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"I like that kind of enthusiasm. It was sweet. We're excited. It's cool."

Janet Evans — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:26:29 GMT

"It was a big brawl," said Ben Means, 25, a fan from New Carlisle. "I like that kind of enthusiasm. It was sweet. We're excited. It's cool."

That regardingthe Peoria, Dayton Dragons and the Peoria Chiefs 10-minute melee between players and managers on July 24th. It happened in the first innining of the game.

Watch a slideshow HERE

Watch a video HERE

photo by Dave Munch Dayton Daily News

"Before the first inning was finished Thursday, July 24, at Fifth Third Field, three were hit by pitches.

The victims included:

• Dayton shortstop Zack Cozart, who left when hit in the head.

• Peoria's second baseman, who suffered a broken leg.

• Spectator Chris McCarthy, 44 of Middletown, who was hit by a ball thrown by Peoria starter Julio Castillo. He was treated and released from Miami Valley Hospital."

Read the article HERE

Who's at fault here

Umpires?

Managers?

Castillo?

Is this really what fans want to see at baseball games?

Free To Scream-Kids and the Shower Rod

Foyne Mahaffey — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:16:00 GMT

So for the last few days I’ve been reminded of how difficult it can be to be a student. I didn’t take a class, get private lessons or a tutor because I always figure, “How hard can it be?” All I wanted to do was put up a shower rod. I had all the tools a handy woman like me would ever need, including my alternative tool supply of butter knives, spatulas and a high heeled shoes. I’ve discovered these to be must-haves after a few decades of trying to complete one respectable DIY project.

I got one of those hotel shower rods that curves out so you think you’re in a huge shower “station” instead of just pirouetting in the tiny casket tub behind the plastic tropical fish curtain. The directions made it seem easy, and it was until I actually started the installation. While it may seem that screwing in two screws would be easy, try it in a wall made of pie crust with cement block behind it. I did learn something. First off, I learned that power drills are hard to hold in place when the screw is three inches long and wobbling around. (The gouge seems a bit better today but I’ll probably lose the fingernail.) I also learned that pounding in a screw, no matter how mad you are, does nothing but make a huge hole in plaster and then you have to pound in a plastic plug thing which goes in fine for about 1/8 “ and then it bends in the shape of a C. To pry that out requires a chisel that you have to buy at Home Depot on the ninth trip over there to either purchase or return something. The chisel gets the plug out, alright, but the way I did it left a new hole about two inches across with a tributary crack about twice that.

While engaged in this endeavor, I thought of how kids must feel when they just can’t catch on to something, if they weren‘t given the right tools or the tools don't work. Imagine not being able to vent in some primeval way when you just can’t seem to understand something everyone else does, no matter how many times you try. This experience was a good reminder and very humbling. It would behoove every parent to take a moment to think of their children when they are feeling overwhelmed, inadequate or just plain stupid.

A word to my students: Any time the work of school starts getting to you, makes you frustrated or angry and you feel like you are going to explode, just let me know. You can walk down the hall, open the doors to the big outside, step onto the playground where you can jump and scream until you feel better.

I will thoroughly understand.

Fuels of tomorrow

Jerry Church — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:46:00 GMT

So here's the deal,

I am always a little taken aback by the talk of the new fuels of tomorrow that are right around the corner.

We have everyone in the world that depends on oil for basically everything, trying to come up with new, cheaper ways to power our lives.

We have the U.S. Government handing subsidies to all of the people involved in the "Ethanol Boom" which is at this point , is far more expensive to produce and far less efficient to actually run. (It takes more fuel for the same energy output as gasoline)

Then on top of that we have the political sides arguing about how you shouldn't be using our food sources (corn primarily) as fuel because it drives the prices of everything up as well.

And you have the other side, trying to tell us that we have to start getting used to using other sources of fuel because you "Can't drill your way out of this oil crisis"

WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? Are they actually saying that if we drill for more oil, then we won't have more oil? What kind of political double talk is that?

We have the next...NEXT big thing which is Hydrogen.

This was actually the next big thing that was coming around the corner until a couple of years ago when after literally hundreds of billions of dollars; we decided that the technology was still too far away from being a reality to be a viable alternative. So it got bumped down the line a little behind the ethanol.

While I have to admit, in my opinion Hydrogen does look to have a promising future, and I hope it does, we have to do something about the little issues like only costing about a billion and a half bucks for a car..... Then the fact that you have a fuel range of about 200 miles which is not too bad, except you will have to drive to California to refuel each time you run out.

