I'm Schocked !!

WunderBoy Aaron Schock is throwing a Kids Fair. Oct15th 9am - noon @ Jefferson Primary. T-Shirts will be given to the next 99 kiddies to arive after Aaron does.

Quite an original way to schmooze with the public. For what it is worth, the bill indicates that various children oriented organizations will be present

Wi-Fi in Canada

Old news but not widely read, a group of Canadian telecommunications companies are setting aside differences to build a nationwide Wi-Fi network for Canada. It is expected to cover some 60% of the nation. Slashdot for summary. Sadly the Globe and Mail wants money to see the original article. Here is another article on the subject.

It would be a sad day if Canada had a nationwide wi-fi before the U.S. but that is entirely possible. The U.S. is already 3-5 years behind on wireless/cell/handy technology so dropping the ball on Wi-Fi isn't a stretch.

Iran and the Bomb

There is a LOT of misinformation floating about regarding Iran and its nuclear program. What normally is a highly partisan website, Daily Kos, has produced a pretty good article on the matter that sticks mostly with the facts. It is a good read. Hit it.

Economic Integration works.... in Raleigh NC anyways.

The New York Times has an article concerning Raleigh, North Carolina's efforts to economically integrate it's schools. The school system in Wake County North Carolina tries to strike a balance between rich n poor in its schools. They try to have no more than 40% of its student base in any one school, being from poor families. To achieve this they bus folks all over the county to various schools to meet this balance. They believe, correctly, that if you mix poor folks with more advantaged folks, that many of the good habits will rub off. The proof is in the test scores. All the kids are doing better, substantially better.

The big difference between Raleigh and Peoria is that District 150 does not cover the whole county. Plus.. Peoria being right on the county line, we also have to contend with Tazwell and Woodford Counties. It is still something worth looking at. It raises the question about how beneficial having fractured school districting is to the overall community. How many school districts are in Peoria County alone? 2, 3, 4, + ? Add in Tazwell and Woodford and well... we have segregation by economic class and race. District 150 suffers for every economically advantaged person that flees. When these less advantaged kids grow up... disproportionately they become problems to the welfare system, the criminal justice system, and a drain on society. Yes that is a loaded statement. Some poor kids make it to success but the reality is, poor folks tend to raise kids that end up poor too. Poor kids benefit from seeing and learning the good habits of those who know them. Growing up in a more balanced school improves their chances of finding success when they grow up. It takes a community to raise a child to be successful.

Marshall Fields becomes Macy's

Apparently Chicagoans are in disbelieve bordering on anger over the renaming of the venerable Marshall Fields store in Chicago to Macy's of New York fame. Architectually it is a beautiful building inside and out. I love department stores. There are so few of them left in America. At one time they existed in every large city. Peoria had a couple. I remember going Christmas shopping in downtown Peoria, when there was still a downtown there. I remember doing the same in Bloomington. My travels in Europe have convinced me that these are a magnificent retail models that are worthy of re-examination. Sadly the few department stores I have been to in the U.S. since... oh... the 90s have been disappointments. I don't consider Bergners and Famous Barr to be proper department stores.

I have been to the Marshall Fields in downtown Chicago three times. On each of the visits I found the place to be dirty, unkempt, and by a appearances ill managed. Maybe there are a few weeks out of the year, that they are at their tip top best but the times I was there, were not one of them. Marshall Fields also seemed to be drifting from the more authentic department store model. Their locations in various malls bore little resemblance and felt more like Bergners or Famous Barr. Whatever the romance the original Marshall Fields location bears, the companyll seemed in trouble.


It would be nice to see department stores make a resurgance. Harrod's in London, while awfully full of itself, along with KaDeWe in Berlin, Lafayette in Paris, all make Marshall Fields a pale shadow of itself. I have not been to New York City yet so I can't really compare with the original Macy's or Bloomingdale's. The nice thing about the European department stores, was that you can buy anything. They appealed to the lower middle class, all the way to the uber rich. You could do your basic grocery shopping and buy an Armani suit all in one building. Yes I suppose in a way it is like a Super Wal-Mart, only with a much broader range of goods and much more floorspace and way more class. At KaDeWe, you could buy a 5 figure (five even in US$) bottle of wine along with the cheapest of beers. Have dinner prepared from the items available in the Deli. All that original main street charm that simply is not had at Northwoods or Grand Prairie.

