Copper @ $3.6972 a pound

What does Copper going for $3.6972 a pound do for you?

It gets your copper piping stolen !!!


Seriously... WTF !!! Break into a house, break the gas line to steal the pipe. You would think this would be pretty easy to trace. How many folks are dealing in recycled copper pipe? Mind you, Copper has been floating at all time highs. That $3.70 is actually a lot of money for Copper.

I need to dig out all those penny jars I have been accumulating over the years. Forget their face value. Lets see.. a standard mason jar filled with pennies weighs out to 6 lbs. Thats $22 !! Hmm.. are there 2200 of them buggers in the jar? Bah... too lazy to count em. Which is probably why I have mason jars full of pennies in the first place. They make great doorstops.

Yes, I know pennies are mostly made of zinc nowadays. Humor me ok !

The Black Company

I recently found an old paper of mine from the college days. I loved this quote then, I still love it today.

"Every ruler makes enemies. [There are no exceptions.] ... If one chooses sides on emotion. then the Rebel is the guy to go with. He is fighting for everything men claim to honour: freedom, independence, truth, the right ... all the subjective illusions, all the eternal trigger words. ...

There are no self-proclaimed villains, only regiments of self-proclaimed saints. Victorious historians rule where good or evil lies."

-- Glen Cook, The Black Company

Ok... I am gonna say it. Zidane sinks it for France.

I don't like blaming individuals for a loss but after watching the game, it is just painfully obvious.

For most of the final World Cup match, France just dominated Italy on the field. Then in the 110th minute, in overtime, Zidane gives in to provocation and head butts Meterazzi, knocking him to the ground. The middle ref didn't see it but a linesman apparently did. The replay showed it in its entirety. There is no mistaking it. Zidane was red carded, sent off the field, and France loses its central ball control. After Zidane's departure, the French offense lost a fair amount of its superiority in the final minutes of play. Italy was able to hold France off until the shoot out, where Italy triumphed.

You Tube

Fencing !!!!

No... not the kind that goes around your yard. I am talking sword fighting with flimsy little wire like swords called foils.

I had the pleasure of trying this sport out, along with my son, recently via the Park District.

For a few years now, our son has been interested in this sport. During these past years there have been rumors of a fencing club at Bradley, an instructor or club here n there but never anything worth following up on. The Bradley Fencing club was real but appears disbanded. They didn't have anything for young kids, so nothing came of that. Peoria Academy supposedly has a fencing team but getting into that school is a challenge at best.

Well... there is a fencing 'club' in Peoria, headed up my Mr. Emara, called Peoria Fencing Academy. I just want to plug this program and the man who runs it. Mr. Emara is a fantastic coach. He has an enormous amount of energy and a great rapport with kids and adults alike. He radiates positiveness. If you want to try something new with your kids, Fencing could be a good choice. The only downside... is that the fencing club operates out of the Clubs at Rivercity. To those of us living in the heart of the city, the far north of Peoria is BFE. The whole 'Clubs' thing is just.... wierd too... a hodge podge of buildings, no website.

Mr Emara and his Academy are quite real and outstanding.

Unlike the Clubs of Rivercity... he does have a website. Peoria Fencing Academy



On another note... there is a gymnastics program there too... but no website that I have found. They have a full set of equipment for boys and girls.

The not so safe Bicycle Safety Town.

On the far north end of Sheridan, where it meets Knoxville, is a neat little park to take your kids. It is Bicycle Safety Town. At BST, your kids can ride around on their bikes on little roads with signs and stoplights galore just the right size for wee ones. It is a great place to teach your kids the rules of the road.

The irony of this place, ideally suited for bicycles, is that there are NO SIDEWALKS, let alone a bicycle path to get there. If you were to ride there, you would be risking life n limb on Knoxville or Sheridan. The only way to enjoy this place, is to load your bicycles onto your cars, suvs, etc... to get there. This is probably why I see so few people there everytime I pass it.

Half a Million for a house in the Arbors !!!!! WTF

Nothing like the sound of cold cash to wake me from a blogging slumber....

In today's paper, Mr. Gordon highlights some recent house sales in the West Bluff. It seems houses are now being gobbled up by presumably Bradley for half a million each !! Wo ho ho ho.... my tax assessment is gonna soar.

Bling Bling


added:

Some concerns...

a) So now we appear to not have a deadline for a plan that is not finalized. Sure looks like a deadline exists.

b) Where do all those students go once Bradley tears those places down?

c) I have heard voiced speculation that Broski may have overstepped himself with the trustees in paying so much.

d) Is paying $500,000 just a rush to finally get all the houses for their un finalized project or is that price reflecting something more? It just seems startling to pay so much when they could probably wait them out.

e) Isn't this proposed expansion really just fund raising to justify more fund raising? How exactly is this going to improve the academics? Ask a professor or department head some time.