There is the electric alternative as well. Electric cars that you plug in every night (or every couple nights)

From the research that I have done on most of these, Electric cars are a good option; the fueling infrastructure is obviously there already. The technology is proven and reliable and actually cheaper per mile that Gas as well.

So, the main thing there that is holding us back is our energy grid.

We don't have nearly enough power plants to support even a very very small percent of the population using electric cars. And then there is the other whole argument of... the power plants, if we built more, we would have to power them somehow. And not all of them could be powered by rivers, so by a show of hands, Who wants a coal or nuclear power plant in there back yard?

There are a couple of smaller players on the field as well, such as Natural gas, and Propane.

These are both a bit cheaper than gasoline and a bit cleaner as well, but we don't seem to be all that quick to change our engines in our cars to accept these fuels. (Although in some parts of the world these fuels are used in duel fuel cars quite well)

But then again,Isn't that going down that road kind of the same as the oil that we are hooked on now?

If we did start to us these gasses more, it would be nice for a while, but don't you think big oil would get there hooks into those profits more as well?

I often wonder why we don't use bio-diesel.

Of all the setbacks all of the other fuels have, Bio-diesel doesn't have many at all.

A lot of people look at all the true "GREENIES" out there as a little bit of an odd eccentric sort. Now I am not talking about that recycle even when they don't have too, or the people that buy the new CF bulbs for their house, I mean the people that actually see everything that they own, Move out to the middle of Oregon with their families and actually put up solar panels, and wind turbines for electricity. Take themselves off of the grid, and then buy "Carbon Credits" with whatever money they have left in their bank accounts. To atone for the sins of "carbon output"

While I do admire these people for having such rock solids beliefs in keeping our world around for another thousand generations. I think they are a little bit over the top, ok, I admit, I am one of the ones that think these people are tipping the scale a little into the "Kooky" category.

I did see a show about one of these guys that was manufacturing his own bio-diesel that was very interesting.

He said in an interview that we could solve a lot of the oil crisis with using the diesel engine the way it was intended to be used instead of using it to fill the pockets of big oil. He continued to say that diesel engines weren't built to run on petroleum, they were built to run on peanut oil. I, at this point was thinking that this guy was completely nuts, and this was another wacky conspiracy theory type nut-case that was completely misinformed, or that he somehow misinterpreted something in the history books.

So, I sat down and started doing the research, guess what??? It was all true!!

The diesel engine WAS built to run on peanut (and other bio-fuels). Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, did in fact build his engine to be run on peanut oil.

Mr. Diesel said in 1912 "The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as the petroleum and coal tar products of the present time"

SO,, I think I am on the bio-diesel band wagon, It has all of the advantages to keep the "greenies" happy, it is completely renewal, very versatile as far as the source of the oils that it can use, so the GOP can stop worrying about us using up all of our corn for fuel and driving the costs of everything else up. (and on a side not there as well, it is our government that thought it was a good idea to give the subsidies to the ethanol producers, making the corn prices inflated in the first place.)

The infrastructure is in place and ready to go NOW. All we need is for the Big 3 to start using different fuel lines on the cars that they produce and the new engines can use the fuel as well.

(hold your breath on that one)

There are a few minor setbacks. Such as very cold weather areas having trouble with the fuels freezing, or "Gelling" but apparently they are working on that with blends and purification techniques, and supposedly the cold weather bio-diesel would only be a concern in about 20% of the US.

It makes you wonder why everyone knows about Ethanol, and Hydrogen, and the others, but very few people know about the history and capabilities that we have already on the market.

Big Oil? Big Ethanol? Big Government? Conspiracy theories? Kooky Hippie guys wearing Eco friendly underwear? Maybe a little of all of that.

Next week, Global Warming.

I should be able to piss off the Democrats, and the Republicans with this one.

Week-ends

Kevin Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:30:00 GMT

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...

HEROES OF THE WEEK

Joseph Dwyer

Brookfield officers

Faith Mondry

My friend and colleague, state Representtaive Jim Ott

Franklin Little Leaguers

To a certain lion, these folks.

VILLAINS OF THE WEEK

Jose Carman Gonzalez-Ricardo

Edwin Ramos

Milton Thomas........caught on video.

Barack Obama

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“I like to be an informed voter ... I want to take the time to make an informed decision.”
Debra Bartoshevich, the Waterford resident who was stripped of her delegate status Friday by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Bartoshevich said following Hillary Clinton's departure from the White House race that she would vote for John McCain instead of Barack Obama.

