Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Flower & Garden Show 3/7-3/15
The show is back at Navy Pier this year - yeah! Another sign that spring is coming....
Thursday, February 26, 2009
stimulus watch
Go to this site to view a list of proposed projects by state and city. Blue Island has a bunch. Evanston has a bunch. Chicago has NONE on the list. Interesting. You can vote on projects and leave comments.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
silliness for your Wednesday
I don't know about you, but all the economic gloom and doom, combined with some good old fashioned work stress, leaves me craving silliness. Nothing like a laugh to relieve stress. Kittens + Roomba seems to be a popular theme. This is a more entertaining version of one of the earlier Roomba kitty videos. Then we have kitten and computer and treadmill kitty...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
priceless arrogance
It's no surprise that there are arrogant windbags like this Santelli jerk. His well-publicized rant about the mortgage bailout proposal has gotten too much air time. If you watch this pair of videos, 1 minute of the first is sufficient to get the message. The only reason I could suggest watching this a$$hole's rant is to show how out of touch he is with the reality of regular Americans. Do you think that a roomful of traders is representative of the American public? From his words and tone, one might infer that he'd like to see the mortgage portion of the stimulus be directed to speculators like him rather than given to people who really need it. Remember that speculators buying properties to flip them contributed a LOT to the inflation of real estate prices, a major contributor to the current situation where so many homeowners are underwater on their mortgages. I wonder how many of these a$$holes helped cause that part of the problem. The second video is much more worthwhile- an appropriate response to the arrogant prick.
black history month
How many of you are familiar with America's first black sports superstar, Major Taylor? He was one of the biggest stars in bicycle racing in the early 1900s. Today there are clubs and organizations in a number of cities that honor his memory. Here in Chicago, we have a Major Taylor bike club and a trail named after him. If you haven't yet checked out the trail (partially on streets), go for a bike ride. Look for the mural on a building at 111th St.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
spooky
Earlier this afternoon, I was talking to a friend in Boston who was mentioning a recent visit to Home Depot. She said the parking lot was more than half empty (on a day when she would have expected it to be full) and multiple employees were waiting at the door to assist any customers who came in.
Just after I talked to her, I went to Target on 95th St. The parking lot was more than 1/3 empty. The store was not crowded. When I got to the checkout, lines were very short. There was less in the carts than I expected to see. A cashier from the second line of registers was standing near the front line and waved me over. No line, no waiting - at a time when I would have waited at least 10 minutes in a normal economy. When I came out of the store and drove past the front of the Home Depot lot to get to the stoplight, I noticed that their lot was even more sparse than what my friend in Boston described: maybe 1/4 full. And this is on a sunny Sunday afternoon when I would have expected both stores to be jammed.
Just after I talked to her, I went to Target on 95th St. The parking lot was more than 1/3 empty. The store was not crowded. When I got to the checkout, lines were very short. There was less in the carts than I expected to see. A cashier from the second line of registers was standing near the front line and waved me over. No line, no waiting - at a time when I would have waited at least 10 minutes in a normal economy. When I came out of the store and drove past the front of the Home Depot lot to get to the stoplight, I noticed that their lot was even more sparse than what my friend in Boston described: maybe 1/4 full. And this is on a sunny Sunday afternoon when I would have expected both stores to be jammed.
Friday, February 20, 2009
funky Friday
Here's my old favorite New England band, Entrain, playing a gig in Key West. If you want to hear more of their tunes with much better sound quality, click here to visit their web site.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
transported
Last Sunday afternoon was like a mini vacation in one day. I took the red line downtown to meet friends for brunch. Along the way, I spent a little time wandering and observing. Michigan Avenue was less crowded than in summer.
A friendly guy from Ghana struck up a conversation after noticing my mudcloth coat.
I met friends for brunch at the Cafe des Architects at the Hotel Sofitel. We really enjoyed the excellent food and superb service. The sleek beauty of the space added to the experience.
After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the red line. Back to reality....
A friendly guy from Ghana struck up a conversation after noticing my mudcloth coat.
I met friends for brunch at the Cafe des Architects at the Hotel Sofitel. We really enjoyed the excellent food and superb service. The sleek beauty of the space added to the experience.
