Please Forward This

Can we all stop the mindless forwarding e-mails now? E-mails are not new things anymore. And the accuracy track record for forwarded e-mails has to be around 5%. If you really must forward an e-mail, at least go to Snopes.com before making a fool of yourself.

I don't generally get e-mail forwards for two reasons: 1) I tend to "reply to all" debunking them and 2) I'm not a conservative. When I reply to all and debunk, I'm taken off the sender's forwarding list for the rudeness of correcting them. Because I'm not a conservative, I'm just not in line to receive 98% of e-mail forwards anyway. I'm not sure why false e-mails seem to be so pervasive in right wing circles but they are.

Anyway, it's amazing to me how a tool that has so much information to offer has, in one respect, been turned into a massive generator of bullshit. Here's an idea on how to fight it.

Vaccine-Nation

I made an appointment today to get my flu shot. According to the CDC, there is plenty of flu vaccine this year. Viruses covered include:

A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus
A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.

After my shot, I plan to talk serious trash to any of those bugs I happen to see hanging around.

Six

My 5 year-old son has been itching to get into some of the new shirts we bought him for the school year. The problem's been that they were long sleeved and it’s been too warm to wear them. Today it’s cool enough for long sleeves. He excitedly put one on this morning, ran to the mirror and proudly proclaimed the shirt made him look SIX!

Picking Up the Tab

I agree, in principle, that the Obama campaign should pay the $50k the City of Springfield says it spent hosting the presidential hopeful’s visit and speech here last month. Seems only fair since the city was being used as a backdrop for a campaign event. However, I’m not sure what other affected governmental bodies do. Do all cities bill candidates for expenses when they visit to campaign? And what about the State of Illinois? You may have noticed that on the day Obama was here, the city was flooded with State troopers.

Also, while the city may have spent $50,000, how much did it make from the event? Thousands of people came to the city and presumably spent at least some money. I live here and wound up spending money downtown I otherwise would not have. I’m not convinced the city is really out 50 grand.

In a related story, Peoria is considering charging the Aaron Schock campaign for the costs the city incurred during a fundraising visit by President Bush in July. The Schock people (of course) say they shouldn’t have to pay.

PEORIA — A policy examining how much city services should be used to secure a visiting president of the United States or other high-ranking public officials will be explored in the coming weeks, the Peoria City Council decided Tuesday.

The policy came after a discussion about newly released information from city staff members showing that President George W. Bush's July 25 visit to Peoria for a private campaign stop in support of state Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, cost city taxpayers $38,252.
…
Schock's campaign manager last week said the federal government will be reimbursed for the use of Air Force One according to a governmental formula that has been in place since the 1980s. The manager also said that no campaign has ever had to pay for local police protection requested by the Secret Service whenever the president visits.

And tying the two together:

PEORIA — State Rep. Aaron Schock's campaign manager said Friday that if U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign pays the local costs of police and fire protection during a visit to Springfield last month, then they might consider doing the same for Peoria.

"If (Obama) ends up paying for it, things might change," Steve Shearer said, referring to $38,000 in city of Peoria costs for police, fire and public works services on July 25, when President George W. Bush visited for a private fundraiser for Schock, R-Peoria.
Schock, who is running for the 18th Congressional District seat vacated
by retiring U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, earlier this week said the request
for his campaign to pay the money to the city is political.

I previously questioned the wisdom of this sort of visit by the president (any president) for purely political reasons, but the least that could be done in this situation is the benefiting campaign pays the costs. As Rich Miller wrote yesterday:

Might consider?

Considering that Springfield is billing Obama’s campaign for a public event that could be attended by anyone for free (unlike Schock’s purely private event that charged an admission price), Schock may have to do more than maybe consider a refund…

The only sympathy I have for Schock or Obama is on whether the campaigns have been traditionally charged for such things. But even if they have not been in the past, maybe it’s time they are. I would leave that decision up to the governmental entity providing the services, but it should be applied equally in a nonpartisan way.

Spider, Man!

No particular reason for this, but there was a big spider next to our garage a couple of weeks ago. Spidy has since abandoned his mighty web.

That'll Be the Day

I'm kind of amazed that the great deficiencies I found in Ronald Reagan and Dan Quayle have been supremely superseded by contemporary counterparts George W. Bush and Sarah Palin. I thought back in the '80s that I would have to live a lot longer than I have to actually see this happen.

And this seems real to me:

Deersurgency Review

I'm gone for the weekend to review the progress of the surge against the deer insurgency in Southern Illinois. Anyone need anything (legal) from Carbondale?

Go Dawgs.

Pin Heads

Well, this means Obama automatically wins...

9:02: Barack Obama enters, wearing a flag pin on his lapel. John McCain has no flag on his lapel.

End of debate.

The Letterman Effect

Stuff like this is far from the most important thing in a presidential campaign, but given their disproportionate influence on public opinion, I don’t think it’s a good plan to get on the wrong side of a popular late night TV talk show host.

Call it the Blagojevichian Political Tone Deafness Syndrome (BPTDS) or whatever you like, but it just makes no sense to needlessly make enemies that can harm you. Lying to Letterman was just dumb. My guess is that had McCain just cancelled and been done with it, he might have gotten a few snarky jabs thrust at him but not two nights of full-blown comedic tirade. Judgment matters.

Just as an aside: My, Letterman is looking and sounding old. I haven’t been a regular Lettermen viewer since the mid-1980s. (Almost any television show has no more than a three or four year shelf life with me.) That’s not to say I haven’t seen his show at all, I just don’t tune in regularly and I rarely, if ever, see the whole thing. I tuned in two nights ago to see the McCain bashing fun but that was a special occasion. I came away kind of shocked that while Letterman seems as mentally sharp as ever, his delivery is much less energetic and his speech is a little “old” sounding these days.

Not that I’m getting any younger. In fact, that may be the problem. Even the young, brash icons of my youth are now getting old. And then there’s the fact that, with increasing frequency, I find that I’ve never heard of the host and/or musical act on any given Saturday Night Live.

Serious Insights: A Virus We Can Believe In Edition

I would take this virus one step farther and make it apply to all comments (and blog posts) everywhere.

Friday Beer Blogging: Footwear Edition

Get your beer on! On your feet. We all have seen beer hats and shirts, but have you ever looked down, way down? Like to the socks…

And here are some shoes allegedly made out of beer cans.

They sure do look comfortable.

Here’s another sort of beer footwear that I think you have to actually be drunk to think is a good idea…

Corona flip-flops anyone?

When in need of an emergency cozy? Whip off your sock and you’re good to go.

And here’s some beer footwear that’s made more for drinking out of than wearing.

Have a great weekend! And remember, happy feet can be had for the price of a beer

Sarah Palin is no Dan Quayle

Recently:

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

A Long Time Ago:

"Hawaii has always been a very pivotal role in the Pacific. It is in the Pacific. It is a part of the United States that is an island that is right here." (Vice President Dan Quayle, Hawaii, 4/25/89)

Days Left

91 days (exactly three months) until Christmas. Sux. Walgreen's (among others, I'm sure) already has Christmas stuff for sale. Hurry on over.


40 Days until the election. That’s good news for those of you who don’t appreciate the total quadrennial fun of presidential races.

Assault by Deadly Fart

This can’t be for real.

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia man who police said passed gas and fanned it toward a patrolman has been charged with battery on a police officer.

