Why in the world would the Cub want a crappy Toyota sign in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley?!?
Oh yeah... the estimated $2.5M a year. Dop.


Businesses large and small are responding to the recession by getting lean and mean, and offering their customers more for less.
Individuals are tightening their belts and working hard to find a gig or get from under their mortgage, etc.
Government responds with dirty and smelly bus and train rides.


QOTD

"The more complicated and powerful the job, the more rudimentary the preparation for it."
- William F. Buckley, source

yow, bill

Labels: politics, sports

From the something-something kid's museum in Indy...


It's funny where surfing leads you sometimes.
I got this spam from the Joliet Jackhammers...


First off, I heart minor league baseball. Man, those guys want your business. Opposite of the Cub. The Joliet Jackhammer. The Kane County Cougar. Excellent. It's especially great for kids.

Anywho, as their site notes, the Jackhammer Kiss Cam is sponsored by "prominent local Family Law attorney Erin Webster O’Sullivan". Um, "family law attorney"? That's code for "divorce lawyer"... which is pretty funny for a Kiss Cam. Then I googled said attorney, and holy alimony Batman, she's a hot hot hot divorce attorney.

Labels: fun, myphoto, sports

1. Ozzie
I remember this old post: I Heart Ozzie
Ah, so great.
Well, I still heart Ozzie.

QOTD

"That (bleep)! (Bleep) the (bleep) (bleep)! Don't go to Venezuela for two days, surrounded with bodyguards, look around, and say, 'It's good!' It's not good!' ''
- Ozzie Guillen, on Sean Penn's girlish crush on Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez, source

Ozzie is Venezuelan, BTW.

2. Intolerance
As your average 40-something can tell you, everything is better in America than 40 years ago... cars, houses, health care, food, racial harmony, less drugs, technology, etc.

The only downside: we live in a time of great intolerance, prohibition, and political correctness:


In this case, prohibition of "scented products, including but not limited to colognes, after-shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions, hair sprays or similar products." And all this accomplished by gaming the American with Disabilities Act.

Reality is stranger than fiction. Jeez.

3. The Worst
And I still heart Investor's Business Daily... here's there editorial on "the worst bill ever":


I don't know if this is the worst bill ever.
But I don't recall such a corrosive piece of legislation and president.

4. And the Oscar goes to...
Movie: "The Hurt Locker"
Review: 3 bill-stars (out of 5)... OK.

My expectations were too high for this film. I accredit this to a) other people's comments, b) won "Best Picture" at the Oscars, and c) I just saw some "Private Ryan" on the tube.

Hey, it was OK. There were some long stretches that were slow. You could easily have shaved time from the 2 hour, 15 minute movie.

I was glad it wasn't a political/anti-war movie. I'm even gladder to see that yet another anti-war movie, "Green Zone", is failing at the box office. Hate to wish people ill, but huzzah to that!

En homage to Ozzie... Venezuela bikini
huzzah once more... yow, bill

Labels: healthcare, politics, qotd, sports

I heart hockey and the Chicago Blackhawk and Adam Burish.

QOTD1

"Burish, my grandma is pregnant."
- sign at the Stadium celebrating Adam Burish's return to the Hawk after a knee injury

Excellent.


QOTD2

"I don't know what that means. I skated by it and said, 'it's not mine.' "
- Adam Burish, on pregnant grandmas

shoot the puck... yow, bill

Labels: qotd, sports

It's almost 60 flipping degrees out. Yow!

1. Cheli!
Cheli (aka Chris Chelios) is back in the NHL!


Well so, Bill... who cares?
I care.
Cheli is 48.
So, I reset the clock on a player my age being in a major professional sport.
It's sort of like remembering the last time you were carded (last year at Buffalo Wild Wings... Ty is my witness) or the last time you touched the rim of a basketball hoop (gulp... I haven't tried that in a while).

Too bad he's not a Blackhawk though.
Anyway, did you read that one... Cheli "has played in more games than any other American-born NHL player."
Huzzah!

2. Choice!
QOTD

"I've never met an apathetic mom of any race or ethnicity.
They all want good schools for their kids."
- Why school choice works, source

One of my all-time fave WSJ articles about charter schools in NYNY...


Choice!
peace out... yow, bill

Labels: qotd, schoolchoice, sports

I heart minor league baseball
Minor league baseball teams really, really want your business. They cater to you. They try hard. This is the exact opposite approach than you see at MLB teams like the Chicago Cub.

Here's a great story about the Peoria Chiefs, the Cub class A minor league team... they're leasing out their skyboxes to fantasy baseball leagues for their draft meetings. For $35 a guy, you get the luxury (cough) suite, all-you-can-eat buffet, beers, and a ticket to a future Chief game. Sweet!