After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the red line. Back to reality....
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Beverly All Stars at Blue Moon on 2/21
Beverly All Stars are back at Blue Moon Saturday night 2/21 for a special Mardi Gras show from 7:30-10. There's a special menu. Call for reservations - 773-840-3618.
what were they thinking?
Or were they thinking when they published this? Today while I was at the gym, I caught part of this story on CNN. I didn't see the cartoon itself until later.
I find it hard to believe that a responsible editor, even at a rag like the New York Post, would approve such a bigoted piece of work. It's my understanding that the cartoon was placed adjacent to a photo of Barack Obama and a headline about the stimulus package. I tend not to agree with Al Sharpton, but this is an exception. It's one thing to do a caricature. It's quite another to unite a nasty old racist stereotype with an image of violence.
I find it hard to believe that a responsible editor, even at a rag like the New York Post, would approve such a bigoted piece of work. It's my understanding that the cartoon was placed adjacent to a photo of Barack Obama and a headline about the stimulus package. I tend not to agree with Al Sharpton, but this is an exception. It's one thing to do a caricature. It's quite another to unite a nasty old racist stereotype with an image of violence.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
sing, sing, sing
...and swing on in the great beyond. Thank you, Louie Bellson, for so many years of amazing music before you went to that great jam session in the sky. And one more time....
Friday, February 13, 2009
restoring transit options
Wish they'd had this service while I was living in NH. I hope they're able to restore it. Right now intercity public transit options in NH are limited to a local Greyhound-equivalent bus line. It would be great to see a boom in transit projects due to the stimulus program.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
in the soup twice over
The past year has certainly been an interesting one for Shepard Fairey. I knew nothing about him before I started hearing his name in connection with his now-iconic poster image of Barack Obama.
Now he's in Boston for the opening of his exhibit at the ICA, but he got into a bit of trouble there.
This comes after news of the AP lawsuit for appropriation of a news photograph of Barack Obama. I can't imagine that commentary like this will help his case. Here's more background info on the artist.
His eye-catching style reminds me of Andy Warhol. While I like some of his work, I can't say I'd be thrilled about having my own creative work appropriated and turned into something else.
Now he's in Boston for the opening of his exhibit at the ICA, but he got into a bit of trouble there.
This comes after news of the AP lawsuit for appropriation of a news photograph of Barack Obama. I can't imagine that commentary like this will help his case. Here's more background info on the artist.
His eye-catching style reminds me of Andy Warhol. While I like some of his work, I can't say I'd be thrilled about having my own creative work appropriated and turned into something else.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CAPS meeting this week
Beat 2213 CAPS meetings happen on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 7 p.m. at Ridge Park fieldhouse.
hang up and drive!
How about a little personal responsibility and common sense? What difference would increased fines make if there continues to be little or no enforcement? This doesn’t solve the problem unless the enforcement component is increased along with the fine. Just hang up and drive already, folks!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
signs of spring
I've been seeing and hearing more birds while I'm walking to the train in the morning. The outdoor world is becoming a livelier place again.
the new frontier of identity theft
...is apparently starting to happening via RFID scanning. Sheesh!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
visual vacation
If you'd like an easy change of scenery, check out this series of spectacular aerial night shots of London.
more bugs in the world
This is an interesting way to make a point. It's great to see people like Bill Gates doing positive charitable things with some of the wealth they've amassed
great stimulus potential
I ran across this article by Rep. Blumenauer of Oregon about an infrastructure item that could be an excellent piece of the stimulus package, if the Republicans don't chop it out. We need to be encouraging MORE use of bicycles as transportation, and this is a great opportunity to do that, while creating jobs at the same time.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Valentine breakfast and crafts for the kiddies
Tomorrow (Sat. 2/7) at Blue Moon - 9-11AM Pancakes, Sausage and Valentine Craft $10. Reservations recommended – space is limited 773-840-3618.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
the circus continues
Did you see Blago on David Letterman's show last night? I thought he looked more than a little uncomfortable, perched on the edge of his chair, constantly in motion. Letterman seemed to be having a fine time taking jabs at Blago.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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