What the Hanie?

Football is a soap opera for men (as evidenced by the ridiculous Dr. Pepper 10 ads). Tebow's magic meets Belichik's discipline, Orton and Jones put one on the Packers, and Johhny Knox gets folded in half on his first catch of the last meaningful game of the season.

For the Bears, they're basically out of contention for post-season play, but with Hanie at the helm, it wouldn't have mattered if they made it. I'm not sure if it's that he's that bad or if he's just never gotten any practice time with the first team, but he's not capable of running that offense. Seems like a nice enough guy, but he's yet another indictment against Jerry Angelo.

Winding the clock back, Lovie fires Ron Turner, looks for a new offensive coordinator, and after all of the quality options get snapped up by other teams, he gets down to one guy - his former boss in St. Louis - Mike Martz. Martz is known for being a great coordinator, but that's based on the seasons he had in St. Louis, with top-tier talent at nearly every position. In Detroit, he put up tons of yards with a mid-grade QB and overrated WR (now on the Bears) but didn't win many games.

Since he's the last man standing, Lovie hires him to be the OC, likely knowing the team doesn't have the components to fill out Martz's system. The second year in, the Bears get rid of their prized draft pick in Greg Olsen and pick up the aforementioned Roy Williams as a veteran receiver. The idea was to replace Olsen with a blocking TE (Spaeth) and add a real WR (Williams), but they only got part of that deal done, and the cost was losing a sure thing for pass plays. The Bears would have been much better off moving Olsen to WR and NOT HIRING WILLIAMS.

They also got Sam Hurd, but you may have seen something about him in the news this past week.

It's time for the Bears to abandon their old philosophy (all we need is defense and a running game) and to adopt an offensive mentality. Yes, it means they'll have harder choices to make at draft time, but it also means that they'll finally have depth at key offensive spots for a change.

It's Just a Game...

I don't blame Marion Barber for losing the game. He carved out tough yards through the whole game and put the only touchdown on the board. He's a third-down back that's been asked to play the feature role, and up until the very end of the game, he did a great job. Yes, those two plays gave the Broncos the chance to do what they did - and kudos to the Broncos for playing those fortunes perfectly - but if we had even one more field goal in 60 minutes of play, they wouldn't have mattered.

To put the blame solely on Barber is unfair. One of the subtle things you lose when a Jay Cutler is out is that veteran clock awareness. My guess is that Cutler tells his crew to stay in bounds in the huddle and Hanie doesn't. How many times have we seen Jay call a timeout to avoid a penalty when he sees his own guys lined up incorrectly?

In fairness, I don't blame Hanie alone. The head football coach allowed a change in the defense for the last, and most important, drive of the game. They went to a prevent, which actually prevents nothing. More importantly, forget about the connection between Tebow and the Lord - it's his connection with his team that makes him the focus of all this attention. It might also be the catalyst to better play from his team. The fact that he's a rookie and throws as poorly as he does, but yet the Broncos refer to him as their leader, that says something.

Here's the sour grapes: I saw multiple, egregious instances of holding on Broncos offensive plays. I had an inclination that Tebow had run over the line of scrimmage when he threw that touchdown pass, but I assumed it must not have been the case since Lovie didn't challenge it. In retrospect, it might have been worth it to contest that, but the Bears might also have been out of timeouts by then. (I don't remember.)

Regardless, I wrote off the Bears earlier in the season and they came back to surprise me with a long stretch of wins. There are not many games left, so I think it's fair to write them off for good at this point. Hanie is not good at all (more indictment of Jerry Angelo) and it's too late in the season to pick up someone who can both learn the system and be safe or even effective. What I said then is that the Bears are not a quality team based on their lack of depth. Still true.

Holy Crap - I'm a Dad!

Not really a surprise, but today I saw some clear connections to the youth I can remember. My son was checking every room upstairs looking for his mom (at work) with great anticipation, until the room came up empty, then despair took over. He seemed utterly lost, even though I was there to comfort him. Tonight, for the first time, I think his object permanence took another step.

I am still able to distract and redirect him, so this didn't last forever. He was tired, and he was saying "night night" which is code for "go to sleep with mom". When she was nowhere to be found after multiple checks, he was crying and saying "ma ma... ma ma". That was heartbreaking.

