Overly Petulant Energy Consumers

Yeah…about that t-shirt. Blaming OPEC for the high gasoline prices kind of misplaces, or at least greatly oversimplifies, the problem. Right now, the U.S. doesn’t even import most of its oil from OPEC countries.

OK, that chart is a little old but the percentages haven’t changed that much.

Additionally, OPEC members aren’t really restricting the flow of oil. In fact, many, including myself, think they can’t increase production much if any at all (see Peak Oil). And what excess production capacity OPEC nations do have is often tied up in political and military turmoil (see Iraq and Nigeria).

The problem is really more of a supply and demand thing with speculators making things even worse. You can throw in oil company profits and our own massive consumption as adding to the problem as well. So where can I get an “Up Yours, SUV Driver” (or pick-up truck driver like me) t-shirt? But, hey, if you can blame foreigners for your problems, I’m sure it’ll at least make you feel better.

School Placement

I’m inclined to go along with Fletcher Farrar’s call to keep any “new” Springfield High School campus right where it is.

Here’s a better idea. Build a $57 million new high school on the site of Springfield High School. Keep the wonderful old 1917 Beaux Arts façade, with its monumental approach at the end of Adams Street. Keep the classic auditorium, the new multipurpose room, and the relatively new science labs. Keep all that is good and serviceable. Keep the history and traditions and the Susan Wilcox legacy of excellence.

But pump some new money into the old campus - it’s hardly landlocked. There is vacant land at the corner of Walnut and Monroe just begging for a school building. To the east, across Lewis Street, there’s land for sale. Acres of parking lots between SHS and the Capitol need a better use. To the north are boarded-up houses, waiting for what’s next. Anything that can be built out west can be built here better, without disrupting surrounding neighborhoods.

In fact, the new Springfield High School, on its existing campus, would help preserve and enhance the core of the city. Just two blocks away, the Capitol complex is itself the subject of a new planning effort, and the Vinegar Hill residential neighborhood is busy reinventing itself. By planning together, the three entities could link themselves with parks, walkways, and new investment that would reawaken the bland and forgotten area west of the Capitol.

Admittedly, I’m armed with few facts but right from the start I questioned the proposal that would move the high school to the far west side of the city. I guess I just don’t see the advantages.

I think the community’s inclination on the matter is going to come down to the bottom line. Is it cheaper to build at its current location, or on a new site somewhere else? Transportation should be considered in that cost and I think that’s where Farrar is coming from, at least partially. How energy efficient is it to have a campus so far removed from where the students live? Of course, that also leads me to ask if a west side site might, on average, actually be closer to where Springfield High students live. Considering that the west side campus would have its back up against the Pleasant Plains and New Berlin districts, that seems unlikely to me.

As a symbol of the city’s commitment to itself, keeping the current campus location is probably a good idea. The days of abandoning city centers for the hinterland is over and the best use of land might be to keep Springfield High right where it is. Another land use consideration would be what would become of the abandoned property if SHS left. Would it make room for other development associated with the downtown (state offices?) or would it just be paved over for more parking lots?

Again, I’m pretty much fact-free on this issue right now but these are things that need to be considered.

183rd Finally Getting Wings Clipped

Interesting that the Chicago-centric Rod Blagojevich keeps fighting to keep the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, a city he OBVIOUSLY has been actively undermining in revenge for hating him and not voting for him.

The Defense Department plans to begin removing the 183rd Fighter Wing’s planes from its base at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport on Tuesday, with a complete realignment expected by Sept. 30, according to legal documents filed Wednesday by the governor’s office.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has been fighting the move that was announced nearly three years ago, is seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court that would stop the aircraft from being moved until there is a formal hearing. The governor argues that he must sign off on any reassignment of Illinois’ National Guard units and equipment.

I have to believe that the Governor wants to keep the 183rd here in hopes it accidentally drops a bunch of bombs and flattens the city he so despises. I mean, what other explanation could there possibly be?

Dr. Tony

Why do I always think I'm looking at Dr. Phil when I see Tony Rezko?

And shouldn't Mr. Dr. Phil be up on some sort of fraud charges too?