I heart minor league baseball.


I heart my crock pot
RIP Mable Hoffman... author of “Crockery Cookery”, an early and popular crock pot recipe book.


I heart my crock pot... and Mable too, I reckon.


I heart Ronald Reagan
Book: “Tear Down This Wall” by Romesh Ratnesar
Review: 2 bill-stars (out of 5)... meh

This book is very dry and kinda boring. This is hard to fathom, given how interesting the subject matter is. The other irritating thing is the guy sprinkles in his politics into the thing here and there. The big two that bugged me:

1. Reagan's optimism was naivete
   
2. Gorbachev ended the cold war, not Reagan
   

OK, poindexter.
Reagan's optimism and belief in the human spirit defined him.
The author's incredulity likely defines him, and maybe this is a defining trait of your average leftie.

One of the best anecdotes from the book was by a girl attending a talk Reagan gave in Moscow. Russian security officials picked which students would sit where for Reagan's speech. They were told, "Don't make any movements with your body. If you get up, you will be shot." Well, that'll discourage those distracting potty breaks during an event, eh.

QOTD

“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
- Ronald Reagan, Jun 12 1987, speech at Brandenburg Gate in (then) West Berlin

I believe the difference between Reagan and other presidents was an actual set of values which drove his decision-making. His values: small government, personal freedom, optimism. If you know what President Obama's values are, please chime in and enlighten me.

Reagan was stricken with Alzheimer's a few years after leaving office. He penned a final correspondence, a sort of goodbye, before losing his faculties.

QOTD2

“In closing, let me that you, the American people for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your President. When the Lord calls me home whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
-Ronald Wilson Reagan, Nov 5 1994 letter

I heart Ronald Reagan


I heart our great sunny weekend!
run faster... yow, bill

PS - A couple photos of Reagan in front of the Berlin Wall on Jun 12, 1987.

...

Labels: 2stars, books, fun, politics, qotd, sports

1. Health Care Nonsense
Good, if snarky, article here:


I'm not a big Buffet fan, but he's right here. The issue is cost.

QOTD

"We're just going to focus on costs, and we're not going to dream up 2,000 pages of other things... Get rid of the nonsense."
- Warren Buffet, on scrapping ObamaCare and starting over

I said it a year ago. President Obama could have easily made meaningful, common sense changes to health care in America. But we went down the rabbit hole instead. And here we are.

2. Hot Curlers
I watched some Winter Olympics... more than I thought I would. The USA-Canada hockey matches were both awesome!

Anyway, here's my Olympic wrap... two things:

1. It's a good thing Canada won the gold in men's hockey. The gold medal game was the most watched TV show ever in Canada (source) with 80% of the flipping country watching the game. Jeez! If the US had won the game in overtime, I think Canada would have collectively jumped off a window ledge or something.
2. I still don't understand the rules, but women's curlers were hot hot hot!
   

The hottest women's curler of all is...


Jeez.
pro curling... yow, bill

Labels: fun, healthcare, qotd, sports

1. Retro Sheet
I turned on the tube after the market closed yesterday, and there it was on some MLB channel that I don't know why I have...

Excellent.
So, google, google, google... and giggle, giggle, giggle... here's the boxscore from that game:


Checkout the "Play by Play" section at the end of the file... every batter and move in the game is detailed. Amazing.

Read, read, read... the guys that pour in the time to do this are:


QOTD

"Retrosheet was founded in 1989 for the purpose of computerizing play-by-play accounts of as many pre-1984 major league games as possible."
- Mission statement of RetroSheet, source

Couple observations:

• Jack Brickhouse was the broadcaster... perfect guy for a simpler time.
• The Cub crowd was decidedly younger... the voices chanting "We want a run" sounded like a school choir.
• I remember that game... or I think I do... because I would turn the Cub on after coming home from school. When you come home, and the score is 22-22, there's a good chance you'll remember it.
  
• The Cub today are not as much fun as those ever-losing Cub of yesteryear. Either that, or I'm an old goat. Who can tell?
  

2. Financial Fasting
Certainly, confusing economic times... tough tough tough, and then you can't get into a restaurant on a Tuesday night. I don't know what the heck is going on.

This is a fun article on a 20-something doing a "financial fast" for 21 days... basically cutting back on all discretionary spending.


3. Bumper Sticker of the Day (BSOTD?)
Saw this (too funny) bumper sticker last week:

He he.
peace out... yow, bill

Labels: fun, politics, qotd, sports

1. Hoosiers
Yea another idea better than ObamaCare...Indiana has health savings accounts:


This goofy QOTD sums the problem up pretty dang well.

