Celebridiot of the Day 4/30

So, when an actor or actress isn't quite loading the shelves with golden statues, what do they do? Well, there's always the romantic comedies, TV, or they try becoming rock stars. Here, the inverse is also true. When not decorating the walls with black circly thingies, they try their hand at acting. I'm not sure which is worse. Except today. Today, actors that sing is worse. Check out Scarlett Johansson's . . . attempt at singing:

Falling Down

Wow. Sorry to have put you through that.

Paula's trancing

If you watched AI last night, you witnessed a paranormal event . . . Paula reported on two performances of Jason Castro, though he had only performed once! She must have been visioning into the future!

It was quite hilarious. Because the finalists were performing two songs, and the show was only an hour long, the judges waited on their commentary until all the performers had sung. This clearly threw Paula off. Even as others tried to explain to her that Jason had only sung once, she was confused. Everyone was a bit uncomfortable at that point. The simply had to move on. I don't think she ever got it. She tried to explain that it was her notes that had confused her . . . she was reading ahead from David Cook's performance notes. But, that didn't make sense as she came back to give David high praise as opposed to the lackluster judging she gave Jason's "apparent" second performance.

Look up "ditz" on Wiki and who's picture will be there?

Probably many. But Paula officially joins that list.

Van F*cking Halen

When I heard the news that Van Halen was reuniting with David Lee Roth, I was excited. While I have always thought Sammy Hagar was the perfect choice as their frontman replacement, it put to rest years of great music that had Roth's trademark style all over it. Other groups just move on, playing the songs that made them famous in the first place. Sammy sang a few of David's songs. But it really didn't compare.

The tour started late last year. Everything I was reading was good. Real good. Surprisingly good. These guys are in their 50's! How good could it be?

God damn rock on f*ckin' good is how.

Van Halen just completed two and half hours of rocking their music, their way, as if it were 38 years ago. No one has anything on these guys.

My wife and I ate at Elsa's prior to the show. There was an opening act. It started at 7:30. I figure VH would be on at 9:00 and we'd be home around 11:00. Wrong. We missed the first couple of songs. They started about 8:30 and played to about 11:00.
It was incredible! David Lee Roth is an amazing guy. First, his voice . . . if he was a 10 38 years ago, he was a 9 tonight. He sounded incredible. Energetic, funny, smiling constantly . . . he didn't do quite the amount of karate kicks, but he did do them. At one point he opened his shirt . . . god damn him. You could put a 25 year olds head on his body and you'd have a close to perfect man. Rock hard, cut, toned . . . damn him. If anything, I've got him on hair. All of them, though, were age appropriate. Nick looking, clean, sharp.

Eddie was a little more subdued than he's been in the past. Between age and having his hips replaced, it's no wonder. But there was nothing wrong with his fingers. Eddie reminded us all night not only what a pioneer he's been to the Van Halen sound, but that he'd still kick anyone's ass on guitar. He moved and jumped a bit throughout the night. But my feeling is that the warranty has runout on the hips and he's not taking any chances.

Alex is Eddie's OLDER brother. Which mean he's around 55! Quite simply put, no one has told him that, yet, and it doesn't show. Neil Pert might still be considered on of rock's greatest drummers, but Alex is right behind him. His solo was amazing.

Then there's Wolfie. Wolfgang Van Halen. 16 year old son of Eddie. OK. I understand 50 isn't THAT old, that there's still a lot of life left in a person, an ability to perform and entertain. But there's the opposite end of that spectrum. Noobs don't have the years of experience, of playing and perfecting, of playing the crowd, of lasting the night! 16? Well, let me put it this way . . .

Michael who?

The kid is awesome. Really good. Both on bass and vocally, too. He had one short solo during the night. He nailed it good.

26 songs later and it looked like most people left the Bradley Center in shock . . . happy . . . but amazed. Amazed that somehow they had aged, but Van Halen did not. It was a good crowd. About 90% full and rockin' throughout.

And with good reason. Van Halen gave a lesson in rock music tonight. They gave a lesson in performing, being cool, being hot, and getting down with it. They were awesome!

You Really Got Me . . . stoked!

OK, this might not help my dorkdom much but I'm seeing Van Halen tonight. I'm stoked. From everything I've read the band is good . . . tight. Their set list is a Van Halen fan of the past dream come true. 26 songs in all. Wow. I can't wait. But wait I must and take care of this nagging little detail . . . work.

So the little one goes to her auntie Mimi's while the wife and I have our extended 80's moment. In addition to the band, I can't wait to see the crowd.

Panama!

Packer draft

I think the Packers did real well with this draft. Considering it wasn't a real strong draft year, and considering the Packers have few "weak" spots, and considering you've got to take what you can get at times, they did well. I've been saying for a while now that the Packers need a gazelle type receiver . . . another Lofton. They may have gotten that with Gordy Nelson. 6'3", 217, he's a load. Not the fastest guy on the field but runs good routes and catches well. While the Packers are rather flush with receivers, having a 6'3" guy could really causes some problems for secondaries. A good draft.

Scouts say Brian Brohm is the only game ready player in the draft. That may be a good thing if Rogers really is made of glass and the Packers don't pick up a veteran QB in free agency. A good build for the future pick.

Patrick Lee looks like a good pick. I think most agree the Packers need help in the secondary. This guy is physical. His numbers are good. A nice pick.

Jermichael Finley seems like a receiving TE. 6'5", 248. He's a little bigger than Lee and he might be faster. Packers need an impact TE. This could be that guy.

