Drive-Bys

Michelle Obama says Giannoulias has done a great job as state treasurer “and I know he will be a phenomenal senator.”

Right.

Tell it to the families who got hit with a $150 million loss in the Bright Start program under his watch.

Between his family's bank dealing with known mobsters and the actual loss of the bank and his mishandling of the Bright Start program, the voters in this state ought to really question whether they want this guy in Washington keeping watch over their tax dollars.
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While it's not exactly news that Illinois Is Broke, this new movement is. If you care about the fiscal mess this state is in, go sign up here.
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Quote of the Day? Go visit my Barstool Blog Son to see it!
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Drive-Bys

To The Hon. Virginia Phillips, I say thank you.

When this...

[T]he incoming Marine commandant, Gen. Joseph Amos, and his predecessor, Gen. James Conway, both have told Congress that they think most Marines would be uncomfortable with the change and that the current policy works.

... is the only reason you don't want gays in the military, you've already lost that argument. It's the same argument that kept blacks out of the military or serving in separate units. It's the same argument that kept women out of the military. And look who's serving side by side with the old boy network in the military today!

You don't like it? Too bad. You played with them at recess. You studied with them. You sat next to them in school and you showered with them during PE. You should be used to being around them by now.

Any citizen who wants to serve in the military and can pass basic training and technical training should have the same right as anyone else to put on a uniform and protect and serve this country.

Grow a pair and deal with it already.
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For all of you generous types out there that still support philanthropies, here are the 20 Worst in the U.S. If you're going to be generous, I'm sure you'd like to be getting the best bang for your buck.
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Petrol-powered super scooter? I've got a pal who I could easily see driving one of those...
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Cute,



Cute,



CUTE!


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I love a good love story, and this two-hanky tale, found via the lovely Christa Terry, is special indeed.

World Tour

Alright, here's a new one on the ol' sitemeter's hits: someone from Sana in the Hadramawt region of Yemen came looking for "funny-dog-pictures-citeh-diz.jpg".

It figures that a misguided muslim looking for a ritually unclean animal would end up here...

Drive-Bys

Donald Mills is hanging up his blog:

After some careful thought, I’ve decided that the time has come for me to pack up this blog and focus my energy on my burgeoning punk rock/barbershop fusion band “Don Slaughter and the Overtones.” Watch for us at a seniors centre near you.

Lies! I've finally figured out why -- in reality, our Don has been a naughty, naughty boy:

What started as an argument between two elderly men over political yard-signs in Wilmette turned physical, police said.

It began at about 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 in the 1300 block of Sheridan Road, along the sidewalk of a vacant property just south of Langdon Park. An 85-year-old man with a walker apparently pulled two political yard-signs out of the ground and tossed them aside.

The property’s owner lives in the house next door – a 60-year-old woman and her 92-year-old father. The woman’s father began picking up the signs when the 85-year-old started yelling at him, according to a police report.

The woman came to her father’s defense, but when she tried to plant one of the signs back in the ground, the 85-year-old grabbed it. During the ensuing tug-of-war, the man allegedly hit the woman in the side of the head and shoulder. Then he lost his grip on the sign, and fell backwards over his walker, police said.

I mean, who else could it have been? I'm guessing Don just needs to keep a low profile for a while.
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Students who quit after their first year of college cost tax payers money? What a surprise! Enough with quotas. If students aren't academically capable, they shouldn't be accepted ahead of people who are.
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Want a perfect example of Obama's lousy taste in the people he chose to take to Washington in the first place?

Former White House social secretary Desiree Rogers described the White House as "basically a museum," while keynoting a luncheon Saturday honoring Alma Powell, wife of retired Gen. Colin Powell. According to the Washington Post, Desiree told the audience that "as much as she tried to enliven the place, I knew I was running out of time. I knew it."

Classy, huh?
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And as for Obama's pal Alexi...

That is a roundabout way of saying: "Yes."

Yes, it is. And that's who our President thinks would make a great senator?
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Bullying is something kids learn at home:

Her family says 7-year-old Kathleen Edward is in the final stages of a degenerative brain disorder diagnosed as Huntington's Disease - the same disease which killed her mother, Laura, when she was only 24.