QOTD

"A fast-food meal costs most Americans more out of pocket than a visit to the doctor."
- Mitch Daniels, IN gov, source

If President Obama rams his crappy health care reform through using the (previously called) nuclear option, then it will be bad, but interesting. For these obnoxious shenanigans, what will be the price in November? Got me.

2. Hosers
Hockey quiz: The Chicago Blackhawks have 23 guys listed on their roster... how many of these players are American?

Olympic hockey: USA lost in OT to Canada... after tying the game 2-2 with 24 seconds left.
This is the best outcome.

• USA gets the fun and excitement of tying the hosers, yet
• Canada doesn't fall into a spiral of depression losing the hockey gold

And huzzah to all the Blackhawks on each team: Kane, Toews, Keith, and Seabrook.

here come the hawks... yow, bill

PS - Hockey quiz answer: Only 3 of the 23 Blackhawk players are American: Kane, Burish, and Byfuglien.

PPS - Blackhawks ice girl... don't care where she's from either:

Labels: healthcare, qotd, sports

1. NBA Nerds
Only foreign-born NBA players read... American players play video games. Sigh.


The two causes are obvious:

1. Crappy public schools
2. Coddling of athletes from a very young age

Ah, nuts to that, here are some awesome dunks:

1. Vince Carter literally jumping over some poor schlep in the Olympics: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q
2. Michael Jordan, with two hands, dunking on 7'4" Mark Eaton in Utah: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhdMHcI2dRo
3. Kevin Johnson dunking on Hakeem: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kidpegzfFc

2. Obama Malaise
My fave, the Mad Hedge Fund guy, puts the odds at 50/50 for a Jimmy Carteresque ending to the President Obama story:


QOTD

"If you’re over 50, and all of this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because we’ve been through it all before. Remember Jimmy Carter? Remember the “misery index,” the unemployment rate plus the inflation rate, which hit 30, and catapulted Ronald Reagan into an eight year presidency?"
- the Mad Hedge Fund guy, source

Who knows?
In any case, it may not be the best time to buy and hold in the stock market. IMHO.

3. Poll wording
Finally, it's nice to confirm the obvious... the wording of a poll can dramatically effect the results.

QOTD2

"Seventy-nine percent of Democrats said they support permitting gay men and lesbians to serve openly. Fewer Democrats however, just 43 percent, said they were in favor of allowing homosexuals to serve openly."
- Poll results based on "gay" or "homosexual", source

Good one.
peace out... yow, bill

Labels: fun, politics, qotd, sports

1. Betty White
Best Super Bowl commercial... Betty White.


Dammit, that's funny.
All the Super Bowl ads are at that link, BTW.
How do young people even know who Betty White is?

2. Argentina
Ah, the world would be so much better off if hot chicks were running things.
Um. Don't tell that to Argentina, where the girls are just as corrupt as the boys.



I will say this... it looks like they're having fun.
I don't know how much fun hyper-inflation is going to be for your average joe (jose?) in Argentina, but whatever.

3. Milwaukee School Choice
Speaking of corruption... Dear President Obama. Dear Arnie Duncan. School choice is working in Milwaukee and DC and NYNY and...


QOTD

"In 2008 the graduation rate for voucher students was 77% versus 65% for the nonvoucher students, though the latter receives $14,000 per pupil in taxpayer support, or more than double the $6,400 per pupil that voucher students receive in public funding."
- School choice stats in Milwaukee, source

So great that money can't buy results.
So great to see freedom working.

It's a smooth ride... arguing for choice and personal freedom.
How's that anti-freedom argument working... Obama and Arnie and the teacher's unions and other lefties.

All you have to do is allow for a little risk... the risk that people will take care of their own stuff (like kids) better than anyone else.
No risk with the gov plan... you know it will suck.
an easy choice... yow, bill

PS - "bikini school choice"

Labels: fun, politics, qotd, schoolchoice, sports

www.williamt.com is proud to announce our 2nd annual Super Bowl contest. This year's contest is sponsored by the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At www.recovery.gov we're helping America because "Shoot, we've got plenty of money!" (TM)

The contest is easy... you put in no $$, just email me your three picks to win win win:

1. Who will cover in the Super Bowl? Indy -5 1/2 or New Orleans +5 1/2
2. How many total points will be scored in the Super Bowl?
3. How many passing yards will Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have combined?

That's it.
The winner get a crappy replica jersey of some player from the winning team... not to worry, my stimulus $$$ will more than cover it.