The World Class City We Hate Here

This may bother some of you non-Chicago-centric types, but the Illinois city was just picked as a finalist in the Olympics bidding.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Chicago was among the four cities picked as finalists Wednesday for the 2016 Summer Olympics, setting the stage for a high-profile bidding contest between candidates from the United States, Europe and Asia.

Also making the IOC shortlist were Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
…
The finalists now advance to a 16-month race that will culminate on Oct. 2, 2009, with a secret ballot by the full IOC at its session in Copenhagen, Denmark.

An IOC evalutation report assessing the technical merits of each bid ranked Tokyo with the top overall marks, followed closely by Madrid. Chicago and Doha were tied for third, with Rio fourth. Prague and Baku were sixth and seventh.

OK, so Chicago still may be a long shot, but it won’t hurt it any being the new American president’s hometown and all.

Job-Mart

I’m not sure if this is a sign of a bad economy or that jobs at Wal-Mart are more desirable than I thought but…

More than 7,500 applications were received for 400 jobs at the city’s second supercenter, which is scheduled to open July 16, according to company representatives, who expect to fill the final 45 jobs by the end of this week.

7,500 applications to work at a Springfield Wal-Mart? I thought that’s where you applied when you couldn’t fine work anywhere else.

Obama Wins It, Hillary Refuses to Face Reality

Congratulations Mr. Obama. I'm glad I was there for the start of it all here in Springfield. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, continues to be loathsome.

Go away, Hillary.

I'll Vote For The Guy With The Best Salad Bar

Aside from highlighting the endless stupidity of people like David Brooks, this also underlines my question about where have all the salad bars gone.

And, no I don't want to have salad at Applebees (or a beer) with any president.

Careers: The Next Generation

My son "graduated" from pre-school recently and they held a nice little ceremony for the 60+ kids from several classes. One of the things they did in preparation was to ask all of the children, mostly age 4, what they wanted to be when they grew up, and then put their responses in the printed program. There were lots of boys wanting to be policemen and, like my son, firemen. There were many of both sexes who wanted to be doctors. Those were very predictable but there were kids who had even grander ambitions. Here are some of the less traditional occupations our youth are considering:

Mermaid
Fairy
Star Wars Guy
Mario
Gladiator
Fire Engine
Princess
Unicorn
Spiderman
Alien
Hannah Montana

One kid already wants to become an archeologist. That's pretty focused for a four year-old. Also I suspect some of the girls will indeed succeed in becoming princesses, at least in their own minds.

I did find it sweet that several of the girls wanted to become a mommy. However, not a single boy indicated he wanted to be a daddy.

Friday Beer Blogging: AB (Possible) Buyout Edition

This past weekend I heard from a friend who works at Anheuser-Busch that the St. Louis king of all beer manufacturers may be bought out. I hadn't heard this before but apparently there is some serious talk of this happening.

ST. LOUIS: Residents here have grown accustomed to seeing local corporations gobbled up by larger outside firms. But losing Anheuser-Busch Cos. could be the cruelest cut of all.

The largest U.S. brewery has long been a point of pride as a hometown attraction. The company's massive red-brick brewery draws tourists from around the country to see the Clydesdale horse stables, brewing vats and Busch family memorabilia dating back generations.

Reports that the company might be purchased by Belgium-based brewer InBev SA have residents worried they might lose a company as closely identified with St. Louis as the iconic Gateway Arch.

"St. Louis has gotten to the point where we have the brewery and the Cardinals (baseball team) — that's it," said John Schute, owner of the Sage restaurant and bar just across the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

...
There's good reason to worry that InBev will make dramatic changes if the deal goes through, said Juli Niemann, an analyst with Smith Moore & Co. in St. Louis. While Anheuser-Busch has made strides to cut costs in the face of rising ingredient prices, InBev has a reputation for making new operations as lean as possible.

...
InBev has not yet made an official offer for Anheuser-Busch. But recent media reports have cited anonymous sources close to the European brewer who said the firm was considering an offer of $46 billion (€29.19 billion), or $65 a share, for Anheuser-Busch.

If InBev makes such an offer, it could be too sweet to refuse for Anheuser-Busch shareholders, even if executives oppose the move. The stock closed at $56.75 Tuesday and has traded as low as $45.55 this year.