Neighbors Jennifer and Scott Petkov, who have been feuding with the family, admitted to posting grim depictions of Laura and Kathleen on Facebook. One photo depicts Laura in the arms of the grim reaper, while the other features Kathleen's face above a set of crossbones.

The couple also have a coffin hitched to a pick-up truck in front of the house, which they say is nothing more than a halloween decoration.

Those people are heartless pigs, pure and simple. I shudder to think what their own children will grow up to be like.
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Everything you'll ever need to know about the common cold.
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Giggle of the Day:


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Sunday Schedule

Seems I'm not the only one who finds people who are constantly, egregiously late are a huge a problem:

10 people kept waiting in a meeting for 20 minutes, while some selfish pratt who idles his way via the coffee shop, is actually 20 minutes times 10, which is 200 minutes wasted – while you keep us waiting because you did not catch the earlier bus. That is over 3 hours wasted. By you! How much has that cost the business? Shall I send you an invoice?

Yep.

Why do people, invited for a dinner party at 7.30, think its cool to arrive at 8.30? It’s rude. It’s inconsiderate. And it’s selfish, as I witnessed in a coffee shop near my home one weekend. Three “ladies who lunch” (a species not confined to, but heavily represented on, the lower North Shore of Sydney) were chatting loudly at the table next to me. One inquired what time the ‘drinks do’ was that night. The reply for all the world to hear was ‘Oh 7.30, but we won’t get there till 9 because by then it will have warmed up and all the interesting people will have arrived’. Nice. Imagine if everyone took that view. Cocktail parties would start at 3 am eventually.

Yep.

And it is not that we lead ‘busy lives’. That’s a given, we all do, and it’s a cop out to use that as an excuse. It’s simply that some people no longer even pretend that they think your time is as important as theirs. And technology makes it worse. It seems texting or emailing that you are late somehow means you are no longer late.

Rubbish.

You are rude. And inconsiderate.

Double yep.

Everyone runs into something that causes them to be late sooner or later, and I can excuse it if it's occasional and unavoidable.

But when you are chronically late, you'd better believe I take it as a measure of how valuable the friendship really is to me, because it clearly is not a priority to you.

Don't be surprised if I'm gone by the time you finally show up.

Don't be surprised if I'm busy the next time you want to get together.

Don't be surprised if I don't want another date.

Don't be surprised if I put you in as the last item on the agenda and you miss all the important stuff that happens before you get there, because I'm not waiting for you to show up any more.

Why? Because you are rude and inconsiderate... and not worthy of my valuable time or consideration.

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I saw Life as We Know It Friday night. I'm not sure I'd call it a rom-com, though there were a couple of cutesy moments in the film -- it's really more of a drama with a bit of comedy. And I'm not sure I'd call it a romance, as the main characters (and they were characters, not caricatures) really don't so much fall in love as grow used to one another's company... but overall I really liked the movie. Josh Duhamel was pretty good. Katherine Heigel was more understated than usual. The triplets who play the baby are adorable. And I've never heard of Josh Lucas before, but... YUMMM!

Yeah, it's a chick flick... but guys won't outright hate it, either, because it's as much about friendship and life/career choices as it is about the icky touchy-feely stuff.

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The weather here is gorgeous, and we're enjoying it while we can!

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Do you belong to a VFW post? Are you aware of who their PAC is and is not endorsing in this latest election? If not, go read Blackfive. It's guaranteed to set your hair on fire.

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Quick Stop

For Joan of Argghh!:



Couldn't resist!

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Better noggins than mine have been working overtime to figure out the name of the monster cartoon has eluded my memory:

My Barstool Blogson suggests it may be The Funky Phantom...



... or Fangface:



Nope. Those are not the ones.

My sister (of all people!) suggested it might be the Drak Pack (although she admits this is a toon from the '80s):



Nope. It's not that one, either.

Mexicanne thinks it might be Gravedale High:



Argh!

It's not Real Monsters...



... or Mini Monsters...



... either.

My Barstool Blogson may, however, have set me on the right path with this link to the schedules for every major cartoon show from the '60s through the '80s.

In the meantime, there was a teenage Frankenstein, Wolf Man, etc. Urk. Was there ever a high school version of the Groovie Goolies?

This is driving me nuts...