Jeremy Thompson DE. Packers needed help in the secondary and on the defensive line. They could still use an inside lineman . . . a good one, but they've also needed some help at DE. KGB is good, but he's no Reggie White. Jeremy isn't likely to be either, but this is a good pick up.

Ted shored up some offensive line picks which I thought were good. Quite honestly, there's a lot of competition there but these picks look good.

So, what do we think the Packers needed? A quarterback. They got it. Secondary help. They got it. D line help. They got it. A tight end. They got it. In my opinion they don't need a running back, linebackers, kickers, or really O linemen. Back ups and future build are always welcome. I think Gordy is a real find. He could be an impact player this year. So over all I think Ted did a very good job.

My Top 10

THis is harder than it seems. First, there are many good looking, "babe quality" women out there. Narrowing it down to 10 is tough. Plus, you sometimes have to separate the personality from the image. So, understand, these picks are purely aesthetic.

10. Jennifer Aniston

9. Winona Ryder

8. Elizabeth Hurley

7. Keeley Hazel

6. Lindsay Lohan

5. Maria Menonous

4. Emmanuel Chriqui

3. Kim Smith

2. Jennifer Love Hewitt

1. Kate Beckinsale

A closer look and you'll notice no one real young, and no blondes. Perhaps it's my own age, but I find most people improve a bit with age. Sure, there are some things (ahem) that make it tough for a 40 year old to compete with a 20 year old on, but over all a little . . . maturity is good. As for the blonde thing . . . don't get the wrong impression. There are plenty o hot blondes. Elisha Cuthbert comes to mind. Kristen Bell, another. But my taste just leans brunette.

And yours?

What about you women? Who are your top ten guys?

FHM 100 Sexiest

So, the much anticipated list and issue is finally out. FHM's top 100 sexiest Women of 2008. The list is compiled from guys from the world over who logged on and voted. I voted. One girl made the list. No surprise. There's no accounting for taste. Here is FHM's top 10:

10. Keira Knightley. Cute. Waaaaaaaaay too skinny.

9. Angelina Jolie. Does absolutely nothing for me. Probably wouldn't make my top 100.

8. Hillary Duff. WTF?!?! Give me a frickin' break.

7. Cheryl Cole. Pop tart wannabe. Cute. But wouldn't make my list. Can't slam the choice though.

6. Scarlett Johansson. Other than her obvious assets, she doesn't do much for me.

5. Hayden Panettiere. Cute, but that's about it.

4. Elisha Cuthbert. Can't slam this choice. I like her.

3. Keeley Hazel. Now we're talking. She's in my top 10.

2. Jessica Alba. Does nothing for me.

1. Megan Fox. I thought she was pretty hot in Transformers, but number one? Not even close.

What IS my top 10?

Later.

Who would be in your top 10?

Celebridiot of the Day

I understand we all have our causes and many celebridorks have theirs. This is good. Nothing wrong with that. They make all kinds of money for having little talent (in most cases) so why not give back? I’m all for it. While not a fan of Angie Jolie, she’s putting her pocketbook where her rather large mouth is. Good for her. It’s nice she can find other ways to look down her nose at the rest of the world.

But, some people take their causes a little . . . hmm . . . over board, should I say? Hayden Panettiere’s little stint in Japan about the dolphins seemed a bit uninformed while worthy. Then there’s Martin Sheen who always seems to show up at some protest to get arrested.

Today, though, we have Harrison Ford. I used to like Harrison. During his Star Wars and Indiana Jones years he was fun to watch. Something happened to him, though. I blame it on that human toothpick sparrow-faced Calista Flockhart. Instead of growing older with dignity, Harrison did what many hollywood women do, become pathetic. Harrison doned the cover of Redbook magazine a few years back in what has to be one of the girliest picture ever taken of a man. He’s also not a very good actor. Sure, he did well with his action roles, but none of his “serious” stuff has any real credibility.

Anyway . . . he’s also a conservationist. Now, I don’t want to get anyone riled. But there are conservationists, and there are kooks. You tell me:

Harrison invited Access Hollywood and our guest correspondent Mel B exclusively along as he embarked
on a personal project to promote going green.

And just how did Harrison, who is the vice chair of the global environment group Conservation International
want to get his message across?

By waxing his chest, of course.

What? I really need for someone to explain to me the relationship between having you chest hairs waxed and deforestation.

No, really. I mean it.

Read the rest of the laugh here.

MPS Busing cuts

Busing for MPS students will be cut by more than two thirds for the '09 - '10 school year for a savings of about 20 million dollars. The article is here.

It's easy to have an immediate reaction to this. For many parents, how they get their children to the school they want them to attend is going to be more difficult.

But, there are several other issues with regard to this that make this a good thing. First, there are a few instances where a bus travels over 20 miles with 2 kids aboard. That's ridiculous. A huge waste of money.

Second, Andrekopoulos has been pushing for a return to neighborhood schools. This would help that cause. Granted, it forces the issue, but part of that issue was money savings.

Third, it frees up the money for other things. As I've posted before, MGIS is losing their PhyEd and Music teachers. They've already lost their Art teacher. Granted, part of the problem is money allocation, and not simply amount of money. But saving on busing cost is one way to handle the over all budget problem.

I could mention that this is a "green" initiative. Buses not only pour a lot of emission in to the air, but they do it for greater distances and for longer periods of time. Returning to neighborhood schools would mean less emissions. Add to that the price of gas . . .

But I doubt anyone will bring that up in the discussion.

The other good thing that may come from this . . . local schools will improve. With no choice but to send a child to a nearby school parents will demand that schools improve. Which they should. While I support this measure, I'd hate to see students and their parents feel as though they're losing out because they have to go to a school that they feel isn't as good as where they've been going.

