The Prozak Playground

Is it time again?

2010-10-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love Facebook. It really offers the best of all worlds. The ability to post thoughts, post pictures, songs, links . . . and you can communicate very easily in both message and chat format. For me, it combines what I like about Twitter and a blog in one online application.

Still, it has it's limits. The biggest being the ability to format posts the way you want them to appear . . . often with multiple photos and/or links. So . . . is it time to return to blogging?

I'm thinking so.

Plus, I miss not being in MRQ.

The Master Socialist Plan

2010-03-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

First of all, refresh your memory and read this.

It's really becoming quite clear. The socialization of our country has started. If you read the above post, and read the link that was provided, you should be drawing some conclusions by now. But, let me lay them out.

It started with the "economic crisis". All along Obama said that doing nothing wasn't an option. That doing nothing would certainly plunge us in to another depression. Of course, we know now he was wrong.

But, it made for good politics. Plus, it started the "collar and leash" tactic of the progressives. Everything done with a purpose. In the case of the stimulus, it accomplished two things. One, political payback for supporters. One has to simply look at where the money went to draw the obvious conclusion. Two, grow the voter base. Virtually all of the money went to expand or support government. Sure, there were jobs created. Not many. But, they were all in the public sector. The trillion dollar stimulus had virtually no effect on the economy or unemployment. But, by expanding government, it added to the voter base. In fact, there was no real concern about the private sector. Everyone knows that Obama could have taken another approach and really targeted the private sector with stimulus funds. But, he chose not to. On purpose.

Starting to see the bigger picture?

The private sector is where republicans live. Business owners are more about tax incentives, interest, and market forces. Nothing in the stimulus addressed anything of worth for private business.

Now look at the bail outs. GM . . . unions. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac . . . government controlled. Other bailouts turned in to take overs of another sort in that following the action limits were put on pay and bonuses. Leash and collar.

In the mean time, the economy continued to suffer and unemployment climbed to 10%. For the socialists, this was good news. It simply meant an opportunity to leash and collar more people. Make them dependent on government. Make them democratic voters.

Also, the war was being completely ignored. While not directly related to the leash and collar tactic, successes in Afghanistan would be a distraction . . . and would provide the previous President with some credit. Couldn't have that. As long as hundreds of soldiers weren't dying the war could be ignored for a bit.

At this point, Obama could have focused his attention to the real issue of the economy and jobs. After all, create jobs and the economy improves and people get the healthcare they need through that job. Hopefully, of course. Even if not, much better to have a job than not.

Except, Obama went after healthcare. This, again, was by design. Target those without jobs and those without insurance. . . promise them they'll never have to worry about getting proper healthcare . . . and you've got democratic voters. Leash and collar. This was so important that the socialists took a rather large political gamble. Most of the country was against the type of reform Omarxist was talking about. But, they pushed it through anyway.

I do think the progressives were caught off guard by the huge backlash initially. They weren't ready or armed for such a response at the time. And, word has it, of all the people you might be able to blame for the slow reaction to the backlash is Rahm Emmanuel. Mr. Rahm it through actually wanted the administration to slow down on the issue. I also think they were caught a bit off guard by the Scott Brown win. Not to say they didn't have a backup plan. If anyone thinks they weren't ready to lose that democratic seat, you'd be wrong. What it did mean was that they had to do what they wound up doing . . . push the bill through using any means possible. Sure, they wanted healthcare reform. But, more than that, they wanted voters. Leash and collar.

You might be wondering about the backlash over all spending that occurred. Quite honestly, it didn't matter. One, they would make it look as though Omarxistcare was deficit neutral, that it would bring down the deficit. That's all a bunch of bunk, of course. But, they'd have the CBO release a report substantiating their claim. Between that and other accounting slight of hand, they'd sell it to the public as being deficit friendly. Again, it didn't matter it was a lie. Voters.

At this point, the marxists also passed a jobs bill. It's a joke. But, with the tea parties as geared up as they were . . . and are . . . they needed to do something to show the sheep they cared. The jobs bill is one, a piss in the ocean in terms of cost. And two, does virtually nothing. The tax breaks really only benefist those businesses who are in a position of making new hires anyway. Businesses don't hire simply because of a tax break. They hire because business warrants it.

Now, getting back to the political gamble. At this point, now that the legislation passed, the marxists are exhibiting confidence. Again, you might think this strange with all the opposition. Again you'd be wrong. That's why immigration is next. Not cap and tax. Not a better jobs bill. Not real education reform (what they passed is simply support for the status quo. No significant change). Not the war. Immigration reform. Here they will target all the illegals already here and clear a path for them not only to become citizens, but get on omarxistcare as well. Leash and collar. Millions more voters for the progressives. The marxists will likely move swiftly on immigration. They want those people available this November to vote.

That's why they're feeling confident. They've kept the economy from any real recovery. They've bought or paid off democratic voters. They've increased the public sector thereby increased democratic voters. They passed a bill that they can now sell to the unemployed and soon to be legal immigrants, thereby, again, adding democratic voters. And will soon start the campaign that the republicans are evil. That they opposed this wonderful legislation that provides healthcare to those that need it most.

As I write this, the strategy of painting the tea party protesters as violent has already started.

But, will it work? I don't know. The dems have a long history of out playing the republicans at this kind of game. The one hope is that omarxistcare begins to noticeably fail, and that the tea party protesters continue the fight.

This is a carefully orchestrated plan by marxists of socializing this country. It began with a manufactured crisis. We will go from being a republic to being a democracy. And with that, will for a long, long, long, time empower government. The main reason the constitution was written.

Strangely enough . . . and maybe not . . . the one person, I think, who seems to get it?

Sarah Palin. That's why they hate her so much. She's absolutely right.

I'm still here!

2009-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

It's difficult to keep up with all what's available to you on the internet. I haven't been posting much simply because of the social networking site. Even with them, however, I can't do them all. Twitter is great. But, it's rather limiting. Blogs are nice. But, sometimes the thoughts are quick and small. Hence, Facebook combines, for me, the best of both worlds.

So, I'll keep this blog open for a while, and I'll likely continue to post. It just won't be as often. Facebook is where I spend most of my time, now.

Sooooo . . . follow me there! My page is open to everyone. So, feel free to come by.

Jim Wheelock on Facebook

Packers vs Cowboys

2009-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

This was a great game. Not simply because the Packers won, but they beat the Cowboys . . . in Green Bay. I guess it would have been a little sweeter to have done it in Dallas. No matter. Anyway . . .

Not sure if this is the make or break game the Packers are hoping for. It's one thing to play your guts out and beat an opponent who's just a bit better than you. It's another to beat those teams you're supposed to. Looking at the schedule, the Steelers are their only "real" opponent. 49's, Lions, Ravens, Bears, Steelers, Seattle, and the Cardinals are all next. Yes, you could make the case that the Ravens and Cardinals are pretty good teams. I'd rank the Packers on par with those teams. Certainly better than the rest. Which means 10 and 6 ain't out of the realm of possibility.

Whatever. The point I wanted to make is that this game should prove as evidence that when protection breaks down, quarterbacks do badly, and teams lose. Romo certainly didn't look his polished self. Of course, the Packers weren't exactly polished, either. This was a hard fought game. The Packers just did a little more on defense to keep the Pokes from scoring.

Wildcard?

Packers vs Vikings

2009-11-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

This isn't that difficult, really. The Vikings are a better team than are the Packers. Most notably, on both sides of the line where football games are won and lost. For as much talent as the Packers have, their worst area is, by far, the offensive line . . . which it is. Not only are they unable to protect Rodgers, but they also cannot open many holes for Grant to run through. Defensively, as we all know, we're in a new scheme. Given just that alone, I think most people fore saw the Packers defense having some problems adjusting the first year. I was shocked to hear that the Packer defense is ranked 5th over all. Certainly, and again, there's talent. But, they're weak at a few positions and execution isn't consistent.

Having said all that, the Packers came close . . . to within 5. Take away the two run backs that gave the Vikings incredible field position, and you might have a different game. Had the Packers played all game they way they did in the 3rd quarter, and you might have a different game. Take away the penalties that really killed the Packers, and you might have a different game.

All of those things are part of the game. Fact is, the Vikings took advantage of all those situations and were able to capitalize. For that, they deserve credit. And, they played a well executed game. Where did this Rice guy come from? Wow.

As for Favre, he played good . . . not great. There wasn't any highlight reel material. Just a good game. 17 of 28 for 244 . . . not awesome. He threw 4 touchdowns. Aaron was 26 of 41 for 287 and 3 touchdowns. Not bad. Those stats and 26 points will win many games. Just not this one.

But, for those who think that Favre is a god . . . and we'd be much better off with him . . . let me ask . . . what planet are you from? Yes. He's playing as good as ever. So is Aaron. What is Aaron doing that Favre would or could be doing better? I've said this before, people forget how foolish Favre can look. Yes, he led us to a Superbowl. Yes, we were 13 and 3 his last season with us. But, in all the time he's been with the Packers it's just ONE Superbowl. A handful of division titles. But, what do they matter, really? Look at the Packer records. There are a lot of 9 and 7, and 10 and 6 years. A few of those 10 and 6 years were good enough to get the Packers in to the playoffs.

What? The Packers constantly losing in the playoffs wasn't Brent's fault?

Exactly.

Getting back to the game . . . I actually thought Aaron looked a little spooked. It took him a bit . . . a long bit . . . to get in to the game. Much like Brent was in domes, and against the Cowboys.

There are 9 games left. The Packers can still win some games and make a run at things. I still think they have a pretty good team, and that Aaron is an excellent quarterback. The biggest problem right now, is that the Vikings have a very easy schedule from here on out. I don't think they'll go far in the playoffs, but it looks as though they'll win the division.

Wild card?

A little piece of innocence lost

2009-10-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

My girlie and I recently had our first "talk". She had been sick and was already feeling kind of down when she revealed to me . . .

"Daddy . . . I guess I know there is no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy . . . "

It was actually a tearful moment. I wasn't shocked, but certainly surprised. A parent knows the day will come. I guess I thought it wouldn't have necessarily been as introspective moment as it was. Jamie was . . . sad. I get the feeling that she was a bit disappointed. Not mad . . . or disappointed in me or Jackie. Just sad. Again, she wasn't feeling well and I'm sure that played a part. Not only in causing a bit of her blues, but also with being sick she had a lot of time to sit around and . . . think.

A few weeks back her friend stayed over night. While playing games that night, her friend lost a loose tooth. Of course, we encouraged her to put the tooth under the pillow even though she was with us. Later that night, Jackie snuck in and put a couple of gold dollar coins under the pillow.

She thought she snuck in.

Turns out, Jamie was awake.

It wasn't that moment that convinced her. Friends at school also talk. Certainly, at 9 years old I think many parents figure most kids will figure it out. That night did provide the evidence, however.

Anyway, I thought I recovered pretty well. We cried a little together. I think we both realized it was a sign of growth, and that some of hr innocence had been forever lost. I told her that we all get to a point when we stop believing in our heads and start believing in our hearts.

She was good with that.

The Nobel Peace token

2009-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

That's about the extent of it. I think everyone agrees Obama didn't do anything to deserve the recognition. Kinda like Julia Roberts receiving an award for acting. You're like . . . what?

Still, in the grand scheme of things, who cares? Jay Weber was making a bit if a deal about this on his show this morning. Claiming that those Republicans who quietly congratulate Obama are the same ones we should vote out of office. That may be, but he went on about the weakness of the party when there's something to pounce on. I don't know. Pick your battles. I do think the party risks being too whiney if at every little turn they complain about something. I'd like to think we're (conservatives) are above acting like liberals in that regard. There are more important issues at hand.

It's gonna make a funny (that'll be a first) SNL skit.

Babes Gone By . . .

2009-09-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

When I heard Nicole Eggert was going to be on the new season of Celebrity Fit Club, I, of course, became curious. She was, after all, a Baywatch babe and pretty hot . . . in her time.

Last season on Celebrity Fit Club, I was shocked at how Erica Eliniak had grown. So, again, I was curious about Nicole.

Here's Nicole "then":

And here she is now:

Not the greatest picture, admittedly, but one can see she's lost a little "luster". Like Yasmine, she's still beautiful. But, I can understand why she'd want to shed a few ounces.

Good luck, Nicole. I'll be watching!

Silver Anniversary

2009-09-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

The sad part about being married 25 years, is that your 25 years older than your were when you got married. But, if anniversaries perform any function at all, it's to re-live and share the memories of days gone by making you feel only days older than before.

I know why I fell in love with my wife. She was young, cute, nice, and had a great pair of . . . uh, eyes. Yeah, that's it. I married her mostly because, oddly enough, she loved me and I figured it best not to let her get away. I figured marriage would make that at least more difficult.

But, getting married is one thing . . . staying married another.

First and foremost, Jackie is my best friend. We like being together. At the same time, though, we're able to be apart. Neither one of us are "clingy". But, as a general rule, anytime we do things we like to do them together.

Many of our life philosophies are the same. We prefer to enjoy life rather than take it, or ourselves, too seriously. We're responsible, but know when to put things aside and simply enjoy what life has to offer.

Same is true about parenting . . . we think pretty much the same. We both take parenting very seriously as we both want a nice, respectful, and intelligent daughter. Yet, again, we're not so serious as to not understand the joys of being a kid . . . and having fun together. We cherish our time with our daughter.

There have been "stormy" times. And not everything is entirely perfect. But, in my opinion, there is no "perfect". WIthout sounding too cliche-ish, every relationship is a give and take. Ideally, 50-50. I truly believe we're at that ideal. We respect each other, we talk to one another, we share with one another.

There are a bunch of reasons I could go on about as to why I love my wife. Mostly, though, she makes me laugh. She's a babe. She's MY babe. And I'm gonna keep her.

Happy Anniversary, girlie. I love you. I always have, and always will.

Pieces of Eight site to remain a restaurant

2009-09-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

To me, this is good news.

UWM drops plan to put freshwater school at lakefront site

This was one of those issues I thought few people knew about. Anyone I talked to didn't know anything about the plan. Which made it difficult to gather up opposition to the plan. No offense to UWM or the importance of the water center, but the site is a prime location for a restaurant. While a parking structure would have been very functional, that would have sucked, too. Again, considering the location.

The really good news, and an idea I had, is that according to the article, Joe Bartollota may become the new proprietor.

Drunk driving and children

2009-09-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

I don't drink. Gave it up when my girlie was born. So, it may be easy for me to take a harder stand on drunk driving than some people. I don't think that matters much. While it's true there are probably some people who can have a few drinks and still function, the fact is, many people can't. And people die as a result.

I know there's no intent to kill someone. And that makes it hard to come down hard on those who do kill people as a result of driving drunk. Still. We're all smart people. We know drinking can impair your ability to function. And it IS against the law. For me it's another instance where we spend too much time on the lives and rights of those who break the law, and not enough on the victims, their friends, and their families who's lives have been destroyed.

