only a pistol (my son let me know that he had figured out that guy had a gun and wasn't just pointing), the soldier kneeling over the mortar ready to drop in a shell, etc. The exact same WWII style infantry I can become so familiar with as a kid. You'd think that they would update them to reflect current weapons and helmets and such. But I guess a classic is a classic.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Day After Thanksgiving: The Perfect Holiday

I know the day after Thanksgiving isn't a holiday for a lot of people, especially retail workers, but it seems a lot of us do get the day off. Enough of us that it's almost taken for granted anymore. And you know what, it's the best of all holidays because it's absolutely free of any responsibility or tradition. It's simply a day off. And one that leads right into a weekend. Perfect!

Nothing is expected of you on The Day After. You don't have to give or get gifts, attend a dinner or cookout, honor anyone or even have a parade. It's a day off with no strings attached. More of these please!

Sure, there are Black Friday shopping geeks who just have to get up at 5:00 AM and head to the stores, but that's their choice and many of them seem to get some perverse enjoyment out of what sounds like a complete nightmare to me. But that's OK; you shop and I sleep in, everyone is happy.

I have no idea why Abraham Lincoln, who first implemented the Thanksgiving Day holiday in 1863, chose a Thursday on which to celebrate our giving of thanks, but what a wise move it has turned out to be. I'd like to think that he was visionary enough to foresee The Day After.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Serious Insights: Practically Alone Edition

Traffic is way down here this week. Do people really care more about the holidays than reading stupid blogs? Is that the kind of change President Obama was talking about?

Turkey Talk

It only just occurred to me that of all the foods served at a more or less traditional Thanksgiving meal, there is only one meat: Turkey. That makes the Thanksgiving meal quite doable for vegetarians.


As meat-centric as we Americans are, it’s odd that the day where we celebrate gluttony (among other things), we choose one of the lightest and healthiest meats as the main staple. It seems like if we were going to do it right there would be big slabs of ribs, large grilled steaks, and Triple Thickburgers on the table.

I generally don’t even load up on the turkey. Instead, I choose the starches like mashed potatoes, breads, corn, and pastas.

Shorter Kev 11/26/08

George Ryan sucks! So does Dick Durbin for even thinking about asking President Bush to pardon Ryan. Ryan must stay and rot in his cell because it will discourage other Illinois politicians from doing anything corrupt.

Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Flightless Bird Episodes Often Not That Funny

I don't want to be too culturally incorrect, but I really don't get the idolizing of the now famous WKRP turkey episode. It seems to grow in popularity every year. I saw it when it originally aired (I was a KRP fan at the time) but that episode never really stood out to me. It wasn't UNfunny, it just didn't strike me as particularly hilarious. In fact, after it's original airing, I don't remember anyone going on about it.

A few years after the show was canceled and the show was in syndication, when talking about WKRP, I began to here people say things like, "Oh, remember that episode where they dropped turkeys from the helicopter..." Yeah, but it wasn't that funny. There were much better KRP moments than that one and yet the show is remembered almost solely for that episode and Loni Anderson's boobs.

OK, now everyone tell me how wrong I am.

Pirates Say Arrrrr..frica

I’m a little surprised that there isn’t a greater effort being made to clamp down on the piracy occurring off of the Horn of Africa. Slowly, nations from around the world are sending ships to the area to help secure the safe passage of commercial ships that are under increasing threat of capture by modern day pirates.

The U.S. also has a presence there, and while I don’t know how many of our ships are involved, I’m pretty sure it’s not a major effort. We have the largest navy in the world by far, and it really doesn’t have an active mission other than, say, some vague notion of deterrence. This seems like a pressing need where we could actually DO something with all those ships and aircraft. Why we aren’t, I really don’t understand. It seems to me even one carrier task force, perhaps loaded with extra reconnaissance aircraft, would make a difference. But I’m no expert.

The pirates are getting increasingly bold because they are actually getting paid ransoms in the millions of dollars. The only way to stop this, it seems, is by force. I don’t blame the various commercial interests for wanting their ships and crews back, but paying the ransoms is only validating the pirate’s tactics.