“You’re saying you can’t flip a switch and jump to Senator Obama, but you certainly were able to flip a switch and jump to Senator McCain. I find that to be a very serious flaw in your argument.”
Les Nakamoto, the Democrat Party’s 5^th Congressional District Chair.

“I’m done. I will never support the Democrat Party again. Not after how they treated me ... If you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, I guess you can’t be a Democrat.”
Bartoshevich in an interview with Wispolitics.com.

“My opponent likes to tell people she is ‘out knocking on doors.’ But the voters know the difference between riding in a car watching staff drop off taxpayer-funded road maps that people did not even ask for and actually knocking on doors and talking to people.”
State Representative Sheldon Wasserman (D-Milwaukee), once again criticizing the health of his opponent for the 8th District Senate seat, Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

“I take great offense to Sheldon Wasserman’s false accusation that I am not actually knocking on voters’ doors, and his continued insinuation that I am too sick to run for office and restricted to campaigning from a car.”
Senator Darling’s response.

“Consumers should be irate. It shouldn't be the government's job to make sure that they're paying more for gas.”
Christian Schneider, author of a Wisconsin Policy Research Institute study on the state’s minimum markup law. The study argues gas markups cost state drivers at least $267 million annually.

OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK

Sex offenders living .............in nursing homes.

Read more.

MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK

Property taxes just keep going up, and up, and up, and up, and up.....

MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK

Barack Obama's trip overseas. One gigantic news media lovefest.

STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK

Mystery noise in Green Bay

Cable repairman taken for ride

Black and white twins.

They named their kid....WHAT???

REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.

Auto Industry "Upside Down"?

Al Campbell — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:13:55 GMT

Chrysler announced that it is getting out of the leasing business. It cannot, apparently, find lenders that will continue to supply money to this part of its business. Similarly, Ford and GM continue to burn through capital and will or are facing similar realities.

Leases of automobiles and trucks account for something on the order of 20% of the U.S. market. The lease holders permit the monthly rental (lease) of the vehicle and expect to be able to recover the vehicle and resell it for more than they have invested in it. This carries risk, and it is that risk that seems now to be threatening at least this portion of sales activities. The risk is that the vehicles owned by the leasing company will lose value faster than the leasing company expected and that the leasing companies will be "upside down" when the time comes to sell off the vehicles that come off lease.

"Upside down" is a phrase that has become familiar to many consumers of autos and trucks. That happens when the vehicle purchased devalues more rapidly than the loan repayments reduce the amount owed. The term has typically been applied to the individuals who purchased a vehicle and learn, at the time they hope to purchase a new vehicle, that they are the owners of a vehicle for which they owe more than the vehicle is worth. The SUV marketplace is full of "upside down" deals given the cost of fuel and the effect that has had on resale prices.

Where will this lead? Well, it will certainly have a lingering effect on individuals who find themselves in an "upside down" situation. They'll either suck it up, buy a new vehicle and take extended payment terms, or they'll drive what they have for another year or two or three. The magic for the auto industry has been the short-sightedness of the typical consumer. If we can afford the monthly payment, we do the deal. We do not look out to the end of the term with any thoughts about where we'll be financially. We just want new wheels and we're gonna' get 'em.

If consumers continue to be pinched with rising costs on virtually all fronts, something more will have to give. If it is the purchase or lease of a new vehicle, that will continue to exacerbate the condition of the auto industry in general. How much more resiliency is left in the auto industry? What more will it take to actually cause a GM or a Ford or a Chrysler to go out of business?

Will you call Governor Doyle?

Kevin Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:00:00 GMT

My friend Brian Fraley continues to push for a special legislative session to repeal Wisconsin’s minimum markup law.

Take a look.

Another unattended child dies: Someone needs to be charged

Kevin Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:38:40 GMT

A few years ago while filling in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN, I did what some might consider something unusual on that program: I read part of a press release from a Democrat legislator to praise its content.

State Senator Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee) was proposing legislation aimed at people who leave children unattended in hot cars. Listeners who have heard me on WISN know this is an issue that makes me very angry, and I have zero sympathy for these individuals.

Cogg’s bill was the result of the death of little Asia Jones who died of hyperthermia after she was left for eight hours in a sweltering vehicle outside the Come and Grow with Me Learning and Arts Center in West Allis in June 2005. Temperatures inside the van may have reached 128 degrees. The driver used a typical excuse….he forgot, and escaped charges because prosecutors said there was no law under which he could be charged. Asia was two years old.