But, if I have little tolerance for people who drive drunk, there's even less for those who drive drunk with kids in the car.

Several summers ago, my wife and I heard the tell tale sound of a vehicle crash. It took place on Appleton right down the street where we live. It was a single car crash. A woman hit a light post . . . one of those cement varieties and wrecked up her car pretty good. It was about 11:30 at night. My wife was one of the first on the scene. Turns out there were kids in the car. My wife spent some time consoling a girl about 9 years old. The girl was unharmed. There was also a baby in a car seat unharmed. When I came to the scene, police were already there. They were trying to get the woman to calm down. She was clearly drunk and more concerned about her car and herself than any of the kids in her car.

Including the lifeless clump of a 3 year old boy lying on the floor of the front passenger seat. The woman's car wasn't going that fast. About 40 mph. But, that was enough speed to send the boy, who wasn't buckled in, in to the dash, breaking his neck.

It's one thing to be an adult and make certain decisions in your life. Hopefully experience and the knowledge of consequence will guide one to make smart decisions. If you make a bad decision, and you get hurt, and you're the only one who gets hurt . . . well, the only one you can blame is yourself. You're responsible, you suffer the consequences. But, when innocent lives are lost as a result of the decision to drink, get drunk, then get behind the wheel of a car . . . suddenly the consequences of your actions affect the lives of innocents. People who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Without diminishing the lives of those who died as a result of drunk drivers, I think it's particularly stupid to drive drunk with kids in the car. As illustrated the 3 year old who died, an accident doesn't have to include another vehicle to turn tragic. An adult may see the situation as "iffy" and make the choice to drive home with someone else. An adult might see that a person is impaired and offer to do the driving. An adult can make the decision to fasten their seatbelt. Kids can't make those decisions. They are blissfully ignorant. They look to adults to make the right choices for them. At a young age they don't recognize when certain situations are potentially dangerous.

Right now a first DUI is a traffic citation in Wisconsin. The only state with that provision. The only state. Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Rep. Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis) are looking to make a first time drunk driving offense a crime when children are in the car. I think it's important they make that change in state law.

I've often said, the one way to get away with murder is to get drunk and run someone over with your car. In Wisconsin we seem to care little about innocent lives. That needs to change. If you agree, contact both representatives and voice your support:

Jim Sullivan: Sen.Sullivan@legis.wi.gov

Tony Staskunas: rep.staskunas@legis.wi.gov

Creed 2009

2009-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Back when Creed announced they were reuniting and touring, I got pretty excited . . . and immediately bought tickets to the concert here. But, both the babemate and I were . . . cautious. After all, Scott Stapp is a well known f*ck up. Would he keep it together enough to make it through a tour? At least to Milwaukee?

Happily, and thankfully, he has and did. Creed played to a "light" crowd at the Bradley Center last night. But, by their performance you'd think they were playing to a packed stadium.

Hoobastank, some LA band, opened. Not too familiar, but Hoobastank hoobastunk. Opening in front of die hard fans of Creed can't be easy. But doing a heavy metal version of Ghostbusters to get the crowd revved up is nothing short of LAME. Their 40 minutes took forever to end.

Creed opened with Bullets. Awesome choice. Immediately one could see a huge difference, aside from crowd size, between the old and new Creed. One, gone were Scott's locks. His head closely shaved. He looked good. Fit. Trim. Happy. Confident. He tore loose with that voice of his . . . he sounded great.

The other change was the addition of a light show. During the open, a row of flames danced behind and above the performers, and in front of a huge screen playing back various images. There were the requisite screen on both sides of the stage and a new and bigger light show. It all played well with the music.

There was also an additional member on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Not sure who he is. One review I read mentioned that he was never mentioned . . . just there. I'm pretty sure he was introduced, but at the time he was playing some introduction that had the crowd screaming so I couldn't make it out. Whatever. What was nice is that he provided background for Tremonti to play a solo every once in a while. James Hatfield has nothing on Mark Tremonti. In fact, few guitarists have anything on him. Verrrrrrry under rated. It was great to hear him shred every now and then. The other thing, let's call him, Member 5, did was provide harmonizing vocals. They sounded great.

Then there's Scott Stapp. The voice. The quintessential front man. He tends to play to the back row of a venue, but that's him. Theatrical. As I mentioned, he looked great. Wore a button up fitted black shirt with dark jeans. Nothing about his demeanor seemed "rock star". In fact, he was very humble. There was no trite and typical rock speak such as "are you feeling good tonight? Who wants to rock? Are ya having a good time?" He repeatedly thanked the crowd and gave a special nod to Milwaukee as it was the first place Creed played many years ago. The crowd, while small, ate it up and answered back. Very loudly.

He did lose his voice toward the end. Not to where he couldn't sing, but he was beginning to sound strained. He couldn't hit some of the few high notes there are in Creed music. Eh. We all have our nights. It didn't take away from an otherwise incredible show. One look at the tour schedule, and one watch of how much he puts in to every performance, and it's no wonder.

I'm not sure if this marks a new beginning for Creed or if Scott Stapp is truly serious about turning his life around. Whatever the case, they put on a great show. I'm happy I, along with my babemate, saw it.

Babes gone by . . .

2009-09-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Remember Yasmine Bleeth? Back in the day, she was the poster child for poster babes. Well, she's 41. Didn't see THAT comin', did ya?

Anyway, she still beautiful at 41 though not quite as bountiful. She developed a nasty heroin habit. Got busted. Went to rehab, and was never quite the same. I don't think hollywierd closed the door on her, I think she just decided to get away. Not sure which bio to trust, but one source says she lives in Arizona, another says Michigan. Both say she married the owner of a strip club. Hmm. Not sure of that's the best way to "clean up", but I haven't seen her name on the marquee . . . I mean, not that I know of.

In the heyday:

These days still gorgeous:

Let's Get Ready to Bunglllllllllllllllllllle!!

2009-09-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

In one corner, the MPS School Board. Weighing in at . . . well, bloated. Let's just leave it at that. In the other corner, Mayor Barrett. Weighing in at . . . tall. Very tall.

I'm on the fence about the Mayor taking over the school board. On the one hand, you have the board president putting forth all sorts of initiatives to help the district save money and make the schools competitive . . . and the board votes them down.

On the other hand . . . well, that's the problem. I don't know what's in the other hand. The big issue for me is other than all the caterwauling the Mayor, and the Governor (now suddenly you're concerned about Milwaukee?) have been doing about MPS, lately, there's no mention of a plan. Not specifically, anyway.

As I have a daughter in MPS, I have a vested interest in this. I can't say as I give a rat's tail who runs the district, as long as quality education is provided in a stimulating and safe environment. It's appalling to me that the board would spend time and resources on initiatives for dental hygiene, yet allow quality teachers to be eliminated from school positions. That's screwy.

Having said that, however, the issue of accountability is important. Would a mayor be more accountable than a school board? What about accessibility? Is the mayor too busy with his/her many responsibilities to address concerns when called upon? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered.

Lastly, MPS has some good schools. I think the bad schools tend to get much of the attention and drag down the entire system. But, let's be honest. MPS cannot provide quality education when it's forced to relieve teachers largely due to inappropriate spending and over sight by the board. I don't want this to become a "punishment" issue. But, the board seems unwilling to take even the simplest of measures to improve. Maybe it is time for change.

Blah's

2009-08-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my dribble from my last post . . .

I always got a little blue this time of year. Especially since being out of school . . . yes, some eons ago. I get melancholy. Part of it is certainly just the end of summer. Going back to school, seeing old friends, making news one, it was always an exciting time for me. Not that I long for the days, or are unable to cut the high school umbilical cord and move on, not at all. Just, a time that was once a new start, and lots of good memories.

Part of it are the shorter days. A bit of seasonal anxiety, no doubt. As much as I like fall, fall food, football, and the new TV season, the early darkness just makes the days feel shorter. There's also a let down from summer. Especially with a child, you do so much to take in the nice weather. Virtually every weekend is loaded with fun things to do . . . outside. Between the days getting shorter, cooler, and the kids going back to school suddenly . . . nothing.

Yeah, I know. The fun doesn't have to be over blah blah blah blah blah.

Part of it is what's just around the corner . . . winter. I don't mind winter as a whole. But, parts of it are very . . . taxing. Not so much last year, but two years ago it seemed every time we got our big snow storms it hit during rush hour home. Now, I'm a confident winter driver, and I love my caravan in the snow. But, it takes my travel time from 30 minutes to an hour, and often it's in white knuckle white out conditions. It's nerve wracking.

Speaking of kids, as much as my girlie is ready and wanting to go back to school, I'm not. Sound weird, I know. Just something about sending them off to a new year . . . day in and day out, homework, to bed early, new routines . . . seems unfair.

I suppose I should mention something about how fall and winter dress is less eye catching than summer . . .

Most of all, I guess, is that fall and winter mark the end of another year. It's great and exciting to look upon the new year, but the fact remains, it's another year off a finite number we have. It's up to me to make the most of those, I realize that. But the amount I have left are not.

Depressed, yet? Well, hopefully, like me, you get through it. With fall comes Halloween, my favorite holiday. Soups and stews, football, the new TV seasons of House, Heroes, and whatever news programs there are, school events, the holidays, and, of course, the new year. Yeah, I get a little weird about this time. But, it doesn't last long.

One of those days

2009-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

One of those days that feels like it was just wasted away. Things to do, my girlie isn't feeling well, and wanting to make more of the day than we could. That, and school starts next week and the end of summer is near.

Ah well, thank goodness for xanax.

Packers early report

2009-08-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Wow. Last night I watched as the Packer first team scored on every possession in the first half. Save for one missed field goal, I think. They took it to a team that made it to the Superbowl last year. A team with a pretty good offense of their own, and a respectable defense. It was preseason, but it was fun to watch. A few observations.

Brent who?

Grant looks to be back in form. He made some great runs off some great cutbacks. This is good.

Finley . . . holy smokes! Bubba who?

Jennings is clearly the stand out receiver on the team. But, the Packers have got to have the best core of receivers in the league. WIth Jordy stepping up, Finley making plays, Jones coming around . . . Rodgers will have no shortage of people who can catch the ball.

Defensively . . . there's some work that needs to be done. But, talk about going after the ball! I'm very confident this new scheme will work out for them. Plus, going in to this season, what films can other teams watch on the Packers defense? None. The Packers may be new at it, but other teams aren't going to know how to read it at first, either.

This team is now a fast break team. THey're the type of team, I think, that can wear out defenses. Hard to say what's going to happen . . . I'm not making my prediction yet . . . but the Packers look like they can play aggressively for 6 quarters. Which could cause some problems for teams with "older" players.

This could be a fun season.

You have to chuckle

2009-08-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

Watching TV last night, I had to turn on Obermann for a bit. First thing out of the gate was Keith and Bernie Sanders talking about the town hall meetings that were being hijacked by a small minority group going off scripts to try and make it seem as though the whole town was against Obummercare. That a small grass roots group was responsible for busing people all over the country to these town hall meetings for this explicit purpose.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sanders then talked about how the republicans seem to know nothing more than saying No to Obama and that they have no ideas of their own.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Then, this morning I happened across Joel McNally talking to some stooge, again, how the republicans know nothing more than "no", that they have no ideas of their own, and that if you look at their poll numbers, republicans are in real trouble. Of course, there was no mention of the other unfavorable polls on Obama, healthcare, the stimulus, Congress, the dems, cap and tax, etc.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Then, there's the outrage over the depiction of Obama as the Joker from the Dark Knight movie. "Politically mean spirited and dangerous."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh man . . . the libs aren't content to be lemmings in their own party. This stuff is hilarious.

Today's Babe

2009-07-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Eva Green. Eva is one of those I find unusual. Sultry. She was one of the best Bond babes.

You are the center of my world

2009-07-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Without getting in to specifics, I've either read or heard a few things that got me thinking.

As many know, last year I lost my dad and brother. We all get to the point when family members die. It's to be expected. That doesn't mean it isn't sad, nor do I mean to diminish the loss . . . it's a part of life. The end of life.

My wife was just at a funeral. A co-worker of hers husband passed away. But, unlike the expected passing of those who are old or have become weak and sick, this husband was about 30 years old. The couple were married just this past April and were about to leave on their honeymoon to Ireland. They also wanted to start a family right away. Right before leaving for Chicago on business, the husband got sick. It wasn't much. In fact he went on the business trip and upon returning went to the doctor. Several tests later and it turned out he had a clot in his liver. No big deal. They caught it early. Some treatment with blood thinners and all should be well. But, it wasn't. So, in the hospital he goes to undergo surgery to clear the blockage.

He never woke up.

Just like that.

That's sad. Brutal. Tragic. No words can convey how one feels at a time like this. You often read about these kinds of things in the paper. It really hits hard when it's so close to home. I think back to when I had a clot in each lung after my ankle surgery. Was I lucky?

I started this blog not that long ago. I did so after reading a number of other blogs. Mostly conservative leaning blogs, but some that were more personal in content. I thought it a good way to vent and share my thoughts, as well as read news from a different source other than a newspaper.

As a result, I came to know many of these bloggers at Drinking Right, a monthly get together at Papa's Social Club. There we drink, eat pizza, and often discus everything but politics. The people I've met have become very good friends. We've taken in quite a few other activities together . . . the airshows, Hooters, and this weekend, one of their weddings. And that's just my participation. Others get together for a variety of reasons. Getting out to meet these folks has truly been one of the better things I've done lately.

Well, blogging led to Twitter. I've yet to attend a "tweet up", but intend to. Already I've made another batch of friends. Some of them I know from the blogs. But, others are new to me. It's been a lot of fun.

Then, there's Facebook. As a result of facebook, I've connected with a few friends from high school, other "new" friends, and three people from the neighborhood I grew up in . . . 30 some years ago!

You might be wondering . . . first death talk and then social networking?

Life can take an immediate turn down a one way street at a moments notice. Fact is, we have little control over certain aspects of our lives. The other fact is that there is no undo. No do overs. No rewind. No take backs. We live as a consequence of the decisions and choices we make. We only control the choices we make.

Should I be fortunate enough to reach my mid 80's, I'd like to be able to sit back and reflect on my life and, above all else, be content. Certainly, be happy. But, be content knowing that I made the most of my life. But, not because I travelled a lot, not because I felt more knowledgeable than other people, not because I made more money than other people, or have more than other people, not because I felt more talented than other people, and not because I feel as though I accomplished more than other people. I want to be content knowing I spent as much time as I could with my family . . . and my friends. I want to be content knowing that I was a good husband, a good father, and a good friend to the people I've known. I want to be content knowing that I was thought of as a good person. A fun person. A nice person. And remembered as such when I die.