Of course the real problem is on land. While pirates commit their crimes at sea, they are always land based. Lawless and largely government-less Somalia provides a good haven for them. Ultimately the problem won’t go away completely until Somalia becomes stable. And that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Monday, November 24, 2008

New Obama Auditions

I think this is probably a good idea. Fred Armisen did an admirable job trying to portray Obama even getting many of his speech patterns and mannerisms down. But in the end, I kept seeing a white guy in blackface.

Armisen came trough in a pinch, but SNL really needs someone who can do the job "full time", as it were. I mean, Obama is going to be around for awhile and for some reason SNL has become the political satire gold standard on TV. So they need someone good if they expect all the cable news networks to replay their Obama skits endlessly.

The Bored of Textese

BFS Dan’s latest column in the SJ-R takes on texting. I text frequently and I do sometimes use some of the shortcuts (“r u” for “are you” is probably my most commonly used textese) but for the most part I too insist on spelling things out (correctly!) using proper grammar and even using punctuation. And for all the claims that kids can communicate by text efficiently, I know that about half the texts I get from my kids are barely intelligible even after you account for the shortcuts.

My theory is that your texting provides a window into your overall writing skills. Your ability, or lack thereof, to construct a coherent sentence and efficiently convey an idea is going to be reflected in your texting. However, I don’t fear the shortcut as long as it’s used as a stand-in for the proper word.

Who knows, maybe texting will someday evolve the language towards simpler forms of words. Would “U” really be so bad as a word to replace “You”? We already have “I”. And isn’t “okay” or “OK” just a shortcut from a bygone era? I’d be good with just “K”. Acronyms are another matter since they really aren’t words. For example, I don’t think OMG or BFF are ever going to be defined as single words.

Texting’s biggest advantage is its stealthiness. Cell phones are great for communicating when you are out and about, but when you need to communicate quietly, texting is the way to go. It’s also more private and less annoying to everyone around you. And unless you are driving, there really is no downside to using text messages over voice communication (other than maybe talking is quicker).

So I say keep on texting. Just be good to the language, use proper sentence structure, spell words correctly (or use a shortcut!) and wear sunscreen.

Shorter Kev 11/24/08

Blago still sucks! He chose to close the magnificent Dana-Thomas House due to an obvious and irrational hatred of all things Springfield. Never mind my obvious and irrational hatred of all things Blagojevich. Take a tour of the house today before Blago has it demolished as an example of what happens to communities that he doesn’t like.

Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Name is House, Maisenbacher House

Oh who am I kidding, I can't resit the sideshow that is the Maisenbacher house. Saturday, on the way home from the Festival of Trees I treated the whole family to a visit to the House, Our House, In The Middle of the Street. We had the good camera with us so I used it instead of my iPhone for once.

Given the controversy around here last week, I expected to find throngs of onlookers, protesters and worried engineers at the site of the house. Except of a couple of befuddled foreign tourists who briefly wondered over from Lincoln's Home, we were there alone.

There was also a big hole in the lot on which the house is/was/will be moved. But, of course no foundation. My 5 year-old son kept wanting to throw chunks of brick into the lightly fenced-off hole. It was tempting, but I figured the police would drive by right at that moment and we'd both be hauled off.

Speaking of police, there was no security at the site at all. There was a cop car (I'm not sure if it was even occupied) parked around the corner and out of sight on Sixth Street just south of Jackson but that was all. I could have climbed up and begun dismantling the thing and no one would have stopped me.

One interesting thing you can't see from pictures taken from a distance are the wires wrapped around the structure keeping it held together.

The whole thing was kind of sad and looked very much like the project gone awry that it really is.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Saturday Music Blogging: Way Far From Home Edition

One of the bands that I thought, in general, didn't do psychedelic all that well in psychedelic's heyday was The Rolling Stones. This even though the psychedelic era in music briefly coincided with the Stones own heyday. But for some reason they did produce one of my favorite psychedelic songs of all time: 2000 Light Years From Home. Here's how it sounded recorded. And here's a live version.

Years ago, reading books recounting Vietnam War experiences and trying to understand what had happened to the generation immediately preceding mine, I was intrigued by how this song came across to the boys fighting over there. Not surprised, just intrigued. Later, as a college student in the very early '80s, it became a personal anthem reflecting my own journey from the south-central part of Springfield to the rest of the universe.

