JSS: NIU Student on Jeopardy-- "I Am Legend"-- WBBM AM ON WXRT FM

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  NIU STUDENT ON JEOPARDY--  Senior Steph O'Malley was a contestant on Jeopardy this past Friday, March 20 during College Week.  Unfortunately those bankrupts really hurt her.  But so proud of you, Steph.

2.  "I AM LEGEND"--  Since  "House Arrest" I have been watching a lot of movies.  Thursday night I saw Will Smith in this movie.  Probably not a good choice to watch this movie these days. At least we don't have zombies.

3.  WBBM AM ON WXRT FM--  The other day I turned on the radio in the morning to listen to WXRT in Chicago as usual, but instead heard WBBM News Radio.  I was a bit confused until I found out that they were now doing news updates about the "V."

--RoadDog

TOP TEN COUNTRY SONGS:  Please Bypass This Heart."

News and Observation" What's in a Name?-- Is It Candy or Food?

Some items in the news and comment.


1. WHAT'S IN A NAME?-- The August 2nd Chicago Tribune ran a list of how the seafood industry has been trying to "dress up" the names of sea critters to be more appealing to eaters. First is the original name, then the new name:

Patagarian toothfish-- Chilean Sea Bass
Goosefish-- Monkfish
Slimehead-- Orange roughy
Rock Crab-- Peekytoe crab

Great story with some of Liz's mom's old friends. Once at a restaurant, one looked at the menu and said he wanted some of that orange rugby fish.

Slimehead, anyone?


2. IS IT CANDY OR FOOD?-- Illinois has an array of new taxes taking effect September 1st, including paying full taxes on candy (instead of the reduced food tax). That means 10 and a quarter percent in Chicago (11% in the Loop). The August 2nd Chicago Tribune had an graphic about what is considered food and what is candy. makes you wonder.

he law says any sweet with flour in it is considered food. Without flour, it's candy.

Item, then what it's considered under the new taxes.

1. O-Ke-Doke cheese popcorn
2. Cracker Jack
3. Butterfinger Stixx
4. Good & Plenty
5. Snickers
6. Whoppers malted milk balls
7. Hershey's Milk Chocolate
8. Twix
9. Kit Kat
10. Pecan roll
11. 3 Musketeers
12. Twizzlers
13. Goetze's caramel creams
14. Chocolate-covered peanuts
15. Chocolate-covered pretzels
16. Yogurt-covered raisins
17. Butterfinger

ANSWERS

1. food
2. candy
3. food
4. food
5. candy
6. food
7. candy
8. food
9. food
10. food
11. candy
12. food
13. food
14. candy
15. food
16. candy
17. food

Who'd have figured? Back when I was teaching, the food service in the cafeteria once classified catsup/kethup as a veregtable. Oh, well.

Chicago and Illinois Is as Chicago and Illinois Does. --RoadDog

News and Observation: What Did Michael Do for Gary?

I've seem several articles recently regarding Michael Jackson's relationship with his home town of Gary, Indiana, a city that definitely needs ALL the help it can get. Michael Jackson did not do much for Gary. Some of the money spent on Neverland would have helped. Or even make Neverland in Gary.

The Mississippi town of Tupelo makes about $50,000,000 a year from visitors to Elvis Presley's childhood home, and Gary would like to get something similar going on there. During his lifetime, Jackson did very little for his hometown. Some of those millions definitely would have helped.

Elvis Presley returned to Tupelo to play a concert in 1957 and noticed that his boyhood home was for sale. He offered to donate the proceeds to the city if they bought his home and surrounding land and turned it into a park. It happened.

Instead, it took gambling to bring some money to Gary because of its proximity to Chicago, and I'm not really sure how much they get.

An article in the July 5th Chicago Tribune mentioned that Jackson did once plan a concert in the city, but it fell through when the city wanted too much control.