What the blogs, Twitter, and Facebook have all done is added to the humility I already feel. To know that people actively searched me and took time to send a note . . . is incredibly thoughtful. To think that I've stuck in the memory of someone for so many years. It's nice. It's a nice feeling. It's my desire to do the same for others.

That, to me, is what life is all about.

Federal level, State level, and now City level

2009-07-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's difficult not to make a comment about this. As a taxpayer I have watched as government on the federal level, and our state level have raised taxes and fees. And for all of that spending, particularly here in Wisconsin, what do we get? A huge deficit with no real "plan", other than to continue to raise taxes and fees, to bring the deficit and spending under control.

Well, it finally hit at the city level as the common council voted to increase water fees, snow removal fees, parking meter fees (one that really annoys me) and taxicab fees. All in an attempt to close a 90 million dollar shortfall in the budget. And, it's not over. The spending and tax raising, that is. This is just a start.

JSonline article

As the recession has hit us we cut back. Trimming our budgets of luxury items, things we can put off, things we don't need. We live within our means. Not so with the government. They continue to spend, then just tax and raise fees when the accounting doesn't quite work out. It's irresponsible.

At the heart of much of this is our own alderman, Mike Murphy, who chairs the joint finance committee. Thus far, he has voted in favor of all fee increases. Increases that will affect us all in higher property taxes, and in visiting downtown Milwaukee. I've emailed him several times this year only to get no response.

Trust me, I wouldn't support loosing services. Particularly fire and police. But, those aren't the only things in the budget. Especially after a year in which we've seen so much fraud and criminal activity by our representatives, it's difficult to take any of them at their word.

Who's fighting for the tax payer?

It's time to get these people out of office.

Ma'am, you're an idiot.

2009-07-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Barbara Boxer is a self absorbed, elitist twit. She provided proof of that when she asked Brigadier General Michael Walsh to call her senator . . . not, ma'am, as is usually done out of respect by most members of the military.

But, if the ink on her "I'm in idiot" tattoo was still wet then, it's completely dry now. (Yes, I know it's misspelled. Seems to be the rage in hollywood, these days). Talking about the "take from the rich and give to the poor" bill, or what the libs like to call, "cap and tax", Babs said " . . . there will be dire results: droughts, floods, fires, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more." if the bill isn't passed.

OK. Let's agree, at least, on one thing here. The "take from the rich and give to the poor bill" will actually do little, from a global standpoint, to reduce carbon emissions. First, cars are the biggest polluters and they're not going away any time soon. Second, some countries want nothing to do with legislation that raises costs on energy, and some of these countries are pretty big emitters of CO2. So, their non-compliance will make our compliance even less effective than it would have been. Which was pretty minimal to begin with. The fact is, simply passing this craptacular bill really won't have any huge impact on carbon emissions . . . if at all. It will simply make producing and using fossil fuel burning energy sources VERY expensive.

So, WTF is Babs talking about? So, with a wave of the pen, all worries are gone? Just like that? One day death, doom, despair, the next day paradise? Someone pass Babs her thorazine and move sharp objects out of her reach. I think the line to the mainmast snapped.

Plus, wasn't one slice of the liberal strategy pie to accuse Bush of using scare tactics to get his way with regard to the Patriot Act? " . . .droughts, floods, fires, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more."? Are you kidding me?

"Well, excuse me, MA'AM . . . you're an idiot."

UPDATE: Need more proof Bab's is an idiot? Watch here.

Today's Babe

2009-07-15T19:41:00.001-07:00

Heather Graham:

Normally, I look for studio shots for the best in terms of quality and sexiness. In Heather's case, even in the harshest of lighting conditions she's gorgeous.

Obamacare

2009-07-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

So, I'm reading this article on the plan to tax the rich to give to the poor, or as the libs want to call it, universal healthcare, and a couple of graphs stick out to me:

House Democrats plan to fund the broadest U.S. health-care expansion in four decades by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans, imposing a surtax of 5.4 percent on couples with more than $1 million in income.
The legislation unveiled yesterday would place additional taxes on households with more than $350,000 a year in income and calls for further increases if the measure doesn’t hit a target for cost savings. The provisions are intended to raise $544 billion over 10 years.

OK. Then I read this:

Lawmakers are waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to determine how much the bill will cost. The nonpartisan agency said in a partial and preliminary analysis that the plan would run to more than $1 trillion over 10 years and reduce the number of uninsured by roughly 37 million.

Hmm. Let me make this easier. Though, I doubt it's necessary.

The provisions are intended to raise $544 billion over 10 years.

. . . the plan would run to more than $1 trillion over 10 years

Now, I'm no mathematician, but 544 billion sounds like roughly half of a trillion, no? And, if that's the case . . . again, I'm no genius here . . . won't the government fall a tad short of funding?

I haven't blogged about the Obamacare issue in that it just makes me mad. The above figures show you why. It's moronic. What people don't seem to understand is that the government system won't really save money or cut costs. In fact, the system does NOTHING to actually address the costs of healthcare. It's simply about providing coverage. Health insurance. How does that control industry costs? It doesn't.

I like reading the argument that in spite of having the best healthcare in the world we Americans have the shortest life expectancy. This is really disingenuous. Yes, with free healthcare coverage, more people could end up seeing the doctor and through routine examinations find something for which they can be treated . . . which could ultimately extend or save their life. I understand that. But, even with coverage, there's no guarantee people will see a doctor. Or, subscribe to whatever is necessary to treat their condition. I'm all for preventative care. I practice it. But, you cannot make the connection between having healthcare coverage available and life expectancy. There are other factors at play, including compliance. But also life style, heredity, and diet. We're quite a mixed bag here in America. Other countries are by far more culture and race specific. That factors in to things, as well.

What some of these articles don't tell you is that given most conditions, living in and being treated in America offers you the best chances of survival and extended life. So, should you develop cancer, you're going to want to be treated here.

I admit, costs are a problem. You don't have the best hospitals and doctors and access in the world without a price tag on it. But, simply providing everyone with insurance coverage isn't the answer. Betters ways to start would be to shorten the time it takes for generics to hit the market. Ban TV advertising of drugs. Regulate the industry in the area of selling prices. A flat rate system. Make the market work through competition . . . advertising costs of doctor visits, hospital stays, etc. Limit or regulate the public holdings. I'd go as far as to eliminate public offerings all together. We've come to a point where I don't think it's needed.

The problem is, by not actually addressing healthcare costs, and creating a situation in which the market will likely be flooded by demand, costs will go up. Which means the costs of the coverage will go up. Which means whatever and whoever the government is taxing now won't be enough. So, does the 5% become 10%? Or does the $350,000 a year earner become a $100,000 a year earner that will be taxed?

Like the energy issue, the government insists on doing things backwards. Thus, retardedly.

Unfortunately, there's no cure for that.

UPDATE:

So, right after posting this I go to Drudge and find this article.

Here are some interesting graphs:

Elmendorf said that CBO has not completed its evaluation of the House plan, but what it has seen so far does not represent “the sort of fundamental change, the order of magnitude necessary to offset the direct increase in federal health costs from the insurance coverage proposals.”

When asked what could be done to help “bend the curve” of health care costs over time, Elmendorf pointed out that most health experts believe the tax exclusion for employer-provided health insurance is an area that could help reduce costs. Many experts say the exclusion encourages high health care spending since it shields workers from the cost of their coverage.

Then, there's an interesting article that exposes in the bill a provision that would outlaw individual insurance coverage. Read it here.

Again. No cure for this kind of stupidity. We need to get them out of office.

Where's Jimi?

2009-07-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

So, I show up at DR last night . . . it was a good crowd . . . Jackie came with me . . . I'm feeling good . . . and one of the first things that happens:

"We've got a bone to pick with you! Where are the chicks! We need chicks!!"

Seems my absence at his here blog has not gone unnoticed and people are none too happy about it.

Well, my sincerest of apologies. I've actually started a number of post and just never seem to finish them. Including one on why I haven't been around much lately. Which, basically, is because of summer and being busy. Still, I realize that posting a babe here and there isn't difficult and doesn't require a lengthy editorial on the merits of the choice. Though, I do spend some time looking for images that have not been widely seen before. So, even with something as easy as posting babe pictures, I spend a good amount of time for an obviously hungry, yet discerning, audience.

But, I have been remiss of my . . . obligation. So, if it's babes you want, babes you will get. Prepare for a maelstrom of babes. Here and on Facebook.

I'll not be called out on again.

Jamie and I are parents!!

2009-06-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. Our dwarf hamsters, we discovered, had babies!

I was giving mama some food and water and noticed some distinct scratching coming a pile of bedding . . . while the mama was on the other side of the cage! We have a boy and girl. But, they been separated now for a few weeks having been together for about a week or so. I guess they got biz-zay! Obviously. Anyway, sure enough, I pul a little of the bedding aside and, whoa! babies!! About five of them! They're so cute!

Anyway, this brings up a few issues. Once the babies get to about 4 weeks, they should be separated from mommy, and separated gender-wise, so as not to have more babies. This means two additional cages.

Well, we've got a few weeks yet just to enjoy the babies before we have to come up with a plan. We'd like to keep a baby. Nothing better than to be able to raise one right from birth. But, we'll deal with that when the time comes.

Platinum Dance Team

2009-06-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here a video I shot of the Platinum Dance Team and cheerleaders of the Milwaukee Iron arena football team. The first girl you see was HOT! But, she wasn't a part of the dance team so spent most of her time in the endzones where I couldn't get a close shot of her. Oh well. Of course, they're all hot in their own way. THey're cheerleaders!

Funny thing, though. Right after they performed, some champion level junior high squad came out to perform. I didn't video tape them as I thought I'd look a little creepy . . . and just didn't think to. But, they were awesome! Jackie and I thought the Platinum team's routine was kinda lame. I missed it, but the tallish, cleavagey one had her butt fall out of her pants. I think you can hear Jackie point it out to me.

Anyway, the Iron lost 86 to 42. So, the saving grace was the cheerleaders.

Here a link to the full resolution video.

Fishing with your children

2009-06-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

As often as we can, we (Jackie, Jamie, and myself) spend a day at Mauthe Lake in northern Kettle Morraine. It's really a perfect spot. It's not that far, the lake doesn't allow gas motors so there's no noise or smell or recreation craft, the beach is nice, there's a playground, there's a concession stand, there's a general store nearby, there's boat rentals . . . it's perfect. Often we get there by 11:00am and come home at 11:00pm.

We also fish. WHile one can rent a boat and either row or use an electric motor, one can have a lot of fun fishing from shore. There is a fishing pier, several areas to fish from shore, a boat dock, and a dam area. All of these areas offer good fishing.

If you know what you're doing.

I'm no professional. I used to be more avid about fishing years ago. While I still enjoy reeling in a keeper size largemouth, it's really about having fun. As such, there are a few things I know that help keep fishing interesting for my daughter and who ever is with us. For them, it's simply about catching fish. Sure, they'd love to catch a BIG fish, and can. But, there's a little savvy to it with setting the hook, and I usually outfit them with ultralights. Not that it would be impossible to catch a decent fish on an ultralight, I have, but for a kid success could be fleeting.

Anyway, I can't tell you them amount of times we've gone fishing and have been the only ones catching fish. Seeing other kids with their dads, mostly, watch my daughter reel in fish after fish . . . it makes me kinda sad. Here's the thing, when you fish with your children, it's not about you. Especially if you had a litter of kids. Which, to me, is more than two. You're gonna be busy with the kids and likely won't do a lot of fishing. If you're fishing from shore, you're probably not going to catch any trophy fish anyway, so spend some time with your kids. Second, outfit them properly. That doesn't mean you have to use a SpongeBob fishing kit. Though, some of those kits aren't bad. But, it also doesn't mean outfitting them with gear guaranteed NOT to catch ANY fish. Here's a tip: don't use a bobber the size of a softball and a hook the size of a coat hanger, then stick on a worm on that and expect it to work. If you really want your kids to have fun, get them an ultralight rod. Put a small pencil bobber on it, a small hook, a weight, and then use chunks of worm or meal worms for bait. Guaranteed your kids will have fun. Hook a good sized rock bass and it will feel like they hooked a northern.

Now, word about proper beach attire . . .

Bicyclists and bike laws

2009-06-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

THe new law requiring drivers to check for pedalers when exiting their car is stupid. Mostly because it places the blame, in the case of a collision, on the driver. This is simply unreasonable. Why?

First, I'll be the first to admit people are morons when it comes to opening their car door and exiting their car in traffic. They don't look. Or, think nothing of their act and figure people will just stop or go around their door. There's a stretch along 68th street off the freeway where this happens DAILY.

Sounds like I'd be in favor of the law, huh? Nope. Many such laws are enacted to protect. Driving 3 feet away from cars when on a bike, giving right of way to pedestrians, yield signs, all of that, all designed to protect. The open door law doesn't do that. And, here's the thing, the biker will always lose. Always. As such, the burden of safety falls on the biker. Driving along a row of cars without any awareness of the threat of injury is stupid. Again, the biker will always lose that confrontation of door and bike.

Jay Weber made the point some time ago that streets were built for cars. He's right. In most cases, roads are designed for travel by car. There's room to park and room for cars to travel. They aren't . . . weren't built with bikers in mind. Maybe that should change. Whatever. If a bike is on a road that is primarily used for cars, then the bikers bears the responsibility for his/her own safety on that road.

I feel this way as I'm riding my bike now more than ever. Me vs a 2 ton moving piece of metal and glass? Sorry. I'm moving over. I'm yielding to the greater force. I ain't testing no law of physics! I don't even care if I have the right to be where I am, drivers are stupid and inattentive. No law will actually protect me from serious harm should I become inattentive on my bike.

My car vs my wife's car.

2009-06-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have a Caravan. I love it. I fell in love with the mini van years ago when my parents bought one. They literally bought a model the year they were introduced by Dodge. Now, I had always liked vans in general, and always wanted one. The mini van was nice because it; offered more window view than some vans, drove more like a car, and wasn't overly big. What I like about them is that you sit up a little higher than in a regular car, and they're roomy. Also, with a little adjustment you can haul LOTS of stuff. AND, they're great in the winter.

On the point of hauling, my wife and I have often taken advantage. Be it huge TV's, carpets, lumber, appliances, kids, whatever, we really like that you can go from seating 7 people to hauling camping gear for a small army in a matter of minutes.

Before getting her Vue, my wife has owned a small sedan. We occasionally swap cars if she has a need for the capacity. Of course, this is all well and good but I've often gotten my car back smelling of plants, fertilizer, and/or some kind of fast food.

Now, I'm no weirdo when it comes to my car. It gets me where I want to go, it's comfortable, and it's utilitarian. I don't obsess each scratch or stain or over all appearance. I've got better things to do. But, something peeved me some this past weekend.

My wife was doing a landscaping project for the neighborhood. As such, she needed to pick up plants and such for the project. I expected her to ask to use my car as it's older, but she didn't. If anyone has ever seen her car you know very well she's also not one to obsess over its looks. So, it came as a bit of a shock when I went to help her load some items to find she had lined every square inch of the cargo area with carpets and plastic tarp! Then, when she gets the small tiller we own she wants me to wrap the business end in a large garbage bag to keep the dirt contained!

GIrlwithanewcar says what? Excuse me? I couldn't believe it! She took more time and care to make sure she didn't "dirty" the inside of her car than she did to actually load it with the stuff she needed.

I see how this works.

Actually, she did redeem herself. She had to haul away all of the extra turf, roots, and shrubbery from the area she worked on and used her car for that. While she did try to contain the mess with boxes, dirt did get all over the place. So, I guess I can't be too critical.

She's likely at the car wash getting it all clean today, though.

Carrie Prejean

2009-06-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

I told you so.

The Zoo Interchange

2009-06-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

I've gotten in to a few debates about the interchange project. Because of the cost of the project, there's some sentiment that it shouldn't be done, or that it should be scaled back . . . a lot. A few thoughts on some of the misguided arguments.

First, we need to start at some intersection of information, if you will. A few things we can agree on. One, our freeway isn't very efficient thanks to the decisions made in the 60's of not finishing 41 and providing a northern bypass. A direct quote from the Director of the DOT: "And because Milwaukee only built 60 percent of the freeways that it originally planned for . . . "

We're a little lucky in that we don't have far to go east. Still, when you look at other cities, Milwaukee's freeway system is very under built. You can argue we're not that big and that it may not be necessary to have bypasses all over the place. Fine with me. That also means we don't need trains of any sort.

Second, the system is old. As such, it's inefficient in many areas. The Zoo interchange is one of those areas.

Third, the interchange gets a lot of traffic. A lot. It wouldn't be very responsible to ignore its needs from both a maintenance standpoint and a repair standpoint. Considering how much traffic travels through the interchange, it's not well designed.

Now, let's also do away with some other issues. First, comparing the Zoo interchange with the Marquette interchange. Let's keep in mind that the Zoo interchange is in the proposal stage and that the cost of the Marquette interchange is now known as it's finished. Even with the MI, developers revised original plans to make the project more "community friendly". What ever that means. The project also came in under budget. As far as I'm concerned, the MI isn't perfect, by any means.

Point is, you simply cannot compare one interchange project with another.

As for some other issues . . . one being that it won't decrease travel time much. That the amount of money being spent for 5 minutes is crazy . . . First, no one is making any great claims about reducing congestion and travel times. I've made the argument that by increasing lanes you'd obviously decrease congestion . . . at least, to a point. But, no one made any great claims about the MI, and no one is making any great claim about the ZI. Much of the reconstruction is simply about repair, and as long as we're repairing let's make it as better as we can.

Costs and lack of government money. Who cares? We pay an incredibly high amount of tax specifically for the purpose of our roads. I want to see that money spent on improving our roads!

Affordability. Talk to Doyle. Better yet, get him out of office. He's been raiding the transportation fund for years and is mostly to blame for any lack of ability to pay. Plus, while I'm certainly the type of person who doesn't like to see government spending money it doesn't have no matter what, I'm not sure why we're so concerned about this now with this project. Wasteful over spending is the new pink! Plus, plus, at least this project is worthy. To me, anyway. Fact is, maintenance needs to be done. The project includes road issues that extend way beyond the interchange itself in all directions. A such, yes. That makes the project more costly than just maintenance on the interchange would cost. It becomes a decision of practicality. As long as we're breaking ground repairing the interchange, address the other issues right away. Doing so actually reduces the cost over waiting until later to start another new project.

Here's a great line: It will improve safety, but not much else. Well, people's safety certainly isn't important. Deaths, accidents, injuries . . . non of those things have a cost associated with them. Pffft. You call that a reason?

We have alternatives. Well, no we don't. Ask someone who lives in Sussex, Butler, west Menomonee Falls . . . heck, even the northwest side of Milwaukee what those alternatives are. Congestion on the streets is no treat. It's been proven that getting to where you need to be quickly is better for the environment and pollution. One might might to poo poo the 5 minutes, but it was Obummer himself who said we'd save millions in barrels of oil is we just keep out tires properly inflated. He's not wrong. It was a stupid argument against drilling, but the statement isn't wrong. That 5 minutes times 35,000 cars times 250 days equals a lot of pollutants saved.

Taking the streets, however, would add plenty of time to a person's commute, increasing pollutants even more. More than that, though, I, and many others, simply do not want to add to their commute time if possible. I'd rather spend that time with my family. And if improvements can be made to help shorten my commute time . . . even 5 minutes makes me all the happier about commuting to and from work.

Lastly, I love the ". . . people should be sensible enough to live closer to where they work." That is such a disingenuous and shallow argument it's practically retarded. You know what? I wish that, too! Gee, I never thought of that! I'll just give up 10 years of tenure, 4 weeks of vacation, 10 years worth of raises, working at an established successful company just so I can be more "sensible" about my proximity to work.

Again, the ZI project is in the proposal stages. While I would love to see the plan proceed as it's being presented, it will likely change. So too, could funding. Doyle may not be ruler much longer. With a new Governor, changes in the economy, we could well see help from the feds with funding. It is an interstate, after all. More to the point, we can't turn our backs on repairs and safety just because we don't feel 5 minutes is worth the money spent. It's much more than that. Increasing efficiency reduces areas of congestion which reduces accidents. Which, contrary to what some might believe, have real costs.

People's lives are worth it.

"I said, It's Your Time!!"

2009-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

An Italian woman who arrived late for the Air France plane flight that crashed in the Atlantic last week has been killed in a car accident.

Johanna Ganthaler, a pensioner from Bolzano-Bozen province, had been on holiday in Brazil with her husband Kurt and missed Air France Flight 447 after turning up late at Rio de Janeiro airport on May 31.

All 228 people aboard lost their lives after the plane crashed into the Atlantic four hours into its flight to Paris.

The ANSA news agency reported that the couple had managed to pick up a flight from Rio the following day.

It said that Ms Ganthaler died when their car veered across a road in Kufstein, Austria, and swerved into an oncoming truck. Her husband was seriously injured.

OK, I don't want to laugh at tragedy. This is horrible, no question. To go from being the luckiest person alive one day, to the most unluckiest the next . . . I don't know . . . it's so outrageous it's difficult not to make light of it in a fatalistic sort of manner.

I'm sorry, Johanna, God said.

RIP.

I'll make an exception . . .

2009-06-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

I've said that I'm not a proponent of capital punishment. First, in this country, it's a fustercluck of a process. Second, I simply feel taking another person's life intentionally is wrong.

But . . . I've also said I'd make exceptions. Here's an exception:

A 17-year-old Terrytown man was arrested on charges of aggravated rape and first-degree murder of an 8-month-old child Saturday afternoon, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said.

Arnold T. Ross, of 136 Friedrichs Road in Terrytown, was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Facility. No bond is available on the first-degree murder charge.

Ross was arrested after officers responded to a call of an unresponsive infant at 1656 Gary Court, Apt. B, near Gretna.

The infant, Da-Von Lonzo, was taken to Ochsner Westbank where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to a release issued by Col. John Fortunato, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The death was initially unclassified, but the Jefferson Parish coroner's office later reported it as a homicide after an autopsy of the child's body revealed multiple fractures consistent with a beating and tears in the anus.

Ross, who said he was the boyfriend of the infant's mother, initially told detectives that the baby fell down the stairs while he was babysitting, Fortunato said. But a neighbor reported hearing loud noises coming from the apartment, and investigators noted inconsistencies in Ross's account.

Ross later admitted that he beat the infant repeatedly when he would not stop crying, Fortunato said. When the child began to defecate on himself, Ross said he tried to clean it up, causing the tears, according to the release.

Ross has a record of previous arrests for possession of crack cocaine and marijuana, obscenity, battery on a correctional officer, three counts of battery on a teacher, three counts of theft, illegal carrying of a weapon and assault

I want this guy in the chair.

I like Pink

2009-06-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

The performer, that is. From The Sun:

"I was at STELLA McCARTNEY's Paris fashion show with the vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PAUL McCARTNEY and Kanye West.

"The entire time Kanye is going, 'They need more fur in this show'. He just wouldn't shut up about how he loved fur. I mean, he's saying this to me, the PETA guy and Paul McCartney! I was just so grossed out by him. I'm like, 'You're an idiot!'

"There are so many people who I think are a waste of skin and he's up there. I should wear him. Go on, donate yourself Kanye. People can wear your fur."

Just how dumb does one have to be to talk about fur at a PETA function?

Kanye West dumb.

The Blue Angels

2009-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

The Blue Angels at the Janesville air show.

I was in a group that bought a VIP section to watch the show. The "section" was an area about 30X60 with a tent, buffet table with burgers, brats, hot dogs, and other picnic food, chairs, a VIP bathroom near by, and was situated about 100' dead center of the runway. It was awesome! Many. many thanks to my flyboy buddy Steve for setting this up. It was an incredible show. It rained ever so slightly as the wife and I drove in. But, once we got there . . . well, as you can see from the video, except for the sun being out of place, it was a perfect day.

UPDATE: I keep forgetting I can't embed larger screen size videos on this blog, so I fixed that. To see the full screen version go here.

I wonder if Jenny McCarthy has read this?

2009-05-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Unvaccinated Kids Getting Whooping Cough

Probably not.

Final Idol

2009-05-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to watching the final of American Idol . . . some thoughts:

I thought the over all show was great. It was nice to see my girl, Alexsis, back in action. She sure did look hot.

Allison's pairing with Cyndi Lauper was . . . OK. It didn't let Allison's voice shine. But, it was a cool moment.

Megan's singing with Mike on one of Steve Martin's songs was . . . fitting. Quirky song, quirky voice. I liked it.

I actually thought Matt sand Black Magic Woman pretty good. Similarly, I thought Kris did a good job with Urban.

I expected Lionel Ritchie to be pathetic, bit he wasn't. Danny did great. As I've said so many times now, he's got a natural soul in his voice that sounds great.

Speaking of pathetic, however, Rod Stewart seemed a bit off. He's a well known tipper (as in glass) and he staggered a bit at the open of Maggie May. My guess IS that he was drunk. Who knows? I thought it was a lackluster performance.

The award sections were pretty funny. While she makes me vomit, the bit with Tatiana was good. If nothing else, she was a good sport about the whole thing.

Skank bikini girl did seem genuinely surprised when Kara came out, and was bothered by it. For her part, Kara did great. That girl can sing! And what a rockin bod! Though she was clearly not comfortable showing it off. Which is nice change. When you've got a less talented skank all too willing to claim her fame just cuz she's willing to show some skin, it's nice to see actual talent not feeling they have to resort to that.

Then . . . Adam . . . and Kiss. I thought seeing David Cook sing with ZZ Top was awesome. Adam singing with Kiss was incredible! What a perfect fit! Mr. Theatrics meets the theatrical rock band. Plus, he sounded great. While Gene Simmons doesn't think Adam has a rock n roll voice, I thought he did great.

But, not as good as Adam did with Queen. Wow. There's an absolute perfect match. If Queen is looking for a front man, they've found him. If there's anyone who can sing on the level of Freddie Mercury, Adam can. Plus, as with Kiss, his theatric nature is a perfect fit. Adam with Queen would be awesome. I'd pay to see that.

As for the outcome . . . what a load of crap. Of course, it really doesn't matter as those who haven't won Idol have done very well. It's just thinking that, in some way, Kris has more talent than Adam . . . or Danny, or Allison, or Alexsis, and he doesn't. I'm sure Kris won for several reasons. First, all the tweens that voted for him. Bastard is good looking. Two, Danny's from Milwaukee. Three, Allison wasn't/isn't a skank and didn't win the horny boy vote. And, Adam's vague sexuality and the release of photos showing him sucking face with another guy likely turned many people off. The biggest shockers still, for me, is Alexsis, she got booted way too early, and the judges using their "save" card for Matt. That was a complete waste.

So, now we see and hear what happens next. David Cook hasn't made any huge splashes since winning. Archuleta is basically doing Disney. Much to my daughter's dismay. Danny, Adam, Alexsis and Allison, to me, are very marketable. It will be interesting to see what they all do next. There's the Idol tour which will keep them busy for a bit. After that . . . ?

Season 9.

Foreign Policy

2009-05-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

Hey, Obama!

How's that "Let's just get together and chat" policy workin for ya?

Beat Box Girl

2009-05-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Fantastic.

Watch Amazing Beat Box Girl on CollegeHumor

Medical Ethics

2009-05-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

The case of Colleen Hauser and her son Daniel has sparked debate over the question as to whether parents, who through religious beliefs, can deny medical care to their children.

Of course, adults do this all the time. Not always due to religion, but their quality of life has become such that intervention wouldn't improve their condition enough to warrant going through it. Dying with dignity. Given how precious life is, one can't help but respect the wishes of those who simply want to end their suffering.

In some cases, though, religion does enter in to decisions made. Scientology, and professional lunatic Tom Cruise and his melonhead pal John Travolta, have all spoken out against using medications on children. They're not the only ones. Here in Wisconsin, Leilani Neumann let her daughter die of untreated diabetes. A condition that, in many cases, is easily treated with medications, and in the case of Madeline, could have saved her . . . even minutes before she died. Obviously, prayers didn't help.

There are the "miracle" stories, however. Those unexplained cases where a person goes in to remission or becomes cured of their condition. But, when one compares the miracles to the cases where medications and treatments have provided improvement, the miracle cures are pretty rare.

So, what about it? What about parents who, because of their faith, prefer not to have medical treatments available for their children? Even when treatments or medication could help? After all, many of us prefer not to have government intrude into our lives making decisions for us. Isn't this a case of government intrusion?

To me, this is a no brainer. Colleen is now on the lam with her son. Once found, she should be arrested for child neglect and the son should be given treatment. We're talking children here. Dependents. Young people who look to adults to make responsible decisions for them. Danielle is 13 years old. Far too young to understand or make life and death decisions on his own. What's more, the Hausers are catholic. I assume they believe in the right to life for babies. What about the right to life as a 13 year old? Again, this might be different if Danielle's condition were such that treatment would only provide a small level of quality of life improvement and death would be ultimately unavoidable But, it's not. How it is, why it is, that a parent would stand by and let their children die when they can be helped is beyond me. It's not only insane, it's criminal.

The fact that Danny said he would kick and punch anyone who tried to help him does make for a dicey situation. Problem is, once he's dead, we can't ask him if he'd like to do that over again. I wonder what Danny would think about all of this when he turns 30 and has kids of his own?

Get your motor runnin . . . head out on the highway!