Quick Stops

Ooooh! This article on vintage cookbooks and comfort food recipes has given me the major guilts. One of these days I have GOT to finish what I started -- and that day better be soon, as my free time will be significantly shortened after the first of the year.
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Speaking of food and "ooooh!", click on the second photo and tell me that kasespatzle doesn't make you drool. I'm going to have to get to Edelweiss and try it.
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Giggle of the Day:


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

You mean dust bunnies aren't really pets?
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Drive-Bys

It's a trifecta of man vs. train within the past 24 hours:

• One guy on the Pink Line during rush hour (try 'splaining to St. Peter that you met your end on the pink line);
• One guy in San Antonio in the wee hours who traumatized an engineer, but at least didn't screw up rush hour; and,
• A stupid teen who might just get lucky and pull through despite his best efforts to the contrary.

I shudder to think what the totals for man v. train will be here in Chicago by year's end.
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The hippiest, dippiest joint in Chicago appears to be in financial trouble:

The Heartland's financial problems are varied. Some might blame the service or the food. (I like the food.) [I do, too -- especially the fried brown rice.] The bigger problem, James and Hogan say, is the recession. Paying bills with money they didn't have, they accumulated huge overdraft charges. Their bank won't give them credit. Big city license fees are due.

"It's the first time someone could say 'You're not living within your means,'" Hogan said. "It's taken us close to two years to ..."

"Get it," James said.

They get it now. They've made changes they hope will help. And they're hoping that the same trust and instincts that made them shake hands on a far-fetched deal 34 years ago will get them through again.

I hope they do learn the lesson, because that place is a gem. In fact, this song pretty much sums it up:


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Don't blame the mobile phone -- blame the inconsiderate assholes who think their time is more valuable than yours. (And if a friend does it to you more than once, they're not a very good friend.)
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The first in a series of laws designed to completely eradicate smoking and tobacco use in Finland came into effect Friday, including possible prison sentences for selling cigarettes to minors.

Finland is the first country in the world to write into its legislation that it intends not just to reduce smoking but to end all tobacco use through law.

Actually, my argument all along here has been that if it's not illegal to sell them or smoke them, it's pretty hard to say you can smoke them here but you can't smoke them there. Pretty smart, those Finns...
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Seeing "pink testicle" at first glance here, instead of "pink tentacle" means I should think about getting my eyes checked, right? (And not that my Freudian slip is hanging down a mile...)


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What are we heading for here? Oh... maybe this:

Most families who are due to lose their child benefit are worrying about how they'll make ends meet without it.

But for Kelly Marshall, who has five children by four different fathers, the handout has never been about paying for nappies, food and other everyday expenses.

She saved her benefit money to help pay for breast enhancement.

And as many parents envisage tightening their belts after the Tories announced plans to cut the benefit for higher-rate taxpayers, she plans to save more of hers for liposuction and a tummy tuck.

Fasten your seat belts. I predict that attitude will find it's way across "The Pond" soon, if it hasn't done so already.
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Alternative Transportation

There's something lonely and desolate about an unridden bicycle...

Rubber-Necking

Couldn't resist...

Local Flora

Drive-Bys

Quote of the Day:

In Scandinavia, the Danish people come from Denmark, the Norwegians come from Norway, and the Lapdancers come from Lapland.

... and, for Elisson:

Sir Walter Raleigh circumcised the world with a big clipper.

Indeed?
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Ye Gods! Ken Levine's post about his latest stay in Florida caused me to dust off a memory that had crawled into a crevice in the back of my brain and probably would have withered and died there:

Florida is the home of many fun attractions. Disney World is okay but even better, in Naples, is “Jungle Larry’s Safari”. It’s a seedy zoo with drugged animals.

Jungle Larry! Jungle Larry was a frequent guest on The Captain Penny Show when I was a kid, and we all wanted to go to visit his Jungle Safari at Cedar Point... especially to see liger (or was it tiglon?) cubs. (Or am I just imagining that? Argh!)



And that has spawned the Ear Worm of the Day (Captain Penny's theme song):


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Giggle of the Day:


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Book Your Ticket

This is probably last month you'll see a double-digit total of books read. Big changes in the works!