Let's Hope Some of This Jackson Hoopla Will Bring Relief to His Home Town. --RoadDog

News and Observation: Menu Beefs

A few days ago, the Tribune ran a list of things they didn't like that you might find on a menu in a restaurant.

Readers added their own "beefs" and the Trib listed some yesterday.

boneless wings
coldest beer in town
hand-selected
sherbert
garbage salad
garbage pizza
hand-crafted cocktails
grilled to perfection
world famous
Kobe burger
garden fresh
homemade melt-in-your-mouth

How About "Warm Beer and Cold Food," and the Ever-Popular "Boneless Chicken" Referring to Hard Boiled Eggs--RoadDog

News and Observation: 12:34:56 7/08/09

OK, I missed it. But, in my defense, NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT IT and it just didn't enter my mind.

But, yesterday, at 12:34:56, both AM and PM, all those numbers lined up in just that manner. I was asleep for the first and at Bob's house having a great lunch with good friends for the PM. This only happens once (or twice) every 100 years, so guess I'll miss the next one.

This was in the July 8th Chicago Tribune (which I read at 5 PM).

It also listed some other mathematically-significant days like 9/09/09, especially at 9:09 AM and PM at 9 seconds.

We already missed 01:03 on 5/07/09, 3/03/09 (square root day). Guess when the next one is in seven years. See below.

Then, for the real math enthusiasts, there's 3/14 and 7/22, which is Pi Day.

BELOW-- 4/04/16.

File Under Stuff You Don't Need to Know.

News and Observation: Buddy Guy on Obama-- Should Etta James Have Sung?-- The Queen of the Blues

Just Some Thoughts and Observations. From a Blues Standpoint This Time.


1. BUDDY GUY ON OBAMA-- I was listening to Tom Marker, host of WXRT's Bluesbreakers program, talk with Chicago Bluesman Buddy Guy who made a good point about Barack Obama, saying he is half and half. His mother was white and father black. As such, he shouldn't be called African-American. Buddy Guy believes that Obama needs a new name. Said Marker, "How about Mr. President?" I'd agree with that.

However, I really get tired of all this African-American stuff. After all, he is as much white as he is black. Too bad his mother and grandmother were not alive so they could have been at the swearing in ceremony.


2. SHOULD ETTA JAMES HAVE SUNG?-- The question was, was Etta James really angry that Beyonce got to sing her song "At Last" as the inaugural ball instead of her. Compared to James, Beyonce had it easy breaking into the music business as blacks are much more easily brought in than back in James' days in the fifties, when black stars could perform in places, but not be allowed to stay in them.

Often, they did not get the same opportunities as white performers. Look at how many black artists Pat Boone ripped off. Then, there was the Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine" where they wouldn't put their picture on the record cover because they were black.

I think it would have been fitting for Etta James to have sung the song. At last, blacks have much more equal opportunities. These early black performers endured hardships Beyonce could never understand.

3. THE QUEEN OF THE BLUES-- Still missing that great voice that left us last week. I had the opportunity to see Koko Taylor at a small club in Lincolnshire, Illinois, back in the late 70s or 80s. What a performer!! If you could get into that old "Wang Dang Doodle," you were not a fan of music. "All Night Long," indeed.

Is It a Black or White Thing? --RoadDog

News and Observation: Some Birthdays and Anniversaries and Reunions

Some recent birthdays and what-not.

MAY 18th

REGGIE JACKSON, 63-- "Mr. October" Great pre-steroid ballplayer. Used to drive me nuts, though, as he played for those dastardly Yankees. Could he be that old?

GEORGE STRAIT-- 57-- Mr. Country, Mr, No. 1, with over fifty. And, he's one year younger than me!!

TINA FEY, 39-- Really like her on "30 Rock."

PERNELL ROBERTS, 81-- The last surviving of the Cartwright clan. That's Adam to you.