Jose A. Cruz, 34, of Clarksburg was pulled over early Tuesday for driving without headlights, police said. According to the criminal complaint, Cruz smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and failed three field sobriety tests before he was handcuffed and taken to a police station for a breathalyzer test.

As Patrolman T.E. Parsons prepared the machine, Cruz scooted his chair toward Parsons, lifted his leg and “passed gas loudly,’’ the complaint said.

Cruz, according to complaint, then fanned the gas toward the officer.

“The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons,’’ the complaint alleged.

He was also charged with driving under the influence, driving without headlights and two counts of obstruction.

Cruz acknowledged passing gas, but said he didn’t move his chair toward the officer nor aim gas at the patrolman. He said he had an upset stomach at the time, but police denied his request to go to the bathroom when he first arrived at the station.

“I couldn’t hold it no more,’’ he said.

Healthcare Is Not a Right When It's So Wrong

What happened to this woman is tragic on its face, but the ridiculous insurance subplot is just infuriating and highlights the sheer stupidity that is our healthcare policy in this country.

As Jessica Cantrell fights to recover from traumatic brain injuries she sustained in a motorcycle accident, her family has been fighting [Southern Illinois University] insurance administrators to pay for her care.

Since the Aug. 23 accident, Cantrell has been in a coma and unable to attend class. In accordance with university policy, her insurance coverage stopped the last day she attended classes.

University insurance administrator Jim Hunsaker confirmed the policy to Cantrell's brother, Jonathan, in an e-mail dated Sept. 15.

"Basically, if you can come back, you're covered," Jonathan Cantrell said. "If a student gets hurt and misses classes, even if they paid the university, they withdraw the student and say their insurance ended."

…
Sievers said interim Chancellor Sam Goldman met with other university administrators Tuesday to discuss reinstating Cantrell, a senior from Galatia studying French and Spanish.

A possible solution could allow Cantrell to use the $250,000 policy if she pays her tuition and fees, Sievers said.

Jonathan Cantrell said his family is willing to pay the semester's tuition and fees if the university will allow her to use her insurance coverage.

"It's worth paying $7,000 for $250,000 of coverage," he said. "After hearing it was possible, I was excited, but her bills are higher than the insurance money."

The medical bills she has already accumulated would probably exhaust the insurance policy of Lawrence Thompson, the driver of the pick-up truck that struck Cantrell on the motorcycle, Jonathan Cantrell said. It could also exhaust the university policy,
he said.

"There may be nothing left for her care in the future," he said.

Although Jessica Cantrell served in the Army, her brother said she was denied veterans' healthcare benefits because she was not treated at a military facility.

Sievers said insurance benefits from the university could affect her ability to qualify for Medicaid or other assistance.

"We've learned that there could be other options that would be more in Jessica's best interest," Sievers said. "It could be that they do reinstate her as a student, but it's not a done deal."

…
Jessica Cantrell remains in intensive care at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis following emergency surgery to remove a portion of her brain and skull, Jonathan Cantrell said.

That’s just crazy. It shouldn’t be that hard to get coverage for your medical bills while you are in a coma. You should be using the services of doctors not lawyers. What a wasteful and unnecessarily expensive “system” we have.

Serious Insights: Sell Stuff and They Will Come Edition

Springfield: Mundane Retailer to the Stars

Albums R Back

No, I'm not talking about the alleged resurgence of the vinyl LP record, but the term itself. I grew up with LPs, which were also called albums, and so I continued to use the term for a decade or more after vinyl disappeared from store shelves and compact discs took over. Sometime around the turn of the century, I realized that everyone was referring to recorded music as "CDs" instead of albums. Slowly, and with some misgivings, I migrated to the CD terminology.

But then came the digital revolution.

I don't but CDs anymore. Haven't in years really. I download to my computer from the iTunes store. I then upload the music to my iPhone. I use the iPhone when I'm away and listen to music straight from the computer when I'm home. (In my truck, I listen to satellite radio so I know what to download.)

Anyway, it struck me the other day that the buttons I push on iTunes to download music say either "Buy Song" for individual tunes, or, tah-dah, "Buy Album" if I want the entire album. The term is back! No more CDs! What's old is new again!

Serious Insights: Get Your Own Blog Edition

I really hate it when my posts are hijacked and redirected in comments. Feel free to comment on this notion starting with China’s navy.

Last Plane Out, Turn Off the Runway Lights

I heard it but didn’t see it. I had my window open at work and heard the last F-16 take off. I looked at the clock on my PC and it was 9:36. For as long as I’ve lived in Springfield (and that’s been off and on over the years) the sound of jet fighters taking off has been part of the background noise. Now they’re gone for good. I still want to know what happens to the local pilots.

By the way, take a look at the main page of the Capital Airport website.

Update: Video here.

Culinary Gigantism

I hadn’t thought about it quite this way but it seems to be true. What I’ve always hated is that Springfield’s best known food isn’t stuff that’s physically large, but large in calorie and fat content. Of course, I’m talking about horse/ponyshoes. I don’t even like the things. Bleh.

Running Against Geography

I don’t know what this means but I’ve noticed something about the way Republicans campaign of late. They seem to be running against geographic areas. Look at this recent statement from the McCain campaign.

“Barack Obama has brought the sleazy gutter politics of Chicago to our national stage…”

And how many times have we heard “San Francisco” values invoked and derided by the right. Or “East Coast” elitists, or Massachusetts this or that, or Hollywood leftists?

I’m trying to think if there are similar geographic punching bags used by Democrats or the left. I don’t think there are. And that’s fine since I think the practice is silly. It generalizes and, frankly, alienates entire sections of the country. I don’t see that as a particularly effective way to gain control of national office. It may work well regionally, though. I can certainly imagine running against Chicago for some district seat here in Central Illinois might be effective. Nationally though? To coin a phrase, “Why do they hate (parts of) America?”

A Penny for Your Springfield

Wow. Springfield gets put on money. The “tails” side of some of the new pennies will feature Lincoln next to the Old State Capitol building.

The Seven Deadly Obsessions

Conservatives have an almost religious devotion to obsessing over the following and I’m not sure why. Mostly they just don’t matter all that much and I defy any conservative to identify which of these items actually plagues your life.

Trial Lawyers
Barbara Streisand
France
The ACLU
Flag burning (see also: flag pins)
Teachers Unions
George Soros

Am I missing any?

The House That Wrigley Built

Here I go again, wondering into sports-related territory where I’m clearly ill-equipped and uninformed. But I couldn’t help taking note of the fact that Yankee Stadium is being torn down and a new Yankee facility constructed right next door to the old and historic park. Being allergic to the sports page I wasn’t even aware this was going to happen until this weekend. I guess it kind of surprises me given how some of the greatest names in baseball once played there. And while I have no knowledge of the details, I’m sure the whole thing comes down to more money for the Yankees owners.

But it did get me wondering. Would Chicago and the whole Cubs universe ever, EVER, stand for the demolishing and replacement of Wrigley Field? I can’t imagine it. I can imagine riots preventing it though. I just can’t think that anyone, not even someone so politically tone deaf as, say, Rob Blagojevich, would ever even consider the idea.



Or am I wrong? Are there hints of such an idea brewing in Chicago? Again, if a story is limited to the sports section, I probably don’t know about it. I just can’t think replacing the Ivy Walls with new, greener, faster-growing ivy walls will ever happen.