Here we go:

Books Read In September – 10/127 (ytd)

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, Kelly O’Connor McNees*

The Force is Middling in this One (and Other Ruminations from the Outskirts of the Empire), Robert Kroese*

After Tex, Sherryl Woods*

Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella*

Starvation Lake: A Mystery, Bryan Gruley[1]*

Packing for Mars – The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach[2]*

Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery, James R. Benn[3]*

The First Wave, James R. Benn*

Blood Alone: A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery, James R. Benn*

The Believers, Zoe Heller[4]*

---

[1] I've actually met Bryan, who’s the editor of the Chicago bureau of the Wall Street Journal (which is housed in my office building). His book combines hockey, journalism and Michigan, his three great loves. Trust me, you’re going to like it!

[2] You might not think science is funny, but Mary Roach makes it both hilarious and comprehensible – even for the science-challenged like me!

[3] This series is utterly addictive. I had to force myself not to gobble them down all at once. Yes, there are more. Yes, I’m planning to read them all.

[4] A fantastic read. Favorite quote: “’You want to know what I’d do if the truth revealed itself to me and it wasn’t the truth I wanted to find?’ ‘Yes’ Audrey smiled. ‘I’d reject it.” Bang on.

Quick Stop

Ear Worm of the Day:



Blame Jimbo. And Catfish. You won't be able to shake this one loose very easily!

Saturday Morning Cartoons

My Barstool Blog Son thinks that the show I was trying to remember was the Groovy Goolies:



While that's a good one...



... it's not the one that's knocking around my noggin. I can't remember the one that's set in a high school for ghoulies.

It's also not the one referred to in this episode of Scooby Doo:





Help! Can you remember the name of the show? It's driving me nuts!

Cartoon break:

Drive-Bys

Quotes of the Day:

[B]acon fat would make a doorknob taste good.... - Pat Bruno

... and...

The Internet does many wonderful things -- it lets you buy stuff, find stuff, send messages. It's here, and you can't fight technology. But it also puffs oxygen onto every cruel, nasty instinct that ever smoldered within a human heart, granting both the shield of anonymity and a chance to vent in public. - Neil Steinberg

Too right.
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That blaming the voters thing I was cheesed off about? Neo-Neocon and the folks at Pajamas Media think I'm right:

No doubt Obama sees himself akin to a coach at halftime when the team is down in the score, talking tough to the players to motivate them. But he is not a coach; he is actually the star player. And voters are not team members, they are observers who don’t like what they see.

But don’t take my word for it; listen to some voices on the left, including David Dayen, who writes:

"…I’ve never seen a politician run an election with the message “Don’t be stupid, quit your bitching and vote for me.”… There’s a reason that strategy has never been employed: because it’s so insane to think that open berating would inspire a voter to action."

President Tin-Ear's beginning to sound (and look) like a pissy, prissy old headmistress in a second rate girls school, and he's losing traction on both the right and the left.
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And that $150 million Bright Start loss I've been jumping up and down about forever and ever? Seems like folks are finally waking up and making it a campaign issue:

Candidates for Illinois treasurer sparred Thursday over losses in the office's $2 billion college savings program as political fallout drips down the ballot from the U.S. Senate race.

Republican state Sen. Dan Rutherford blamed Democrat Robin Kelly, the treasurer's chief of staff, for $150 million in losses in a Bright Start College Savings plan fund that was billed as conservative to parents.

"If you have a fund that is on the trend dramatically to lose … I (would) have my personal guy on the phone saying, 'What the heck is going on here,'" Rutherford told the Tribune editorial board.

But Kelly said "we were on top of it" and blamed a "rogue" investor who put money in mortgage-linked securities outside of the fund's parameters in 2008. The treasurer's office later recouped $77 million in a settlement.

The fund losses have dogged Kelly's boss, Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, in his campaign for U.S. Senate against Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk of Highland Park.

It's about time. But I'd like to see Alexi answer the same questions, as he was the one ultimately responsible for this mess.

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Live in Chicago and don't have a water meter because you're afraid you'll be billed more? Think again:

For years, Mayor Daley has maintained that non-metered houses would get less-expensive water bills if they had meters. He's set up a program so they can volunteer to have meters put in their homes -- at city expense. He's even giving a seven-year guarantee that they won't pay more than they do now....