Oh yeah, the rules:

1. Email me (williamt@williamt.com) your three picks. Get me the stuff by noon Super-Sunday. Any friend or family member or neighbor can play... the more the merrier. Warning: No fictional characters, and if your kids play, then they must make the picks. If your kid thinks the Bears are gonna win this year... send it in!
2. I'll email back a spreadsheet Sunday afternoon (before the game) with everyone's picks.
3. The winner is based on the three picks; they are sorted in order of importance. For example, if 7 people get pick #1 right, then pick #2 will decide. If there are any ties still left, then pick #3 will decide. I'll make sure no one has all three the same. If we have a tie, then closest without going over ("Price is Right" style) for total passing yards wins.
4. I'll announce the winner to everyone Monday. My decision is final. (Yes!) Offer not valid in Tennessee or Kentucky.

Last year's contest was super-exciting! Last year's winner (weener) was Chris the Commish. This year's winner (weener) could be you. Heck, it could be me. Yes, of course I'm playing.

www.williamt.com is your best source for crappy vacation photos.

www.williamt.com is there to sate your radical right-wing blog needs.

And yes, www.williamt.com... voted "Best blog on the Web" by "Hot 40-somethings" magazine for 6 years running.
Huzzah!

Email me: williamt@williamt.com
go bear... yow, bill

Labels: fun, sports

QOTD

"Surrender that ice cream cone or your every waking moment will become a swarming torrent of pain and misery!"
- Plankton

I think the WSJ may have wrecked football for me.
The WSJ boys figgered out that there are only 11 minutes of actual action in a 3+ hour football game:

Football is yet another thing losing its luster. So boring. I had the stopwatch out, testing the journals story. Once I stopped to consider how dumb all this was... 4 point something seconds of action followed by guys picking themselves off the ground, walking back to the huddle, talking about what to do, walking up to the line... argh, exasperating!

The worst is the video replay of the boredom. The worst of the worst is when they run the video replay and then overturn a correct call.

No, the worst of the worst is a sport with 11 minutes of action in 3 1/2 hours.

NFL cheerleaders give you more than 11 minutes of action.
Sorry.

I still heart baseball.
yow bill

PS - So many people who struggle in the world. Gol dang, it's gotta be tough to not have a job or not be able to pay your bills or, jeez, not have a place to stay. So, Naperville's fake homeless guy is a disgrace. The Real Person Shines Beneath All the Layers

All the stories in the world of people who work hard and overcome, and I can't login to Yahoo without reading about this fucking idiot. And then, of course, the article is some dope comparing our fake homeless guy to real homeless people. Sigh.

Labels: qotd, sports

QOTD

"Commit to the Indian!"
- Dennis Savard rant

Savvy's rant is classic, and it's here (for now): www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gM6REx3NVY

Follow the youtube chain for 60 seconds worth of jaw-dropping Savvy goals from back in the day: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_LC10N3xU&feature=fvw
Spin move!

I heart Savvy.
winter wonderland... yow, bill

Labels: fun, qotd, sports

1. Historic Collapse

QOTD setup... Bull lead by 35 points, 79-44 with 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, at home, to Sacramento, a crappy 2-11 team on the road. Go.

QOTD

"I'll tell you what. If the Bulls lose this game, I'm walking to New York."
- Chuck Swirsky, Bull radio guy last night... the Bull play the Knick tonight

QOTD wrapup... Bull lose 102-98, boxscore.
ESPN says it's the second biggest comeback in NBA history.
I heart Swirsky and Bill Wennington, the Bull radio team.
I do not heart Vinny or D-Rose.

2. Pet Slaughter
I'm a little scratchy this morning... fighting the eck... so pardon my French.

Just one more more tiny, itty-bitty discrepancy for our fucking liar global warming friends.

Labels: globalwarming, qotd, sports

This is too delicious to pass up this morning.
It is big "news" when a US senator takes a commercial flight to the bogus global warming conference in Copenhagen.


And one of Tiger's girls protests...

QOTD

"I resent being put in the same category as the other women."
- Holly Sampson, porn star and Tiger girl

Ms. Sampson (right) wishes to rise above the fray because she only had sex with Tiger at his bachelor party.

OK.
Better than parody or sarcasm is when people expose their true character in their own words/actions. I will say, I still have the buxom Ms. Sampson higher on the character scale than Sen. Kerry. But that's an easy call.

I do, however, wonder... who has a greater impact on global warming? The senator or the porn star? Perhaps many, many research $$$ can find the answer to this important question.
he he... yow, bill

Labels: globalwarming, politics, qotd, sports

1. Tiger. Crazy Ambien Sex.
I'll bet a dollar Tiger had some Ambien coursing through his blood, driving that Escalade all willy-nilly.

QOTD

"She told a friend she had crazy Ambien sex with Tiger."
- Tiger tales, source

In that last article Tiger's agent called the Ambien claim "reprehensible."
If I were representing Tiger, I might shy away from the word reprehensible, eh.