Pilot Program

Following up on the 183rd story and the post below…

Why have I not seen anything about what is happening to the unit’s pilots? These guys live (or used to) in the community and if the planes are gone, did they go with them? Or did they have the option to? I’ve followed this story for years and I don’t think I’ve seen or heard an answer to that question. The military has a lot of money wrapped up in the training of these guys, certainly some provision was made for them. Right?

One

One lonely plane remains...

The last F-16 jet assigned to Springfield’s 183rd Tactical Fighter Wing is expected to leave the city some time Tuesday or Wednesday.

...
The 183rd’s F-16 Falcons started leaving Springfield early in the summer. The unit had around 15 jets, and since then, they have been leaving a few at a time. F-16s from Springfield have gone to other units across the country including squadrons in Texas, Vermont and Indiana.

Sheedy said that as of Sunday, there was only one 183rd aircraft remaining in Springfield.

Just a few weeks ago, when the B-17 was here, I drove past the 183rd's plane parking lot (that's technical aviation jargon) and there were at least half a dozen still left.

Now just one.

It would have been nice if all of them had left at once in one spectacular fly-away. They could have opened up the airport Air Rendezvous style and invited the whole community to come out and watch the F-16s fly off into the sunset. Someday I'll understand that the military doesn't exist for my amusement.

Who's Less Taxing?

To find out who wants to tax you less, McCain or Obama, go here and enter just three things: Your filing status, number of dependents and adjusted gross income.

For me, the Obama plan has me paying slightly less than the McCain plan, but both give me a good sized tax cut. Not sure tax cuts are what we (the country) needs now that we are planning on spending a trillion dollars on bailing out financial institutions, but I'm not going to refuse the money if they give it to me.

Black Holistic

Ah, good. Now we can at least see who wins the presidential election before the man-made black holes devour the earth.

GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- The world's largest atom smasher, which was launched with great fanfare earlier this month, is more badly damaged than previously thought and will be out of commission for at least two months, its operators said Saturday.
...
Its start came over the objections of some who feared that the collision of protons could imperil the Earth by creating micro black holes, subatomic versions of collapsed stars whose gravity is so strong they can suck in planets and other stars.

And for the sarcastically impaired, I'm not really worried the LHC is going to destroy the earth. But I'm training an army of white holes in my basement just in case.

Serious Insights: Getting Older Edition

Given the post below, I think I'm one of the few people my age that hasn't grown up and I probably never will.

My First College Roommate

OMG.

With my daughter a month into her freshman year at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, I've been thinking a lot about my own freshman year there 30 years ago. Tonight, I got to wondering about my roommate from that year, Tim. I haven't thought a lot about him over the years because we kind of parted ways after that first year at school. We would occasionally run into each other in succeeding years at Carbondale, but I really didn't hang with him at all after our first year.

I decided to hit the Google to see if I could find him. A quick search on just his name didn't result in anything that could plausibly be him. Suddenly, I remembered the last encounter I had with him sometime late (I think) in my stay at SIU at a party. He told me he was going to enlist in the Air Force. I didn't think much of it at the time, but for some reason I remembered him telling me that. So I refined my Google search to include his name and "USAF". Before hitting "enter", I figured this was a huge long shot since even if he really had followed through and enlisted, it was probably just a minimal stint in the military and he had already been out for a long time.

Hah! I immediately found this and when I clicked on the link, I recognized him instantly.

Here's a picture of us taken in late 1978. That's him on the right and me on the left. By way of explanation on height difference, I'm sitting on my bed which sat pretty high because it sat atop the edge of the heating unit and the edge of my desk, and he's standing. (Don't ask about the cat or I'll have to tell you tales of "cat bowling").

(For Dave Bakke, if you're reading this, notice the Beaker Street poster next to Tim's left shoulder.)

And now...here is the picture of USAF Col. (fucking Colonel!) Fowler today:

I hate to say it, and I'm not sure why I hate to, but I'm really proud of him. I knew him (and him me) as sort of an aimless kid of 18 in the year we lived together. And believe me, we did lots of things the military would not approve of. But what the hell, way to go Tim!

Friday Beer Blogging: Down the Drain Edition

This post is both secondhand and personal in nature. That is, my wife, not I, was witness to something both appalling and fascinating at one of the large, national chain eateries here in Springfield. She stopped in with my 5 year-old son to pick up a carryout order. The carryout transactions take place at the bar. While waiting for the food to come out she and my son sat at the bar.

Behind the bar a new employee was being trained on the proper way to pour draft beer from the tap. The old hand was demonstrating the various ways to fill glasses and pitchers of beer. And when done with a particular demonstration, the old hand would dump out the beer. When the newbie practice the same techniques, the end result was he same -more beer down the drain.

To make matters worse, there is apparently a different technique to pouring Bud Light vs. Blue Moon. So the demonstration/practice routines had to be applied to both taps. And everything was dumped down the drain.


I'm told my son was fascinated by the process. Honestly, he hasn't seen a lot of beer poured away and certainly not in such quantities. Well, not poured down the drain anyway. I hope he's OK and not too traumatized by the experience. Or maybe I'm just projecting.

Anyway, my wife thought it was best that I hadn't been there for the event lest I had wept uncontrollably right there on the bar. And I'll have talk with my son later.

Have a great weekend! And don't pour out all the beer -that's alcohol abuse.

Sole Survivor

OK, this is pretty amazing. A house stands as the only structure for miles after hurricane Ike smashed ashore in Galveston, TX. Everything else on the property is gone: the decking, the lawn, everything. It almost looks like the ground under the house’s foundation is eroded. But the house is still there. The neighbors, and any sign of their houses, are gone as far as the eye can see (pictures here).

The owners of the last house standing specifically built it to withstand hurricanes. It worked but you almost have to wonder to what end. They won’t be able to live on that moonscape for a while and the expenses to replace what was damaged or swept away will still be substantial. Oh well, I guess they’re still one step ahead of everyone else who lived there.

Serious Insights: Wrong Number Edition

Misprinted phone numbers that turn out to be sex chat lines will never cease to be news stories. It is amazing how often it happens though.

"What about me, what?”

This is comical until you realize this daft old guy is in serious contention to be President of the United States.

…yesterday John McCain was interviewed on the Florida affiliate of Spanish radio network Union Radio. And in the interview McCain appeared not to know who the Prime Minister of Spain was and assumed he was some anti-American leftist leader from South America.

After the interviewer presses him a couple times on the point and tries to focus him on the fact that Prime Minister Zapatero isn't from Mexico and isn't a drug lord either, McCain comes back at her saying, "All I can tell you is that I have a clear record of working with leaders in the Hemisphere that are friends with us and standing up to those who are not. And that's judged on the basis of the importance of our relationship with Latin America and the entire region."

Then there's a moment of awkward pause before she says. "But what about Europe? I'm talking about the President of Spain."

McCain: "What about me, what?

Interviewer: "Are you willing to meet with him if you're elected president?"

McCain: "I am wiling to meet with any leader who is dedicated to the same principles and philosophy that we are for humans rights, democracy and freedom. And I will stand up to those who do not."

At this point, the interviewer gets tongue-tied presumably because she can't get over McCain not knowing what Spain is.

I can excuse not knowing a random foreign leader's name, but the dementia-esque “What about me, what?” thing is a little weird.