Hopefully Macy's runs the place better. It is gonna be a tough sell getting Chicagoans to feel good about a New York transplant.

Katrina the Gathering?

For those who have played Magic the Gathering before.. this will make more sense.

These and many more were created by Lum the Mad (Scott Jennings) at Broken Toys... too funny!!

Mirror

I learned to love the bomb.

The Washington Post and others report: The Pentagon drafted a revision to the nuclear doctrine to enable commanders on the ground to ask the President for Pre-Emptive nuclear strikes. I don't know about you but this is really frightening. Considering how 'flawed' (and I am being nice) Iraqi intelligence was... imagine pre-emptively nuking say.... Iran? It would be just small nukes right... yeah.. small nukes are better than big nukes right?

A couple years ago without much adoo, Congress authorized the resumption of development and production of a new generation of nuclear weapons. Unlike past weapons these are small yield weapons, designed more for tactical field operations or very precise targetted weapons.

Dr. Strangelove must be proud.

N.O. and the 2nd Ammendment

This little snippet caught my eye from the Interdictor in N.O.

"I've heard about the gun confiscations going on, but I cannot confirm that it's happening. If you have confirmation that law enforcement or military personnel are confiscating lawfully owned weapons, please post it in the comments. We unloaded and packed up our weapons a few days ago when the police and military completely secured the CBD. Don't expect us to put up a fight if they come for our guns either. As immoral and unconstitutional as that action is, after surviving a direct hit by a cat 5 hurricane, the levee break, fires, civil unrest, and bullies masquerading as peace officers, I'm not gonna die on the 10th floor of this building to enforce my right to keep and bear arms. No, if they come in and ask for our guns, I'll turn them over and then move out of this state. Besides, the 2nd Amendment hasn't been upheld for so long it might as well not even exist anymore."

Not much to say, just thought it might ruffle some local gun nut's feathers.

And the Washington Post has this snippet:

But on Wednesday night, Guidos said, armed federal agents identifying themselves as U.S. marshals confiscated her weapons and ordered her and six friends to leave by noon Thursday.

"When you get 15 M-16s pointed at you and they line you up against the wall, it's kind of scary," said Guidos, 55.

The NY Times also:

To reduce the risk of violent confrontation, the police began confiscating firearms on Thursday, even those legally owned.

And just in case any state's rights people pipe up:

From the Louisiana state constitution:

Article I, section 11: "The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged, but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person."

Ok... there is a detail that needs pointing out. The U.S. military and the U.S. Marshall's are under the command of President G.W. Bush. A gun advocate violating the gun advocate's interpretation of the second ammendment. Oh the irony....

Crisis? What Crisis?

Flashback from Wikipedia:

Returning to the United Kingdom from an economic summit held in Guadeloupe in early 1979, Callaghan was asked:

"What is your general approach, in view of the mounting chaos in the country at the moment?"

Callaghan replied:

"Well, that's a judgment that you are making. I promise you that if you look at it from outside, and perhaps you're taking rather a parochial view at the moment, I don't think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos."

This reply was reported in The Sun under the headline:

Crisis? What Crisis?.

Callaghan was forced to call an election when the House of Commons passed a Motion of No Confidence by one vote on March 28, 1979. The Conservatives, with advertising consultants Saatchi and Saatchi, ran a campaign on the slogan "Labour isn't working." As expected, Margaret Thatcher won the election.


The echo of history repeating... Sadly the Democrats have no 'Margaret Thatcher'.

I got mail from from Howard Dean !

The Democratic Party wants to know what I think. Well not really… it is just a poll so that they can game the coming elections in 2006. One of the side effects of being an independent is that I get political junk mail from all parties. Today I got a survey from the DNC. I will share it with you.

1) Which of the following issues is the most important to you? Please rank from 1-10 with “1” being the most important to you.

- Improving public education
- Protecting the environment
- National Security/foreign policy
- Economic/tax policy
- Reproductive freedom
- Social Security reform
- Civil Rights and Liberties
- Health Care affordability
- National energy policy
- Other ___

2) Which of the following statements most closely matches your view when it comes to extending the life of Social Security?