Friday, November 21, 2008

House Double Parked

Since it’s all we can talk about in Springfield this week, I’d like to chime in and say that I fully support providing the money for completing the move of the Maisenbacher house from the middle of Jackson Street onto a foundation at its new location. Yes, this seems to have been poorly planned, but let’s get it out of the street and we can go from there.
I tend to lean heavily toward the preservationist side of things anyway, but I think it’s silly not to proceed now that we have come this far. However, we do need to take a look at how we got into this situation and maybe do a better job of planning in the future. I see no grand conspiracy or other malfeasance, just a comedy of errors and circumstance. Now let’s talk about something else for awhile.

Serious Insights:Cold Perspective Edition

It’s like 25 degrees outside. The forecast is calling for it to be in the low 50s by Sunday. The fact that 52 sounds great must mean winter is here.

Shorter Kev 11/21/08

Opponents of the Maisenbacher house move are stupid! The money is already there, so let’s spend it on the house that Abe helped build. And why do I have to be the one who explains all this TIF district stuff?


Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Friday Beer Blogging: Health and Beauty Edition

Today I turn over Friday Beer Blogging to my sometime FBB corespondent Marie who occasionally finds lots of good beer stuff on the internet. Below is Marie's contribution as filed with the TEH FBB Headquarters (edited and pics added by the FBB Editor-in-Chief...me).
A spa where you can take a beer bath:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27723464/?pg=4#TDY_Beauty_weird

Better skin:

http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002022.php

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/spas-gyms/68392/beer-enzyme-facial



Better hair:

[H]ave you tried a beer hair rinse? Basically, you take a half can (or bottle) of beer and leave it on the counter overnight or, preferably, a couple days. Next morning, after you shampoo, poor the beer in your hair. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then rinse out. Your hair dries super shiny and bouncy (and blonder if you have blond hair). This is probably more for girls than guys. My mom taught me this when I was a kid.

Unrelated to the above. No way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_Zv_uycPtM

Way (I laughed):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0jAf012_kk
Marie Carnes writes and photographs the Springfield blog Disarranging Mine.

Have a great weekend! And have a beer for better health and beauty.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Fairness Doctrine Must Be Reinstated!

Just kidding. I couldn't care less. And the same is true of the incoming Obama administration along with the Democratic Congress. But that hasn't stopped wingnut radio from going absolutely spastic over this imaginary "problem". So what say you wingnuts who visit this site, want to put money on the fact that there is no serious effort to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine? I know you can't admit this is all a bunch of bullshit so I'm looking for you to put your money where your big mouths (or brainwashed minds) are. Come on, don't just show faux indignation, show some cash.

Disclaimer: All bet amounts are subject to approval of my personal accountant, Mrs. TEH.

Good Felons

I have to strongly agree with Matt Yglesias on this.
I cannot believe that (a) Ted Stevens got a standing ovation from his fellow senators, and (b) Harry Reid is now delivering an ode to him. I mean, the man’s a criminal.
And I'll add this: Lawmakers of every stripe and institution are notoriously "tough on crime" when it comes to people they don't even know. It's always an easy political feather in the cap to make prison sentences longer or criminalize this or that, but when it comes to one of their own, the criminal is to be lauded and honored. It really disgusts me. And don't even get me started on the idiotic Alaskan voters who very nearly reelected the man.

Update: Later Matt Y. agrees with me (even if he doesn't know it)...

Watching these Ted Stevens tributes unfold is really shocking.

...

Would be nice to see one of these guys show some concern for, say, a non-violent drug offender sitting in jail somewhere.

Update II: This is interesting. Remember Jim Jeffords, the Vermont Republican who switched to Independent and effectively threw control of the Senate from the GOP to the Dems in 2002? Well, Jeffords retired at the end of his term in 2006. Here's what happened:
On September 27, 2006, Jeffords delivered his farewell speech on the Senate floor after 32 years of service. Only one Republican senator, Charles Grassley of Iowa, spoke to the floor in praise of Jeffords, whom he called his "friend." Floor speeches for retiring senators are a Senate tradition.
So it's cool if you're a convicted felon but leaving the poitical party is a high crime for which you will not be recognized.