Luckily, after a few laps, he let me bring him back downstairs. We put on the Lawrence Welk show (we're recording that to DVR now - it's amazing for inducing sleepy time) and he started to drift. With daylight savings, he was out by 6:30 pm.

I have recently realized that he's no longer a baby. We made it through the scary stuff and the sleepless nights with relatively little difficulty. We got a good one. He's a smart, sensitive, hilarious boy already, and even though we bought a new camera so we wouldn't miss it, I feel like the first part of his life went by too quickly. The photos we got - even the good ones - don't do justice.

Considering how many photos we've taken, I should probably post more of them. I'll get on that in the Flickr account one of these days. Until then...

I Like the Cutler of His Jib

I heard a caller on the Mully and Hanley show recently saying that he was tired of the Jay Cutler love fest. He said that Cutler's mechanics are to blame for some or most of the problems the offense is having. I completely disagree, and I offer the following suggestions about Jay Cutler:

1. He worked on mechanics over the summer. All accounts were that his footwear was quicker, release was crisper, and he even lost a little weight. Mike Martz commented on this without prompt, in fact, just before the season started.

2. Mechanics are only part of the equation. Judgement is a bigger part. In Jay's first year, he trusted the line and the receivers and threw a ridiculous number of interceptions. He appeared to be throwing to the spots, but the receivers weren't there. Second year, he didn't trust the receivers as much and got sacked as much or more than any QB in the league. Importantly, the interceptions weren't nearly as bad. This year, when he's protected, he makes good throws and his mechanics look good. Those moments are somewhat rare, and the receivers are still not always where they need to be, and they sometimes drop the ball.

3. Jay has never thrown anyone, regardless of futility (I'm talking about Frank Omiyale in particular), under the bus. I would not be nearly as diplomatic for all the crap being sent his way day in and day out - including guys on radio call-in shows talking about how his mechanics suck.

4. I have now heard people suggest that the Bears should trade Cutler. There are some major flaws with that idea. First, it ignores the history of mediocre QBs that the Bears have cultivated. Second, to trade Cutler would mean to bring in someone new, and that responsibility lies with the same management team that brought us Henry Burris. Third, there aren't any available quarterbacks in the league that would be better than Jay Cutler with the other offensive components as they stand.

5. On top of everything else, Cutler is dealing with a serious disease every single day. Diabetes makes it harder for him to recover from injuries and to stay alert at various times of the day. In the past, it seemed like he was delirious in evening games. It really looks like he has figured out whatever was making him lag at night and has been totally crisp. Regardless, he should be getting extra credit for overcoming and playing through his disease but gets picked apart instead.

Honestly, I would have cracked by now. Too much speculation on heart, toughness, and skill from seemingly everyone - and I'd call him an elite QB. We just don't have anything to compare him to, and he's working with a mediocre squad. Instead of cracking, he comes back with improved play every week. I hope the Bears eventually put the tools in place to show off how good Cutler really is.

Bears Down

It's getting crazy now. We've seen the Detroit Lions go from 0-16 to seemingly unbeatable. That took a complete reboot from the general manager on down the line. There are only a few players from that tragic team that are still in the program, and they were kept because they were top-notch players.

The Bears keep the mediocrity alive by performing just well enough to give us a little hope. Since 1985, this has always ended with disappointment. This year, with a 2 and 3 start, I don't expect anything different. Even if, like last year, they win the majority of their upcoming games, I will not be convinced that they are a solid, elite team.

They won the first game of the season with a fairly balanced attack. Unfortunately, they lost some key players to injury, and if that's all it takes to throw the team into disarray, then we might have a good starting team, but not a solid, elite team in general.

We don't have backup offensive or defensive line guys. We don't have solid backups for the secondary. We don't have #1 receivers and I'm not sure any of the current receivers are even solid backup guys. Even worse, Angelo has hired guys like Roy Williams, Mushin Muhammad, and an old Marty Booker (not to mention Adam Archuleta and Orlando Pace well past their useful years).

So, Angelo lucks into a premier quarterback. First move after that should have been to protect him. That means keeping the two veterans worth anything on the O-line (Garza and Kreutz) and back-filling with new, young talent. Hire guys that won't need to start this year so you can develop them.