[] Privatize the program to allow workers to invest some of their Social Security payroll contributions in the stock market.
[] Cut benefits or raise the retirement age to extend the life of Social Security.
[] Use means testing to reduce benefits for wealthy or high income retirees.
[] No changes in Social Security are necessary.

3) Do you support new tax cuts targeted at working families?

[] Yes, with our economy struggling, working families need a tax break.
[] No, additional tax cuts at this time will only worsen the federal deficit.

4) Should the government put a high priority on stopping American manufacturing jobs from being “outsourced” to overseas workers?

[] Yes, manufacturing jobs being lost are essential to our economy.
[] No, American consumers benefit from cheaper goods made overseas.

5) Do you support raising the minimum wage from its current level of $5.15 per hour?

[] Yes the minimum wage should be increased to help workers make ends meet.
[] No, raising the minimum wage will hurt small businesses and cost jobs.

6) Do you believe Medicare should be allowed to re-import less expensive drugs from Canada to make prescription medicines more affordable for senior citizens?

[] Yes, this will help millions of seniors who struggle to pay for their prescriptions.
[] No, it is too risky as the safety of these drugs can’t be guaranteed.

7) In your view, what is the best way to ensure health coverage for all Americans?

[] Tax credits to help employers provide health care coverage for their employees.
[] Medical savings accounts that let families set aside money for health care costs.
[] A government run system where everyone is guaranteed health care coverage.

8) Thinking about the issue of education, which of the following is your number one priority? Please select only one answer.

[] Funding for early education programs like Head Start.
[] Funding for elementary and middle school education to reduce class sizes.
[] Funding for tuition aid programs to make college more affordable.

9) Do you support the use of vouchers that would provide parents with government money to pay for private school tuition?

[] Yes, parents deserve more options in choosing schools for their children.
[] No, vouchers would destroy the public school system.

10) How would you characterize our gun laws in America?

[] We need stronger laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and children, and to keep military-style assault weapons off our streets.
[] Our gun laws are about right. We need no new gun control legislation.
[] Our gun laws interfere with an individual’s right to bear arms.

11) What is your opinion about a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion?

[] I support a woman’s right to choose.
[] I support a woman’s right to choose, but believe we need some restrictions such as parental notification laws and mandatory waiting periods before having an abortion.
[] I oppose a woman’s right to choose.

12) When decisions about Social Security’s future are being made what do you think is most important?

[] Keeping Social Security as a program with a guaranteed monthly benefit.
[] Allowing younger workers to decide for themselves how their Social Security contributions are invested.
[] Both guaranteed benefits and investments are important.

13) Do you support increased defense spending to fight the war against terrorism?

[] Yes, we need a stronger military to stop terrorist threats around the globe.
[] No, the money should be spent on domestic needs like education and health care.

14) What is your opinion about our environmental laws in America?

[] We need stronger environmental laws to protect our air and water, clean up toxic waste, safeguard endangered wildlife and habitat and combat global warming.
[] Our environmental policies are about right, no new laws are needed.
[] Our environmental laws burden businesses and hurt our economy.

[ the rest of the letter is the DNC groveling for money ]


Will I send it in? Probably not... the replies don't exactly reflect my views. Many of the questions are leading as well. Wrong question for a specific issue.

Interestingly, there is nothing about Katrina, FEMA etc...

Now to eagerly await some mail from Karl.... I am running low on toilet paper.

She drowned on Friday night.

The guy who runs this building I'm in. Emergency management. He's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said.

Are you coming. Son? Is somebody coming?
And he said yeah. Mama. Somebody's coming to get you..
Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday.
Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday.
Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday.
Somebody's coming to get you on Friday.
And she drowned Friday night. And she drowned Friday night.
Nobody's coming to get us.
Nobody's coming to get us.

The Secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For god's sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.


—Aaron Broussard on Meet the Press.

Dept of Homeland (In)security

Preparing America

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st [after Dept was formed 2002] for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.

[in brackets is my addition]

It is time for Sec. Chertoff to resign.

A blog from inside New Orleans

Someone still has power and a connection to the internet, inside of New Orleans. Here is his blog:

The Interdictor


Other New Orleans info:

NOLA Wiki

This mornings gas prices...

I walked my kid to school this morning and here are this morns gas prices:



















... courtesy of fark....