The “Asia Jones Bill” authored by Senator Spencer Coggs and Representative Tamara Grigsby who has appeared with me on Channel 10’s InterCHANGE was approved by the Legislature and signed into law in March of 2006 by Governor Doyle. The law makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a child care provider to leave a child in a child care vehicle unattended. Any child care professional who violates the new law can be fined up to $10,000 and imprisoned for up to nine months. If a child dies, the person responsible is guilty of a Class G felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $25,000.

This week, a child was left in a day care van in Milwaukee for seven hours and died. As of this posting, no one’s been charged. Someone needs to be held accountable.

No-peanut zones at the ballpark

Kevin Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:54:00 GMT

Last Monday night, when the Milwaukee Brewers opened a 4-game series against the Cardinals in St. Louis, Busch Stadium offered what could be a baseball promotion first……designating an entire section a peanut-free zone. Only fans with peanut allergies and their families were allowed in Section 328 in the outfiled down the first base line, just behind the foul pole.

Peanut-free zones at the ballpark was a topic on my program Friday as I filled in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN. Comments ran the gamut.

Some viewed the promotion as a wonderful, thoughtful idea. Others wondered where you draw the line on special accommodations for fans.

Several callers made the valid argument that parents are taking a serious risk bringing their peanut allergy suffering kids to the stadium because in order to get to their seats, they have to pass many areas where peanuts are still being sold, consumed, and dropped on the ground.

Here are more details.from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Friday Night Live

Kevin Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:30:00 GMT

Tonight on Friday Night Live, our guests on NBC’s The Midnight Special are Weather Report and Chuck Mangione.

During those late night concert programs on Friday nights in the 70’s, the stars of the time were featured, no matter the musical genre: pop, rock, soul, disco, country, and even though it didn’t fit the target audience, jazz……..or at least the contemporary pop-chart version of jazz.

Weather Report was one of the first bands to mix jazz with rock. From airjudden.tripod.com:

"Keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophone player Wayne Shorter formed the group in 1971. Both had spent in time in Miles Davis' group - Shorter played with the legendary 1960s quintet (along with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams). Zawinul joined later, during the early days when Davis pioneered the fusion movement. Zawinul was one of the early masters of the synthesizer. Before joining Davis' group, he played electric piano in the Cannonball Adderly quintet. The sound so impressed Davis, that he hired Zawinul and made future keyboard players play the instrument.

In addition to forming the group and composing many of their songs, they were the two constant members in the group, as many musicians passed through. One of the most famous to pass through was bassists Jaco Pastorius. Pastorius was a pioneer on the electric bass. He took it from a rhythm instrument into an important solo instrument by playing with speed and grace, often dazzling audiences with his virtuosity during unaccompanied solos . He created a slippery effect by using a fretless bass. He has influenced countless bass players to this day. He joined Weather Report in 1976 and left in 1982, forming his own group Word of Mouth. Aside from a tremendous ego, he was alcoholic and a heroine addict. He died tragically in 1987 after he instigated a fight at a bar and suffered head injuries.

Unlike many groups, Weather Report focused on a group sound, creating complex arrangements in addition to their improvised solos, which made it more difficult to distinguish between the soloist and accompanists, because they were virtuosos on their instruments, providing awe-inspiring solos, as well as accompaniment work.”

Weather Report’s biggest hit was Birdland, a reference and tribute to the famous New York nightclub. From birdlandjazz.com:

“It was Charlie Parker, familiarly known to his fans and fellow musicians as ‘Bird,’ a contraction of Yardbird, his formal nickname, who was the dynamic creative personality and genius of the alto saxophone who served as the inspiration for Birdland.

When the original Birdland opened in December, 1949, Charlie Parker was the headliner and the club was located on Broadway, a few blocks west of 52nd Street, which was a hotbed of jazz in the 1930s and 40s.

Birdland's booking history reads like a who's who of jazz: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Erroll Garner, and many, many others.

Considering the excitement that Birdland generated on a daily basis, it's no surprise that the club attracted its share of celebrities. Regulars to the nightly festivities included such household names as Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sugar Ray Robinson.

But as a new popular music, Rock & Roll emerged, Birdland's fortunes declined in the 60's and its doors were closed on Broadway and 52nd in 1965. After many 5 am nights, the club needed to take a nap.”

Birdland re-opened in 1986, closed again, but is now back in business having hosted such acts as Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, and Diana Krall.