Update: And yes, it's also bizarre that McCain seems to think Spain is in Latin America.

Update II: Ha - John McSpain. The name McCain really is a pretty versatile for those prone to mockery.

Too Black for the Hat

Absolutely Pam, black men should not wear cowboy hats.

As the McCain ad says of Obama, “How disrespectful!”


It’s unimportant to note that the old west was full of black cowboys because cowboying was hard, shitty work back then. And guess who got to do the hard, shitty work.


So yes, Obama is being a bit uppity and, of course, Disrespectful™ towards whites who are the real cowboys.

Good to see Pam can still spew the stoopid and historical ignorance from afar.

Here Lies the Hair Ties

Hey, guys. Recognize this?

Yeah, it's one of those hair ties your wife/GF/daughter leaves around and they always wind up on the floor and you are the only one who can pick them up. I don't think they really use the things, or at least not as many as are on the floor, but rather scatter them around to piss us off.

I took the above photo in our kitchen and I know I had picked that one up at least twice already.

That is all.

They Say Freedom Isn’t Free

I could write for hours on this topic, but it’s easier to copy and paste material from someone who can do it better:

People who prattle on about "the free market" are usually too stupid to have a clue how complicated and pervasive the "rules" had to be to… get a well-functioning modern market system: sophisticated concepts of contracts and enforcement, property rights, legal entities, proper accounting, bankruptcy, limited liability, etc... etc..., did not descend from the heavens but were, in fact, created.

And:

The real issue is that you need a sensible regulatory framework to prevent financial crises from happening in the first place and criteria and practices for dealing with them when they do, along with a sensible and consistent broad social safety net for individuals and families for when crises happen to them.

It might have been the right thing to run down to the river with buckets to collect water to throw on the burning building, but it would have been much better to have better fire codes and a functioning fire department.

It’s always interesting to me how much people rely on “regulations” and laws and courts to make life and everything associated with it run more efficiently and more smoothly, at least in the big picture. It’s fine to argue the merits of rules at the margins; that’s part of the process, a process that needs constant attention and tweaking with changing circumstances. But those who bemoan any kind of “regulation” as a bad thing simply have been spoiled by its benefits. It reminds me of the teenager who whines about their parent’s rules, runs away to be “free”, and then rudely finds out how much they took for granted.

I wish I had a dollar for every person I’ve heard whine about a litigious society and “frivolous” lawsuits only to go running to the courts when they’ve perceive they’ve been aggrieved. Their lawsuit, of course, isn’t so frivolous.

Update: Related, there is this:

One metaphor the Democrats don't use, that I think of over and over when I hear Obama speak about the need for regulation: the markets operate like team sports -- like say, a football game. Team sports don't operate well without referees, and that's exactly what's happened under the Republicans.

...the fact is, the Republicans under leadership of such brain trusts as Phil Gramm have methodically removed the referees from the games, and look what's happened. One of the primary reasons investors shy away from putting money into third world countries is an ABSENCE OF REGULATION.

Why doesn't Obama encapsulate his ideas in this way? Democrats believe in free markets, but free markets need rules and referees, just like a football game does, otherwise chaos and destruction.

Pie in the Sky

Via Ezra Klein, this has to be the best pie chart ever:

Poehler Expedition

Nooooooo...

No joke: Amy Poehler's leaving Saturday Night Live.

According to the Los Angeles Times, she tells the new issue of Men's Vogue that she is taking a break after the November election as she prepares to welcome her first child. And she won't be returning after maternity leave.

"It's gonna be really hard Boyz II Men hard to say goodbye to yesterday," she says. "SNL was dangerous, late-night, last-minute and star-studded, but like any good drug, you need to know when to put it down."

But this is OK, right...

Poehler won't be off the small screen altogether.

She has signed on for NBC's upcoming Office spin-off, set to air next year.

My early, uneducated prediction is that any Office spin-off will fail.

So Near and Yet So Far

This seems hard to believe now:

According to AAA Chicago, the average price of gasoline a year ago was $2.89 a gallon in Springfield.

Illinois’ Great Divide: Soda or Pop

I see someone has actually mapped out the geographic differences between how people refer to soft drinks. (Click here to see larger map)

We live on the edge of the St. Louis centered Soda island. To our north and east in our state lies the land of Pop. I noticed this difference in terms while living in northwest Illinois, but I must admit it never occurred to me while living in Chicago. And how odd is it soft drinks are just called “Cokes” in the Deep South and Texas? During what little time I’ve spent there I guess I assumed anyone referring to a coke probably meant a Coca-Cola.

Dog (Work) Days

I’m having a bit of a problem with a subcontractor who did some work in my backyard. I’m sure it will be all worked out in the end since I trust the main contractor to do right by me. But listen to some of the weird things that happened the day last week when the subcontractor did his thing.

He showed up with his dog. That’s right; he brought his dog to work. It romped around our fence-in backyard while this guy and his crew did their work. My dog wasn’t all that happy about it but that’s OK. I just think it’s weird you bring your dog to work when that work is at other people’s houses.

Twice the sub-contractor came to our back door asking if he could use some of our gasoline for his equipment. He told me he forgot to bring his own but then he made no effort to go get some. My guess is he figures he can scam clients for the gas rather than have to pay for it himself. Gas is expensive!

And this may be the weirdest thing of all: He cut up one of my hoses. I have a couple of old hoses in my backyard that do need replacing. One was on one of those spool caddies, and for some reason he had trouble using the hose while it was wound up on the caddy. It tended to get kinks in it and that caused the water to not come out unless you unfurled it from the caddy. He finally took my second hose, hooked it up to the spigot and used it. Somewhere in between, he took the hose on the caddy off the caddy and cut it into three pieces. Now like I said, it was old and needing replacing. It even had a couple of small holes in it, so no great loss. But why the fuck would he cut it up? I didn’t discover this until he was gone so I wasn’t able to ask him what that was all about. I will be quizzing the contractor when he eventually gets back to me.

I’m not naming names right now because I still believe the contractor to be a reasonable person. There are some other issues with the actual work the subcontractor did so I’m not going to pick a fight just yet. I know that contractors do sometimes have problems with those they contact work out to.

For example, a few years ago we had some new flooring put down in our house. We contracted with one of the flooring stores in town to have the work done. They hired a subcontractor who came out, tore out our baseboards and then left saying they preferred to work on unoccupied houses (new builds and the like). Huh? So there we were with no baseboards and no one to do the work. We called the contractor and he got us an excellent crew to do the work the very next day. So that worked out well in the end.

Bottom line seems to be that some subcontractors are just moody and sometimes a bit nuts.

Politics 101: Know Who Butters Your Bread

When will the governor ever learn? To the extent that you can actually get away with budget cuts at all, it has to be on the backs of the poor or other disenfranchised groups that have little or no voice (i.e., money). Close parks used by the middle class (or even better off) and you have to contend with nasty blowback. Would any of these (or these) park protesters be in the streets if, say, funding was cut for programs for the homeless? Or school lunch programs for the poor? Of course not. Silly Blago.

A.I.G. in the Spfld

I don't know shit about the finance/insurance industry, but I do know there is a large A.I.G office right here in Springfield. I know people who work there. And this doesn't sound like good news:

The American International Group is seeking a $40 billion bridge loan from the Federal Reserve, as it faces a potential downgrade from credit ratings agencies that could spell its doom, a person briefed on the matter said Sunday night.