2009-05-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, in this case, get your pedals turnin, and head out on the, err . . . road. Not since sometime before I broke my ankle have I been out on a bike. In other words, years. I've been wanting to get back on, but with little motivation and the arthritis having a larger say in matters, I just haven't.

Well, it took my girlie to get me back in a swimming pool, and now, it took my girlie to get me back on a bike. A daddy can only walk around so much to watch his little girl on a bike. It's boring. The obviously answer . . . get on a bike and ride with her.

So, I did. First, thanks to all the smart people in the world for modern pharmacology. And heating pads. Thank you all.

Second, I'm doing it. The biggest bummer of having arthritis in the back and neck, is the constant pain and inability to do the things I used to be able to do. Running is out. Forever. But, getting on a bike and pedaling away . . . nice. I'm huffing and puffing a little right now, and the knees are sore, but I'm doing it. And, it's great. My girlie is very happy. We bike all over the neighborhood, in the cemetary, and at the park. Over the weekend we went out 5 times! I think we did about 10 miles all told.

Just what I need, too. This past winter was a tough winter as far as pain goes. Anything I can do to keep the body moving, lose some weight, and provide some motivation through the winter months will help the bones and ease the pain.

Idol Chatter

2009-05-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Main Entry: in·jus·tice
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)in-ˈjəs-təs\
Function: noun
1 : absence of justice : violation of right or of the rights of another : unfairness
2 : an unjust act : wrong

The last word says it all . . . WRONG. As I told my wife and tweeted, Kris did a good job on last night's show. Probably the best performance he's had. Ever. Still, while he might have kicked 2 field goals from 55 yards out, Danny and Adam kicked two field goals from 75 yards out.

Give me a break. The vocal talents that both Danny and Adam posses are FAR grater than that of Kris'. Kris is ok. Very middle of the road. Very boring. There's no compelling reason to listen to him sing a second song. He has no stage personality what so ever. Maybe he'd make a good bluesy folk singer. Think the tweens that make up his fan base are going to buy that CD?

I don't think so.

There's no question Adam is a vocal force. It's uncanny how he sings. Plus, he's got stage personality. Almost to a point of over load. Still, he's a freak. He has vocal ability like Ian Gillan. The likes of which Idol has never seen before. He's sure to win.

But, Danny . . . he had the most natural cool of them all. Allison had it, too. Something about the way they sing, the way they sound, it exposes them. Danny's rendition of You Are So Beautiful gave me goosebumps. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The other day I came across a celebrity site that had some vote on American Idol. I voted for Danny. I got quite a surprise when I got the results. Over 35,000 people had voted. Adam had 15k, Kris 12k and Danny 8k. A distant third.

Turns out the sampling was accurate.

Clearly everyone thought it would be Danny and Adam in the final. I sure did. Unfortunately, this isn't about actual talent anymore.

One can never under estimate the power of the tween vote.

Congratulations, Danny. You sure made me proud! Hopefully we'll hear more from you in the future.

Wanda Sykes

2009-05-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I like humor. Any regular reader knows that. I use humor a lot. Mostly in a self deprecating fashion, and mostly dry, but humor none the less. I don't expect everyone to like my brand of humor, nor do I expect everyone to "get it". But, I try to be witty on a universal level.

Along those lines, I don't mind anyone taking a shot at someone else for the sake of a laugh. There are many good Bush jokes. There are many good indian jokes. Again, I think the ability to laugh at one's self is essential.

But, I have two rules. One, jokes have to be funny. Two, while I don't mind shocking (dead baby jokes come to mind) there is a line. Bill Maher wearing a t shirt with a bloody heart that's been stabbed after the death of Steve Irwin was just tasteless. Not surprising, but tasteless.

So it is with Wanda Sykes. Her joke about wanting Limbaugh's kidneys to fail just wasn't funny. Now, dogging on people you don't like is often kind of amusing, I admit. But there are two issues about this that bother me. First, the reference to 9-11 in the joke. Tasteless. Second, the President shown laughing his fool head off. Is this guy that clueless?

It's one thing for Sykes to make retarded comments about Rush being a terrorist and wanting his kidneys to fail. It doesn't surprise me. And, I know it's a joke. Or, it was supposed to be. The fact that Sykes doesn't seem to have much of a career as a comedienne might say something about her comedic intellect. But, I digress.

The other thing that bothers me is the President laughing about references to 9-11 . . . and not so funny jokes. I could care less if he laughs at or about Rush. Though, he probably shouldn't be laughing at desires to wish him dead. I don't know. Maybe it's me. Holding the PRESIDENT to some kind of standard went out of style with Clinton.

No reason to expect anything new from Mr. Change.

Quick hits for a Friday

2009-05-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

First he was. Then, he wasn't. Now, he might be. I would love to see Aaron Rodger wear the #4 jersey this season.

Here's one of the dumbest editorials I read about the Carrie Prejean ordeal:

Miss Cali: Pretty Until She Opens Her Mouth

You know what's offensive? Perez Hilton judging a women's beauty contest. If this retard is so concerned about tolerance, why isn't she upset that the question was asked in the first place?

Kris stays, but Allison goes home. One reason Allison got booted is that she isn't a fake boobed blond skank, luring the vote of the horny boys. I'm sure Kris' fan base of JoBro'd preens is rather large, and the reason he's moved on. I think Allison is a babe. She's not Britney . . . thank god. She has real talent. I'm sure we'll hear more from her in the future. Still, it's a shame.

Pelotox is a liar.

Now that Doyle has raised every fee and tax he can, without saying he did, why doesn't he just spend more, like Obama, to fix the State budget?

Speaking of Obama . . . while his budget trimming is akin to pissing in the ocean, he still is trimming. And, I'll give him credit for that. What's interesting, of course, is what he's trimming and the backlash he may suffer as a result.

My heart goes out to those in California dealing with the wild fires.

Somebody help me. Why does Obama continue to hold town hall meetings?

We're allowed to rip a CD and put it on our iPods. But we can't rip a DVD to do the same . . . according to copyright laws. RealNetworks is fighting the fair use battle in court trying to defend their software which allows one to rip a DVD for personal use. This battle has been going on since the VCR came along. Real may ultimately lose, and that will be a shame, but it shows how out of touch hollywood execs are. There will always be a method to rip a DVD. Hollywood would be better off embracing the technology than trying to make criminals of those who actually buy DVD's and want it on their iPod.

Speaking of movies . . . I watched Gran Torino finally. Uh, might I be the only one who thought this wasn't that good? I liked the story, but the movie, I thought, was poorly directed and poorly acted. Not sure what the big hype was all about.

Happy Friday!

Oldie but goodie from Supernova

2009-05-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

Roxanne by Dilana

Brett Favre

2009-05-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

Here we go again. First, no one seems to know for sure exactly what's going on so I think we should all chill. But, I have two thoughts.

First, if you didn't believe what an attention whoring jerkwad he can be, do you believe it now? What more do you need? The guy needs medication!

Second, who cares if he plays for the Vikings. Did you watch his season with the Jets? Maybe he's got something left, but likely not. I can't imagine with all the Viqueens have invested in Tarvaris Jackson that they'd be willing to bring Brett in . . . even as a backup. But, the Viqueens have been known to make momumentally stupid decisions.

Clearly Brett has no regard for the rest of the Packer organization . . . or his fans.

All of this gets the big . . . whatever.

Strange Creatures

2009-05-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

That last one? Frightening!

Idol Chatter

2009-05-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

First, I'm glad to be done with that wannabe ass cloth Jamie Foxx. His performance sucked. What makes him an expert?

Anyway . . .

Rock isn't Kris' thing. He didn't suck, but he wasn't that good either. Clearly not in the same class as the rest.

Adam is effortless with his singing. His problem, though, is his phrasing. He was a little too smooth and polished tonight. He needed to rough it up a bit. Plus, his movements seems a bit contrived.

Danny did much better than the judges gave him credit for. I honestly don't know what goes through their minds at times. His voice is very compelling. The song choice was one where you couldn't wait to hear how he handled the end . . . which he did extremely well. A little rough on the first note, but spot on on the others. For Simon to criticize the scream at the end . . . THAT'S HOW IT ENDS, DOOFUS!

Then . . . Allison. Jinkies! Again, what the judges were thinking . . . ? I'm starting to think it's an Adam conspiracy. Allison did great!! Such a natural talent with her voice, her expression, and her moves. While I know of one person who will disagree, she ruled the night.

The duets were cool. Kris wasn't in the same league as Danny, and Adam and Allison did great on their song.

Who goes home? Kris. If there's a second person in the bottom, I don't know. I want to say Adam but the coolness of his song may keep Adam out. Danny hasn't been in the bottom and performed well enough to stay. But does Simon carry any weight? Does Allison have enough supporters to keep her in?

Whatever. Kris goes home.

Today's Babe

2009-05-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the redheads . . . and the ones with all the smarticles. Patti Anne Browne. Newswoman on FoxNews.

Real Celebrities

2009-04-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

What?

Paris! Not again!

2009-04-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

No. That's her purse strap.

Guilty Pleasure

2009-04-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, Make fun of me.

Idol Chatter

2009-04-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a first . . . no one really stunk last night. I think it's going to be a popularity contest vote. So, who goes home? Is Simon right? Allison? That would suck. I thought she did a great job. But, what about the fan base? Is hers as strong as Kris'?

Based on last night's performance, I would have a hard time picking someone to go. I'll be very disappointed if it's Allison. I'd prefer Matt or Kris to go, but . . .

I don't have a good feeling about this.

Carrie Prejean vs Perez Hilton vs Principles

2009-04-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

OK, yes. Carrie Prejean stuck to her principles. That alone is admirable. In a time of contentiousness and political correctness what she said was brave.

Or was it?

I understand that the conservatives are rallying, somewhat, around Carrie. She took a decidedly conservative view, and she's now defending herself against professional douchebag Prerez Hilton and a slew of liberal hollywood wackos.

For their part, Hollyweird is rallying around the gay marriage issue more than they are Perez himself. Still, I find it interesting that on the one hand the hollyweird crowd hates the paparazzi, critics, and bloggers, yet are all hugs and kisses when it's convenient.

For her part, Carrie has done well for herself. She doesn't seem to be the typical beauty bimbo. Vacant and void of any real talent or intellect. She's well spoken.

But, as much as I'd like to hop on the Prejean party train we're still talking about a woman who spent a lot of time preparing herself to compete in . . . a beauty contest! Again, of what real relevance is Miss America? The last several years have exposed many of these women to be nothing more than the typical attention whore looking for a quick path to fame. Carrie, clearly, has fake boobs. Unless someone knows of a medical condition she has that warranted them, I have no reason but to believe she got them to enhance the way she looked in a bikini . . . for the beauty contest.

See where I'm going?

Quick . . . who won the Miss America Pageant? I don't know, either.

What that idiot Perez did, was put miss Prejean on more headlines, in more conversations, and on more blogs than the actual winner of the pageant. Well played, Carrie. Well played.

Now, maybe she's the nicest person in the world and will use this opportunity in a positive vein. And if she does, I'll be the first in line to have my book autographed.

Until then, I can't help but be cynical.

More Pirates Caught

2009-04-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, a court in Sweden found 4 members of the Pirate Bay guilty of copyright infringement and sentenced them to a year in prison and fines them 3.6 million dollars. An appeal in imminent. Pirate Bay is website that allows users to find torrents that enable file sharing . . . but not through Pirate Bay.

That's the interesting, and troubling part. Pirate Bay doesn't actively participate in sharing files. They're really more of an online dating service. Hooking people up. They provide the means to find your match. What you do after that, well . . .

Still, the court decided that they were as culpable as those who share and download the files, and more difficult to prosecute, thus the ruling. It's seen as a huge victory for the movie industry as they blame revenue losses on file sharing technology and the evil people that use the technology.

Never mind that hollywood seems to be getting all their inspiration from comic books, and producers hire the like of Paris Hilton to be in their films . . . noooo.

So, the files sharers are doomed, right? Not so fast.

Turns out the judge who ruled in the case is a member of, not one, but two copyright organizations! Can you say conflict of interest?

"Every time I take a case, I evaluate if I consider myself having a conflict of interest. In this case I didn't find to have one," Norström told Sveriges Radio, the national Swedish radio network that first exposed the issue on Thursday morning.

Yeah, and the Pirate Bay is a vacation spot. Bring the family!

So, the case may be thrown out and re-tried. It may very well end up the same for the Pirate Bay founders, but it does delay sentencing. Maybe America will gain 4 swedish citizens.

Sleeping with babies

2009-04-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of those issues where I think it's easy to speak emotionally at first rather than rationally. Of course, we're talking about innocent little babies, so it is understandable. No baby should die a preventable death. Be it from neglect, stupidity, or both.

The recent deaths of two babies from being smothered in bed set off the usual discourse. Neglectful parents too lazy or stupid to put the baby where it belongs . . . in a crib. I find that a huge generalization.

Don't get me wrong. This may well be the case in one of the stories. In the most recent incident, the mother was sleeping with two others in the bed. One being the baby. If this was the usual arrangement, that's not too smart. Even if a person can't afford a crib, a baby will sleep just about anywhere. A bed with a soft mattress, thick heavy covers and fluffy pillows . . . plus two other people, is just inviting trouble for a baby.

But, the mother was 18 years old. I'm sure she just didn't know any better. That's not an excuse. But, given her situation (single parent) and the fact that she was so young, her baby's death was really a tragic accident. I'm sure she didn't intend for her baby to die. For all we know, she was a caring, loving mother in all other aspects of her baby's life.

Now, if it turns out she was a drunk, or a drug user, or in some other way a sub-standard mother, then the situation is different.

Fact is, people sleep with their babies. My wife and I did. Not often. Just every now and then. But, we knew there was a safe method of doing so.

The biggest problem, to me, is that this mother was too young thus ill equipped to care for two children. She's 18. Which means she got pregnant at 16 with her first. That's when this problem started. Not when she slept with her baby.

Problem is, this life lesson resulted in the death of an innocent baby.

Today's Babe

2009-04-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

As with the yellowbook.com commercials, when I saw the Chrysler commercials with the new spokes babe, I had to find out who she is. It's Jill Wagner. Not much on the resumé, but enough to earn her babe status.

If she came with the car, I'd consider buying one.

2009-04-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

Online Surveys & Market Research

Miss America

2009-04-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

First, you know you're in trouble when a douchebag like Perez Hilton is a judge. More than that, though, isn't Perez unqualified to be a judge at a woman's beauty contest?

Whatever, it would seem Carrie Prejean lost her chance to become the next Miss America after sharing her honest opinion about gay marriage in a question from Perez Hilton. I don't have the exact quote, but the Miss America wannabe essentially answered that she didn't believe in gay marriage. Though one of the finalist, she lost. It's speculated she may have won had it not been for her answer. Hilton said afterward:

“She gave the worst answer in pageant history. She lost because she’s a dumb b—-, okay?”