Those with meters pay $2.01 for every thousand gallons of water -- one of the lowest rates in the nation.

City officials say they can install up to 15,000 meters year. At that rate, though, it would take 20 years to put a meter in every home -- if everybody wanted one.

"If the answer is everybody get a meter,'' O'Connor said, "they don't have the capacity to get everybody a meter."

Go get one.
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Giggle of the Day:

Signs of Autumn

Drive-Bys

"Five percent on millions of dollars of profit creates many jobs . . . As the government gets more and more involved in business and more and more involved in taxes, what you're finding is you're strangling those job-creation vehicles."

Before Greenspon could complete his question, his microphone was cut off and taken out of his hand.

The president disputed Greenspon's statement, saying he's already signed eight pieces of legislation providing small-business tax cuts.

Yessir, President Tin-Ear. That's listening to your constituency and treating them with respect! (And you get extra style points for that nifty microphone grab.)
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Hmmmm. I didn't know this nifty bit of info, and thought I'd share with my fellow deviled egg lovers, too:

The key to perfect deviled eggs is in the selecting and cooking. Buy your eggs a week ahead of cooking so that they will be mature and will be easier to peel. They will also be less likely to crack while cooking. Don't boil the eggs and don't cook them too long. These strategies will avoid tough eggs and those unappetizing gray circles around the yolks.

Very interesting!
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Having lived through not one, but two parents who were in and out of hospitals over time, I found this tip from a Dear Abby reader right on the money:

Please advise your readers that when they send Get Well cards to always use the person's own name -- like, "Betty Jones" instead of "Mrs. John Jones." Also, when sending a card or note to someone in the hospital, put the patient's home address as the return address on the envelope -- not their own. If your readers do this, the person is sure to receive it, even after being discharged from the hospital.

Thank you, Judy from Lorain, OH!
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I think it's fairly obvious that if Rahm Emanuel needs to do a listening tour to find out what's on the minds of folks in Chicago, he's pretty out of touch with the Chicago voting public. Pat Hickey apparently agrees with me. (Spit-take alert)
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Once again academia proves how far outside of the mainstream it really is:

In a proposed resolution, highly-regarded professor Elliott Kaufman suggested that the Faculty Senate ask the board to reconsider its decision, one he said was a conflict-of-interest and "inappropriately influenced by personal and political comments."

He urged board members to "adhere to the ethical constraints that normally govern their meetings."

"Isn't this the new, squeaky-clean, highly-ethical board of trustees? What happened? It is worth airing the laundry here," said Kaufman, who retired last year after serving in numerous faculty leadership positions, in an interview with the Tribune.

"The chair had a conflict of interest and he put the other trustees in an impossible position," Kaufman said. "He drew a dotted line between the assassination of the Kennedy brothers and giving Bill Ayers emeritus status. The result is what we got and I just don't think it was a fair way to do it."

Lurvely, innit?

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

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Goggles4U is having another 30% off sale and I'm getting more "eye jewelry":

Pretty!

Funky!

I have had nothing but great experiences with G4U -- the quality of the specs are great, and the prices simply can't be beat. (I'm getting both of these for 1/3 less than I paid 5 years ago when I bought a single pair of D&G frames at LensGrifters...) Type the word "DEALS" into the box at checkout to get the discount.

No, they don't pay me to sing their praises; I just like to share the savings.
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When I'm wrong, I admit I'm wrong:

Evanston police have concluded that Colin Dalebroux — the 21-year-old who died Sept. 14 in a pipe bomb explosion at Fitzsimons Park — intended to commit suicide, and left a note on his computer outlining that plan.

Yeesh. I was wrong and he was serious.
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Blaming the voters and calling them stupid is not the way to win friends and influence people... unless it's to influence them to vote against you.
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Love stories!

• Frank Whitecotton took his marriage vows to love and to cherish his bride -- in sickness and in health -- seriously.

  As evidence, Frank gave his wife, Deloris, what she calls "a very, very special gift" on their 52nd wedding anniversary: the kidney she desperately needed to live life normally.

• "People in the wedding industry love love," Phillips said. For Debbi and Wally, "Their love is holding them together."

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Ear Worm of the Day: