When Corruption Gets Boring Pt. II

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I told you (here) this would be the case.

CHICAGO (AP) -- A new poll shows Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich with a 15 percentage point lead over Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka, garnering 44 percent support versus her 29 percent.

Corruption is now officially a political fact of life when it comes to governors in Illinois. Voters have moved on and are looking for other reasons to support candidates since it seems inevitable there is going to be some degree of skirting of (or flat-out breaking) the law involved with running the state.

Happy Halloween

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This is a great tune from years ago. Maybe more fun than scary, but well worth another listen.

The Specials - Ghost Town

St. Louis is Number One

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Yikes

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- A surge in violence made St. Louis the most dangerous city in the country, leading a trend of violent crimes rising much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to an annual list.

The city has long fared poorly in the rankings of the safest and most dangerous American cities compiled by Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent in St. Louis from 2004 to last year, when the rate of such crimes rose most dramatically in the Midwest, according to FBI figures released in June.

Not For Hypochondriacs

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Geez, just when you think you’ve read, seen or heard about every possible ailment that can affect the human body, a new one pops up. Read what Dilbert creator Scott Adams has had to endure and how he may have “fixed” his own problem.

Hat tip to Ezra Klein.

Friday Beer Blogging: Foam Edition

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Everyone likes a little head once in a while, so today we take a look at beer foam.

Information contained in this post was gathered from the article by Wolfgang Kunze here.

Foam occurs on dispensing the beer as a result of the formation of CO2 bubbles released by the reduction in pressure. The C02 bubbles collect surface active materials as they rise.

These surface active substances have a low surface tension, this means that within limits they can increase their surface area and also, after the bubbles have risen, they form an elastic skin around the gas bubble.

The greater the amount of dissolved C02 the more foam is formed. But foam formation is not the same as foam stability. Foam is only stable in the presence of these surface active substances.

No stable foam can be formed in a glass of mineral water since there are none of these substances present there. Thus one must always distinguish between foam formation and foam stability. It is the stability which is most important.

Foam begins to collapse as soon as it is formed, but the rate of collapse is very variable. Collapse begins with the bursting and flowing back of the skins of the gas bubbles, as a result of which evaporation processes are encouraged and the foam becomes more solidified in the upper region. This makes it possible to dispense more beer into the glass after a relatively short time (after about a minute) so that the solidified foam is pushed up to form a foam crown above the glass. This cannot be obtained by using a single dispensing process.

The further solidification of the foam can be recognised by the formation of foam rings produced on the wall of the glass each time a drink is taken.

Apart from the technological factors during beer production, foam stability can be affected subsequently.

The greatest negative effect is the foam destroying effect of oils and fats which become applied to the rim of the glass as a result of food consumption and can destroy the foam in a matter of seconds. Use of clean glasses without the slightest film of fat, exchange of empty glasses with fatty rims, and use of clean polishing cloths are only a few of the conditions needed to ensure good foam stability. Even the smallest traces of fat are harmfull.

Insufficient pressure in the delivery pipes of the pub, inadequately cleaned beer pipes and unsuitable dispense tap fittings can also decrease the stability of the foam.

Cigarette Prohibition

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Here’s an interesting poll result:

Would you support a federal law making cigarettes illegal in the next five to ten years?

According to a recent nationwide survey of registered voters by Zogby International, 45% of Americans said yes. Among 18-29 year olds, 57% were in favor.

I’m actually kind of surprised the number is so high. It’s also kind of scary. While it’s no secret I hate being around cigarette smoke, I definitely DO NOT favor a total prohibition on cigarettes. Ethan Nadelmann gets it exactly right here.

As the number of smokers drops, the dangerous logic of prohibition becomes ever more tempting. Forty years ago, when half of all men and a third of all women smoked, most non-smokers barely noticed cigarette smoke unless it was particularly thick or right in their face. Now, with barely one in five Americans still smoking, we non-smokers are increasingly intolerant. We think smoking cigarettes is filthy, deadly and offensive. We've become accustomed to bans on smoking - by minors, and in more and more workplaces and public spaces - and on advertising cigarettes. And we hate the corporations that profit off this deadly product.

But it's important not to get carried away with our rhetoric and our bans. Stigmatizing smokers and smoking persuades some to stop and deters others from starting, but demonizing and dehumanizing those who persist is both morally wrong and dangerous. The ever higher taxes and broader bans on cigarettes have played an important role in reducing both the number of smokers and the amount they smoke. Persisting with these policies will no doubt lead to further reductions. But there is a point of declining returns at which the costs of such policies begin to outweigh the benefits.

Read the whole post for the reasons why cigarette prohibition is such a bad idea.

I’m still in awe of how far we have come in curbing smoking and its secondary effects on non-smokers. But any movement can be taken to a dangerous extreme. In time, smoking will be a very isolated problem and reaching that point will have very few unintended consequences unless we act rashly.

Credit, Like Youth, Is Wasted on the Young

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Marie has an unusual but great post on credit cards and college students.

I feel lucky. I got out of college in the early ‘80s just before credit card companies began issuing lines of credit to students. I have a feeling I would have gotten myself into trouble had I been born just a few years later.

I never had much money in college. I survived on grant money, student loans, a bit here and there from my parents, being able to crash (and eat) at my mom’s house during breaks and, of course, I worked the entire time I was in school. Really, my only luxury was being able to afford beer on the weekends. I wouldn’t have even been able to do that had I owned a car (I walked, bummed rides and took public transportation).

With that in mind, I seriously doubt I would have been able to resist credit card solicitations. The temptation to have some extra spending power just would have been too great. I’m not complaining about my life during those years –far from it – I just think I would have tried to make them even better on credit and then been stuck with a mountain of debt going into my first (very low-paying) post college job.

While I never got an invitation from a credit card company back then, I did apply for one particular card a couple of times for a specific reason and knowing full well that I would be rejected. You see, Sears would have credit card application booths set up in their stores and would encourage applications by giving away a cheap gift just for applying. So, I got my first set of tools this way and, later, my first credit rejection letter. But that was fine. I had no expectation of being issued a credit card and I now had myself a free tool set or decanters or whatever. I was happy.

And I wasn’t the only one card-free. None of my college buddies had credit cards unless it was their parents. Yes, there were a few spoiled brats who were given cars by mommy and daddy and then given plastic on to which they could charge their gas. But that was about the extent of it.

Smoking Bits

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A few random thoughts on Springfield’s smoking ban and the issues surrounding it:

My theory on why many drinking establishment proprietors and employees oppose the smoking ban is they are smokers themselves and like to smoke at work. I know of one employee of a downtown bar that says she has not seen any decrease in business but the owner and employees (all smokers) signed a petition anyway requesting the ban be overturned. I suspect it’s because they miss being able to smoke themselves and will say anything to get that privilege back. Working in bars has to be a draw for the truly addicted since most work places already don’t allow smoking.

Rather than patronizing these places prematurely whining that business is down, I suggest we non-smokers do just the opposite. Any bar agitating for a repeal of the ban gets none of my money. Go out of business, good riddance. I used to frequent Break Time and their comedy club but I’m done with them until they drop their opposition to the ban.

A statewide smoking ban is needed to level the playing field. Smokers will return to their usual haunts when they have no alternative. I predict this will become a reality within a year.

This is a public health issue. Second-hand smoke is bad and should not be allowed in public places. Period.

Phone First

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You gotta love stories about really stupid criminals…

BLOOMINGTON -- An 18-year-old man walked into the sheriff’s department, asked if he had a warrant for his arrest and bolted when told yes, a sergeant said.

And a friend and a relative of the 18-year-old were pinched on unrelated charges when police caught up with him.

McLean County Sgt. Brent Wick said the man, named Judge D. Harris, came into the lobby of his department with another man, identified himself and asked if he was wanted on a warrant early Tuesday afternoon.

Wick said he told Harris there was a warrant out for his arrest and turned to grab a paper in the case when Harris and the other man ran out the door.

Wick said he wasn’t able to leave the desk and give chase. But officers were dispatched to find Harris.

Harris was found less than 10 blocks away at 910 S. Center St., the home address listed on his warrant, Wick said.

Not only does this guy walk into the police station to inquire about any outstanding warrants on himself, he flees and goes to his own house where I’m sure he thought he’d never be found. Brilliant!

Oh, and hats off to the Pantagraph for working in "pinched". I like it better than "nabbed".

Somebody Has To Do It

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Rich Miller admits he’s insane:

I don’t usually watch network TV, but I force myself to do it around this time of the year so I can watch the political ads.

Yes, and I don’t grill steaks much but I force myself to do it so I can eat the burnt charcoal.

The Big 14 Pharmacy

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Ok, I’ve never really paid attention but Eric Zorn has: CVS pharmacies, bucking industry standards, have carpeted floors.

It does feel comfortable, upscale and homey, I agree. Yet at least at first it's jarring, as cognitively dissonant as a tuxedo on the counterman at the Dunkin' Donuts or disco lighting at the dentists office. I'll adapt, I guess. I always seem to. Will you?

Now that I think about it, I actaully like the CVS carpet better than the standard hard floors found in any other pharmacy or grocery store. It does make the store very quiet. Well, that and the fact there is never anyone in the CVS I frequent.

And am I the only one who can’t help but think of WCVS every time I see a CVS store (see headline above)? I keep expecting to see a pharmacist there with "Crazy Bob" on his name tag. I grew up with the old WCVS-AM top forty radio station so I’m probably just showing my age. Still, a buddy of mine and I do actively refer to the chain as WCVS pharmacy.

That Other Springfield

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I don’t know why, but this is funny to me.

Hard on the heels of the Cheap Trick album entitled “Rockford,” pop singer Rick Springfield is out today with a DVD called “Live in Rockford,” which captures in video images as well as sound the excitement of Springfield’s concert at the Coronado Theatre in February 2005.

Oh wait, Rick Springfield releasing a new DVD, that’s what’s funny. No better place to showcase your talents than Rockford, IL I always say.

What a Card

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I just don’t see Barack Obama as a card player but I guess he is (or was)...

SPRINGFIELD -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s decision to consider a run for president isn’t surprising to his old poker buddies. The Democratic senator from Illinois was described Monday as a “conservative” card player who kept his hand close to his vest.

“He wasn’t going to declare his hand until he had his cards and had a chance of winning,” said Denny Jacobs of East Moline, who served with Obama when the two were members of the Illinois State Senate. “He usually kicked my butt.”

Jacobs, a Democrat, speculated that Obama arrived at his presidential decision — announced Sunday — after assessing that he had the right combination of cards to win the jackpot.

“If he played his hand, he usually had a winner,” Jacobs said. “That’s what I learned about the other side of Barack Obama.”

Obama, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until he left for Washington D.C. in 2004, said Sunday he was abandoning his earlier vow to serve out his six-year
term.

[snip]

State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, said a group of senators from both sides of the partisan aisle would often meet on Wednesday nights after a day of doing business in Springfield.

Seated around a card table at a lobbyist’s office in downtown Springfield, the lawmakers would lay bets that would allow a winner to walk away with $100 in winnings on a good night.

Brady said Obama’s card-playing style didn’t match his more liberal voting record.

“He was very conservative at the card table,” agreed Brady.

He may be a superstar on the national stage now, but this story reminds us B.O. (ew, that's not good) used to be a mere mortal who did ordinary things.

And by the way...Obama spent a lot of time in Springfield (I assume) while in the Illinois Senate. Did he have a favorite place to eat here? Where did he stay? Does anyone remember seeing him around town? Anyone deliver a pizza to him? Or was he so fucking bored here all he did was play cards and count the days until he could leave again? Now that Obamarama is in full swing nationwide, I just wonder what his Springfield experience was like.

S.O.S. (Save Our Smokers)

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OK, I’ve completely changed my mind; there should be NO smoking ban. I mean who can argue with this:

He said the restaurant organization wants bar areas to be exempt from any smoking ban. Likewise, representatives of the Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association said bowling alleys should be allowed to have separate smoker's lounges.

Otherwise, association member Bob Stubler said, patrons may try to sneak outside to smoke while wearing their bowling shoes and slip in inclement weather - creating insurance liabilities for business owners.

Well, that certainly is a compelling argument. And let’s not stop at bowling shoes. Many patrons of non-smoking establishments are bound to be hit by cars that jump the curb while standing outside smoking. Also, there will certainly be an increase in pneumonia among those outdoor puffers who fail to wear a jacket in the cold. I foresee wholesale slaughter as those smoking outside are hit by falling ice and speeding bicyclists, bitten by loose dogs and vaporized by wayward meteorites. Oh the humanity!

Smartest Man in the World

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First we had “The Internets”, now “The Google”.

HOST: I’m curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?

BUSH: Occasionally. One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps. It’s very interesting to see — I’ve forgot the name of the program — but you get the satellite, and you can — like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes.

You know who I’m talkin’ about.

Hat tip to Think Progress.

Bushcronium

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Time for some science:

New Element on Periodic Table

A major research institution has just announced the discovery of the densest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Bushcronium." Bushcronium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 311. These particles are held together by dark forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. The symbol for Bushcronium is "W". Bushcronium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons in a Bushcronium molecule, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to believe that Bushcronium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass". When catalyzed with money, Bushcronium activates Foxnewsium, an element that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since it has 1/2 as many peons but twice as many morons.

Hat tip to Eric Alterman.

The Obamachrist

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Well, there goes that. Apparently Barack Obama ISN’T The Beatles. No, he is LITERALLY the Anitichrist. Damn, and my Antichrist-dar is usually pretty good.

Barack Star

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Rich Miller makes a good case for Barack Obama being not just any political rock star, but nothing less than The Beatles of presidential hopefuls. And that’s not necessarily a good thing.

The pundits love you, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Aging Embarrassingly

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Thanks Ameriprise. It’s bad enough that I really don’t feel like a Baby Boomer even though I’m lumped in with them anyway (I come in at the tail end of the Boomer era). But thanks to you, boomers are being mocked even more. Can I just become an honorary member of Gen X or is that even worse?

Payback is a Bitch

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Ray LaHood is an asshole.

This week, on the request of Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL), Intelligence Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) suspended a Democratic staffer’s access to classified information. Hoekstra said the suspension would remain in place pending a review to determine if that staffer leaked a classified National Intelligence Estimate to the New York Times.

Today on Fox News, LaHood said, “I’ll tell you why I did it. The reason I did it was because Jane Harman released the Duke Cunningham — who sat on our Intelligence committee — report.” That report, which detailed the misconduct of Cunningham, who is now serving a jail term, was not classified.

A Fox anchor asked, “So, it’s payback?” LaHood responded, “There are some of us on the other side who can equally play politics, and I’m not afraid to do it.”

Remember, LaHood is not running unopposed. Steve Waterworth will make a fine replacement.