...
Anheuser-Busch has been struggling along with other brewers in recent years as consumers have turned to cocktails, wines and craft beers. Rising ingredient costs have further pinched profits this year. Other big brewers are consolidating to compete — Miller Brewing Co., the second-largest U.S. beer-maker, and No. 3 Molson Coors Brewing Co. are planning to combine U.S. operations by midsummer.

If Anheuser-Busch is absorbed by InBev, many St. Louis residents worry the new company won't have the same dedication to charitable giving and supporting the city's cultural life. The brewer supports local festivals like the downtown Mardi Gras parade and a new beer heritage fair in the city's Forest Park.

Well, I have many favorites when it comes to beer and no AH product even cracks the top 25 but, hey, they're the home team. InBev, however, does already make a few fine beers:

But hey, InBev, leave our Bud alone!


Have a great weekend! And have a Bud Light while you still can.

Metro East University

Not to knock SIU-E as an institution (although it does need its own name), but I think I have an idea why its enrollment is up so much. The kids think (and maybe they’re right, how would I know) that Edwardsville is the new party school of choice. Having a graduated senior in my midst, I hear these things. In fact, a large contingent of my graduate’s class is going to Edwardsville, in part, I hear, for that reason.


Again, I’m not in any way dismissing SIU-E as a center for education and the general college experience. In fact, I think having a reputation for fun and attracting those looking for fun is a good thing.

In my day, 30 years ago, it was the real SIU in Carbondale that had the party cred. That party school reputation attracted some kids that were more interested in the “party” than the “school”, but they often didn’t make it and eventually washed out. The rest of us were able to somewhat temper our fun and were more than happy to have the overindulgers subsidize our educational institution and add a spice to the party scene.

That Useless Last Day of School

This really is stupid and it’s nothing new. I remember those silly show-up-and-get-your-report-card days even back when I was in grade school.

PEORIA — It's called report card day by many.

The day starts much the same as any ordinary school day: Students clamber onto buses, into mom and dad's car or hit the sidewalks heading for school. They go to their homeroom, take a seat, attendance is taken.

But that's about where the day ends at several schools, literally lasting only about as long as it takes for kids to receive their grades and head back out the way they came.

Under Illinois statute, it's one of two school days that may last less than the required minimum five clock hours of classroom instruction yet count as an entire school day.

Send the report cards by mail and use the day for instruction or just shorten the school year by a day. Why waste all the transportation and infrastructure costs for nothing that furthers a child’s education? And does it occur to anyone else that most school districts and even private schools pretty much adhere to the minimums required by law right down to the last possible minute? Shouldn’t the minimums be just that –minimums- with room for bigger and better?

Lisa '10

Can I second this (see, he's right most of the time):

To: Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan
Subject: Your political future
Status: Urgent

Three words:

Hat. Ring. Now.

Don't wait.

Announce today that you'll challenge incumbent Rod Blagojevich for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2010.

Really, the Dems need to move to oust Rod this time around. The alternative is either more Blago (yech!) or some Republican (yech-ish!). Redeem yourselves Illinois Democrats.

Update: Rich Miller takes a serious and in depth look at the idea. I don't really care if it's Madigan, but please get somebody.

Scarves of Terror

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Rachael Ray is a terrorist.

Does Dunkin’ Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men.

Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin’ Donuts boycott.

‘‘The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad,’’ Malkin yowls in her syndicated column.

‘‘Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons.’’

The company at first pooh-poohed the complaints, claiming the black-and-white wrap was not a keffiyeh. But the right-wing drumbeat on the blogosphere continued and by yesterday, Dunkin’ Donuts decided it’d be easier just to yank the ad.

Sigh. More mind-numbing stupidity brought to you by the batshit crazy right-wing in this country. Talk about political correctness gone amok. It’s just a different brand of political.


Why does anyone listen to these people? At the core here we have a deeply pathological xenophobia, paranoia, and a very racist attitude toward Arabs in general. Sick, sick people.