Ratings agencies threatened to downgrade the insurance giant’s credit rating by Monday morning, allowing counterparties to withdraw capital from their contracts with the company. One person close to the firm said that if such an event occurred, A.I.G. may survive for only 48 hours to 72 hours.

A.I.G. locally just moved into a newly constructed building on the city's southwest side. A.I.G here in Springfield is what's left of the old Franklin Life company. They recently vacated the old, grand FL building (now occupied by the Illinois State Police) to move into their new three-story, nondescript complex. We are talking about hundreds of workers here. I hope this news doesn't foretell the loss of all those jobs.

Bloggity, Blog, Blog

Springfield blogs are inspiring me to blog about Springfield blogs.

-- Beer Blogging. Why didn't I think of that! But seriously, it's about time someone took it seriously.

-- So the SJ-R thinks Dan runs a mommy blog?

-- Congratulations to the real mommy blogs for the nice write-up.

-- Speaking of Dan, he's being obnoxiously centrist again. Centrism in the name of liberty is no vice!

-- If Russ had a plane, Springfield Rewind would look like this.

-- Oh, and hey Job, you spoke too soon the Russians are now staring to leave Georgia.

-- Roger is back in a big way. 'Bout time, Sam.

Man, I hope I got all those links straight.

Serious Insights: Hurricane Edition

Continuous, live coverage of hurricanes on the teevee is kinda boring.

Ike Comes to Town

Isn’t about the only advantage to living in Illinois is we never get hit by hurricanes? Well, Gustav’s rains soaked us last week and now Ike’s headed here too.

A frontal boundary will bring periods of rain and thunderstorms to the area, delivering two to four inches of rain on the area through Sunday morning. Then, remnants of Hurricane Ike will track along the boundary, bringing the threat of additional rainfall – up to another two to four inches – later that day and into the overnight hours.

Tourism in general may be down here, but the remnants of hurricanes seem to like to visit.

Update: It looks like Ike's gas price increases have already hit town with gas jumping up to around $3.99/gal as of midday.

Serious Insights: I See Other Lands Edition

I know what she means because I once saw Indiana from a tall building in Chicago and that makes me the Rich Miller of Indiana politics.

Friday Beer Blogging: Beer Tubes Edition

New beer technology is always coming along. Last time it was beer holsters and now I've discovered beer tubes. Well, on the internet anyway. I haven't actually seen or used one yet. In fact, when I first saw a picture of one I thought it was, well, a bong. But that was just my inner '70s brain doing the thinking.

What are beer tubes? One online retailer explains:

A Beer Tube is a 100-ounce beverage dispenser with a sports-themed base that keeps beverages colder than a traditional pitcher. The Beer Tube is easy to fill and easier to enjoy, with a removable tube for easy fill-up and a non-drip spout for easy dispensing.

Each Beer Tube is made of high-quality materials with precise attention to detail and is sure to add life to your sports bar, bowling league or tailgate party. Each Beer Tube also includes an area to place your team logo or custom message.

The Beer Tube stands approximately 3.5 feet high and the sports-themed base weighs between 4 and 8 pounds, depending on the design you choose. This makes these "power towers" of beverage extremely stable and durable.

Beer tubes are the 21st century pitchers but they still look like 20th century bongs.

Have a great weekend! And don't bogart that beer tube my friend.

It’s 9/11, I Must Write Something

What really shaped our country more: 9/11 or our (especially the Bush administration’s) reaction to it?

And no, they are not inexorably related. There were many paths, some not involving invading Iraq and resorting to torture, that could have been taken.

Update: By the way, the Bush administration now thinks Osama bin Laden is no longer responsible for 9/11, so please stop bugging them about why he hasn’t been captured or killed.

Mow Town

My mower has been in the shop for a week now. The back yard is getting long. But I have nothing to worry about.

The Afghanistan Factor

You know, we probably wouldn’t have to be resorting to calling up National Guard troops for duty in Afghanistan if we (well, the Bush administration) hadn’t gotten into the idiotic war in Iraq.

Sangamon County Circuit Clerk Tony Libri, who is a colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard, is being deployed to Afghanistan later this year, he said Wednesday.

Libri, 53, is seeking re-election Nov. 4. He said he expects to leave sometime after the election and believes he will return next fall. He said he plans to maintain regular contact with his office to ensure uninterrupted service to the public.

Not that I have any particular objections to this, but I think this pretty much assures Libri’s re-election. Who’s going to vote out a guy going off to war? It almost seems cruel. Of course, I kind of resent that being interjected into the campaign, but I certainly don’t blame Libri for it.

Truth or Consequences

Today someone I know sent out this e-mail (not a forward, it’s original) to a group of friends:

I’m looking for an un-biased article or e-mail forward that states something like… 1) why it is so important to pay attention to the election this year (economy, healthcare, war, etc.) 2) what are the most important qualities to look for in a candidate (not race or sex or if they carry a gun or not) 3) how to figure out the facts from the lies (what websites, news sites… ) and 4) to not pick a candidate just because of who your spouse or parent or church or friend votes for (he/she could be just as uneducated on the issues!).

I want something that I can forward to everyone I know, liberals and conservatives, and not offend but encourage them to pay attention to this race and to be smart and educate themselves on both candidates and to research the facts (because there have been a lot of lies lately).

Have you seen anything like this?? If not then maybe I’ll have to write something. I just don’t know how to say… if you believe every word a politician says you’re an idiot… nicely. Ha! ;)

I don’t know if there is a good answer to this. Or more precisely, unlike horses, I don’t think you can even lead most people to the water much less get them to drink it. Educating oneself takes time and work. Sometimes it’s just too much of a bother. Therefore, most people like to rely on friends, family, church or some other entity they put trust in.

It reminds me of a girlfriend I had over twenty years ago who paid no attention to issues or politics but consistently voted for one political party (it was her civic duty to vote, you know). When I asked her why she voted the way she did, she told me because that’s how her father voted. I thought this was odd because her father was an abusive drunk whom she otherwise had absolutely no respect for. Still, it was easier for her to follow his lead than to make up her own mind based on her understanding of the issues. It was like a brand loyalty. Dad buys Fords and they’ve always done well by him, so I might as well buy a Ford too.

The other problem is that there often isn’t one set of truths to be found. Oh sure, you can catch politicians in factual lies (see Palin/McCain) but, you can’t always demonstrably prove there is one true answer to an issue. Sometimes it’s just a matter of opinion. This is particularly true of complex moral issues like abortion or when to use the military or the death penalty.

Having said that, it’s a good idea to understand both (or all) sides of an issue before deciding where you stand. Then you need to seek out the candidates who are most closely in line with your beliefs on most (it’s probably never all) the issues. And, of course, that’s easier said than done which is how we get back to why so many people rely on acquaintances or talk show hosts or bloggers or even the political parties themselves.

But back to the e-mail. Does anyone have any ideas on what my friend is looking for? I’m so deep in the weeds on these things (because that’s what I like to do) that I may be missing the obvious. I say find some news sources you trust for accuracy, watch C-SPAN (except the dumb call-in shows), and look inside yourself to see where you stand just as a starting point. Or not. I’m always available for telling you how to vote if you can’t figure it out for yourself.