Lastly, MPS needs to make improvements across the board so that all schools are good. Not just a few. Further, while there may still be those parents who want to send their children to a certain school, I don't think it's the responsibility of MPS to act as a charter service for every desire. Understandably, this is a give and take situation.

It's a small start, but it's a start.

Hillary Wins PA

Oh, this just gets better and better. Obama did all he could to suppress the vote, but it didn't work.

Middle America told Obama where to go.

Anyone for a whiskey?

I have to believe Obama is furious. I'm sure there was a time when he thought this was going to be a cake walk. Now, this presents huge problems for the democrats as many don't like the Clintons. And they believe Obama has a better chance at defeating McCain. Hillary ain't going away.

I still think Hillary could walk in to the Whitehouse if she dumped Bill right now. Of course, I hope she doesn't.

Add to this the fact that many conservatives are starting to come around to McCain and I think the Dems have some problems this election. Should McCain choose Rice as a running mate, if that's even possible . . . I now it's been talked about . . . he could win with better than 50% of the popular vote. There's some evidence he's gaining with Independent voters. Which means he could win pivotal states. Including Wisconsin.

For now, though, the circus that is the Democrat primary is like reality TV. Who will go home?

5150?

It's interesting to find out why people use the screen names they do. Be it for email or other online stuff, there's usually a story behind the name. Of course, you need something no one else has. At least not at the sites you need to provide a name at. Then, it seems most people pick a screen name that defines them somewhat. Mine does. And it's perfect.

First off, 5150 is the title of a Van Halen album (CD). As I'm a huge Van Halen fan, a guitarist, and a rock and roll kinda guy, it was perfect. Jimi5150.

But there's more.

5150 is also the police call for . . . mental person. Yep, when a 5150 call is made over the radio it's time to put away the guns and get out the big net and call the guys in the white coats.

Perfect.

American Idol

I read a couple of things in the paper about AI that caught my interest. The first issue is the declining viewership. To me, that's easy . . .

GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

They waste sooooo much time on that show. There's no reason for the show to be 90 minutes long once they reach the finals. There is so much filler crap it is hard to watch live. The only reason I watch live is because Dan at the D Spot live blogs it. Otherwise it's perfect for the DVR.

The other issue is the artist choice for songs. Beatles, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey . . . ? Personally, I would prefer they just switch the genre each week to see how they do. Rock, Country, R&B, that sort of thing. Even then, I don't see why they just don't let the singers perform to their strengths. Kristi, who just got the boot, isn't going to become a pop star. She's country through and through. Same with Brooke. She's not about to become the next Pink. Why force them into situations they're not comfortable with? After all, since they gravitate to a particular genre, wouldn't you want to know that they bankable in that genre?

Lastly, there was an article that thinks the big prize is for Archuleta to lose. What? He's got a good voice. He does have broad appeal. But, give me a break . . . he's boring! Remember Clay Aiken? Exactly. In my opinion, and it's well seasoned in music, this year should belong to David Cook. Not only does he have a good voice, it's an interesting voice. Unique. A voice you could listen to for a while. I can't say that about Archie. Or any of the others, for that matter. Kristi will have some success as a country artist. But Jason, Syesha, and Carly . . . success? As what? Hard to say.

One thing is for sure, assuming the performers are actually voted on by the viewing public . . . there's no saying what will happen. Given the past record of voters, Archie may well win.

Too bad.

Why I'm such a dork

I've admitted to watching Days of Our Lives like an idiot. Here's why . . .

Many years ago, my wife used to watch it. She'd tape it and watch it after work. At the time I thought it rather goofy. But it was difficult to ignore it in our small apartment at the time. One day it happened . . . "What happened to Tony?" I asked one day. Things move at a snails pace on Soaps so I started watching the Monday episodes. This was during the time when Tony's evil twin Andre was around . . . remember those days? Eugene and Calliope?

Anyway, I got hooked. We watched it for a good many years. Bo and Hope, Steve and Kayla, . . . up to about the time John Black came onto the scene. We got spotty after that. John Black was actually Roman, but became John Black again when the real Roman came back. Many of the regulars had left and we stopped watching.

Fast forward 20 years . . . yes, 20 years! I break my ankle and I'm in my hospital bed watching TV. It's noon so I decide to turn on Days. Just for giggles. I tune in to see Patch (Steve) working as a nurse taking care of Jack Devereaux, his brother. Jack has some illness and he's due to die soon. Patch doesn't know he's Steve as his memory has been erased by . . . who do you think? Stefano. Turns out the characters had recently returned after a 20 year hiatus! Of course, both were presumed dead. Kayla had gone on with her life and Jennifer was about to marry Frankie!

Bo and Hope had already returned. Now Steve, Kayla, Jack, Jennifer, and Stefano were all reappearing. Recently Tony and Anna came back. Ton had another evil twin. Only this time it was a cousin who had been surgically altered to look like Tony. I swear, Tony has spent more character time locked in a dungeon or stranded on an island more than he's be free.

Well, I considered it a sign. A sign that part of my recovery should be spent catching up with the characters I watched so many years ago. I've been watching for three years now. Only, there's DVR now. I can watch an entire week in about an hour.

So, that's the story. It's pathetic, I know. But it's hard to walk away from it with all these past characters back on.

Working at home . . . in bed!

As I've posted before, I live in Milwaukee but work in West Bend. Not bad, really. But, it's still 30 some miles and with gas prices being what they are, it's expensive. So, once a week or so, I work at home.