Update: Hunter has more on the terrorist threat:

To bring America to its knees, all Bin Laden must do is make his next video while drinking from a can of Coca Cola. The nation would erupt in chaos; Coca Cola sales would vanish into nothingness. In his next video, he could casually munch potato chips; the entire snack industry would collapse. One after another, he could film himself driving an American car; he could insert himself into a Girls Gone Wild video; he could appear next to a caveman, or a gecko, or Captain Crunch; he could enroll in DeVry University. On the day he refinanced his home at new historically low rates, the United States housing market would collapse irretrievably. One by one, he could decimate the entire economic fabric of America merely by association. Not one person in fifty would be willing to buck social trends and still buy Coca Cola if Bin Laden was seen drinking it; our consumer-based economy would be destroyed.

Why stop at scarves, after all? If Islamic militants wished to truly damage America, they should make pants a symbol of their jihad. All of conservative America would immediately go patriotically pantsless, and the collective loss of American appetites would render the entire nation weak and anemic and ripe for takeover.

One problem lies in the fact that the right wing relies almost entirely on symbols and buzz words. Flag pins! The Pledge! The Flag itself! Scarves! Support the Troops magnets! Liberal, Liberal, Liberal! Patriotic! Nine-Eleven! Ronald Reagan (the myth, not the man)! Trial Lawyers! Communist! Terrorist! Taxes! Big Government! It all becomes so meaningless yet self-perpetuating among those who buy into it. They can’t even begin to see how silly they are.

Liquid Gold

The Mad Max movies are starting to look more like documentaries these days.

Most gas thefts are still perpetrated by motorists who drive off without paying. After seeing declines in drive-offs earlier this decade, after many stores began requiring drivers to pre-pay, the National Association of Convenience Stores says they’re rising sharply again.

Convenience stores sell more than 80 percent of the fuel U.S. motorists put in their vehicles, and stores in high-traffic areas along Interstate highways are often hit several times a day, the association said. The average store will lose more than $1,000 in stolen fuel this year, it said — and more than double that at stores that don’t require pre-payment.

OK, how do gas stations have fuel stolen if customers are required to pre-pay? I don’t get that. Also, I’m not sure why the gas stores in Springfield don’t all require pre-payment since it only takes something like one drive off a day make selling gas nothing but a loss leader for their convenience store items. I was told recently by a cashier at my friendly neighborhood gas station that the city doesn’t allow for pre-pay only gas stations. I have no idea if that’s true but I think you should have to either pre-pay or use a credit/debit card. I know it’s hard if you don’t have plastic to estimate how much you’re going to need but I assume you can always go back into the store for a refund if you over pay.




Then there’s the increased risk of having your gas stolen from your vehicle:

But with the average price of a gallon of gas having more than doubled in the last two years, thieves are branching out. Across the country, drivers are waking up to find their gas caps pried open and their tanks dry.

While there are no national statistics yet tracking an increase in gas thefts, police across the country say they’re investigating more reports than ever before:

Using an empty gas can and a siphon, thieves were able to suck 30 gallons of diesel from a bus in a Bethesda, Md., parking lot.

In Beaver Dam, Wis., “they’re just going to cars at night and siphoning gas out of them,” said Stephanie Lehmann, who said several cars in her neighborhood had been hit.

Police in Evansville, Ind., said thieves drained all of the fuel this month from seven trucks belonging to a local office of JBM Inc., a metal fabrication chain. They put the loss at $700.

And police in Denver are investigating a rash of incidents in which thieves drill small holes into gas tanks and siphon off the fuel. “This is clearly not the way it’s been done in the past, by taking a hose and putting it in a gas tank,” police Detective John White said.

That last one is what I was thinking might start happening soon. I was (am) contemplating getting a locking gas cap but realized that might only be inviting even more damage. Still it seems like a good precaution for now. Anyone else taking measures to guard your gas?

Who’s Racister?

I keep hearing that people who vote for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama because they would never vote for a black person are no more racist than, say, a black person who voted for Obama because he (Obama) is black. I’m not sure I agree.