A couple of thoughts.

First, I highly doubt douchebag Hiton has followed every pageant to know that Carrie gave the worst answer in history. No, it's simply that she gave an answer he didn't like. I thought the reasoning behind the questions was simply to see the contestant think on their feet. To come up with a quick response and word it intelligently. It goes toward poise. Hilton came out (pun intended) and admitted bias.

Another example of the more accepting, broader minded left.

Second, all that said . . . is the Miss America pageant relevant anymore? I mean, it's become a joke, and Perez Hilton being a judge is evidence of that. I respect Carrie for sticking to her principles but . . . come on, she's strutting around with her fake boobs, trying to look all pretty and perfect. Bleech! I have a low opinion of anyone participating in these pageants to begin with.

And now, it's become tabloid fodder.

Celebrity Idiots of the Day

2009-04-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today features a three course serving of idiots.

First up, a guy I used to cheer on, Hulk Hogan. In a Rolling Stone interview, Hogan said:

"I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like OJ, cutting everybody's throat," he told the magazine. "You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can't go to anymore, you're driving through downtown Clearwater [Florida] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife ... I totally understand OJ. I get it."

I've actually felt a bit sorry for Hogan lately. His wife is a gold digging whore, his son is an idiot, and his daughter is a no talent skank riding on daddy's coat tails. Hogan's divorce has been very ugly, and it does seem as though he's getting the short end of things. Clearly, he ain't the brightest bulb, though. But, that's no excuse to be making the kind of remarks he did.

Our second course features Jamie Foxx. Well known for being egomaniacal, Foxx went off on Miley Cyrus on his Sirius radio show. According to several sources, after hearing about some feud Miley has with Radiohead he told her to "grow up and make a sex tape." and "Who is Miley Cryus? The one with all the gums? She needs to get a gum transplant!" and "little white b*tch" among other things. He's since apologized. Wonder if it was sincere . . . or had anything to do with a new movie coming out?

Lastly, the main course, and well known celebrity retard, Janeane Garofalo. She had this to say about the recent tea party and the people who attended, from the Washington TImes:

"Let's be very honest about what this is about. This is not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea party was about. They don't know their history at all. It's about hating a black man in the White House," she said on MSNBC's "The Countdown" with Keith Olbermann Thursday evening. "This is racism straight up and is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks. There is no way around that."

Olbermann did not once try to challenge her on those assertions.

The actress went on to describe the brain size of typical "right-winger, Republican or conservative or your average white power activist."

"Their synapses are misfiring. ... It is a neurological problem we are dealing with," she said. This isn't the first time she's offered this analysis, either. Ms. Garofalo said similar things about Alaskan GOP Governor Sarah Palin's brain last February in an interview with an environmental blog.

The actress went on to bash the GOP on MSNBC Thursday because it had "crystallized into the white power movement" as well as Fox News, which she said has captured the "Klan demo[graphic]."

"Who else is Fox talking to? Urban older white guys and their girlfriends who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome," she said.

Demented, delusional, and completely devoid of any intellect . . . she is the poster girl for morons.

Are you full?

Happy Birthday SIlent E

2009-04-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts on this occasion:

Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative.

The first half of life consists of the capacity to enjoy without the chance; the last half consists of the chance without the capacity.

If youth knew; if age could.

Find an aim in life before you run out of ammunition.

By the time we've made it, we've had it.

By the time you decide to look for greener pastures, you're too old to climb the fence.

Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

Good reason to throw another party!

2009-04-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sure the new dog is reason enough, but I was thinking more because of Obama's decision (tough thought it wasn't) to allow the Navy to do their job and rescue Captain Phillips from Somali hijackers. With quick precision, 3 pirates were "neutralized" while a fourth ran around screaming "Blow the whistle, ref. Blow the whistle!" (from Necessary Roughness).

So, here's to you (cue music) kickin ass and raising taxes commander in chief guy. Thanks to you, cognitive dissonance runs rampant in liberal circles today.

TEA Party

2009-04-12T19:52:00.001-07:00

I'm gonna try and make it, but it looks doubtful.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T19:43:00.001-07:00

So, during our egg hunt, my daughter says she found an egg, but then drops it as it has no color to it. It was pretty well hidden. Likely one belonging to an Easter of some years ago.

I'm sure what happen next qualifies as torture in nearly any handbook on civil defense . . . the wife threw it on the ground to break it open! The smell was awful. Good thing we were done. I half expect the police to show up wondering where the dead body is.

Ecomaniacal liberals

2009-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

It takes a certain level of idiot to think they can, with any certainty, alter Mother Nature. Of the many beefs I have with the global warming zealots is that man, with as short of time we've been here, and as little space we actually occupy, has had any affect on earth's climate.

Sure, we can screw things up on a small scale. Rivers, lakes, forests, even big cities with their air pollution, are all clearly influenced by our being here. But, globally? No. Nothing we do can compare to the destruction nature itself can yield. Be it an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricanes, natural forest fires, tornadoes, tidal waves . . . nothing.

Unfortunately, ecotards exist. While I'm not surprised, I am greatly dismayed that Obama, and the rest of his merry men, actually think they can control the Earth's climate through climate engineering. Actually, I'm more than dismayed, I'm frikkin' scared. It's one thing to rack up debt and destroy any hope for future generations. It's another thing to destroy the planet.

First, we're not the only ones here. Think other countries might want a say in this?

Second, it took several volcanic eruptions over the course of a decade to lower the temperature of the Earth about half a degree for about three years. Think of the magnitude of that. Do you really think we're capable of pumping that amount of particulate and sustaining it?

Third, you don't think there would be negative consequences to this?!?!?! What happens when another volcano decides to blow? Sulfates would be the particle of choice. What happens when it falls back to Earth? We have lots of particles in the atmosphere now. Some reflect the Sun's energy helping cool the planet. Some trap heat helping to keep the planet warm. Think adding more particulate might actually increase warming?

Fact is, no one knows what the consequences would be. This is beyond looney. It's dangerous. It is about as radical and irresponsible as an idea can be. But, you know Obama . . .

"Well, ha ha ha, you know, we can't just sit back and, umm we have to take the lead and ha ha ha, look at the humor of those, ummm, errr, look at how we got here, ummm, a big umbrella, really, and that's funny, ha ha ha, err we'll deal with the consequences, ha ha ha boy, maybe I could get a season named after me, ha ha ha."

Speaking of which, take the time and read this post about the arctic ice cores.

So, satellite data doesn't support warming, ocean robots don't support warming, empirical data doesn't support warming, and now the ice cores support what we've known all along, that the Earth warms and cools all on its own.

A Brave New World, people. A brave new world.

Little Johnny Bad Boy

2009-04-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

Little Johnny was in most respects, a normal three year old little boy. But, he tended to get in to a lot of trouble. His parents called him rambunctious. Others weren't so kind.

One morning, little Johnny wanted to have some fun. During breakfast he threw food at his brother and sister, and poured his milk on the floor. While his mother cleaned up the mess he made, his father said "Johnny. You shouldn't do that. " and told him to be nice to his brother and sister. Johnny laughed and went to watch TV.

After breakfast was finished, and the mess cleaned up, the family joined little Johnny in the family room to watch TV. Johnny was already watching cartoons and was annoyed at the suggestion he would have to stop watching his shows because everyone else wanted to watch a movie. Johnny started crying and screaming when his father took the remote and changed the channel. Johnny tried to take the remote away from his father. But, at three years old, he wasn't big enough or strong enough to accomplish such a task.

"Johnny, please behave." his father said.

"Come sit down and watch the movie with us." his mother added.

The other siblings complained that it was too difficult to watch a movie with Johnny screaming so and wanted him out of the room (they would have liked him out of the house). But, mom and dad continued to try and console Johnny.

Suddenly, little Johnny started hitting the TV.

"Johnny, you shouldn't do that." father said.

Johnny ignored the suggestion and started pushing on the TV.

"Johnny, don't do that." mother said. "You will be punished if you continue."

Johnny has heard this threat before and nothing ever happened. So, he continued to push on the TV causing it to rock. Johnny wasn't strong enough to simply push the TV over. But with continued effort he could get the momentum of the TV to cause it to fall.

"Johnny, if that TV falls over I will be very mad." Johnny's father said.

"Johnny, please don't do that." Johnny's mother said.

Again ignoring his parent's request, Johnny continued to push on the TV until finally, with a loud crash, it fell to the ground.

Stunned, everyone fell quiet. A few pops were heard as the last sparks of life were emitted from the wreckage.

As there was no longer an TV to watch, the two other siblings left the room leaving their parents with Johnny.

"That was very naughty, Johnny." father said.

"We're very disappointed" mother said. "you will need to be punished."

Johnny stood quiet for a moment, then laughed and ran in to the other room.

So, what does Obama do now?

What? You don't carry it anymore?

2009-04-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

I love landscape lighting, and I hate it. When we put in our first system it was a bit ago. There wasn't much to choose from. Only a couple of styles, and everything was about 3 watts of light.

Of course, you can spend a lot of money on commercial lights that aren't low voltage and a more permanent install, but most people with budgets and no cleaning service don't do that.

Over the years, the product has evolved nicely. Metal styles, more decorative, and higher wattage lights are widely available. We replaced all of our lighting at one point. The metal units and higher wattage lights made a huge difference.

The problem is, it keeps changing!! Except for the common s tiered light, which my wife hates, every design changes every year. I can't get parts for the lights I have now! And I mean, not at all. Unless I find someone selling an old set.

I understand. You spend $69 to $120 for a set of 8 lights, or so, it's not going to be commercial quality. I get that. But, it's particularly annoying when just a year or two later you can't replace broken components. I'd opt for the common design as I don't want to replace the entire system only to have it discontinued a year later. But, when I tried that my wife virtually broke down crying.

(sigh)

Maybe I'll just hang white LED string lights in the trees.

More Obamaquette.

2009-04-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Can this guy be any more of a doofus? President Doofinschmirtz. I believe Mr. E alluded to the same.

Not only did he back away from a kiss from a FIrst Lady, he backed away from a former supermodel!! Not that he should have started humping on her leg or anything, but, come on. Mr. Smooth he ain't.

The best, though, is how he was mocked by John Crace of the Guardian News. Not surprising, Obama couldn't answer a tough question coherently. Crace did a great job filling in what surely must have been Obama's thoughts during his . . . well, I wouldn't call it an answer . . . more of a tap dance. Clealry he didn't know what he was talking about. Read that story here. It's a good laugh.

Lights out for Khamari Hardwick

2009-04-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

"Butt reaming asshole" is how Keeanu put it in Parenthood.

The story of Khamari really hit me. I wasn't going to post about it, particularly after posting a light hearted piece on my movie choices, but I needed to vent.

If you're unfamiliar with the story, go here.

I can't imagine the terror this little boy went through his last few hours of life. When a child should be happy, goofing, laughing . . . innocent, he was being beaten. Beat up for what the, I hesitate to use the word father . . . shithead said was because he "made a real mess." Apparently he threw some toys around and knocked over a few chairs.

Well, let's just beat the tar out him, huh? A 3 year old! That should teach him.

After his beating, he was dragged to the bath. A loving gesture, I guess. After which, he was grabbed, flung around, and had his head smashed in to the wall.

Lights out.

Three years old . . . and done.

Shithead put him in bed. I guess going limp after having your head smashed in to the wall wasn't cause for concern.

It gets worse.

The female shithead shakes her baby so violently, because she's crying, she dies. Two months old. Also done.

Two kids. Just unlucky enough to be born to a pair of shitheads. Butt reaming assholes.

I'm against capitol punishment. But, I would make an exception for these two.

Caaan. Youuuu. Digiiiiiiiiit?

2009-04-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

So, I come across some old DVD's. I see three titles I had to buy.

First one, Warriors. Pretty much the first movie for crazy man David Patrick Kelly, and one of the first for James Remar. Great movie. "Warriors . . . come out to plaaaayay!" Turns out that whole click the bottles together and taunt the Warriors was David's idea.

Second, and this one scared me at the time, Gargoyles. A TV movie, but I think I was . . . oh . . . 5 at the time. Yeah, that's it. Five. It also started a small gargoyle obsession, I've got them all over the place. Guess I don't want to piss them off. Although, they are for protection.

Lastly, Some Kind of Wonderful. After watching that movie, I had a thang for Mary Stuart Masterson for a bit. Cute movie. Corny. But fun to watch.

Good stuff for the library and a rainy day.

Obamaquette

2009-04-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

C'mon! You can't tell me that if this were Bush giving the Queen an iPod, bowing to the King, Laura hugging the Queen, and Cheney saying the retarded things Biden is saying, that he wouldn't be skewered by the press. He would. But, since it's Obamination, and a leftcist, it OK to look like a buffoon to the entire world.

Obama will improve our image, alright. We're going to become the laughing stock.

Maybe Obarassed got his cues from Russell Brand.

Obama's iPod to the Queen

2009-04-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

An iPod. Obama gave the Queen an iPod. Probably gave her a 120v charger for it, too.

It's been leaked that of the things on the iPod, was the scrolling text from his teleprompter telling him what to say when he met her.

That must of been embarrassing.

Idol Chatter

2009-03-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

The top 9. I'm still reeling a bit from Alexsis' departure. But, I'll try and carry on.

Anoop. Nice. Safe. Boring. Did anyone see American Dreamz?

Allison. I liked what she wore. Being as young as she is, I thought she got away with it. It wasn't overly provocative. Just bright and fun. Her vocals, for such a young person, are amazing. She did, and looked, great.

Danny. I'll predict right now that he will win. Flawless performance.

Adam. The only thing he has to watch is over singing something. He's got a range like an Ian Gillan.. He just has to learn good decisions with his voice. That being said, he did great.

Lil. Going down hill . . . and fast. Bad song choice, pitch problems, and a bit bombastic. She'll be one of the bottom.

Matt. See Lil.

Scott. The judges surprised me. They all really liked his performance. I thought he had major pitch problems. Good voice, so-so interpretation, kind of boring. He may be in the bottom as well.

Megan. (Sigh) She's likely gone. SImon was dead on. What makes her unique actually got irritating. Bad, bad, bad song choice.

Kris. A really good performance. Paula was actually insightful this time when she said he took a 30 year old song, made it his, and turned it into something for today. As though we're all hearing it for the first time. I haven't been impressed with Kris . . . up till now. Great job.

Danny still ruled the night. Megan goes home.

What does rail compete with?

2009-03-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

One of the many issues surrounding rail is what is it supposed to compete with? I keep hearing that a city should have a modern, viable transportation system to serve it's population. I also keep hearing that this should include trains. What I don't understand is, why? what can rail do that wheeled transportation can't?

Answer? Almost nothing.

Yes, in areas of dense population where driving a car is prohibitive due to congestion, lack of parking, or sky high parking costs, a commuter rail system works. In New York and Chicago, widening the streets for commuter traffic would be all but impossible. So, rail fills a need. Solves a problem.