I heard this reiterated almost exactly this morning on the Mully and Hanley show (670 AM) by Michael Lombardi. In fact, he pointed out all of the flaws in the system as it stands (bad safety play, no pass rush, no receivers, no QB protection, old schemes) but made the most sense talking about the organization. He started out by talking about the humble beginning of Jim Schwartz, new Lions coach. He mentioned that the way the Lions built up from scratch is similar to how the Patriots and Steelers were built. No one person is bigger than the organization and everyone is pulling in the same direction.

This is very far from the case in Chicago. Matt Forte wants a new contract and very much deserves it. He might be the most important offensive player in the entire NFL when you consider how bad the Bears offense would be without him. Doesn't seem to matter that he had a great year last year and his rookie year, or that he tried to play through an injury in the interim year. The Bears won't pay him, even though they apparently have cap money left.

Lance Briggs is getting older but, despite having gone head to head with Angelo over contract issues in the past, wants to re-work his deal as well. Just like last time, he let it be known that he's not happy here. I can't imagine Jay Cutler is super excited to be in a system that does very little to support his strengths or protect his spine, although we haven't really heard any griping from him at all. He's more than just physically tough, it seems.

Basically, the list of players I'd keep in a complete overhaul has shrunk since last year. Jay Cutler stays for sure. Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, and Dave Toub stay, but mostly for sentimental reasons. Beyond that - from the GM on down - I'm ready for the new regime. I'm tired of good one year, bad the next, mediocre the year after that. I would like some consistency one way or the other.

Like the Lions.

On Prosperity

I filed bankruptcy paperwork for a lawyer in the family one summer. Most cases were people pulling in a certain amount of revenue per month but spending 2 or 3 times that on every HBO channel, a BMW or new truck, gym memberships, etc. They probably walked away without paying for any of it. They were working the credit system in an unregulated and dangerous time, and that is despicable.

Out of all of the cases I filed, the saddest was a guy who lived in the same house that he grew up in and eventually bought from his parents. He had done (hard) menial labor his whole life, and had medical trouble that his crappy insurance wouldn't cover. He was forced to file bankruptcy and was likely to lose the house. It broke my heart. Poor guy fell on hard times and was basically helpless. That, to me, is what the government is for, and it failed him. Conservatives contend that the government does too much. But what about that guy? Should we just leave him to suffer?

If minimum wage was higher, he might have been able to make it. If health care was universal, he wouldn't have had to file bankruptcy or lose his house. For all of the people who take advantage of "entitlement" programs, there are people like this guy who are the reason for it, and yet it still fails. And on the flip side, when "the market" regulates things, LOTS of people game the system (think mortgages), so that argument should be a wash. We should focus more on the good that these programs do and how to make them better.

I'd prefer an increase in funding to add administration which could reduce the number of freeloaders and train the well-intended, hard-working folks for different opportunities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warren Buffet posted an op-ed in the NY Times this past week suggesting that the government ask more of the super-rich. I have no way of verifying anything he says, but the numbers are the most eye-opening thing to me. Less than 250K households bringing in more than $1 million/year in the US is a surprise. I would have expected many more than that. Out of the entire US, that's basically the population of Aurora, IL.

I think Buffett simplified the situation, because folks in his range of wealth have odd, nebulous "jobs" - mostly investing, or letting their money make money. Income from labor and income from investments are taxed differently. Unless greater taxation on investments is stipulated to start at a certain dollar level, then suddenly my 401K gets hit harder, too.

The overall suggestion leads to a question I've asked a few times but still haven't heard a reasonable answer for: why not implement a flat tax? According to Buffett:

I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain.

The taxation system as it stands benefits the rich and hurts the poor. A lower, flat tax would even out that ratio. It would provide more revenue from the rich and ease the burden on the poor. I simply don't understand the argument against.

Spinnin' the Wheels of Silicon

Action City has a Turntable.fm account. Click here and let me know when you're there so we can DJ battle.

Runkeeper Test

I got a few miles in on the bike at lunch. Here's where I went:

Cycling Activity 4.16 mi | RunKeeper

Mobility and Me

I am typing this post on a Droid 2 Global Android phone. Using only my thumbs and dancing around the auto-correct feature, it's not bad at all. In fact, despite the sometimes shaky nature of some apps, this is more like the dream device I have always wanted than I would have expected.