Well, I finally got around to loading my editing software on my laptop. I loaded the files I needed onto a notebook drive that can run off the firewire connection . . . and I can edit anywhere! So, for a while, I did! I spent the morning in my comfies editing in bed! What could be better? Had my coffee and a few shortbread Girl Scout cookies, had all the windows open to let in light and air, it was almost heaven.

Now if I could just get someone to bring me lunch . . .

I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC

My sister used to work at Intel. At the time, if you were a Mac fan you had to hide that fact. There was no speaking of Macs and there was certainly no having Mac in the building. My sister told me that many went through great measures to hide their Mac from prying eyes. Getting caught literally got you fired.

I can only imagine the same would be true at IBM. Well, perhaps at one time, but no more. Apparently IBM has started embracing the Mac and its OS as a means of reducing the company's dependancy on Windows. The article is here.

It's actually a pilot program to gauge initial user response. The reasons given:

Alternative to Microsoft Windows
Less prone to security issues
Widely used in the academic world with which Research has close ties
Many new hires are more comfortable with the Mac and lately asking for it
Growing Mac community in Research and within IBM that finds the development environment on Mac more convenient
Growing acceptance of the Mac as a consumer and business oriented client platform
WPLC strategy includes significant investments in achieving the Mac platform parity

After the first phase of the program, they got this feedback:

Of the 22 of 24 who responded, 18 said that the Mac offered a “better or best experience” compared to their existing computer, one rated it “equal or good,” and three said the Mac offered a “worse experience.” Seven reported having no or marginal prior knowledge of using Macs, while 15 reported having moderate or expert knowledge of the platform.

So at IBM users felt the Mac was better than their own PC's? No surprise to me. I've used both and you couldn't pay me to own something I had to run Windows on. The best quote is this:

“This can free us from the Windows stranglehold.”

Welcome to freedom. Welcome to Macintosh.

Packer 2008 Schedule

1 Sept. 8 (Mon.) Minnesota Vikings 7 p.m.
2 Sept. 14 at Detroit Lions 1 p.m.
3 Sept. 21 Dallas Cowboys 8:15 p.m.
4 Sept. 28 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 p.m.
5 Oct. 5 Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m.
6 Oct. 12 at Seattle Seahawks 4:15 p.m.
7 Oct. 19 Indianapolis Colts 4:15 p.m.
8 Oct. 26 Bye
9 Nov. 2 at Tennessee Titans 1 p.m.
10 Nov. 9 at Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m.
11 Nov. 16 Chicago Bears 1 p.m.
12 Nov. 24 (Mon.) at New Orleans Saints 8:30 p.m.
13 Nov. 30 Carolina Panthers 1 p.m.
14 Dec. 7 Houston Texans 1 p.m.
15 Dec. 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m.
16 Dec. 22 (Mon.) at Chicago Bears 8:30 p.m.
17 Dec. 28 Detroit Lions 1 p.m.

Three Monday night games . . . nice! And we open at home on Monday Night against the Viqueens . . . very nice!

I see a 14 and 2 season!

See the whole NFL schedule here.

DVR Alert!

First Lady Laura Bush is going to guest host on the Today Show next week.

NEW YORK (AP) - entertainmentminute First lady Laura Bush will be "guest host" for an hour of NBC's "Today" show next week.
The network said she'll host the 9 a.m. EDT hour April 22, the morning of the Pennsylvania primary. By that time in the four-hour morning show, politics is usually set aside for issues that affect women, who make up the majority of the audience during that time period.

Mrs. Bush will participate in several segments and interviews, NBC said Tuesday.

She will be joined earlier in the broadcast by her daughter Jenna to talk about their new children's book, "Read All About It!"

The first lady will also give Ann Curry a tour of the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Laura Bush has really been a quietly strong kind of First Lady. She's done a lot but keep a very low profile. I'm anxious to see and hear more from her.

A Million Little Lies

I got an email from James Frey. Well, not personally, I'm sure. It was to announce his blog and new book Bright Shiny Morning. You remember this guy . . . ? He was Oprah's pick of the month or something with Million Little Pieces. An autobiographical story about himself, being an addict, and his road to recovery. My wife read it and, without passing judgement on her own judgement, really liked it and encouraged me to read it. Not really my cup of tea. Give me Edward Lee, Koontz, Sandford, James Patterson . . . but I decided to give it a try.

Early on in the book it deals with Jim (mind if I call you Jim?) going to the dentist to have work done. He got beat up, left for dead, put on a plane where he wakes up, and winds up in rehab thanks to his parents. He describes having root canals done without any novocaine and instead squeezes tennis balls until his finger nails crack and he passes out.

Yeah, right. I axed my wife after the first chapter . . . "you believe this?" He wasn't allowed any novocaine due to his past drug use and fears he might relapse.

Well, it turns out the book was one lie after another after another after another. He went on Oprah and admitted embellishing a bit. AFter subsequent investigations in to various components of his story we come to find out the whole thing is a huge lie. Yes, he was an addict. Yes, he went to rehab. That's about where similarities end. His dental experience, his arrest, the death of a girlfriend . . . all lies. He even lied about the cause of death of his girlfriend twice!

The book was entertaining. Once you got past some of the over the top-ness about it. As for all the lies . . . apparently he had shopped the book as a fiction story to begin with. No one would buy it so he decided to make it a true story. And just as with the news, no one bothered to check facts. Facts like Lilly's death which would be public record.

Hey, maybe he and algore could get together and write a book . . . A Million Little Incovenient Lies.