I saw Chuck Mangione live at the Performing Arts Center when I worked there as an usher in my college days. His jovial father sold merchandise out in the lobby. Mangione still performs concerts today. His career spans five decades. From his official website:

“Mangione first attracted attention with his brother, Gap, in a mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he played trumpet much like that of the man who he refers to as his musical father-Dizzy Gillespie. In fact Dizzy gave Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own.

Chuck's years with the Jazz Brothers overlapped with his attending the Eastman School of Music and eventually resulted in his solo album debut. Chuck left home to play with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, assuming the trumpet chair that had belonged to such great players as Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.

Another important step in Mangione's career development was his return to the Eastman School of Music as director of the school's Jazz Ensemble. His ‘Friends & Love’ concert with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded live and featured ‘Hill Where the Lord Hides.’ This led to a recording contract with a major label, Mercury records, and his first Grammy nomination.

Those early years with Mercury culminated in the title tune of one of Mangione's most popular albums. Land of Make Believe, another Grammy nominee, Mangione then signed with A&M Records and delivered two extremely successful releases in one year, Chase The Clouds Away, which was used as background music during the telecast of the 1976 Olympic Games; and Bellavia ("beautiful way"), named to honor his mother, which won Mangione his first Grammy award.

During the late 1970's, Chuck received more awards and accolades for his recordings. He reached new heights with his mega-hit single and album, Feels So Good. The 1980 Mangione entry in Current Biography called ‘Feels So Good’ the most recognized melody since the Beatles' ‘Michelle.’”

Thanks for watching Friday Night Live.

Hope our summer series brings back some good memories.

Cue the peacock....

pedalling to the beat of a different drummer

Brien Lee — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:21:51 GMT

I blogged about a similar topic in November, but this week's event promised to benefit the earth and fellow man. I was able to catch the last half hour of a pedal-powered concert in Wales on calm Tuesday night. Because the event was affiliated with the MS150 bike tour, it raised both awareness of wasteful energy practices and funds to help battle multiple sclerosis.

I was already in the Wales area for a dinner meeting in the beautiful Hills of Delafield, so Hazie and ScorpGirl can relax. I did not drive all the way out there wasting gas. I probably would have, though, had I known how cool the warm evening on Main Street in Wales would be.

About ten stationary bikes littered the lawn of an 1887 Queen Anne Victorian lovingly restored into the Pedal'rs Inn B & B. The Inn's claim to fame is that it was the location of George Webb's first restaurant. Because I arrived late, I found out about the house tours too late to see if there were two clocks side-by-side in the dining room.

The stage was lit by energy-conserving LED spotlights powered by bike riders, many of whom wore colorful riding jerseys. It was mostly dark where the riders were, but even though I could see at least one biker going wild to the music, I saw no helmets.

This night was quite different from November's barn dance. It was outdoors, a lot warmer and a lot less crowded. But still I wondered if I'd get my first chance at pedalling. Is it hard? If I did get on, would I tire before someone relieved me. I asked someone if it was difficult and she said since she does spinning it wasn't too bad. That was no help because I don't even knit.

A bike did finally free up and I realized several things. People are more friendly to you on a bike. Either because bike riders are generally friendly toward one another, or because I was helping power a really good concert, either way people just seemed more open and friendly. The pedalling wasn't too difficult but was sweaty because there's no wind on these stationary bikes. I felt much more absorbed by music I helped power - felt connected to the musicians. The musicians felt connected to us - if they still had people willing to pedal, they'd be motivated to continue playing. The concert volume wasn't too loud, it was adequate. With each of the 9 amps I was putting out being put to use, low volume was just fine. And finally, outdoors on a summer night is the perfect venue for a concert like this.

Boy Scout Troop 55 gives park shelters a face lift

Kyle Prast — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:01:00 GMT

Saturday, July 26th, Boy Scout Troop 55 will be giving several Brookfield park shelters an interior face lift.

I happened to catch a sneak peek at my area's Kinsey Park the other night. The scout in the photo told me his troop would be painting 3 shelter interiors on Saturday.

Look for CNI story about this--the painting family (mom was there too) said the paper would be sending a reporter.

Boy Scouts are required to do service projects. Kinsey Park already has benefited from an Eagle Scout project a few years ago. The perennial plantings by the sign were one scout's service project.

The scouts also do periodic park clean ups and have spread wood chips on the trails from time to time.

I'm sure the Boy Scouts are inundated with lots of ideas for projects. Maybe they could add building Heron nesting boxes or bat and purple martin houses (natural mosquito control) for our wetlands to their list?