Beyond Comprehension

It still amazes me how no one can ever, ever get to the bottom of the simultaneous and overnight 30 cents a gallon gasoline price increases at every gas station in town. No matter how many stories are written, how many blog posts are posted, how many calls to talk shows are made, no one can ever explain this phenomenon. All we are told that it’s just market forces (or some version of that) and not to worry our pretty little heads.

Football Flyovers

This is kind of an interesting video (after the short ad at the beginning). It features the planning of an Air Force flyover of Soldier Field in Chicago. I particularly like the part where the pilots discuss which downtown Chicago buildings to avoid hitting.

Your Own Private Alaska

I liked Sarah Palin better when she was with The B-52's and didn't lie all the time.

McGwireing Minds

Oddly, mostly non-sports me just asked a friend the other day whatever happened to Mark McGwire. This article today has the answer. Short version: He lives in California and plays golf.

Serious Insights: Give Alan His Due Edition

When Barack Obama becomes president next January, I think Gov. Blagojevich should pick Alan Keyes to serve out the rest of Obama’s term in the Senate since he, Keyes, did come in second in the 2004 election.

Bipartisan Capital Hating

I missed this while I was on the subject earlier. From yesterday's SJ-R:

The governor doesn’t care for the city where the capital is located and spends little time there, instead preferring to stay in the state’s largest city. Some state operations are moving to the big city and there is even talk about moving the entire capital there.

Illinois? Not this time. It’s Alaska. Scan the Internet, and you come across stories about Palin and Juneau that bear a strong resemblance to those about Blagojevich and Springfield, right down to the fact that the governors belong to one party while the capital is located in opposition territory.

Alaska's Governor's Mansion

Update: More here...

ANCHORAGE - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel and many of the trips were to and from their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Burgers

I don’t go to Burger King much, but yesterday I used the drive-through at the store on Veterans Parkway. My son had been bugging me for weeks to go to Burger King. I’m not sure why, maybe he’s seen the ads for whatever toy their giving away in their kids meals.

After ordering, I pulled up to the first window to pay. I noticed a sign on the window stating that taking pictures or video of prohibited. Huh? What’s that about?

I paid the woman and decided I would try to sneak a picture of the sign. How ironic it would be! But I stopped myself. While it would have been satisfying to take the forbidden picture, I had to weigh that against the (remote) possibility of them withholding my son’s kid meal. The resulting fit of a five year-old would have been horrible and a penalty I wasn’t willing to risk. So I put my iPhone down and compliantly took my change and moved on to with window where the food awaited. But I’ll be back, Burger King, I’ll be back. And I will take a picture of that sign. I just won’t have my son with me.

Still, I wonder what that sign is all about. What mischief has been caused by photographing the Burger King cashiers? Why is photography being banned in the drive-through? Does McDonalds have a similar problem?

Monday Hypothetical: Where Would Governor Bomke Live?

For some reason, last night Mrs. TEH and I were discussing Rod Blagojevich (boy, you really have run out of things to talk about when you get to that point) and the subject of his not living in the governor’s mansion in Springfield came up. I’ve gone on record here as not really caring that much where the governor (any Illinois governor) lives and I don’t think she cares that much either. Most people in the state, outside of Springfield, don’t seem to much care either. But here in The Patch, most are deeply offended that the governor won’t acknowledge the wonderfulness that is Springfield and stay in the mansion.

Given all that, I posed this question to her: What if, say, Illinois Senator Larry Bomke, who already lives in the Springfield area, were to become governor? Would we demand he live in the governor’s mansion? Would Bomke want to live there or would he prefer to commute to his current home? Hmmm. After all, he comes from the district most resentful of Governor’s not using the mansion (well, governor’s named Blagojevich; Thompson for some reason got a pass).

I say he would keep his current residence and turn it into a positive by saying he will save the state money by not running up the utilities in mansion, etc. Mrs TEH however thinks he would move into the mansion as it is the proper place for the governor and Bomke would honor that given the uproar Blagojevich has caused by not living there.

I suppose the answer would depend a lot on Bomke’s own feelings and neither of us really knows the man beyond his occasional appearances in the local media. Still, as a political matter, who’s right? Would it be smarter for a (very, very) hypothetical Governor Bamke to live at home or move into the Governor’s Mansion?

The Lace is a Dead Place

A few weeks ago, the owner of Chantilly Lace here in Springfield announced publicly that he was going to sell the place because business was bad. After that announcement, I posted this which briefly described my history with both Chantilly and the building it occupies.

After that, Former Wingman SK (FWSK) and I decided we needed to stop in to Chantilly one last time before the place was sold and the building likely knocked down to make way for a gas station or a CVS Pharmacy. That night came Friday and it was a really sad experience. Or maybe it was just funny. Really, to me, it was like a Twilight Zone episode.

First, let me say that FWSK was my main wingman, and I his, back when we frequented The Lace in the late '90s, mostly 1997 and 1998. We spent countless weekends (and some Wednesday) nights there drinking and socializing. It got to the point where we knew all the regulars and they knew us. And while we generally had a lot of fun, we often referred to the place as The Chantilly Losers Club. That was more of a self-deprecating term of endearment than anything else, but there was a kernel of hidden truth to it.

Anyway, Friday we dragged Mrs. TEH out with us to be a designated driver (something we rarely bothered with back in the day) and to have someone to listen to our old war (OK, party) stories.

I expected to find a very small crowd there. Something on the order of what used to be there on their off nights. In other words, a few people at the main bar and maybe a few others at tables near the dance floor. Instead what we found was pathetic.

We pulled into the parking lot about 10:15 and were able to park right next to the door because there were only two other cars in the lot. At that point, I knew this wasn't going to be good.Back when, FWSK and I would usually have to park across Fifth Street at one of the businesses there because the Chantilly lot would be full.

We walked in and passed the old "barber chair" that used to serve as the seating place for the bouncer/carder. It was, of course, empty. Music was playing though. We went into the dance floor area to the right and saw that the only people on that side were two middle-aged couples sitting in the far corner. The dance floor was covered with the swirl of a thousand points of lights from the mirror ball. But no one was on the dance floor. Hell, no one but those two couples were in the room. We stood there for a moment and one of the foursome sarcastically called to us, "Come join the party".

We waved to them but moved on to the other side of the building to get some drinks. We bellied up to the main bar in the "quiet section" as we used to call it because it was segregated from the blaring music from the dace floor area. There were four people there; two behind the bar and two sitting on stools in front of the bar. I think all four were employees though. One of the bartenders asked what he could get for us. FWSK and I just wanted a couple of domestic light beers like we used to order. Coors Light was on sale, so we went for that. Mrs. TEH wanted her customary one Cosmopolitan. The bartender deferred to one of his cohorts because he had no idea how to make a Cosmo.

While both bartenders were getting our drinks, FWSK asked, "So, when do you close?" The bartender getting out beer replied, "Three AM". FWSK clarified that he meant when does the establishment close for good. The girl making the Cosmo jumped in quickly and said, "Never!"

Ummm, OK.

FWSK and I just looked at each other thinking this chick is in complete denial or in complete PR mode. We asked about the story regarding the place being sold and the bartender getting us our beers said it would only sell when someone offered $2.5 million for the place. I picked up and waved the twenty I had laid on the counter and said I was a little short of the asking price but we'd still take the beers.