Recidivist Transit Grinder

This is one of those stories . . . first, someone had to come up with that label. It's pretty good, really. Second, I'm a little surprised it took 53 gropings before the courts got serious. No one thought after . . . say, 11 that this guy might be a serial groper? 23? 33? 41? Nope. Took until 53 before they got serious.

Not to be out done, the newspaper call the guy a "subway rat". Might be true, but Recidivist Transit Grinder sound so much better!

Ah, the decisions we make as parents

Whether it's letting a child sit in the front seat of a car unbuckled, letting them in a boat without a life jacket, or get on a skate board without any pads, we parents make important decisions about our children's actions to protect them. They're simply incapable of making those decisions themselves as they're ignorant of the consequences. This kid doesn't stand a chance:

A couple can't agree on which gang their 4-year-old toddler should join.

A fight about the decision led to a public disturbance with the father's arrest. Joseph Manzanares went to the video store where his girlfriend worked, threatened to kill her and knocked over several video displays, police told KMGH Denver.

Police arrested Manzanares at his home, Commerce City police Sgt. Joe Sandoval told KMGH Denver.

The girlfriend told authorities they were fighting over which gang their son should join. The girlfriend, who is black, is a member of the Crips while Manzanares, who is Hispanic, belongs to the Westside Ballers.

"They have different ideas on how the baby should be raised," Sandoval said. "Basically, she said they cannot agree on which gang the baby would 'claim.'"

With parents this stupid I doubt the kid will see 21. Reminds me of a great quote from Parenthood:

Tod (Keeanu Reeves)
You know, Mrs. Buckman, you need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.

Is winter over?

The Badger Blogger seems to think so.

Have to admit, he may be on to something. The long range forecast does call for warmer weather. Still, it's not impossible to get one more wallop. What do you think?

Is winter finally over?
	Yes. We're going yo warm up steadily
	No. Old Man Winter ain't done with us.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

The first of many steps

After two years of getting roasted by sports-media critics, Bryant Gumbel has ankled his job as play-by-play man for the eight live National Football League primetime games carried each season by the NFL Network.
The network hired Gumbel when it secured rights to the eight-game package in 2006, even though Gumbel had no experience doing NFL play by play. His sports expertise comes from his 13 years as host of HBO’s monthly hourlong series “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” and his early career at NBC Sports.

Referring to the two years doing the games as “a new experience for me,” Gumbel said in a statement that he and the network have “agreed that we’d all be better served going in different directions.”

Cris Collinsworth will continue as the analyst on the games. The network has begun the search for Gumbel’s replacement.

Thank god. While the NFL network has A LOT to do before it comes close to anyone else, this is a step in the right direction. Gumbel sucked. Plain and simple.

Hillary can win if . . .

She dumps Bill. Now. Because he's a jerk, a filanderer, a liar, and an egomaniac. She would gain so much respect, even from me, I think she'd easily out shine Obama.

Free advice, babe. You do it, and you could win it all.

Sonic Spots

I love the Sonic spots. The ones with the couple sitting in the car . . . I think they're funny. But . . .

Anyone else think the wife is hot? There's just something about her.

Who's laughing now?

The 7 teens involved with the ambush and beating of a classmate will be charged and tried as adults. As a result, if convicted, could get life in prison. At the time of their arrest, the teens didn't seem to concerned.

Judd said the suspects showed no remorse when they were arrested and booked.

"They were laughing and joking about, 'I guess we won't get to go to the beach during spring break.' And one ... asked whether she could go to cheerleading practice," he said.

I wonder if they're laughing now?

Also, it turns out that the reason they mobbed this girl was because of disparaging remarks made about them on the girl's MySpace web page.

Is that right?

As I mentioned before, the lot of you don't have the collective brain power of a jelly doughnut. None of you are very attractive. While I can't be sure, you probably stink. If your talent matches your looks you couldn't dance to save your life. You girls are skanks and you guys have the manliness of Ross the assistant. All of which may come as some help considering you may be locked up for a while. You're pathetic. You're losers. No one will miss you.

I'm ready.

Puts a smile on my face.

There's a cluster of headlines over at Drudge that just put a smile on my face. I don't even have to read the stories.

PAPER: CBS, Couric Likely to Split...

Most Of Dan Rather Lawsuit Thrown Out...

REPORT: Randi Rhodes Out At AIR AMERICA...

Scientists 'take drugs to boost brain power'...

With regard to the last one . . . do we have to put an asterisk next to any discoveries made by any of these scientists? Might also explain some of the global warming foolishness.

Instant Justice. Just add stupid.

I'm not one to wish anyone dead, but incidents like this save a lot of hassle and taxpayer money.

Intelligence 0 / Darwin 2

Hey! Let's commit a crime and post it on youtube!

The news of the 7 teens who ambushed another teen to beat her up and post the video on youtube is a few days old. There's an update to the story here which essentially tells us that the girl who got beat up is going to finish out her High School years at home and that she's having continual problems with her hearing and sight.

My guess is she'll be OK . . . in time. But, you never know. Her neurological damage could be permanent. How sad to think that she would develop a handicap at the hands of such lowlife class(less)mates. She could also suffer emotionally for a long time.

But what really struck me about this . . . you've got to be dumber than a bag of rocks than to VIDEOTAPE and POST on YOUTUBE your crime. There were 7 kids. Collectively the seven didn't have the brains of a jelly doughnut.

Now, instead of idolizing society's sh*t stains, why not sell this girl's story and raise money to help her through all of this? Raise money to pay for her moving somewhere else, and pay for her medical expenses. Make her the celebrity . . . not the vermin.