Grossburger

I like a good burger from time to time as much as the next guy. But the burger arms race over the last ten years or so really has become ridiculous. I'm actually grossed out by some of the TV ads, particularly Hardee's. Remember the cheese-paper licking guys or the commercials with the men all siting around stuffing their faces with giant burgers and you could here all their mouth noises? Appetizing stuff. But the worst of it is how completely unhealthy these things are. Not to keep picking on Hardee's, but 1420 caleries in one burger?

The ironic part is that these restaurants also generally offer a larger menu of truly more healthy stuff (although those things aren't advertised nearly as much, if at all). And here's a weird bit of psychology about that: I find myself feeling less guilty about ordering the bad stuff just knowing there is good stuff available. Additionally, I am more likely to go into a place that has healthy options than one that doesn't. But once I get there, all bets are off.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Serious Insights: Saved By Zero Edition

Been under the weather the last couple of days (flu, I think), hence lighter and dumber blogging than normal. Flu shot and Fabulous Wealth™ not even able to get me some relief.

My Biggest Fan

I won't be linking to the libelous post put up about me by another blogger, but in case you had the great misfortune of having waded though it, let me just make it clear that almost nothing this person says about me or my family is true. He has some weird chip on his shoulder that I can't explain.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Celebrity Death Rumors

From Richard Roeper’s column today:
Over the weekend, somebody hacked into the "Miley and Mandy Show" YouTube account and pretended to be Miley Cyrus' friend Mandy Jiroux.

"Hi guys, this is Mandy and I have some very sad news," said the fake Mandy.

"We're very hurt to tell everyone this, but Miley died this morning after being hit by a drunk driver . . . R.I.P. honey, we will miss you so much."

The message was set to the tune of "Goodbye," which E! describes as Miley's "weepy new single." (I wouldn't know because I'm one gender and three decades away from being Miley's target audience.)

So Miley joins the ranks of stars who have been the victim of sudden-death urban hoaxes. The list includes actors who played the Beaver (killed in Vietnam) and Urkel (suicide). Also, Eminem (car crash), Britney Spears (car crash, overdose), the guy from "Blue's Clues" (overdose) and Will Ferrell (paragliding accident).
I had not heard about the Miley hoax, but I also hadn’t heard about any of those other examples except the Beav’s (Jerry Mathers) early demise at the hands of the VC.

The one celebrity death rumor I remember best involved Henry Winkler circa 1975 who had just hit superstardom playing The Fonz on Happy Days. He supposedly died of a drug overdose. I was in my early years of high school and remember hearing the rumor while riding the bus home from school. I was shocked. Needless to say I believed the rumor. Even my parents use the rumor as a cautionary tale about drugs.



The internet can spread rumors faster these days, but it can also quell them as quickly. In 1975, it was largely all word of mouth. So, the Fonz-is-Dead rumor persisted around here for at least days if not longer (I don’t remember) because we lacked a Snopes or Fonz fan website. Today, a Miley fan hearing the bad news on the school bus could whip out her iPhone and despnse with the rumor on the spot. Or choose not to and wallow in the horror of it all.

Monday, November 17, 2008

We’re Broke, You Fix It

I honestly don’t know where the City of Springfield should make budget cuts (assuming new revenues really are not an option). I know, let’s get rid of “waste”!

Seriously though, what are the extravagant city services that we really could just do without? And I’m talking about enough to make up the expected $12 million shortfall. Cutting the mayor’s salary or something similarly vindictive isn’t going to make a difference. And stuff like this from mayor Davlin can’t be the answer:

"What this really means is: A lot of people in Springfield are going to see some services changed," he said. "Perhaps we're not going to be as responsive as we've been in the past in picking up tree limbs, or perhaps (when) we have a major snow storm, it may take a little bit while longer ... but we're going to try to take a look at every position possible. And it's going to mean a change in services."
Those are actual services and no one wants them to be cut. If that were the only alternative to tax hikes, I think most people would take a modest tax hike. But of course there are a lot more options: closing libraries, cutting salaries, maybe some layoffs of people who don’t keep the streets safe and clean, etc.