Android represents the biggest productivity gain for me since my first Palm device many years ago. It's a more powerful computer than my first two desktops, and it's completely mobile. It's a strange thing to see a device I imagined so long ago. Freaky, even.

I am sure the iPhone is just as nice or nicer, but the ethos behind Android (and, if I am to believe rumors, many if the engineers) comes from the original Palm.

Next week, I'll be hooking up a computer the size of a videocassette to my television to stream HD shows and act as a DVR. I will be able to log in to that computer remotely and watch my saved shows on this phone.

Freaky, indeed.

Don't Use Expedia.com

I can't tell you what to do or not do, but I can offer warnings. Last weekend was the second time in two tries that Expedia sold me a room at full price that did not exist. Here's the result from the angry e-mail I wrote:

Dear Expedia Customer, - Really? Can't muster a customized greeting for the robomail?

Thank you for contacting us about your feedback.

Please accept our apologies in regards to what had transpired during your vacation. As one of our valued customers, your words carry a lot of weight with us, so we are distressed to hear that your travel experience was not a good one. We regret any inconvenience that may have occurred during your stay and would like to assure you that every reservation is important to us.

Thank you for bringing this incident to our attention.

For now, we could only ask for your patience on this matter, though we know that you have exerted all possible efforts to be patient. We would really appreciate your kind understanding and we look forward to resolving this issue for you soon.

Should you need further assistance regarding this matter, do not hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-Expedia (1-800-3973342) or 1-404-728-8787 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada. A customer service representative would be happy to assist you on this matter.

If this does not answer your question or solve your problem, feel free to reply to this message or call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) and reference case ID: M-xxxxxx.

Thank you for choosing Expedia.


Expedia Customer Service Team

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Jun 29, 2011 7:48:01 AM
To: Travel

* Subject: Refunds questions or comments

--------------------------------
* Comment:
This past weekend, we booked a hotel for two nights through Expedia. We drove 6+ hours to Ames, IA only to find out that the hotel room we had booked (and pre-paid for through Expedia) did not exist. The very sympathetic hotel manager explained that they had been booked solid with four weddings and multiple sports teams for a few weeks.

He was helpful in getting us set up at the Hampton Inn (a sister hotel) with the same reservation, but the Expedia representative I spoke with did NOTHING for us. We already had a jacuzzi suite, so upgrading wasn't any benefit. We ended up quite a distance from the folks we were visiting, and the Hampton Inn is a much older hotel. They were also nice, but the door keys worked 1 in 20 tries (very frustrating) and the jacuzzi tub had a broken front panel and the jets didn't work. I have a hard time believing the 2-year-old Hilton (where we booked the room through Expedia) would have had these same problems.

So, to summarize, we made it through a 6+ hour trip with a 10-month-old baby only to have to pack him back up and go to a different hotel which was farther from our destination than we had hoped to be, because Expedia took a reservation for a room that didn't exist and charged full price for it.

If you can offer any kind of voucher or refund for basically ruining the vacation, I'd be interested in hearing more. If not, I'd like to close my Expedia account and I'll be discussing this with everyone I know.

And here's the back story:
We drove six hours to Ames, IA, to visit some friends. Turns out there's no room, and the hotel was booked solid. The manager was very nice and quite sympathetic, but had no room in the inn. My wife, my 10-month-old son, and me, a bit ragged from a long car ride, were ready to hop in the hot tub we planned wisely to have waiting for us. No such luck.

The hotel manager was nothing but pleasant and assured me that they had been booked solid for weeks (so Expedia sold inventory that didn't exist by the time I bought it) with four weddings and a baseball tournament in town. I called Expedia and gave them my itinerary number and they offered to call the hotel on my behalf. I watched the hotel manager pick up the phone (while I was on hold) and explain the same story to the Expedia rep (who was speaking English but was still impossible to understand over the crappiest phone/connection I think I've heard). The hotel manager offered to transfer our reservation to a sister hotel in town. The Expedia rep asked to talk to me to see if that would be okay.