But no. I'm sure People Magazine will want the storys of the 7 brainless scumwads, Playboy will pay them to pose, and the Today Show will be interviewing them and their parents soon.

I hope I'm wrong.

What could she possibly have done?

Toddler Beaten to Death With Video Game Controller

That was the headline. I'm sure no one has to read any more to figure out that this was a sick, tragic end to an innocent life. The article is here.

Several things struck me.

Johnson, 26, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other counts.

Where's the murder charge? Where's the god damn murder charge?! The article does elude to new charges being filed as a result of death . . . I sure hope so.

Baez said Johnson had abused the girl in the past and said she heard the girl scream after Johnson beat her Sunday, according to the affidavit.

Baez was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Detective Dana Ward said Baez was charged because she did not intervene or try to get help for Darisabel.

What absolute scum. Complete and total disregard for the welfare of a child's life. How pathetic. I hope she gets a lot of time. Neither one of these vermin should be allowed to enjoy life . . . ever.

What could this cute little girl possibly have done to deserve this? While it's no consolation . . . at least her suffering is over.

"You're doing what?"

I'm the kind of person who has one close best friend (other than my wife) and many other good friends. I tend not to go out a lot preferring the company of my wife and/or daughter and the sanctity of home. I don't really go out with "the guys" as I tend to find many of them rather boorish. I'm not a jock head (I watch only football), I thought "Shoot Em Up" was an awful movie, I like my wife, I like my daughter, I don't drink, and I have good taste in women. Sadly, this takes care of a good percentage of men out there of who I can relate to or with.

My wife has a few close girlfriends with families of their own. Every time we get together the guys head to the basement bar, turn on some sport program, and sit around and talk sports and how things used to be before wives and kids. The women are in the livingroom talking about cooking, school, movies and TV, and the occasional bum husband. Me? I'm with the kids in the bedroom or outside. I'm not kidding. Or I'm with the women. Hey, I'm not stupid.

My wife has several close friends. Every week she's usually off somewhere helping, visiting, shopping with, or dining with a girlfriend of hers. She's a great friend. Very willing to help her friends with anything. Caring. Thoughtful. Her friends like her a lot. But, she makes the effort. I don't. I admit to being a little lazy in that regard. I'm too comfortable at home with the family and my sister in law and her family who live 8 houses away.

Anyway, I come home from work yesterday and engage my family in the usual manner. At one point I ask "what's going on tonight?" Jackie, my wife answers, "nothing much. Just cleaning a little." And then I say something she hasn't heard in quite some time.

"I'm going out."

There were two thuds as not only did my wife faint, but my daughter as well. Which tells you just how shocking this statement was.

"Your doing what?" "I'm going out . . . to visit with my geek blogger buddies at Papa's." She knows about the blogging thing but doesn't quite fully understand it. After explaining it a bit more she says "that's great. Have fun."

My daughter, who is 8 and way more in tune with the online means of the world wanted to come along. She sits with me reading Dan's live blog during American Idol. I chat with my daughter from work when she comes home from school (hope my boss doesn't see this). So, again, she's pretty savvy. I tell her she can't go. It's a bar, it's smokey, it's a school night, blah blah blah. Had I known some couple was bringing their infant in to that environment and I might have thought different. For shame!

To keep a long story from getting completely out of hand, I went to Drinking Right at Papa's last night. First time. Fred has been giving all kinds of crap about never showing up even though I live about 8 blocks away. Geez. Anyway, it was great. Nothing new to most reading this but many of the blogs I read were represented. It was a good time. Even Dan Deibert showed up after his live blog of AI. It was very nice meeting the people behind the blogs. We solved some world problems, poked some fun at other bloggers, laughed at the left, cried about the right, and tried to see what Fred was writing all night.

So, in complete contrary to character, I went out and made some new friends. Thanks fellow bloggers. You'll be seeing more of me from now on.

Using logic illogically

There's an interesting post on the Milwaukee Biz Blog by Tom Barrett. The post deals with some, as he calls it, fried facts (I'm not sure what that means . . . ). One issue I have with Tom's post is the information he doesn't tell you which is revealed by a person who responds to his post. The article is here.

The post deals with the 27th street off ramp that is to be closed with the I-94 expansion from the airport south. But none of this is really the point that I'm trying to get at. In the article, Tom defends closing the 27th street ramp with this logic:

This is an important point, because the access points that will remain open to 27th Street are those most heavily traveled. According to information from our city engineer, approximately 16,000 vehicles exit I-894 via S. 27th Street every day, but only 1,500 of those cars – less than 10 percent - utilize the exit that would be closed.

First off, 10% or not, 1500 cars is a lot. But, again, this isn't the point. If 1500 cars a day, or 10%, isn't enough to justify keeping the ramp, why is less than that (in terms of transit numbers) a justifiable reason to persue rail?

Milwaukee German Immersion School

My daughter attends this school. It was an easy decision for us. One, we're close, and two, it's a great school. Their academic performance is top notch. At or near the top in every aspect of education. Good teachers, good environment, and good community involvement.

One would think, given that MPS has had and is having lots of problems, that being able to continue the achievement success wouldn't pose as a problem. But it has. MGIS has already lost an art teacher. They've already lost a tech (computer) teacher. They are now poised to lose both their Physical Education teacher and their music teacher for the fall school semester.

Now, I'm no expert on all the funding facts. But I do know this: enrollment is down, and our taxes went up. Of course, libs want to say the budget has been cut when that's far from the truth. The school board wanted a 16% hike in taxes and settled for a 9% hike in taxes. So, they got more money than last year. How is that a cut? Especially in light of fewer students?