Granted I haven't read many articles, but I have yet to see a Tiger article that focuses on him having 3 yo and 9 month-old kids. I know we live in a loosier and goosier society, but jeez... if banging every cocktail waitress you bump into when your new bride is home pregnant or with the kids or both isn't, um, reprehensible, then what is?

Argh.
I thought the National Enquirer was one of the last bastions of real journalism. I guess I'm only left with "The Morning News" for true, hard-hitting journalism.

QOTD2

"In 2007, according to two people familiar with the negotiations, Mr. Woods and his representatives made a deal with American Media, the company that owns the National Enquirer, to quash a story detailing an alleged affair. In exchange, Mr. Woods posed on the cover and did an interview for another American Media property, Men's Fitness, these people say. American Media declined to comment on this issue."
- Sweeping Tiger shenanigans under the rug, How Tiger's Top Man is Managing the Crisis

Ambien will also be Tiger's out, eventually: "Oh, I was addicted to Ambien, so..."
Whatever.

2. Fantasy Football
Punkin win!
I'm the Punkin. Ty is the F-14.
Ty's New Orleans defense had been credited with a TD on a fumble return by the Saint offense (ole Robert Meacham to the right)... then, overnight, Yahoo took it away.

Adding to the fun... this shit made the WSJ this morning:


Punkin are 9-3-1. First place. Sorry Ty.
he he... yow, bill

Labels: fun, qotd, sports

QOTD

"My whole thing is, you're only playing for three hours a day. The least you can do is play hard. You have what, four or five at bats?
OK, it's not difficult to run, to give it a hundred percent. It's effort.
You don't have to have talent for effort."
- Derek Jeter, SI Sportsman of the Year, on running hard to first base

I like Jeter, and that's a money QOTD.
He does seem to try hard... with a respect for the game and those around him.

We just had the Tiger thing. On a smaller scale, LeBron beat the Bull earlier this week and was dancing on the court like a classless clown. Shit, the Cub suck and they still don't try hard.
At least outwardly, it doesn't seem like Jeter's success has spoiled everything for him.
theeeeee yankee win... yow, bill

Labels: qotd, sports

1. Hi-YA!
Hey, President Obama is a karate brother. Hi-YA!

Source: O-bam-a! U.S. President shows off his martial arts skills on visit to South Korea

Labels: fun, politics, qotd, sports

QOTD

"Line drive. Base hit. Caught out there. The runner tags. Throw to the plate. Off target. And in time! A double play."
- Chip Caray call, source

I heart business. Commerce.
These tough economic times have been met with a MIGHTY response by business.
We've all seen it:

• The "Price Cut" stickers all over the Jew-el (leading to $1.75 Frosted Flakes and cheaper beer... if that doesn't help you ride out the recession, nothing will)
• Sales. And advertising like crazy of those sales
• Job cuts, expense cuts. Again, like crazy
  

Businesses are responding to tough times by getting even leaner and meaner.

How about government's response? Here are two examples from today:

• The CTA is raising its fares, making it one of the most expensive public transportation options in the country. Price hikes are expected to be 33-50%. What the L?
  
• And I know this seems surreal, but Naperville "has" to raise taxes. Naperville. Proposed sales tax worries some in Naperville business community
  

QOTD2

"We do not want to reduce our service levels to make ourselves an average community"
- Doug Krieger, ciy of Naperville nabob

Yeah, did you catch that?
Doug Krieger, a namesake, is the "city manager" of Naperville. Sigh.

Um, dear Doug... you and the city of Naperville government isn't what makes a Naperville above average. It's its people and businesses and the work done therein. Your job is to provide an environment where these people can continue their good work. Your role isn't to suck in more money when the economy is in the shitter.

Here's another example of Naperville waste, the new $11M Early Childhood Center. Ty and I used to play in this park. It was nice because it had a large field of just grass and a basketball court and then some swings. Very low key. Now, it's an "Early Childhood Center". No, I don't have any idea why Naperville is spending $11M on an early childhood center when there are private day care and preschool options up the ass all around the city. Oh well, at least the building is "green". Woot!

GOOD => You. Me. Business, large and small. We're all cutting back to meet the challenge.

BAD => Government ain't. Naperville. The CTA. And of course, the most egregious of all, the Feds.

Good and bad. Very nice. And simple.
I'll take me some of that good, thank you.
run faster... yow, bill

Labels: politics, qotd, sports

QOTD

"It was 2 1/2 hours of satisfaction and then 2 1/2 hours of horseshit baseball.
Go ask them. I don't have any more quotes.
Seriously.
What the fuck am I going to say?
"They're horseshit?"
Yes, they are."
- Ozzie Guillen, source

Oh, dammit. That's the best.
I heart Ozzie.