She offered to upgrade me to the hot tub suite. We already paid for the hot tub suite, so that was no offer. Then, she asked if it would be okay to move our reservation to a different hotel seeing as this one had no rooms. The last thing we wanted to do was get back in the car at this point and drive back across town. We had a cranky kid and a homemade dinner waiting for us just a few blocks away. We acquiesced.

The hotel manager brought us out some bottles of water. He got a faxed confirmation of our reservation with the sister hotel and gave us good directions. We strapped the boy back in and he started screaming.

Luckily, when we got to the other hotel, the two folks behind the counter were also sympathetic and very nice. They got us into our room with no problem (well, one of the keys didn't work and the other worked one out of ten swipes) and we were finally able to relax. Unfortunately, we were more than an hour late for dinner (now on the other side of town) and closing in on Eli's bed time.

Ultimately, it worked out and we had a nice time with our friends, but I feel like Expedia owes us some time or something for all that hassle. They don't see it that way, so I will be closing our account with them.

Two morals to this story:

1. Expedia sucks. This was the second time this happened to us with an Expedia booking.

2. Regardless of how you book the room, call the hotel the day before you intend to stay to confirm that you have a room there.

What's the End Game In Wisconsin?

I may be politically naive but I can usually (eventually) figure out the motivation behind a series of events. In this case, I'm confused by Wisconsin's governor and his vision for the state. Months ago, the entire nation watched the battle in Madison, as Walker worked to cripple collective bargaining and effectively punish the people who have made public service their vocation. And now this:

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/06/10/239780/wisconsin-craft-beer/

And this from the New Glarus Brewing Company front page:

WI Craft Brewers need your help!
Miller Brewing Co. is attempting to insert restrictions on craft brewers and their growth into the Walker Budget. If you live in Wisconsin, please contact your representative and tell them you support craft brewers.

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorslist.aspx?house=assembly

The only link I can see is that he's a shill for big business. Could it be that simple? Could the difference between parties be simply whether they represent the largest money makers in their district vs. the majority of the people? And really, Republicans talk about less government and deregulation, but this would appear to be government intervention to help the 2nd largest beer manufacturer in the US hobble some small, local entrepreneurs.

Perhaps the way he sees it is that the market will regulate itself. The strong will survive and the weak will fall by the wayside (with a little nudge from his administration). Unfortunately, I'm not okay with discarding the weak. The government is for the people, by the people. Not for the largest land holder and by the makers of Paxil®.

Even if his motivation is purely avaricious, I'm not sure where he's trying to steer the ship. He's changing the working and living environment for so many people, and to what end? I just can't see it.

Mapping Bike Rides on Google Maps

This is great. I'll be buying a helmet and bike trailer to haul the boy around later this year (once he's technically old enough) and now I'll be able to plan out the rides. Check out http://maps.google.com/biking for your own route.

Curious to see how this appears inline:

Looks like it's only links for a while. So click here to see my route.

Two Brothers in Aurora

Well, I read a few news reports of the auction sale of the building formerly known as Walter Payton's Roundhouse and America's Brewpub. Years ago, this place was bustling but had suffered in recent years with the slumped economy. I've always been hopeful that it would catch fire again (not literally) because I have been a fan of brew master Mike Rybinski and his beer for many years.

The buyers just happen to be my current favorite local brewers - Two Brothers. They make excellent beers and have been growing their business year after year. I don't remember my first Two Brothers experience, but I got to know them best at some Kane County Cougars games.

I've been to the Two Brothers brewpub quite a few times, too. It's hidden away at the back of a small industrial park. No signage, and if you didn't have the address locked into GPS, you'd go right past it. Inside, it's industrial but warm. More importantly, the food is excellent, both in options and in execution. I'm very excited for Chef Tommy to get his hands on a larger scale dining room and kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, I'm even more excited that I'll still be able to meet folks at the western end of the BNSF Metra line and share a good beer. I can even get there on my bike.

My Problem With the Rapture

One of the funnier images sent around yesterday was of Randy "Macho Man" Savage (RIP) about to deliver a flying elbow to Jesus up in heaven. It's actually quite apropos for the day, with Christians of all sorts taking shots meant for the sad, desperate people looking for anything better than what they have.