Thanks scouts and scout parents for all you do!

Don't forget, the Hot Air Tour Press Conference has been moved from Miller Park to AFP headquarters on Saturday

Kinsey Park pier project is completed

Links:

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin , Vicki Mckenna

The Weekend Wrap-Up

Alisha Fischer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:40:00 GMT

Another week come and gone...Where does the time go?

Let's see, earlier this week the Taste of Egypt slide show and Target preview video were posted-- and may I add the latter was received with a little bit of 'drama', as the kids say.

This South Milwaukee story I wrote was published in the newspaper. It's a troubling read, to say the least.

I wrote this up on the Franklin teen competing in the Junior Miss scholarship program and wish both of the local contestants the best luck tomorrow afternoon

I learned to keep on the sunny side and handle my troubles with show tunes

AND I started digging the groundwork for my internship 'final'. I would still like to hear from anyone if they or their families own land on the 27th street corridor. I'll take any help I can get. Don't be shy!

Now next week, a few things to look forward to:

Relay for Life at Franklin High School-- I'll be there with my camera and tape recorder collecting stories for another audio slide show
A review of my meeting with the Oak Creek/Franklin school district superintendent Dr. Sara Larsen
Update on how the local gals did in the JR Miss competition

And I'm sure lots more!

Well, I'm off to Cheesefest so that's it for now

Have a happy weekend!

I almost missed Jimmy!

Erica Lewandowski — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:04:36 GMT

You may remember from my very first post that I stated that I was a parrothead, also known as a devoted Jimmy Buffett fan. I've been going to Buffett concerts since high school (which means over 15 years!), and I've been hooked since I saw him play for free at the Marcus Amphitheater during Summerfest. Those were the good old days...

Getting tickets to see Jimmy via ticketmaster these days is akin to winning the lottery. We try every year, seated promptly at the computer at 10:00, high speed internet ready and waiting. But the magic rarely happens- every once and a while we pull tickets for lawn seating, which I am waaaaay to old and not nearly drunk enough to endure for a 3 hour show. We have a few connections to get tickets, and sometimes they come through, and sometimes they strike out too. For the past month we have been tapping into all our connections, all our IOU's to get seats, and we were told last Friday (the day before the show), that there was none to be had. So last Saturday morning I was glumly sitting at my computer, checking my emails, when I decided, on a whim, to see if any "day of" tickets had been released. I entered the necessary info- 2 tickets, best available, any price, decrypted the strange access code, and clicked on "Find Tickets". Guess what? The planets aligned, and a ray on sunshine shone down upon my roof, and suddenly my computer screen read- " 2 seats, Pavilion, covered, row CC seats 28-30. It was a July miracle!! I had 2 tickets to the show waiting for me at willcall!!

I bought the tickets (for $314, no less, these things aren't cheap) and promptly went to take a quick nap in preparation for a night of margarita madness. Halfway into my nap, I heard the phone ring, and a few minutes later my Hubby comes into the bedroom and tells me we have a problem. Apparently our "connection" had the same thoughts I did that day, and pulled us 2 tickets in the pavilion (again, over $300), which were waiting for us at willcall. Now we had, 4 tickets, worth over $600, and we didn't need them!!

All thoughts of our margarita madness were gone at this point, and we rushed down to Alpine Valley with the intention of picking up all 4 tickets and selling 2. We arrived late in the afternoon, and we literally parked in the 2nd to last row of the farthest parking lot. We ran the mile into the amphitheater, and all the while we are heading in through the crowd in the parking lot we were seeing tons of signs for tickets for sale. We knew were screwed- based on the laws of supply and demand, we had supply, but no demand. I began to panic that we had just wasted an extra $300 on tickets would never recover- that's a lot of money, folks. We arrived at willcall, sweaty and breathless, and handed the lady our driver's licenses so she can look up our tickets. She smiles at us from her air conditioned booth and slides 2 tickets under the glass, and tells us to enjoy the show. So where's the other 2 tickets? We told her to check again, and gave her every possible permutation of our names, just to be sure. But only 2 tickets were there, the ones I had purchased that morning. How did this happen? Was it another July miracle? Did the margarita gods smile down on us? We'll never know. Our contact swears he booked them, but they weren't there, and haven't showed up on our credit card for the past week.

All in all, Jimmy played a great show- full of energy, spirit and whimsy that make all Buffett shows great. The crowd was rocking, the margaritas were flowing, the pre-party tailgating in the parking lot was insane, and overall it was a fun way to escape the stresses of life. And after the stresses of trying to get tickets, we sure needed it!