What commuter problem do we have in Milwaukee? In Wisconsin? Even with a freeway system that was never finished . . . we lack a northern bypass and a middle connector . . . we have little congestion on our freeways. Unless there's an accident or construction going on, getting around Milwaukee during "rush hour" might take an extra 15 to 20 minutes. Whoop dee doo. Compare that to the hour it takes to get from one part of Atlanta to another and now you're talking traffic congestion.

The stupid little loop Barrett wants downtown? A waste of money on a moronic scale. That train wouldn't do anything a bus couldn't do. Well, except cost a lot of tax payer money in subsidies. And, pollute the air with wires. And cause us to tear up perfectly good streets and create traffic problems. So, what problem does it solve?

In the case of passenger rail like a Milwaukee to Madison system, I can understand why we'd want to pursue a rail alternative. First, it's a good 90 minute drive. So, it's long. Second, parts of the freeway are just two lanes. It can get congested and backed up extending the time it takes to travel. Buses don't improve anything as they travel on the same road. You're not driving, but it still takes 90 minutes.

Now, not that we have a huge problem with traveling from Milwaukee to Madison, but I could see an alternative rail system working. IF . . .

First and foremost, people would use it and it would self sustain. That's a big if. The system would need to be convenient and fast. Which leads me to . . .

Second, it would need to be a true high speed rail system. I've posted before on the complete buffoonery that is Doyle's plan. Not only is the system not high speed rail, it's not ultra modern, and it won't be convenient. Updated, diesel fueled, locomotives are not ultra modern. At 110 MPH, it's also not very fast. Add in the time it takes you to get to and from stations and it likely takes longer than traveling by car. Speed - Convenience. Pick one, cause you can't have both. If it's going to compete with cars then there can't be many stops, making it less convenient. If it's going to make lots of stops for convenience, then it's not going to be very fast.

Fact is, commuter rail works when there's an existing problem of dense population with an inability of cars or buses to move people around. Passenger rail works when the system is much faster in total time than it would be to use a car . . . AND . . . can actually compete with planes.

If I could get to Indianapolis in two hours on an elevated, electric rail system, I would use it over driving, and flying. Here, it would compete with using air travel. I have to drive to the airport, and I have to get to where I need to be in Indianapolis. Driving would be more convenient, but would take 7 hours (or so). Assuming the rail alternative would be competitively priced over flying, I would use it. In the Milwaukee to Madison example, maybe the two cities are still too close to be adequately, conveniently serviced by rail. Expanding the freeway is a much better use of transportation money.

But, get me to Indy, St. Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo, anywhere that's 8 hours by car, in two hours . . . and that's a viable alternative to driving . . . and flying. Assuming it's competitively priced.

In the end, commuter rail simply cannot compete with cars unless there's an existing problem. Passenger rail cannot compete with cars unless it can compete with air travel . . . and win.

Not your typical burger commercial

2009-03-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Oh.

My.

God.

Food and TV fans will know the babe as Padma Lakshmi, from Top Chef.

I'm hungry. Just not sure sure for what.

Looking for a gun?

2009-03-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Was watching Future Weapons on the Military Channel. They reported on the M134 Minigun, an electric gatling gun. Awesome. So, I did some looking. I came across this clip from the Discovery Channel. Jesse James had apparently lost some challenge and was none to happy about it . . . and with the car. Some guys have all the fun.

A New Number

2009-03-25T21:16:00.001-07:00

There's no name for one trillion to the tenth power. Just an equation type thingy, 1.0 × 10ˆ120. I'd like to propose, Obamaplex. One trillion to the tenth power. A tribute to the debt of trillions he will leaves us for the next ten years . . . optimistically.

A Problem Where There Isn't One

2009-03-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Leave it to government to fix something that isn't broken.

The common council today voted 8-7 to pass the prevailing wage provision. The provision essentially says that any contractor that receives aid of a million or more, including tif districts, must pay their workers a "prevailing wage". A prevailing wage is the pay rate of the largest county, including benefits, as determined by the department of labor. Generally speaking, the rate is about the same as union scale.

Well, one would argue, that since Milwaukee is the largest county this really won't affect local contractors.

Wrong, lumber breath. Fact is, many, if not most contractors hire less expensive, non-union labor to stay competitive, which saves money. Many jobs on work sites are unskilled and simply don't rank being paid more than a certain amount. With the provision, though, all workers would have to be paid the prevailing wage, thus raising costs.

There's more.

Another provision within the ordinance requires development firms to fill 40% of their project's construction jobs with unemployed or low-income Milwaukee residents

What? The wage provision is moronic enough. The extra provision makes this irresponsible. What about ability to perform the job? Competently? Safely? I guess those issues don't matter.

First, developers generally hire and pay pretty well. No one is getting minimum wage. No one has been complaining about a developer's low pay. There simply isn't a problem here.

Whether you agree with the provision or not, it will raise costs. And for no good reason other than government wants it that way. Contruction won't be better, won't be faster, won't be safer . . . in fact, you'll get nothing for the extra costs incurred. Add to that the extra provision of needing to hire low income or unemployed residents, and the provision becomes very problematic for Milwaukee developers.

In this time of recession, loss of jobs, and people lining up practically for miles for work, this is irresponsible. What's more, many developers were against this, and the MMAC was against this. Not surprisingly, the unions were for this. Tom, Mr. Jobs, Barrett was for this. Which really makes me question his competence.

Voting for the provision: Nik Kovac, Milele A. Coggs, Willie C. Wade, Joe Davis, Sr. Bob Bauman and Ashanti Hamilton, and, I believe, Michael Murphy. There's one more. I'll confirm names tomorrow.

Today's Babe

2009-03-24T12:19:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, it's the little known, less seen models that catch our eye. In the case of the yellowbook.com commercials, it's Alexandra Daddario. She's been on a soap and in this (and a couple other yellowbook spots) and that's about it. When I first saw the commercial I thought . . . whoa. She's hot. It took a bit just to find out who she is. No pictures, but here's one of her spots:

As I said . . . whoa.

Live Like You Mean It

2009-03-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well, OK, then. I'm outta here, that's for sure.

What kind of dumbass, what-the-f*ck-does-that-mean slogan is this? Where's the connection to Wisconsin? Who DOESN'T live like they mean it? How can you help but not?

"Well, I'm living. But . . . I don't mean it. I mean, I guess I should be dead. Or, that's what I want . . . I think. But, I don't really mean that either. Can I go eat now?"

Sounds like something Jay and Silent Bob would come up with.

Natasha Richardson RIP

2009-03-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is truly tragic. One minute your having the time of your life, the next . . . gone. Such a freak accident. And one where everyone thought she was fine until after about an hour after her fall.

She was a beautiful woman. I feel very sad for Liam and the rest of the family. My heart goes out.

Idol Country Week

2009-03-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

My thoughts:

Michael. The one guy who could actually sing country . . . sucked. I agree with Simon. I couldn't understand him. I hate that. Lazy enunciation of words while singing.

Allison. Wow. With her unique sound and a good performance and a good song, she nailed it. She has a natural growl to her voice . . . not put on, that makes her stand out. She may not win, but she's good.

Kris. If a person can make want to listen, they've got something. I'm still on the fence with this guy, but he put forth a great performance. Didn't give me shivers, but I listened all the way through.

Lil. Poor choice of song. She sounded very average. Hated what she wore.

Adam. Again, I agree with Simon . . . self indulgent bombast. OK, he hates country. He's still the most gifted one there. Here's a guy who might be better off not winning.

Scott. He's kind of the Archuletta of this season. To me, anyway. Nice, nice voice, but . . . nothing special. I'm not sure what his niche is, or would be. He needs to take some chances. Everything has been too safe.

Alexsis. Not a great performance. She's got an "it" factor to her, but she fell short this week.

Danny. If he could have figured out how to bring a little more emotion in to the start of the song he sang, it would have been perfection. As it was, he blew me away. Gifted singer.

Anoop. Wow. Where did this come from? A very moving performance. Excellent song choice and a great performance.

Megan. First, she looked gorgeous. Second, when I hear her sing, I think of all the "quirky" singers there have been and are who are successful. She's has a distinct sound, and I like that. She just needs work on her pitch. I thought she was a little contrived last week. Not so, this week.

Matt. Everyone loved his performance . . . and I have no idea why. I thought he was off key, hesitant, not good. But . . .

Who goes? Michael.

UPDATE: Alexsis goes home! I'm shocked! Even with the possible save by the judges, she goes home. Personally, while I think she has a little work to do on her vocals, she's waaaaaaaay more marketable than several of the others. Especially, Michael. But, the public has spoken and she's out. I thought she'd be one of the final four.

Idol Finals

2009-03-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Finally. I've said it before, they want to increase viewership, shorten the show. A lot of wasted time. Thank heavens for the DVR.
Also, I like Kara as a judge. She makes sense and she's intelligible. Paula can be shown the door after this season. No one would miss her.

So, I just watched the Mike Jackson performances. Here are my thoughts:

Anoop, Jorger, Scott, Matt, and Jasmine . . . boring. Good, not great. They could all make good broadway singers, but that's about it.

Megan. I'm on the fence. She has a unique voice. But her choice of Rockin Robin was horrendous. She looked goofy.

Lil sounded good . . . really good. Not sure if she can win the public over, and I hated what she had on, but she did a good job.

Allison. I have to remind myself this girl is just 16. She's got some soul in her voice. She needs time, really. But there's real potential there.

Kris . . . I don't know. I don't think he's all that, but everyone seems to like him. I'm still waiting for that performance.

Adam. This boy has it. He'll be in the final.

Alexis. This girl has it. She'll be in the final.

Danny. Wow. He blew me away. I hadn't been too impressed up until tonight. He sounded awesome! He'll be in the final.

This week should be interesting . . . country music theme. I don't see country in any of them. SOng choice will be critical.

Pork. The other properly done, not last minute, imperfect white meat.

2009-03-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

My head is spinning.

First Obama said earmarks weren't earmarks if they weren't last minute.

Then he said that earmarks properly done are . . . OK, I guess.

Lastly, apparently all he has to say is "this isn't perfect" and, again, everything is OK.

Well, as the Geico caveman said . . .

What?

I'm not even going to mention the private signing.

Drinking Right 2

2009-03-11T08:48:00.001-07:00

Once again, upon returning home from Papa's I get requisite, "So, what did you talk about?" from the wife.

"Lots of stuff. Idol, football, politics, kids . . . the usual."

"Who was there?"

"Chris. Had a nice blouse on though I couldn't peek down it. Fred, Steve, AB, Chad, though Holly wasn't there. Probably hard for her to be around me."

"Why?"

"She wants me. I can tell."

(Long pause)

Anyone else?"

"Leah Vukmir."

"Who?"

"Leah Vukmir. Representative for the Tosa area. She was making eyes at me."

"So, what about her?"

"She's hot."

"What. Did. You. Talk. About. ?."

"Nothing. I wasn't sitting at her table."

"Anything else?"

"Chad was telling me about a movie he saw with . . . people, I guess, that were called "howlers". They had the ability to make your eyes bleed with their voice. I told him I knew someone like that."

(long pause)

"I'm going to bed."

"What?"

Drinking Right

2009-03-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Many people will say something like, "I don't care what people think . . . " as it pertains to personal opinion or behavior trying to make themselves out to be "independent" or "individualistic". I think everyone has a certain "don't care" attitude as it pertains to some of their own behavior or opinion.

I actually do care what people think. Especially my friends. So, it came as a bit of a surprise when I walked in to Papa's and had people coming up to me asking if I was alright. I guess I've come off rather "pissed off" lately in my tweets and posts.

First, thanks for the concern. It's nice to know people take notice of a change in attitude, equate that to the possibility that there's something wrong as I'm not usually like that, and actually ask about it. I realize, of course, that for those concerned they were simply wondering if I hadn't taken my meds lately . . . still, I appreciate the thought.

Second, I have been rather pissed off lately, and it's from reading the news. Between what Obama is doing to the country, what Doyle is doing to the state, to what parents do to their children, to a new day a new shooter some where . . . it makes me angry and frustrated.

The easiest thing to do is vent, and what more perfect place is there to vent than a blog or a tweet?

It was actually suggested that I should remember the name of my blog, pop a couple of "goof balls" and chill. I have a better idea . . . I'm gonna change the name of my blog to the Indignant Indian and really let loose.

Seriously, though, it's not how I want to be regarded. I like being a nice guy, a goof, childish, immature, and a pig. But, a nice pig.

So, like being slapped in the face with a wet fish held by a girl I just tried to hit on at a grape stomping festival, I came to a realization . . . I'm not drinking that wine. And, I need an attitude adjustment.

Now, in spite of how I've come off lately, I'm not walking around all mad, and moody. Still, I have been a bit consumed by bad news. So expect some changes. Nothing drastic. No stoopid sabbaticals or anything like that. Just getting back to some lighter stuff. I've often said this isn't a political blog, and it snot. There are those with waaaay more smarticles than I and do a better job. I'll still have opinions, but I'm gonna post more "happy" stuff.

Because, what you think DOES matter to me. I'm actually quite emotionally frail. I'm high maintenance and need lots of attention. I'm paranoid. I hear voices. I talk to them.

Wait. The TV is on.

Idol chatter

2009-03-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

There is no greater annoyance on this planet than Tatiana. I'm sure she was voted back in just so we could all watch her cry and make a complete ass of herself. Such a self indulgent twit, Like nails on a blackboard, she grated on my nerves. Good singer, not great. Pleasant looking, not a babe. Needs to lay off the late night tacos if you know what I mean. And while listening to her sing was tolerable, listening to her talk was inhumane. I guess it was worth seeing her get the boot one more time. Kinda fun watching her and Paula out crazy one another. Can we get on with the real talent, please?

Let's play dirty

2009-03-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

I think republicans should start calling for an exit plan to the Afghanistan war. Or, out and out call for its end.

Governor Doyle is a moron

2009-03-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

"We have to really evaluate what we want to do," Doyle said. "We aren't going to launch anything that doesn't work."

He said this in regard to his plan to cut emissions. But, one can't help but wonder why he doesn't apply this philosophy to other issues.

Because he's an idiot. That's why.

For example, why did Doyle need to form a task force on global warming . . . when the debate is over and we know the answers?

"If I were on a jury and somebody was presenting the two sides," he said, "it seems to me the evidence on that side is absolutely overwhelming."

Complete and utter moron.

Here's another one . . . let's say the feds can't move on global hoax initiatives because of the economy. Doyle has made it clear that he'll go ahead with his pea brained schemes. Not only would this kill the state's economy, it would bury it in a time capsule to be uncovered some time after the next ice melt. Not only that, but wouldn't it be like opening your windows with the air conditioning on to try and cool your yard on a hot day?

