One of those days

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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!!

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

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

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

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.

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

I told you so.

The Zoo Interchange

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!!"

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 . . .

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

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.