Then there is the “Tax All Foreigners Living Abroad” solution from Alderman Gail Simpson:

Simpson said she hopes the mayor's committee will come up with a new revenue source that targets people who "work in Springfield, come in at 8:30 and leave at 5 o'clock and take their resources with them ... so that citizens of Springfield aren't bearing the brunt."
I actually like this to some extent, but I’m not sure how that would be accomplished. Should we set up toll booths at every entrance to the city? I personally think putting a Berlin-style wall up around Jerome (especially!) and Leland Grove and charge the residents a stiff levy to enter or leave would be a fine solution.

Springfield Bites

I thought I’d pass on a few local restaurant notes from places I've been recently:

Jimmy Oh’s – Tried this new place at 3241 W Iles for the first time this weekend. Food was OK, but a bit pricy. The dinner salads were great. Service sucked.

Bennigan’s downtown – Skip it and go to Saputo’s across the street or wonder on over to Cafe Brio.

Pizza Hut on Chatham Road – Went there to use my son’s Book It coupon from school. Food was as expected (it’s Pizza Hut!) but our waitperson was outstanding. I’m not sure why you can’t get this level of service at more expensive restaurants. I tipped as if I was at a more expensive restaurant. I think it’s crazy to base tips on the price of the meal. Even with the nearly 40% tip I left at Pizza Hut, the superior waitperson got less than the crappy server at Jimmy O’s. I think I’m going to implement a new tipping scale with a baseline of $10. Level of service will make that number go up or down.

Pao in The Gables – Awesome sushi menu. Other food was good too. Again, kind of pricy. Good beer choices. Service was good but then we were with a large group that had to pay a large restaurant-mandated tip to the servers. I’ll be back for the sushi.

Roly Poly (next to Jimmy Oh’s) – Interesting sandwich shop concept. Everything is made with flatbread and they have tons of combinations of their many ingredients. The day we ate there, someone came out from the back and offered us free soup to take home since it was the end of the lunch rush and they had lots left over. Talk about good service.

Shorter Kev 11/17/08

Blago must decide on a new U.S. Senator! He might pick someone to satisfy a political interest group or he might pick himself to hide from federal prosecutors (who would never find him under his desk on the floor of the Senate). Or maybe he will pick someone competent rather than political since the two are obviously mutually exclusive.

Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Alaskan Exposure

I think my teevee forewarned me of this through shows like Northern Exposure and, more recently, Men in Trees (which I think failed because it was a worse Northern Exposure). But Ezra Klein still has the quote of the day:
With Ted Stevens looking like he's on his way out -- but just barely -- and the oddities of Sarah Palin's understanding of governance still fresh in everyone's mind, there's a dawning realization that Alaska is, by any measure, an extremely weird place.
You betcha!

Sorry Hawaii, He's Ours

While Hawaii is trying to claim Barack Obama as their own, it's clear Illinois is going to win the where-he's-from battle.
In spite of the excitement over the Inaugural ball, Hawaii has a bit of a chip on its shoulder. Obama, after all, is a Senator from Illinois, and the incoming President comes off as more a Land of Lincolner than a son of the Aloha State. It's been that way throughout his political career.
...
Some Hawaiians have a ready explanation for Obama's reticence about the state where he was born. They say local people were raised to be humble, a tradition that dates back to the 19th-century beginnings of Hawaii's plantation era, when everyone came from someplace else and pineapple and sugarcane workers needed to get along in order to survive in their new home. So it would be uncharacteristic, they say, for a true son of Hawaii to go to a big city like Chicago and brag about the sun-drenched beaches, tight family ways and tasty food of his home state. Instead, they say, someone like Obama would most likely try to fit in while sticking to the values of his birthplace.
Yeah, whatever. But don't feel bad Hawaii, Kentucky feels your pain. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky but is forever associated with Illinois for some of the same reasons as Obama. Remember though, Illinois has been on the losing end too. Ronald Reagan was born and raised in Illinois but became forever associated with California in his adult life.