Sure, race enters both decisions, but in one case the person voting for Clinton isn’t really voting for her but against a (any) black person. Meanwhile, I suspect the black voter casting a vote for a fellow African-American is doing so not out of hate for Whitey but simply out of pride for having a black candidate to vote for. That same black voter would probably have voted for Clinton had Obama not been in the race, while our white voter would not have voted for Obama simply because they hate black people. Like I said, I don’t think those are the same thing and I have a hard time calling the black voter racist in this case.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I’m not saying all, or even most, white voters for Clinton are racist and no black voters for Obama are racist, blah, blah, blah. This has more to do with the false equivalency I see coming through the media lately.

Mow Once a Year, Whether it Needs it or Not

If you think the state’s highways are looking a bit shaggy along edges, it’s not your imagination. Apparently, the state isn’t mowing along the highways until later in the season this year.

Coming off a harsh winter during which the state spent $89 million to clear snow and ice, more than double normal, only the most vital roadwork is being done until the new fiscal year begins in July, officials said.

As a result, state crews aren't mowing grass or removing dead animals along state routes, said Christine Reed, director of highways at the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"But we will not compromise safety," vowed Reed, adding that inspections and maintenance dollars will be aimed at deteriorated bridges.

Well, it seems to me there are some safety issues involved with long grass in terms of visibility, particularly with deer. And is it a healthy idea to have a lot of road kill rotting on the roads?

Of course, my real problem with the idea is that it goes against my instincts as a born and bred suburban male: grass should be cut! I’ve been mowing yards since I was 10 and I’m not inclined to like unsightly long grass. I had that feeling just this weekend as I drove down Veterans Parkway (a state route) and noticed all the long grass in the median and along the sides. I know letting the grass grow saves money and energy but it’s going to take time for me to get used to it.

This does bring to mind one question though: is there something that we should be planting on our roadsides that is less energy intensive when it comes to maintenance? More trees? More rock?

Still Laugh-In

Sometimes, rarely, Eric Zorn is just full of shit.

Yes, public comedy is very specific to time and place, but Laugh-In was very funny perhaps because it did pay attention to the times. I have some retrospective DVDs of the show and while they certainly are dated, they're still funny. And I have fond memories of my family watching it and laughing out loud back in the late 1960s. I'm not denying nostalgia now plays a part in my opinion, but so what?

Oh, and RIP Dick Martin. Thanks for the memories, man.

Is Barack Obama a Muslim?

I did some research on this and found a very definitive answer here.

I'm also getting closer to understanding whether Obama is the Anti-Christ. I'll let you know what I find out.

Friday Beer Blogging: Utopia Edition

All this chitter-chatter about how expensive gas is made me wonder at what point would I consider beer too expensive to drink. (OK, there's no logical link between the two except they're both liquids, but ultimately all topics lead back to beer somehow.) So, using my friend Google, I looked up what the most expensive beer is . I was surprised to find it may be something brewed by the Sam Adams folks called Samuel Adams Utopias.


Article here.

Beer is one of those tastes that most people think they can identify. But most have probably never tasted a brew like Utopias. It's made using the basic brewers' arsenal - hops, malt, yeast, water - but at 27 percent alcohol by volume (called ABV in the industry), and with flavors that call to mind a cognac or a fine sherry, this is beer taken to the extremes of flavor and alcohol content.

"Utopias is a reminder of how wonderful the range is of what beer can be," says Jim Koch, founder and owner of Boston Beer Company, which makes Samuel Adams beers.

The silky, brandy-colored drink is a blend of liquids that have been brewed over the last 13 years, then aged in various woods, including bourbon casks. It's finished in sherry and Madeira casks.

...
The release of Utopias, which retails for about $130 per 24-ounce bottle, is an event in the beer world. It routinely sells out ("If we could get more, we could sell more," says Wes Narron, manager of the Wine Gallery in Brookline), but with only 12,000 bottles produced, "Sam Adams isn't going to rise or fall on how much Utopias we sell," says Koch.

That's only $780.00 a six pack or a mere $1,320.00 a case, but the bottles are big! See, gas ain't so bad.

Almost every picture of the stuff I can find has it in a snifter. I've never been convinced that's proper beer drinking accommodation.

And for that price, I expect a 1960's era Barbara Eden to come out of th bottle as well.

Have a great weekend! And don't spend all your gas money on beer.