We got our drinks, went back to the dance floor area and sat at a table. The music was still playing and there was even a DJ, but he soon left the room to go sit at the bar. Not long after he left, the Eric Clapton song he was playing began to skip. Finally, one of the women from the only other group of customers in the place went to retrieve the DJ so he could remedy the annoying situation. After that, there was no DJ and the bartender unfamiliar with Cosmopolitans came in and hooked the sound system up to a laptop that just tracked tunes for the rest of our stay.

One of the couples at the other table briefly got up to dance but soon their group decided to leave the place. At that point, the three of us were the only customers. And really, we were just tourists there to visit an old stomping ground.

FWSK and I reminisced about the old days 10 years ago and also about the REALLY old days when the place was Shakey's Pizza. Back in the late '60s and into the '70s, it was where every kid on the south side town of went for their birthday. If the building was going to be sold and torn down, there was the homage to that experience to be paid as well.

Thing is, even today, the building contains many of the features of the old Shakey's: The wood ceilings, the archways, and especially the old fireplace (pictured below next to the empty dance floor). So it was not just about memories of being drunk divorced guys in their 30s, but also of kids of 10 or 12 enjoying pizza and soda while the piano player did his thing next to the fireplace circa 1971.

In the hour or so we were there, FWSK and I wondered around, mugged for pictures taken by the Mrs. and lamented the passing of so much time. I also went around a took a few pictures of the place with my iPhone (which explains the poor quality of the pics here).

I also noted, after the other four customers left, how strange it was to be in what, for the time being, seemed to be a living museum. We were back at a place from our past, but it really wasn' t the same without the people. It was like the place was still open just for us to come back and say our goodbyes before it actually died. I told FWSK that it was like we were ghosts haunting the place.

As I was taking this picture of the Indian that stands guard between the restrooms, the Cosmo-free bartender came over and asked if I wanted a picture with someone standing next to the Indian. Huh? No. It was just then that I got the Twilight Zone feeling. I started to feel like the whole thing was a dream or a well-attended and elaborate stage set to indulge my nostalgic urges.

We decided that would stay only until the auto-music played a song that was familiar from back when we frequented the place and it was still packed to the rafters every weekend. Finally, that song came on: The Electric Slide. FWSK dashed onto the the dance floor and began electric sliding. I told Mrs. TEH to watch how I usually attempted the Electric Slide and the disastrous results that would follow. I ran onto the dance floor and body-slammed FWSK throwing off his routine and about knocking him down. And that's about how it was back when too. I was no better at The Macarena yesteryear either.

While the Electric slide was finishing up, we decided to leave. We walked out the door and started to get into our van. Suddenly the non-Cosmo bartender poked his head out of the front door and said, something like, "Thanks for coming and come back and bring some friends."

That completed the Twilight Zone thing for me. I expected the next morning to wake up and find out that the building had been sold and already demolished a week ago. It was just too surreal.

I leave you with an appropriate song and a picture of one of the few remaining nostalgia items that used to dominate the place back in the 80s when it was a nostalgia restaurant and bar.

Serious Insights: Blogworthiness Edition

Once the big election is over, I sure hope Springfield becomes a more interesting place to blog about, because if it doesn't, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Please Name Names

I get so sick of this stuff. From the ailing Robert Novak:

"There are mad bloggers who profess to take delight in my distress, but there's no need to pay them attention in the face of such an outpouring of goodwill for me," Novak wrote. "I had thought 51 years of rough-and-tumble journalism in Washington made me more enemies than friends, but my recent experience suggests the opposite may be the case."

No blogger of any notoriety has been showing any "delight" over Novak's condition. Please.

Yes, I'm sure there is some lowly blogger somewhere that thinks it's dandy the man is suffering from a brain tumor, but no one that would have any readers or impact on the public discourse. I suspect that if you comb through the comments of blogs you could also find a tiny number of anonymous hateful items, but that's not the work of a "mad blogger". Those people aren't even worth talking about unless you're seeking sympathy.

Maybe someday unnamed "bloggers" will not be the go-to whipping boys for those who feel persecuted. Mr. Novak, you had no problem outing a CIA agent, surely you can tell us who the mad bloggers are.

The Great and Unvetted Sarah Palin

One of Sarah Palin's great moments in her speech the other night was where she put her fiscal credentials on display by declaring that she had put a state (of Alaska) airplane up for sale on eBay. She gave the impression that she sold it on eBay even though she never used the word "sold". It turns out she did not sell the plane on eBay. Sure, she listed it on eBay, but wound up selling it through a broker and for a loss. I it let go in my own mind because she never actually used the word "sold", even though that was the clear impression she was trying to make. It was presented as a mavericky method to simplify government in a way we can all appreciate and understand: eBay!.

Well, I just finished watching a video clip of John McCain giving a recent speech and smugly proclaiming that Sarah Palin had "sold" (yes, he used that word) the plane on eBay. He went on in an in-your-face manner to declare that it had also been sold at a profit. Both statements are lies. Or maybe he picked Palin with so little vetting that even he was misled by her rhetoric. Either way, this is reflects very poorly on McCain. He's either a liar or completely incompetent.

(By the way the "luxury" plane had previously been used extensively to transport Alaskan prisoners to Arizona for incarceration because Alaska doesn't have enough prison space.)

And as long as we are discussing Mrs. Palin's cred with public finances, dig this:

WASILLA, Alaska -- The biggest project that Sarah Palin undertook as mayor of this small town was an indoor sports complex, where locals played hockey, soccer, and basketball, especially during the long, dark Alaskan winters.

The only catch was that the city began building roads and installing utilities for the project before it had unchallenged title to the land. The misstep led to years of litigation and at least $1.3 million in extra costs for a small municipality with a small budget. What was to be Ms. Palin's legacy has turned into a financial mess that continues to plague Wasilla.

...

Litigation resulting from the dispute over Ms. Palin's sports-complex project is still in the courts, with the land's former owner seeking hundreds of thousands of additional dollars from the city.

A $1.3 million dollar boondoggle for a town of less than 9,000. That's some great experience she's bringing to the ticket.

Serious Insights: Failed AV Edition

I know if I were a wounded or ill veteran, I would want to be treated at Walter Reed Middle School.

Get Your Own Damn Music II

And once again the musicians object…

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart said Thursday night that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease and desist notice to the McCain-Palin campaign over their use of 'Barracuda.'

"We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. Wehope our wishes will be honored," the group said in a statement that said they "condemn" the use of the song at the Republican convention.

It’s gotten to the point now where whenever I hear any rock or pop music at a Republican event, I start thinking about whether the artist is going to be pissed about it. It’s downright distracting. But that’s me.

The last time I brought up the music thievin’ GOP, Dan of BFS observed, correctly I think, the Dems probably also take without asking but most of the artists are fine with it. He also suggested that if everyone played by the copyright rules, the Republicans might be stuck with only Toby Keith and Jars of Clay. Not sure about JOC, but they may not be able to count on Toby:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Barack Obama is getting praise from Nashville, courtesy of one big, patriotic country star.

Toby Keith, perhaps best known to non-country audiences for his post-Sept. 11 song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," says he's a Democrat, and was impressed by the senator from Illinois.

Oh well. Maybe Charlie Daniels can offer up his catalog of mega-hits to replace Toby’s stuff. And I'm sure the Dixie Chicks would allow...oh, wait, never mind.