In a related story, this was a very nice farewell to Illinois from its now former senator. He cites Lincoln's departing remarks. Springfield even gets mentioned. I'm guessing Obama didn't send Hawaii one of these.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Serious Insights: Drunk Edition

So if expensive alcohol results in less alcohol consumption, how come there are so many drunks at baseball games?

Shorter Kev 11/14/08

The Illinois legislature is still stupid and I can’t believe you people didn’t vote them all out! The State doesn’t pay its bills on time and that might cause us to all become unemployed. And for information on dentists who take Medicaid, I rely on a local mental health professional.

Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Friday Beer Blogging: Shock Top Edition

In addition to being bought out, Anheuser-Busch has been busy cranking out a variety of new flavors of beer. Last weekend I decided to try their new Belgian White wheat ale called Shock Top.

As you can see from the label it certainly gives the impression it might have an orange flavor. That made me hesitate in buying the stuff since I’m not big on fruity beers. I know a lot of places will put an orange slice on the side of a wheat beer like Blue Moon, but I usually just take it off and forget about it. Anyway, I decided to take a chance and bought a six of Shock Top.

I’ve been surprised that I really haven’t been able to taste the orange in the four I’ve already consumed. Maybe a tiny, tiny hint but I wouldn’t call it a fruity tasting beer at all. Or maybe I just got a “good” batch.

I don’t normally go reading reviews of beers. I mostly rely on my own taste and maybe the recommendations of others. But for some reason, I decided to look at the reviews of Shock Top. They were all over the map; some people hated it, others really liked it. Several people commented on the orange taste I haven’t noticed.

Have a great weekend! And does anyone know if that is really Aaron Schock on the Schock Top label?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

When the Movie Is Made, Can I Play Todd?

I could pretend to not know why this woman is STILL on my teevee and newspapers and internets, but that would be dishonest. Sarah Palin has a certain celebrity factor that no media outlet looking for viewers or readers wants to do without. She’s a person who came out of nowhere (Alaska counts as nowhere, right?) to suddenly be the nominee for Vice President of the United States. It had Julia Roberts movie written all over it. And just because the election is over and her team lost, is no reason to let go of that fascination with her.
Sadly, part of that interest, for lot of people, comes from a sort of rubbernecking-the-train-wreck urge where you can’t believe this woman actually came this close to being this close to being president and that she doesn’t get how silly that is. Watching her pontificate is just fascinating because you never know what she might say. And for Palin’s part, she can’t get enough of the attention. Pretty soon we’ll all have her convinced she really does matter. At that point, everyone laughs I unison and she fades from the scene.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Three Things I Saw at Barnes & Noble Tonight

A Barack Obama 2009 wall calendar. Cheesy! I had to turn it over to see the pictures used for the various months. One was of BO painting a wall. Exciting!

On display right next to the Obama calendar was a Chief Illiniwek calendar. Obsessive!

And finally, I was amused to see the Stephen Colbert book bag for sale. Funny!

Comcastic

Maybe I’m just getting old, but I find it a lot harder to remember 3-digit TV channels than 2-digit ones. Mercifully, Comcast is continuing to group the channels by category. Has anyone else with a digital box noticed that your Favorites button on the remote now takes you to both the 2-digit location and the digital 3-digit location of a channel even if you only set it up for the 2-digit location?
And they ought to have a voice –activated way to get to channels. Press a button on your remote, say the name of the cable network you want (i.e. “The Weather Channel”) and the channel appears on your screen.

Shorter Kev 11/12/08

The Illinois legislature sucks even more than Blago! They spend too much money and are stupid but it’s not that big a deal if they can suck it up and cut a little spending.
Kevan Kavanaugh’s commentaries can be heard regularly on AM 970 WMAY .

Bloggers and Their Parents' Basements

Sarah Palin knows that bloggers who are critical of her are blogging from their parent’s basements (comment start’s at 1:00).

Yes, yes and we're in our pajamas and we're eating Cheetos. I feel like such an outsider not having parents with a basement and never wearing pajamas. I do like Cheetos (who doesn’t!) but I don’t think I’ve ever blogged while eating them.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Broken Streak


Take My Kids -Please

C’mon, parents, admit it. There were days when taking advantage of a law like this would have been more than just a little tempting.