What else do we know? Excessive travel. 9 million in consultants. Which is several million over budget. Buses that run long distances with fewer than 5 kids on them. Lunch programs that feed 4 year olds the same amount of food as 10 year olds. Adult rec programs. I won't even get in to benefits and pensions.

How does a school that performs so well lose two essential teachers?

As one might imagine, this came as quite a shock to us parents . . . not to mention the two teachers who are likely to lose their jobs. Which is strange. If you go to the MPS site, there's a huge push for new teachers. Huh?

The PTA held a meeting last night. Jeff Spence and Bruce Thompson both both attended. Now, let me set this up. The PTA is having a meeting. Everyone is invited to attend to voice their concerns. Jeff and Bruce agree to attend. The school is losing two teachers and, well, we're pretty upset about that. So, what's the first thing out of Spence's mouth?

"Well, uh . . . I don't really have anything prepared, uh . . . (looks at Bruce) do you . . . ? uh, I'm not sure . . . "

That's great. That pretty much set the tone for the whole night. Lots of excuses. Lots of mumbo jumbo. Lots of "there's 7 other board members", lots of "we have a whole district to take care of . . . ", and not one . . . NOT ONE offer of a direct solution, by any means, as to how we keep these teachers. I swear, the word "I" didn't exist in his vocabulary. He DID suggest things WE could do.

Excuse me? Aren't you an elected official meant to represent us?!?!?!?!?!?

Sure, I can call Rep. Sullivan, and I have. Shouldn't JEFF SPENCE do that on our behalf?

I came to the conclusion that Jeff Spence is utterly worthless. He will not go to bat for our school. He will not speak passionately about our problem to the other board members. In fact, it's probably not even on his agenda to bring our problem to the board at all. It is, as it turns out, our problem to deal with.

I know one place to start. Get rid of Jeff Spence. I cannot, I will not, support someone with no regard to the concerns of a school about to lose two great teachers which will, in effect, have a counter intuitive effect on the school and destroy what has taken the efforts of those within that school to build. It will become my mission to get him out of office.

I said I'm no expert. But, trust me, this isn't about the amount of school funding. It's about allocation and how they come about allocating monies. One reason MGIS doesn't qualify for some of the same monies that other schools get is because their aren't enough kids in the free lunch program.

You read that right.

Read what I didn't write. The notion of an equal allocation of money per student?

MGIS doesn't have enough kids in the free lunch program therefore we are going to lose two essential teachers.

Makes perfect sense.

So, in the end, and because Jeff Spence is utterly useless, it's up to us. We virtually have to come up with a way to pay these two teachers for this coming fall. Nothing we do to change the larger scope of any of the issues will happen quickly. If we do nothing, they're gone. Period.

My bet is we'll make it happen. No thanks to Jeff Spence. But it will take some real effort. After last night's meeting, there are a bunch of p*ssed off parents. Yet all committed to help MGIS maintain it's status as a great school. We understand that losing these teachers will cause MGIS to be less desirable. When that happens, the school will start to falter and join the ranks of so many others that have failed due to bad policy.

UPDATE:

For those who were not at the meeting and are wondering about the disposition of Herr Arndt and Herr Warren . . . as far as the budget goes, it's done and they're gone. Come this fall they will not be at MGIS. Hence, the worthlessness of Jeff Spence. He talked from time to time about schools "with need". If losing two essential teachers isn't a need then he or the others shouldn't be on the school board. It's beyond moronic. The MGIS budget is $180,000 short. Dr. Brugger had no other choice than to do what's been done and that's let these two fine teachers go. As far as what can be done . . . from a standpoint of the budget or allocation, nothing timely. Any change in the process will take time. We have two options. Go to the State level and beg. Or, raise the money ourselves. There's a manner in which Dr. Brugger can use the money to pay their wages. A few of us talked about this option. Between private donation, business donation and fund raising, maybe it can get done. Maybe. This is a lot of money. We should stay in close communication and develop strategies to get this done. I already have a list of local German influence businesses that we could bring our story to. Another option is the almost as useless JournalSentinel. If the story gets out, who knows?

One last thing. Particularly in light of the fact that he has his children there, I was very disappointed that Mayor Barrett wasn't there. I know he doesn't have direct influence, but his presence as both Mayor and a parent would have been encouraging. Shame on him.

Randis' Randy Rant

Got her suspended . . . indefinitely. There an interesting article dealing with this here. But it's not the article so much as the comments made after the article. A few thoughts on some of the comments:


One person welcomed us to gulag in that criticize the Clinton's and get in trouble. It's happened before, hasn't it? But, another person indicated that had the same thing been pulled on Obama they'd be out of a job right away. As it is now, Randi is just on suspension and, I assume, getting a paycheck. Interesting.

Many people offered support for Randi and pointing out that the press has been soft on Hillary. Huh. I thought it was Obama they've been soft on. Supports also pointed out that her . . . blathering . . . wasn't a part of her radio show. It was comedy for crissakes! Wasn't Michael Richards trying to be funny?

The most interesting comment made by the Randi followers is how intelligent she is. Really? Well, her smart mouth sure got her in a heap of trouble now, didn't it? Just how smart is it as a radio host/personality to mouth off like she did? More than that though, she's not funny. Intelligent people . . . . intelligent comedians don't have to stoop to that level to get a laugh. Listen to Dennis Miller. He's funny . . . and intelligent. Sinbad. He's funny and doesn't stoop to that kind of language. No, in fact, I think those people who stoop to those levels lack the brain power to invoke laughter through any intelligent means. I saw a Rosanne stand up ONCE, and only for about 15 minutes. First thing she's says . . . "F*CK YOU!" That's funny? It didn't get any better so I quickly turned her off . . . as she did me.