Friday Beer Blogging: Alaska Edition

We now know where Sarah Palin stands on Barack Obama (pssst...she doesn't like his politics), but at no time this week did we find out where she stands on beer. And that's really disappointing. So, let's do a little Alaskan beer vetting of our own.

The Alaskan Brewing Company is based in Juneau and has a variety of beers.

Opened in 1986, Alaskan Brewing Company was that state’s first brewery since Prohibition.

I have not seen any of the Alaskan Brewing Company brews locally, so I assume they just don't distribute here.

My guess is that the more prominent figure on the GOP presidential ticket would prefer the Alaskan Amber because she would look good in amber frames.

Or wait, she likes mooseburgers so maybe she would prefer the Smoked Porter.
Have a great weekend! And if you're like me, you'll need a few extra beers after two consecutive weeks of political conventions.

McCain : Number 2 on the Ticket

Since I'm sure this will be all over the intertubes in a matter of hours, let me be the first to link to it locally [audio not safe for work].

Button Up!

Make your own campaign buttons online here.

Serious Insights: Gustav Edition

With Gustav now hitting Springfield with all the force it has left, why hasn’t mayor Davlin evacuated the city in case the storm surge breaks Spaulding Dam?

Palin-tology

Watching The Glasses last night, I was unimpressed with her litany of mostly bogus rightwing talking points, but I was surprised at how much she sounded like Frances McDormand in Fargo. Any minute I was expecting her to say, “Ladies and Gentleman …I just think I’m going to barf!”

I guess I didn’t realize they had that accent up in Alaska.

Anyway, Palin will make a good substitute host for the Rush Limbaugh show after losing the election, but otherwise...meh.

Sorry, but this is still my favorite Palin:

Have You Ever Been Experienced?

Just to be clear, I agree that having only a couple years in on Capitol Hill and a few more in the Illinois legislature makes one wholly unqualified to be president based on experience.

Meanwhile, having decades of Washington experience makes you both wise and popular.

Update: And hey, I just noticed, that inexperienced guy ISN'T WEARING A FLAG PIN!

Sarah to Speak

I’m not sure why anyone is expecting to learn much about Sarah Palin by way of her speech tonight. I’m sure it will be fine; it’s been written for her and she seems to be able to speak well enough. And she looks good in glasses.


As for content, like I said, the speech has been written for her. In fact, it was already written for a generic VP candidate long ago and modified slightly to make it less “masculine”, whatever that means.

There was a flutter of attention when McCain campaign manager Rick Davis told a group of Post reporters and editors yesterday that his team was having to rework the vice presidential acceptance speech because the original draft, prepared before Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen, was too "masculine." While we all wondered to ourselves what might make a speech masculine or feminine, no one batted an eye at the underlying revelation: that the campaign was writing the nominee's speech before knowing who the nominee would be.

So if she can read a teleprompter, I guess she passes.

Update: And she did work on the air in television broadcasting at one point, so she should do just swell.

Chevette Summer

In response to this, all I can say is that I once got a 1979 Chevette up to approximately 100 miles an hour on a straightaway on New City road south of Rochester. I say “approximately” because the speedometer only went up to 90 mph, but the needle was well past that before I decided I had pushed that fine machine to its limit. Oh, and I was young (19) and stupid. So kids, don’t try this. If you live, all you’ll get out of it is a lame blog post when you’re middle-aged.

Note: This is not a picture of the actual Chevette I drove, but rather a picture of how I treated it.

Serious Insights: Political Storm Edition

While everyone was focused on hurricanes Gustov and Hannah, hurricane Sarah silently moved down from Alaska and slammed in St. Paul, MN causing all kinds of political damage.

That Wiley Ol’ McCain

As the stories about Sarah Palin continue to pour in today (I like this one and this one), I’ve come up with a theory. Maybe the Republican Party elders (well, higher-ups; no one is older than McCain) swatted down McCain’s first picks for VP, like Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge, so McCain took a different route to get what he wanted. He picked someone so bad and incompetent that he would be forced to drop her and then allowed by these same higher-ups to pick Lieberman or Ridge because they aren’t so bad after all. Brilliant! Maybe he can use that same sneakiness to smoke Bin Laden out of his hole.

Big Whammy

I know this is vague (deliberately so), but I just wanted to point out that I finally heard what I think is a pretty concrete example of why having radio talk show hosts also doing the news on the same radio station can result in some conflict of interest. Of course I can’t prove intentions, but I would swear the newscaster, who is of a different political persuasion than the presiding talk show host at the moment, used a factually inaccurate/misleading “news story” to, in effect, rebut the host during a news break. I could have stayed tune to listen to the newscaster do his own talk show and see if he brought up the same false information, but I can’t stand his show so I didn’t.

I understand the economics of the two-hats radio thing, but it does lead to at least the perception of bias in the news, and sometimes more than just a perception. I think it comes down to what you as a broadcaster take more seriously, promoting a point of view, or getting the news out. I think in this age of Fox News et al, some people really don’t see the difference. As I’ve written here many times before, I’ve done the news/talk thing but I saw myself primarily as a news person and the talk show as a vehicle for fun and sometimes politically charged entertainment. That was over 20 years ago. I think these days the news, other than say, local disaster coverage, is very much subservient to the more profitable airing of opinion.

It Always Rains After a Long Dry Spell

From the National Weather Service:

AFTER A DRY AUGUST IN WHICH MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS RECEIVED LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF THEIR NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH...SOME RELIEF CAN BE EXPECTED THIS WEEK. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT SHOULD TO STALL ACROSS ILLINOIS ON WEDNESDAY. THE REMNANT MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO RIDE UP THE FRONT PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TO LOCATIONS ALONG AND NEAR THE BOUNDARY.

AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS IS LIKELY BETWEEN INTERSTATE 72 AND INTERSTATE 57. LESSER AMOUNTS CAN BE EXPECTED NORTH AND EAST OF THESE HIGHWAYS.

We always get hurricane sloppy seconds. But then we don't share our tornadoes, do we?

I'm not sure what they mean by "between Interstate 72 and Interstate 57". I mean, they run perpendicular to each other. That would be like saying "between Wabash and Chatham Road" here in Springfield. Anyway, two to four inches is a lot of rain.

Volcanic Sunsets

Ah, I think I have the answer to what was happening here. SpaceWeather.com explains:

Sky watchers across the USA and Europe are reporting unusually colorful sunsets and sunrises. The cause appears to be the August 7th eruption of the Kasatochi volcano in Alaska. The volcano hurled a massive cloud of ash and sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere; high winds have since carried the aerosols over parts of the USA and Europe, producing widespread "volcanic sunsets."

"Last night, we had another beautiful sunset here in Nebraska," reports Jerry Chab of Falls City. "Long colorful sunrays appeared and disappeared, reminding me of the Northern Lights."

That's very similar to what I observed just over a week ago. Again the picture I took.

Additionally, I've been noticing intensely bright sunsets even when there are no (normal) clouds for the sunlight to reflect off of. Tonight was a good example of that if you were out about 7:45. Even in the picture above, the light on he horizon is unusually brilliant.

I remember a similar volcanic sunset event happening in late 1982 and the sunsets were fantastic. And I'm sure its happened since then, but I remember that event in particular.

Anyway, enjoy them now.

Serious Insights: Creepy Old Guy Edition

If you're a presidential candidate, it's your prerogative to select someone for your VP whose ass you can't keep your eyes off of.