Surf's Up at Konkel Park

Mike Seavert — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:01:02 GMT

Don't forget about the second movie in the park this Saturday night at Konkel Park. The Parks & Recreation Department will be showing the movie Surf's Up at sundown. The event is free and is being sponsored by PyraMax Bank, who will once again be serving free popcorn and have Moola Moose on hand to greet participants. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on and don't forget the bug spray. Movie will be shown at the Konkel Park gazebo by the parking lot (51st & Layton).

Sen. Lazich Makes "Dishonor" Roll

Linda Richter — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:54:00 GMT

Recently, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters published a Conservation Scorecard of our state legislators’ votes on key conservation issues during the 2007-08 legislative session. Mary Lazich got a dismal score-- the lowest score of the Wisconsin State Senators.

Contending that a Scorecard score sometimes “doesn’t do enough to illustrate just how far some legislators will go to jeopardize Wisconsin’s natural resources” and that some legislators are “grossly out-of-line with the conservation values of their constituents”, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters added a “Conservation Dishonor Roll”. Four legislators’ names (including Mary Lazich’s) are on that “Dishonor” list. Senator Lazich and Representative Sheryl Albers got their “Dishonor” mention for ignoring the overwhelming public and bi-partisan support of the Great Lakes Compact and being the only legislators to oppose its passage.

( Check out what James Rowen's The Political Environment blog, July 16 entry says about Sen. Lazich's actions, too )

It's not the first time that Sen. Lazich’s (R-New Berlin) performance earned a citizen group's disapproval.

The CRG Network (an outgrowth of Citizens for Responsible Government PAC), which touts holding politicians accountable, has accused Sen. Lazich of dishonesty. Their Web site states, “ Lazich lied to constituents when asked whether she voted for the pro-taxpayer majority leader. CRG Network did an investigational poll that revealed at least one senator lied about their vote and Lazich was forced to confess to her lie when CRG pushed for a re-vote. She subsequently resigned the leadership post she was promised in return for her vote under continued CRG Network pressure.” See my July 10 blog post.

My June 20 blog entry reported that Sen. Lazich’s name is on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s list of “Public Enemies”. The WDC is a non-partisan political watchdog group that tracks money in Wisconsin politics and supports clean government and pro-democracy reform.

Keep your shirt on

Doug Sprague — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:49:57 GMT

I don't know about you but it seems to me there are a lot more people running around Tosa without shirts on these days. Actually, haven't seen any women yet without shirts- just guys. Anyway, here's a message to you Brad Pitt/ Matthew McWhatshisname wannabes-If you are hot (by this I mean sweaty hot, not good-looking hot) wear a tank top or sleeveless t-shirt. Spare the rest of us in town your lovehandles, man-boobs, back hair, etc. You can run, mow the lawn, ride a bike and walk the dog without the he-man exhibition. The vast majority of you prancing the parkway or biking the boulevard should be wearing a "mansierre" anyway so leave a little to the imagination, big guy and we'll all enjoy summer even more. Let's "nip" this in the bud. Thank you in advance.

Uh-oh spaghetti-o

Randy Hollenbeck — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:31:31 GMT

Anti-Obama Bloggers Question Why Google Froze Their Accounts

Some bloggers opposed to Barack Obama say they suspect Obama's supporters — with the assistance of Google — may have tried to censor them when the Internet giant froze their Web sites for five days last month.

Seven blogs run by Democrats who oppose Obama’s nomination for the presidency were incorrectly flagged as spam sites by Blogger, the hosting service Google has owned since 2003. Google says it was an automated response from a spam filter.

But the bloggers believe that Web surfers who support Obama took advantage of a loophole in Blogger’s system that allows readers to report spam blogs, the artificial Web sites that abound on the Internet and are used to promote other sites.

"It appears that [Blogger's] policy can be manipulated by people determined to shut down the free exchange of ideas," said Carissa Snedeker, whose blog, BlueLyon, was among those that were frozen.

Rest of the story

Could it be possible that Obama supporters are treated differently and given special leeway? Naw, that would not be fair and we all know they play fair.

BREWER FEVER

Richard J. Steinberg — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:03:11 GMT

I have been a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers since they were a AAA team playing at Borchert Field at 8th and Chambers. I remember one game when then owner Bill Veek was greeting the fans at their seats and he came over and sat next to me and we chatted about the Brewers. It was a thrill and to think the owner asked me for my opinions. I was only 8.