Here's another one, Doyle's not-quite-as-fast-as-high-speed-rail rail would run on diesel fuel since he plans on using existing tracks and upgraded engines . . . that run on diesel fuel. Spain's trains (that run mainly on the plains) are about 19% more eco-friendly than older technology. They also travel at 200 mph. Doyle's Super Chief, running considerably slower, would run for longer periods of time, thus pollute more. Wouldn't this run counter to wanting to cut emissions?

Add to that TurboTim's desire to stick it to oil and gas companies and you have to wonder what fuel will cost to run the trains.

Add to THAT the fact that cars will become more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient that by the time the train is up and running it will be ancient technology the day of it's launch.

Jim Doyle makes Kelly Bundy look like a Mensa member.

Quick hit questions

2009-03-03T18:39:00.001-08:00

Is anyone else getting a little tired of seeing Heidi Klum . . . everywhere? All the time?

Is Rihanna really that stupid?

While it's inexcusable to "forget" about a child in a day care van. But, how is it the family didn't notice THIER CHILD wasn't home? I know an aunt was in charge and the mother was gone, but, why isn't anyone asking how it is she didn't notice HER SISTER'S CHILD wasn't home?

Is this the wort season of Idol for talent?

In retrospect, was Steele the right choice?

Is there a good republican candidate?

Is Hillary nuts?

Doe anyone care about how much Obama lies?

Did Obama bring down the NASA satellite that was to study CO2 emissions? Afraid of what it might find out?

Do the libtards in Wisconsin not understand the state's deficit DOUBLED under Doyle?

As cars become more eco-friendly, as urban sprawl becomes moot, as planes become more efficient, as we won't . . . can't rebuild to support TRUE high speed rail, why the obsession with serving less than 5 percent of the population with ancient technology?

Are McNuggets THAT good?

Today's Babe

2009-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Oscar's, Freida Pinto:

Obama and the manufactured crisis

2009-02-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

I stated in an earlier blog that I wondered if Obama would get away with things George Bush couldn't. Or, didn't. Glen Beck made an excellent point of this on a recent show. He read several headlines in which he replaced Obama's name with Bush'. I'm doing this from memory, but they went something like this:

Bush administration takes control of census.

Bush orders millions for overseas abortion

Bush increases troop level in Afghanistan with no debate or timetable.

Bush budget triples debt.

You get the idea. There's no question he'd be crucified. In fact, it this out of control, non debate spending that got many republicans booted from office, and may have well cost McCain the election. It's astonishing to watch. Yet, many seem to be OK with this. Especially on the left. Why? Because it's Obama.

Bush' tax cuts were constantly railed on as "tax cuts for the rich". Yet, Obama is providing what can only be called welfare for banks, the auto industry, and mortgage companies. Again, this seems to be OK.

As a six year old would respond though . . . why?

One of the issues the left had with Bush is that he used terrorism to his advantage to pass the Patriot Act. Many felt that Bush was completely out of control violating portions of the Constitution that protect civil liberties and personal and property rights. That he used scare tactics so as to allow himself to declare war, kill innocents, torture, imprison, and spy and wiretap at his own discretion. All outside the boundaries of law and civil liberties. Of course, the conspiracy nuts claim Bush orchestrated the whole 911 event. All so he could declare war, go after oil, secure contracts for Haliburton, and spy on everyone.

Huh. But, I thought he was the dumbest President ever. Which one is it? More than that, though, what was his gain? It will be interesting to see if Obama reverses any of THOSE practices.

Anyway. Now we come to Obama and the economic "crisis". Now, I don't mean to minimalize the economic situation. However you think we got to where we are . . . we're here. I think the question is, though, how bad is it that we need to take such enormous steps, and so quickly, to try and fix it?

I'll admit. I'm a market guy. I think much of our mess is due to simply not letting market forces work they way they should naturally. When government subsidizes, regulates, and over taxes certain market sectors, natural market becomes unbalanced and problems occur. The auto industry is a good example. We cannot continue to pour money in to a failing business model. That makes no sense. Rail is another. If it cannot self sustain, if no one uses it, why bother?

So, what do we really need to do to turn the economy around? Well, there's a huge difference of opinion there. For people who like to remind us of the Clinton years, I would remind them that his policy also included tax cuts. That it wasn't just spending. Besides, republicans had control of Congress and nothing too extreme was likely to be allowed.

Remember Emmanuel's comment? "Never let a serious crisis go to waste"? Enter Cloward and Piven. If the left can be as moronic as to suggest Bush orchestrated the 911 attacks, then I'm here to say Obama, Emmanuel, and others, are using, hyping the economic situation for their own gain. For a very interesting read, go here.

More than interesting, it's scary. Particularly when you look at Obama's past and his associations and how things lead up to today.

The problem, too, is that people are buying into Obama's solution. How many times have we heard that Obama is going to "buy me that house" or car, or get that job?

This is a dangerous time we're in.

The Oscars Part 2

2009-02-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

I figured now would be a good time to catch up on my Oscar opinions . . . while Obama is making some "historic" speech. Oh, don't worry. I've DVR'ing it and can hear it the background. I just can't sit there and listen for an hour. Doesn't matter who it is.

Anyway . . .

As far as fashion goes, it went with the show over all . . . badly. Never before have I seen so many poor choices in both dress and makeup. Lots of strapless. And I'm not a fan of strapless. A few weren't too bad. Notably, Angelina Jolie. She looked much better than the last time we saw her wearing some frock. Natalie Portman looked great. Amy Adams, too. All three had strapless dresses that were fitted well and looked glamorous. Hated Angie's hair, though. There were a few women with that swept high style. Bleech.

Worst dressed. Heidi Klum and her Jetson's outfit. Jessica Biel who wrapped a bed sheet around herself for the evening. Sarah Parker. While the dress itself wasn't bad, her boobs looked ridiculous. Jacked up and pushed under her arms. Not good. Plus she looked like a cocker spaniel with that hair. Marisa Tomei wore her wedding dress. A few women wore mermaid style gowns . . . yuk. Tilda Swinton, Sophia Loren, Meryl Streep . . . all bad. Nicole Kidman wore something that looked like it was sprouting. And Sharon Stone showed up in some see through number that screamed "I'm old and pathetic! Look at me!"

My girl, Jen Anniston . . . underwhelming. Hated her hair.

I'm not sure what to call what Reese Witherspoon had on . . . other than lame.

Worst dressed though . . . Whoopi Goldberg. Looked like she was going to a sleep over at the Jungle Book. Wow.

I could literally go on and on. The economic slump hit hollywood as many had to obviously let their stylists go.

It's easier to name the best dressed. While not a big fan of asymmetrical, Freida Pinto looked great. I loved the color and style. It suited her well. Hair and makeup, all perfect. Gorgeous. Anne Hathaway. Almost perfect. I think straps would have worked better, but that's my bias. She looked awesome. A necklace might have helped. Halle Berry. In spite of having a mermaid style, strapless gown, she looked great. Hair and makeup, perfect.

Best dressed? Most people hated it. I looked and looked . . . and wanted to hate it. Not for any particular reason. Just seemed like I should. Miley Cyrus. I thought she looked great. Very different, interesting dress. Yes, it was very layered, but I thought for her age and the event . . . and compared to what everyone else wore, she looked fantastic.

Honorable mention . . . Tina Fey. I like Tina but feel she tries too much too often with her showing off her breasts all the time. For the Oscars, all she had to do was lose the shoulder pads. Didn't need them. Plus, they're so last year. Great fit, cute hair. She looked great.

As I said, though, the bad out numbered the good. By a huge margin. Even the men didn't score well. More on that later.

Oscars 2009 Part 1

2009-02-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

My initial reaction? And they wonder why viewership is down. The show just sucked. Where was Jack? There are reports that some "stars" were brought in through a back door entrance so that when they presented it was the first time anyone saw what they were wearing. This irked the paps covering the red carpet. Can't say as I blame them. Why wouldn't a designer want all the exposure they can get? Plus, I didn't see anything that warranted being "kept secret".

Hugh Jackman. Poor Hugh Jackman. I thought his opening was . . . brave. It had moments both good and bad. The rest of the night he was an accessory. I'm convinced now more than ever that a host just isn't needed.

No real surprises with the awards. Though, Penelope Cruz was probably the least deserving.

The funniest moments were Seth Rogan and James Franco talking about the various movies. And, Ben Stiller poking BIG fun at Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on Letterman last week. Even Natalie Portman couldn't keep a straight face.

But, criminy . . . for all the talent that does exist in Hollywood, can't they put a watchable Oscars show on?

More later.

Brett Favre . . . I told you so.

2009-02-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

OK. This is old. But, I'm finally getting around to a few topics I've been wanting to comment on. And Brett's one of them.

"Part of me coming back last year, I have to admit now, was sticking it to Ted (Thompson),''

Remember, Brett told Greta he had just retired too early. And that when he tried to engage in talks with the Packers all he heard were crickets. That wasn't true, of course, and the drama ensued.

Seems now, everything the Packers said was true, and it was Brett who was doing the lying. All because of his ego.

Brett wanted Moss badly. What a nice statement that is to Driver, Jennings, and Franks . . . and others. Not only that, but he put himself above the team thinking he knew better than anyone else what the Packers should do.

As did his shenanigans throughout the process. Brett didn't give one rip about Aaron Rodgers. It was all about what Brett wanted. A spoiled little boy throwing a tantrum.

Finally, what a nice slap in the face to the Jets. "Well, I just went out with you so I could make my old girlfriend jealous."

Trying to stick it to Ted and all he managed to do was waste a season for the Jets, and severely tarnish his reputation. He could have gone out a hero. A true legend. Now he'll be forever remembered as a Diva. Spoiled, self absorbed, selfish, and thinking he could do it all.

Nice season, Brett.

Well, I told you so. I said Brett had no intention of playing for the Packers this past season. That he was doing everything he could to essentially be fired so he could do what he wanted. The Packers played their hand perfectly.

You lost, Brett. In a big way.

Who needs pitbulls?

2009-02-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

It's all fun and games, until somebody gets hurt.

I don't know what to think about the chimp attack on Charla Nash. Certainly, it's horrific and I only hope she pulls through as best one can considering the injuries.

Of course, all the attention has shifted to the chimp . . . and its owner. We've learned that the owner sat down to dinner with Travis sharing the finest food, sipped wine together, took baths together, snuggled and slept together.

That's weird.

But, is it? I've read about some pretty strange cat and dog owners. My sister did a story on some bird owners that could match levels on the kook meter.

It IS different, though. A chimp isn't a domesticated animal. Sure, they can be trained, and seem to have a degree of intelligence. They also live in family-type units in the wild so it's easy to understand how a chimp could acclimate to the situation.

To a point.

We're not talking about a hedgehog here. Not even a spider monkey. This is a 200 pound, incredibly strong . . . wild animal. It's one thing to acclimate a chimp to be around humans such that they can be trained for movies and such, but quite another to think they can be domesticated like a dog. How often have these sorts of stories turned out badly? There's likely not a zoologist in the world that would recommend a wild animal as a pet. The risks are simply too great.

As Charla Nash horrifically found out.

Octomom

2009-02-18T17:14:00.000-08:00

It's one thing to watch the rich and famous fall from grace. Whether it be auto accidents, drunken behavior, drugs, rehab, walking around a neighborhood naked in the middle of the night . . . it's nice to know that in the life of these narsisists, there's actual reality. I don't understand the Jerry Springer mentality, though. What is it about people that so many of them are drawn to society's losers? The other question to ask . . . why would people willingly prove exhibit themselves as the losers?

It seems a trend.

Partially, I suppose, because it works. The bigger loser, idiot you are, the more famous you can become. Clearly it's become a shortcut for many to success. Sadly.

So it is with octomom. There's a chance she'll "cash in" on her idiocy. Estimates are that she'll make 1.5 million from her "exclusive" interviews and photos. I don't get it. Why would a network pay to interview a loser? Why do they pay millions for celebrity baby pictures? Partially because people will watch, and buy the story. That's pathetic. But hers is a more troubling story.

You may have noticed I'm a daddy. I have a wonderful daughter. My wife and I settled on one partially because of age, and partially because of expense. We talked about it. We talked about being parents and providing for our child. We didn't have a child just for the sake of having a family. It was a serious decision that we made together.

Now, perhaps we were extreme. Married people have kids. It's almost part of the deal. Point is, for us, we took the role of becoming a parent seriously. We wanted to be sure we were in a good place in our lives to bring a child in to the world.

Not so with octotard. No job. No husband. No plan. There's also good chance she's a few dominos short of a Mexican Train, if you know what I mean. How did people allow her to go ahead with what she did?

Octotard may have been the last straw, though. There's been a huge backlash over her story. One PR firm that was ready to represent her pulled out amid death threats and angry emails. Her 15 minutes might be up.

But, I'm torn. She's an idiot, to be sure. But now there are 14 children in need of care and love. Even if she does manage to cash in, will any of these children get the parenting they need? The love and attention? The nurturing? The guidance of a parent? They're already at a disadvantage not having a father. How can she manage to raise these children properly?

She can't. What she did is reprehensible. To purposely bring that many children in to the world with NO MEANS WHATSOEVER . . . or with the hope she can cash in . . . is not just questionable. It's immoral, irresponsible, and unjust.

My daughter's 9th birthday bash

2009-02-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

I've often said that my daughter can have anything she wants. This is due mostly to her "treating her daddy beyond what a daddy should expect from a daughter" behavior, being a good student, and being a good person. We don't spoil her. She actually has few wants. Trying to find out what she's wanted for Christmas and her birthday the past couple of years has been difficult. She doesn't want anything!

So, when she wanted a "spa" birthday party for her friends, there was no hesitation from us. We're not one to simply go to Chucky Cheese to begin with, but if this required some extra on our part, Jamie would get it.

And she did. Eight friends from school for a birthday party, spa night, and sleep over. We had the whole party planned out according to a loose schedule. There was food, of course, a mini snowman building gallery, crafts, bingo, nail painting, massage, music and dance, and other games. Everything turned out great. The girls had fun, we had fun, it was a huge success.

It will be tough to follow this up year after year. But, given Jamie's good nature and appreciation for such things, we'll certainly do out best. I can't post pictures without parent consent so I'll just sow you what the food table looked like:

Jamie's mini snowman:

Today's Babes

2009-02-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

It's Friday the 13th and we're, fittingly, about to have the worst piece of socialist agenda shoved down our throats. So, today is a multiple listing. I may even update it throughout the day.

A little tribute for the recent news Caughill gave us, Thora Birch.

Lena Heady. Just because.

Katy Perry for her Grammy win:

In honor of ER's last season, Paraminder Nagra:

I'm sure they'll be more. Happy Friday, everyone!

A couple more. One from ER, one from Hill Street Blues.

Linda Cardellini:

Amy Brenneman