QOTD2

"This is a tease, man. It's like when you have a girlfriend and you are kissing her all over ... and she says no. That's where we are right now. That's the way we are."
- Ozzie

OK. Now read that last quote out loud... channeling Tony Montana... "This is a tease, mang"
he he... yow, bill

Labels: qotd, sports

QOTD

"I don't know. Cubs fans haven't won in 100 years."
- Lou, on the Pittsburgh Pirates losing 17 years in a row, source

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a losing record for 17 straight years. No team in the history of US professional sports has lost 17 years in a row. That kind of surprised me... don't know why.

So, Lou brings up an interesting tradeoff. Would you rather lose for 17 years straight (the Pirate) or not win a World Series for 100 years (the Cub). In fact, the Pirate have won the World Series 5 times since the Cub tallied their title in 1908. Pittsburgh won in 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979 (source).

I think I'll take the Cub over Pittsburgh. It's been frustrating... a century of foreplay. But it's been pretty fun and entertaining too.

Great idea
I grabbed The Bolingbrook Bugle at Portillo's... lunch reading material. There was an op-ed piece by some guy named Morgan Dubiel. I don't know who he is, but he had an idea that I'll bend and steal.

It's pretty simple... a school choice idea:

1) You can send your kids to public school, or
2) You can get a voucher for 1/2 of what the school receives for each kid

You follow that? Let's say crappy public school XYZ gets $10K/kid. If you want your kids to attend private/parochial/religious school ABC, then you can get a voucher for $5K and public school XYZ keeps the other $5K to spend on whatever even though your kid ain't going there.

So, pubic schools get a 100% funding advantage. Parents can stay in public school "for free" (cough), or get half their money out to make their own choice. Win-win right?

I know, I know... never happen.
I reckon a good percentage of public schools across the country would be shuttered in a generation or so. I'll also bet that we'd dent the fuck out of inner city poverty and violence in a generation or two as well.

As Spongebob would say, let's use our "imagination" and visualize a candidate that endorses choice in school and health care and lower taxes and... I'm probably a nut burger, but it seems like such a gaping hole in our political scene. I don't know.
imagination... yow, bill

Labels: politics, qotd, schoolchoice, sports

QOTD

"For the first time in his career, he's unconditionally happy"
- WSJ on Nomar riding the bench at Oakland

Excellent article on Nomah in the WSJ today: Whatever Happened to Nomar?

One of my favorite ESPN-esque sports replays of all-time is Nomar's return to Boston, 5 years after being traded. This video captures some of that intensity: Nomar Gets a Hero's Welcome.

And Nomar talks about the experience in this MLB video afterward: Nomar Makes Return to Fenway with A's.

I saw Nomar play in Fenway once... a hundred years ago. We had tickets down the first base line. Nomar went deep into the hole and fired across the diamond for the out at first. It was a chill then and now.

I guess the deeper (?) take on Nomar is pretty obvious: winning isn't everything. He didn't get his World Series ring with the Red Sock, but he has put that into perspective and found more. Well, that and the zillions and the fame, hot wife and a couple-a kids.

OK, maybe my "take" wasn't so deep. Never mind.
Here's the money: Nomar and Mia Hamm and twin daughters:
nomah.. yow, bill

Labels: qotd, sports

Everyone wants a Daddy. Why? It's so weird to me.

Daddy #1 - Roger Goodell

QOTD

"Michael Vick would stand a better chance of renewal if he had simply beaten his wife or abandoned his children."
- Mary Carter, WSJ letter to the Ed today

Lots of NFL player shenanigans:

• Michael Vick - couple a years in the pokey and bankrupt for dog fighting.
• Plaxico Burress - couple a years in jail for carrying a registered gun.
• Donte Stallworth - 30 days in jail and a civil $$$ settlement for killing a guy while driving drunks... I guess the guy he hit wasn't in the best shape either and ran out into the road or something.

The other thing these guys share, after paying their due to society, is an extra punishment doled out by NFL commish Goodell. For example, Goodell has suspended Stallworth for the entire season! So, Stallworth satisfied the courts and the family of the victim, but that's not enough for Goodell. WTF? Why is there a separate court system for the NFL that begins and ends at Roger Goodell's desk?

Daddy #2 - IDOT

IDOT.
IDIOT.
The Illinois Dept of Transportation is running commercials that literally brand people who get a DUI as a "loser". Here's a grab from one of their spots:


Of course the real losers are the people paying for these ads (and requisite dinners and strip club visits that are part of the sales process for these projects/$$$)... you and me.

In some tasty synchronicity, the WSJ has an article today on a woman who will be caned in some backward-ass country for drinking a beer. Maybe they could bring her to Illinois and brand her too... for the children.