The American Association Brewers had their icons such as Tedd Gullic, Charley Grimm, Ken Keltner, Joe Just, Hal Peck, Heinz Becker, Casey Stengel, Jackie Price(and his pet snake) and many others.

The Brewers then transformed to the Braves at County Stadium led by such greats as Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Johnny Logan, Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron.

The Braves moved to Atlanta and after a period of no baseball a new franchise was born, the Milwaukee Pilots, to become the new Milwaukee Brewers playing in the American League and now the National League.

Historically player trades have been made over the years, some of which led to championships.

For example, the Braves traded for Hall of Famer second baseman, Red Schoendinst. The Brewers acquired Hall of Fame pitchers, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers.

Our present Brewers have traded for C.C. Sabathia and Ray Durham.

Time will only tell but during that time Brewer Fever is at a high pitch and fan support is needed.

The Brewer chances are better than good, thanks to a great owner and many talented players.

I will be at one of the Cub games with an old friend who is from Chicago and a Cub fan. What's better ?

Next Assignment....Four Day School Week

Janet Evans — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:05:00 GMT

It began in rural school district's around the country as a cost saving measure....

Four day school weeks.

Parent objections may be heard at first because of child care concerns, but as with any change, they eventually get used to it.

Will it be a an expanding trend?

Just think of the savings in a city school district.

Enormous in transportation costs alone; then add in energy and substitute teaching costs?

Savings really start to add up.

Facing a crippling increase in fuel costs, some rural U.S. schools are mulling a solution born of the '70s oil crisis: a four-day week.

Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents' concerns about finding day-care for the day off.

"For rural school districts where buses may travel 100 miles round-trip each day, there certainly are transportation savings worth considering," said Marc Egan, the director of federal affairs at the National School Boards Association.

I say it might not happen tommorrow...but it will happen. But where, is the question.

Read the article from Reuters here

Brewer's boot "Hot Air Tour" from ballpark Saturday, July 26, but it's still a go!

Kyle Prast — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:58:09 GMT

Americans for Prosperity, a nationwide grassroots group, was to have held a rally/press conference as part of their Brewer game Taxpayer Tailgate outing tomorrow. The rally was to raise awareness "about the serious threat global warming alarmism poses to our prosperity, including legislation being considered by Congress that would more than double gasoline prices."

But the Brewer's ballpark decided they did not want anything political going on in their parking lot and so they said NO to the hot air balloon rides and Hot Air Tour, the name of the rally. They will not put any of that in writing, but the hot air balloon permit was canceled just the same.

Of course the stadium still wants you to come to the tailgate at 3pm and game at 6pm though. (Translation, you can still come spend your money here.)

Americans for Prosperity isn't about to let this snag squelch their rally though. They are moving the rally to their headquarters parking lot at 1126 S. 70th Street (located behind the K-mart shopping center in the old Allis Chalmers buildings on Washington and 70th.) It shouldn't be too hard to find, the 7 story high hot air balloon should mark the spot!

The actual Press Conference/Political event and free balloon rides (Hot Air Tour) are scheduled from 2:30 - 3pm, but you can gather and schmooze starting at 1:30pm.

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner will be there, so will radio's Vicki McKenna, County Executive Scott Walker, State Representative Jim Ott (Meteorologist), AFP-WI State Director Mark Block, AFP Director of Communications Annie Patnaude, and Phil Williamson of Fight Back Wisconsin. Williamson will be circulating his domestic oil drilling and oil refinery petition, or you may sign online.

After the rally, they will head over to the Taxpayer Tailgate at the stadium.

You do not need to register to come to the rally, which is free. You do need to register for ballpark events: Tailgate only is $10.00 at Miller Park's South East Parking lot (Mets Parking Lot). Full Event Tickets are ONLY $21.00.

Email any questions to Brenda Baas at brenda.baas@afphq.org or call 414-475-2975.

As for coming to the ballpark and spending money there, well, if I had already purchased my Brewer ticket, I would probably be inclined to NOT buy a thing!

From Mark Block: Read about our Hot Air Tour event and our response to Governor Doyle's Task Force on Global Warming here - click here - and join us on Saturday at 1:30 at 1126 S. 70th Street in West Allis.

Click here to sign the DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. PAY LESS domestic drilling petition and see the latest links to related oil news (updated every day).

Links:

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Betterbrookfield, Mark Levin , Vicki Mckenna