Trust me, I get a kick out of anyone slamming Hillary . . . or Obama, or exposing them for what they are. But this goes beyond a comedy routine. It's low, classless, and not very smart.

Good. I can stop going to the bathroom!

No benefit in drinking eight glasses of water a day, scientists say.

How often have we all heard this? A lot? Since forever? Well, according to scientists not only isn't there any real evidence that drinking 8 glasses of water is beneficial, they're not sure where the belief started. The article here.

Certainly we need to replace water we've lost through sweat and dehydration. But the article points out that we can get that water even in the foods we eat. It doesn't have to be with pure water alone.

What's interesting, of course, is that here's another scientific issue that most of us probably felt, up to now, was entirely true. While I'm not trying to point in any specific direction, it goes to show just how much yet we need to learn. Be it the human body, psychology, nutrition, . . . the environment . . .

8 year olds plot to kill teacher

This is startling. ABout 9 boys and girls in a Georgia Elementary School plotted to kill a teacher after that teacher disciplined one of the students. Officials confiscated a handful of items including a knife, handcuffs, and duct tape from the students. The article is here.

Now, these are special education students. Still, you wonder where they got the idea in their heads to come up with this plot. It's a serious question. I'm not blaming the parents, race, class, TV, movies, o their conditions . . . I really would like to know. These kids are 8 and 9 years old!

From the article:

Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.

Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.

"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."

"This is an isolated incident, an aberration. ... We have good kids," Center Principal Angie Coleman told the newspaper.

This is a tough situation. You don't want to over react. Yet, as a parent with an 8 year old daughter, I don't know that I would want these kids near my daughter either. What do you do with these kids?

The difference between Conservatives and Liberals

After the 2006 elections, after the Republicans got their butts handed to them, there was a lot of excuse making. In the case of that election I don't think many were surprised by the results. Saddened, but not surprised. Still, there was opportunity to reflect on what had happened. I would say the discourse was mostly insightful. It was admitted mistakes were made, candidates were weak, and certain issues rules the day. Over all, I recall it to be a very realistic view of the defeat with a resolve to do better next time.

Now, I don't visit hundreds of blogs so I don't want to over generalize. Still . . .

After yesterdays election results, you'd think the state had either fallen prey to some evil plot to mind warp the voters . . . or that we had simply become stupid. You'd think the state was made up of two people, retards, and those with class and intelligence.

Sour grapes much?

So the first instinct is to insult the voters. Nice. The next tact is to blame the special interest groups and their fraudulent ads. Perfect and predictable. The last effort is to lambaste the winner for lying and misrepresenting themselves to the obviously retarded voter.

Let's not forget about talk radio.

What they don't do, ever, is congratulate the winner. Admit their candidate was the poorer choice. Expose the weaknesses their own candidate has. Expose the lies their candidate used to try and win. Expose the money trail to SI groups that tried to buy the election. Or admit the will of the people ruled the day.

Then there are the predictions of things going down the toilet, other bizarre predictions, and the threat of moving (I wish they would!).

It's quite a contrast, really.

It's a great day

For Wisconsin it wasn't the first day of Spring . . . it wasn't opening day . . . it will turn out to be the Spring elections when winter finally goes away.

The sun just seems to shine a little brighter when conservatives win elections.

Elections - the good and bad

The Good:

Of most importance, Scott Walker. It's a bit after ten and his lead has been growing. Clearly the result of the out lying areas coming in later. I was pretty confident Scott would win. Never mind the race issue. Lena was completely unqualified for the job. She is also a tax and spender. Scott Walker is virtually the only guy in Wisconsin politics that fights for the taxpayers. We need him. I'm very happy he won.

It's still a bit too close to call the Supreme Court race although Gableman has a slight lead. Hopefully it holds.

In an amazing twist, Mike McGee looks like he's going to lose his job! He'll go down almost 60 - 40. I hate to make generalizations about people or, in this case, a district, but I'm shocked . . . but happy. It shows there's hope for that area of Milwaukee yet. Particularly in light of the fact that this story made national news. What an embarrassment this would have been for the city had McGee won.

Say goodbye to the Frankenstein veto. It went down by a huge margin. Good riddance. First, just on it's face it's a bad thing as money can be re-distributed that was never brought to the table to discuss. That's just wrong. In Doyle's case, he really raped the budget with his restructuring of words and sentences.

Grant Langley took out wannabe Colon for city attorney. Colon had no business even running for this office.

Another good thing . . . people elsewhere are voting down spending referendums. It's a sign that people are sick of being hosed and taxed, and holding school boards accountable for the money they do have. Elmbrook looks like it may pass, but the others have been voted down.

The Bad:

For me here in Milwaukee, the lack of any real opposition to incumbents on both the Common Council and the County Board. Particularly on the County Board, many ran unopposed or were challenged by virtual unknowns. For me that means 4 more years of Lee Holloway . . . and that's depressing. Additionally, there are a bunch of libs on the County Board and they are the ones that control a good amount of the money that we pay in taxes. I swear, I'm going to mount a campaign next election cycle. Holloway ran unopposed. I really don't think it would have taken much to get him out.

The same applies to the Mayoral race. I know Tom Barrett. He's a nice guy. But he's just wrong on most of the issues facing this city. Again, no real opposition. Too bad.

Update: Gableman's lead is increasing!

Over all, good results. Especially where it counts.