And, 1980, was the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, in Washington state. We went to it back in the nineties, and to use a kids word, it was "awesome" even all those years later. Sure had some great sunsets for awhile after that with all the ash in the atmosphere.


MAY 19th

Pete Townsend, 64-- The Who-- Yesterday, Bob Stroud played what Pete considers to be his best song, "I Can See for Miles" on his One Forty-five at 1:45 bit. Sunday, he featured the top 14 songs of the Who on his Rock and Roll Roots Show on WDRV, the Drive from 7 to 10 AM.


MAY 20th, Today

SUSAN COWSILL, 50-- "She asked my why, why I was a hairy guy?" Good thing she's a girl. her brothers have a hard time of it. I really liked her counterpart on the Partridge family, Susan Dey. My second unrequited love after dear old Annette from the Mouseketeers.

CHER, 63-- She of Sonny and those "provocative outfits." be still my heart. She gave old Tina a run for the money.

JOE COCKER, 65-- Was one of the only performers at both the original and reunion Woodstock. Known for his jerky motions while singing, especially at the original Woodstock. And then, there was the slurring of the words of that "With a Little Help from My Friends." Someone actually sat down and translated them with hilarious photos.

Of course, John Belushi got famous doing his Cocker imitation and taking it to the extreme.

What was he on at the time?

Five years ago, he summed up his 60th birthday, "I'm just a fat bald guy 60 years old, singing the blues, you know." Good summation, Joe.


ON HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS

Oh, yes, and today I was listening to Georgia Lee and WRLR in Round lake Heights and she mentioned that the Round Lake High School Class of 1979 was looking for classmates for an October reunion. This would have been my first class of seventh graders to graduate high school. (My first group were my ninth graders in '77.)

Then, it reminded me that this year is the FORTIETH!! Class Reunion of my Palatine High School Class of 1969!! "We are great, we are fine. We're the Class of '69!!!"

Can We Be getting That Old? --RoadDog

News and Observation: Mother's Day-- Brothers?-- Mighty Expensive Places

News and Observation-- stories in the news and a comment or two.


1, MOTHER'S DAY-- Today is the anniversary of President Wilson proclaiming Mother's Day in 1914. It is also the date in 1960 when the FDA approved the Pill for oral contraception. Makes you wonder.


2. BROTHERS?-- Someone needs to wipe that smirk off of Drew Peterson, who finally was arrested a few days ago. But everytime you see him, he's got that attitude. Reminds me of a former disgraces Illinois governor. Could they be long-last brothers? Or brothers from another mother?

3. MIGHTY EXPENSIVE PLACES-- Forbes listed the twenty most expensive places to live in the US based on metro areas. No big surprise, Los Angeles and Chicago ranked #1 and #2. This was based primarily on earnings potential for bachelor degrees and living expenses.

I don't know about LA, but in Chicago, if the parking DON'T Get Ya, the taxes will.

Just a few Observations. --RoadDog

News and Observation: A Boat and An Island

The May 4th Chicago Tribune had two interesting articles.

THE QUEEN MARY

1. A BOAT-- One was about the possibility of the Queen Mary taking to the high seas again. A small Las Vegas entertainment company would like to renovate and restore the Queen Mary ocean liner to its former glory and put it out to sea again. It has been docked in Long Beach, California, for the past 42 years as a tourist complex with hotel, restaurants, and exhibits. It is estimated the cost will be $1.5 billion and take four years to get her ship-shape again.

At least this ship LOOKS like an ocean liner. Not like the new ones which look like floating boxes.


FLORIDA VS. CUBA TOURISM

2. An Island-- With the president moving toward reestablishing relations with Cuba (about time), Florida is taking big-time notice. And starting to worry about lost revenue. Estimates say that as many as 2 million Americans would go to Florida for vacation, roughly one in five who would have gone to Florida.

Hey, there are lots of old cars in Cuba and I'm sure prices would be considerably lower.