Daddy #3 The feds

Oh, forget it.

Why is society tilting these days to such an authoritarian, centralized structure.
I don't know, but I do know... they ain't no Daddy.
peace... yow, bill

Labels: politics, qotd, sports

Book Review
Book: Frommers Anywhere
Review: 5 bill-stars (out of 5)... the best!

If you're traveling somewhere, then shell out the 12 bucks for a Frommers and you've got a great base for researching things to do, where to stay, and what to eat. They are well-written and give you all sorts of angles: things for kids, outdoor things, touristy things, etc.

Basketball
Candace Parker is probably Naperville's most famous person these days. She's probably (again) the best women's basketball out there. She was on the news a while back for dunking in high school and then college.

This is a nice story about Candace Parker returning to Naperville where they dedicated a basketball court near her home as "Candace Parker Court": Candace Comes Home

I've actually played basketball with Candace Parker at Edward Health Club. She was pretty unimpressive, actually: ploddingly slow and weak. Of course, she was only in high school then, but girls do suck at basketball.

I also played with her brother, NBA dude Anthony Parker. While Candace is uber-famous, Anthony toils in relative obscurity (and for millions of dollars) in the NBA. He's played for Toronto the last couple years and just signed on with LeBron and the Cavs for next season. This is a great fit for him because he's a great outside shooter with a 41% FG% from the 3-point line. Amazing!

Unlike his sister, Anthony Parker absolutely dominated at Edward. The guy was 6-6 and quicker than anyone out there. I remember one brutal game where guys were just fouling him and playing dirty (moving your foot under the guy during his jump shot). Parker got a little pissed, so he started just shooting from half court to avoid the shenanigans. He made every shot and sent his angry, overweight, white opponents to the sideline.

www.qotd.org
Pretty cool site.

QOTD

"Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, www.qotd.org

Old School Politics
How about some fun Michelle Obama trivia:

1. How much was Michelle Obama paid at the U of Chicago hospital?
2. Who took over her position when she left for DC?

Well, #1 Michelle made about $300K.
And #2, her incredibly important position (well, one assumes a $300K salary would indicate some level of import) was filled by, um, no one. She took a part-time salary during the campaign, and then her job was eliminated after the election. (Chicago Trib source, some site source)

I'm not saying. I'm just saying.

Simple Logic
Is simple logic starting to win out? Or at least, be heard and considered?

• Global Warming and the Poor - This article describes the ridiculousness of global warming taxes and controls and their impact on the poor across the globe.
• American Babies are Ruining Everything - This article describes the impact of population (babies) on carbon dioxide production in relation to the bogus "green" efforts that are so widely touted today. For example: a baby adds 40x the amount of carbon dioxide compared to the savings from someone living the most extreme "green" lifestyle.
  
• Um, let's not put everyone on Medicare/Medicaid. I hope I don't need a source to convince you of that. 90% of Americans have health insurance, and polls indicate 70% of us like the health care we receive.

The answer to global warming (if such a thing were to even exist) is innovation and technology, not the feds and taxes.

The answer to health care is innovation and competition, not the feds and taxes.

This is simple logic that makes this nerd smile.
smile... yow, bill

Labels: 5stars, books, politics, qotd, sports

Back from my second annual Ty/Da Baseball Vacation: July 28 - Aug 3 in Seattle and SFO with 3 ballgames in 6 days. Excellent!

• Seattle 3, Toronto 2 (boxscore) - Our game in Seattle coincided with Seattle's hottest day ever; the temp hit 103 (source). My guy Halladay lost, but he pitched OK. Ty's guy Jose Lopez had a solo dinger. Seattle's Safeco Stadium was a beauty, 5 bill-stars. The retractable roof was open for the warm goodness of our game. And for the record, 100 in Seattle feels better than 90 degrees over here in the greater Chicagoland area.
  
• Oakland 8, Toronto 5 (boxscore) - Oakland stadium is a flippin' dump, perfectly set in post-apocalyptic surroundings including warehouses, burned out buildings and acres of weed-jutting asphalt and gravel. Second-worst stadium ever to Shea Stadium. Ty got a couple autographs (Adam Kennedy and some other Athletic) and we snarfed a couple foul balls from our front row seats. Excellent. Ty's guy Andrew Bailey got the save.
  
• SFO 7, Philly 3 (boxscore) - SFO Stadium is very nice... a little mall-y for my taste, but still very nice. We saw the game with Janny and her family and Verb. It was my guy Pablo Sandoval T-shirt day. Too cool.
• In some wonderful kismet, Ty was talking to a guy (Ty's always talking to a guy/girl, he he) on the subway home from the Oakland game, and after a while he told us that he was Blue Jay All-Star Aaron Hill's father. The guy was super-nice and beaming about his son (duh).
• We sat in some version of the front row for all 3 games. Unlike the Cub, however, all tickets cost less than a hundo. You can barely get into the bleachers at Wrigley for that price these days.
  