I for one, would go to Cuba, but also will continue going to Florida. We especially like the panhandle in winter.

Boating or Driving. Not Bad. --RoadDog

Americans Worrying About America-- RoadDog's News and Observation

A recent AP/Yahoo News poll shows that 77% of Americans are worrying about the state of affairs. With all this inflation and surging gas prices, only 30 % approve of the job the president is doing, and that number drops to 19% when it comes to Congress.

As far as political party alliance, 88% of the Democrats think the country is on the wrong track, That number with Republicans is 62%. A huge number oppose the war in Iraq.

I don't know about anyone else, but I can't see that Congress is taking any steps to alleviate or even address the oil problem. And I hold the Democrats to blame for that. I don't expect much help from Republicans on this issue. Democrats hold the majority in both houses. It is time to do something.

Time to Walk the Walk, Not Just Talk the Talk. --RoadDog

On $100 a Barrel Oil-- RoadDog's News and Observation

The Nov. 21st Chicago Tribune had an article about the impending $100-a-barrel oil. It says that investors at the New York Mercantile Exchange are fearful because of the declining value of the dollar, refinery problems, and the Federal Reserve might cut interest rates. Because of this, oil-bidding is just going up.

Crude oil for January delivery climbed to $99.29 a barrel on Tuesday, the day before.

Hey, guys, let's get it over with and hit your milestone today. Get it out of your system. Then rejoin the real world and let the prices come down. This is nothing short of ridiculous. Prices do NOT have to be this high.

Folks here in the US are being hurt badly by this whenever they go to the gas pump or buy groceries. Plus, we have the winter heating season facing us. We need a break.

Haven't you fellas made enough money on this grave situation? Exactly how MUCH do you NEED?

Certainly, you speculators at the NYME, have done enough damage to your fellow Americans and I'm not even going to talk about the aid you're giving our enemies as they rake in these oil profits.

In school, if a child can't play with others in the sandbox, we take them out of that sandbox. Perhaps it would be in everyone's best interest to close the oil futures part of the Mercantile Exchange for awhile until sanity returns.

Paying $3.07 here in Fox Lake, Illinois, now. Last year, I was paying $2.20!!! This is not your much ballyhooed "Summer Driving Season" excuse. It's almost WINTER, for crying out loud.

Come On, Give Us a Break!! --RoadDog

Pigeon Problems-- RoadDog's News and Observation

The November 14th Chicago Tribune had an article about the pigeon problem in US cities. Besides rats and squirrels, and now, apparently some coyotes, pigeons have adapted themselves to living in urban areas better than any other non-domesticated animal. The tall buildings are an excellent substitute for the canyons they inhabit in the wild.

Whenever I go into Chicago, they are everywhere. Some won't even move until you almost step on them.

And, there are a LOT of them, and even more all the time. Many cities are trying to control them, even from removing their eggs, birth control, to using birds of prey to swoop down on them. In Brooklyn, NY, city councilman Simcha Felding has proposed an ordinance that would make it illegal to FEED pigeons and punishable by a $1,000 FINE if you break the law.

This proposal has pigeon-lovers up in arms.

But, what are you going to do. Feeding the pigeons only increases their numbers, but I'm sure they can forage for enough food in the garbage. Of course, the very worst thing they do is leave their droppings all over everything, especially statues, which they consider to be their very own private bathroom.

I remember being in a hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, and right across the road was a statue of Sir Walter Scott, author of Ivanhoe and many other Scottish books. The body was black from all those years of early industry, but the head and shoulders was a striking white from you-know-what. Another time, I was in St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. Now, if you want to talk pigeons, this has to be the largest concentration of themin the world. I was surprised to see all the open air eateries. I don't know that I'd like to eat out on that square.

Of course, I never had the pleasure of a pigeon dropping on the head, and I'm sure if it ever does happen, I will be a bit more anti-pigeon.

I Don't Mind a FEW Pigeons...But.... --RoadDog