QOTD

"You're washed up, Junior!"
- Blue Jay fan taunt right before Griffey's game-winning double in the 7th

I looked back at the guy and laughed after Junior's mash. In my younger, more testosterone-filled days, I would have commented on the status of Canada in relation to being "washed up" or irrelevant, but I let it lie.

Book: "The Shining" by Stephen King
Review: 4 bill-stars (out of 5)... excellent!

I was really shocked at how different the book was from the movie; the book is much more interesting. The kid is half the focus of the book, not just a throw-in like the movie. Also, the father's (Jack Nicholson) nuttiness is more gripping in the book because of it's base in reality: abused as a child, alcoholism, career failure, marital strain, etc.

This was a great vacation read, and thanks to Mozy for the pointer.
I'm into "Carrie" now, and it's going better than the movie as well. Stay tuned.
play ball... yow, bill

PS - A quick politics wrap from (super-hot) Sarah Palin.

QOTD2

"Last state twitter. Thank you Alaska! I love you. God bless Alaska. God bless the U.S.A."
- July 26, Sarah Palin's last twitter as gov of AK (twitter link)

Labels: 4stars, books, fun, politics, qotd, sports

QOTD

''He's my closer, and if people don't want him to be my closer, don't come to the goddamn game."
- Ozzie Guillen, defending closer Bobby Jenks

He he. I heart Ozzie. How does he get away with this stuff? Oh yeah, World Series win a few years back.

Here's "the catch" from Mark Buerhle's perfect game today:

Awesome!
Ozzie put Dwayne Wise into the game in the 9th as a defensive replacement.

We have the two best managers in baseball... though I'm wavering on Lou these days. Getting old?


QOTD2

"I'm always bored. I'm not playing. You're sitting around for seven innings. My game starts in the sixth [or] seventh inning. That's when you see me look around the stands a lot, because you play this game for that many years and coach it and be there for that many years and you're just managing, it's a boring game all day for me."
- Ozzie

cub win... yow, bill

PS - cubs bikini... he he.

Labels: qotd, sports

QOTD

"Rent, don’t own stocks."
- The Mad Hedge Fund Trader, source

I like this Mad guy (TMHFT). I don't agree with all his politics, but he's got some great investing advice... one of the best blogs I follow.

And yes, TMHFT, I'm working every day to become a good renter of stocks. Huzzah!

Politics
Prince Charles, The Pope, special surtaxes on the wealthy to pay for socialized health care, 10% unemployment, CA bankrupt... my, my, how the worm turns.

Sarah Palin quit as AK governor... basically claiming harassment. She counts 19 separate bogus ethics complaints as her proof (source). I believe her; the left is not anchored by ethics. But that's the price of admission, baby. I hope she cashes in and raises her family.

Good WSJ op-ed today: Europe Should Hope Obama Fails
The point: Europe has been buoyed by American growth via capitalism.

QOTD2

"Bull markets move in perfect 18 year cycles, and we are only half way through a generational washout in equity ownership that started in 2000. “Buy and Hold” is dead. An S&P 500 trading around a 13 multiple means will be stuck in a 650-950 range for years, and that’s being generous."
- TMHFT again

I'm heading out now to Dean's Dugout... buy some cards for Ty. Our Naperville Cub got bounced from the playoffs last night; I couldn't be prouder of the boy. Ty faced this monster of a mutant 12 year-old pitcher in the 4th inning. This kid was the hardest thrower we've seen all season. Ty got a good foul ball off the kid, and eventually struck out, but he battled. He stuck his nose right in there... 10 years old and keeping that ass right in the box and taking his hack. Man, that's something. Like I said... couldn't be prouder.

cub win... yow, bill

Labels: investing, politics, qotd, sports

He he.
I'm moving to Costa Rica... Costa Rica tops happiness, 'green living' poll
Some environmental nabobs list Costa Rica #1 on their "Happy Planet" index.
You see... Costa Rica is the place to be because they have a small carbon footprint and no army. Cha.

Hmm... I wonder how many of the reporters and nabobs involved in this highly scientific endeavor will be moving to Costa Rica? Get themselves a snootful of the happiness and green goodness. He he.

QOTD

"I'm very happy today. It's been a long time."
- 42 yo Tim Wakefield on making the All-Star team for the first time, source

Look at the cool grip on that knuckleball.... excellent!

catch... yow, bill

Labels: politics, qotd, sports