I remember watching WWF during its rise in the 80s. My grandfathers were drawn to it up in Milwaukee and I was equally drawn in by Mean Gene Okerlund and the crazy cast of muscle heads dressed up like superheroes. If I'd mention it at school, at least one person would usually try to ruin it for me by telling me that it was all fake. I could never determine if they were trying to help me out or ruin my enjoyment of wrestling. It's still hard to tell.

Back to this "rapture". The saddest aspect of the news from yesterday is that it seems to have been largely spawned by one person named Harold Camping. He's done it before, too, but shrugged his 1994 blunder off as a miscalculation. Let's take a look at the problems with his campaign:

1. If the rapture wasn't set to hit until May 21st, why waste all of that money on billboards and advertising when it could have been spent on people still starving on May 19th?

2. Once someone within the viewing area of a billboard sees the message, then what? If you are a believer, you're already okay according to the bible. Was he looking to convert people out of fear? Hardly seems like the point of the new testament (unless you check Camping's revenues and net worth). Believing to hedge your bets is not really believing.

3. Speaking of net worth, why were people giving up all of their worldly possessions for the "rapture"? To prove to God that they were true believers? If they were true believers, they would have given all of those worldly things long ago. Also, see items 1 and 2. It's a "rapture" of convenience on Camping's terms.

And now back to wrestling. I didn't have to believe that the two men in the ring hated each other and were really smashing each other in the face. I didn't care if they knew who would win or lose before the match started, or if they practiced the whole match, move by move. I enjoyed the choreography, the physical feats of strength, and the general spectacle. I mean, people don't come out of Cirque Du Soleil saying "people can't really fly - IT'S FAKE!"

I'm not saying that religion or Christianity is fake or a facade or entertainment. I'm saying that while there's a mystical component that people tend to focus on (miracles, resurrection, rapture), there's also substance. Regardless of how worked over the text has been through the years, the parables and guidelines to living a good life are still relevant. Whether they were written by God through the hands of men or just arbitrarily written to keep people from stabbing other people in less civil times, the overarching message in Christianity is to be good to each other.

Unfortunately, that's boring. So, we see the polygamists, the doomsayers, and the hypocrites on television all day, every day, tweaking the message to suit their predilections. The average Christian takes a lot of extra heat on days like May 21st thanks to some headline-grabbing crackpots. I find it interesting that some people vigorously defend Muslims in America, correctly noting that Al Quaeda doesn't speak for all Muslims (probably not even considered Muslim by most Muslims) but don't offer the same benefit of doubt for Christians.

The bottom line is, Christianity and science don't have to be polarities, there are Christians who are in it for the humanity (not the competition), and there are lots of lost, lonely people in the world.

Give Unto Ceasar What is His (Comeuppance)

I know the removal of Bin Laden was necessary, but I can't get excited about a murder that should have happened nine years ago for a few reasons.

First, Bin Laden has had ten years to watch as an entire country adjusted itself and live in fear based on his cowardly, horrifying acts of terror. He's also had plenty of time to name and indoctrinate a successor. I have a hard time believing that Al Quaeda has shrunk despite the "war on terror".

Second, when 9/11 happened, there were many horrifying news reports. One of the most disturbing (to me) was the video afterward of people in the middle east reveling in the deaths of Americans. My cynicism tells me that it could have been unrelated footage or even propaganda footage, staged for effect.

I'm not sure we're offering up similar fodder to the rest of the world; I'm not sure Bin Laden had any sympathizers outside of his organization. I do know that I would much prefer a simple headline to a day long celebration.

Finally, I wish we weren't lionizing this guy. He was a coward who hid behind his faithful and brainwashed soldiers and took credit for their despicable deeds. Such focus on him likely sparks a fire in others with a similar mindset. Worse, airport security is more and more ridiculous, our government is systematically removing teachers but adding soldiers, and I am more concerned about a terrorist attack today than I was on Saturday.

Don't Shoot Until You See The Whites of Their Union Cards

Here's another thing I can't figure out with just the information I'm gathering. How can government employees (union or otherwise) suddenly be the reason for multiple states being in massive debt? For many years, not a problem. Suddenly, there's this massive debt problem in IL and other states that can only be fixed by breaking the unions (greedy teachers!) and cutting the services that support our communities.

The New Yorker posted up an interesting article on Donald Trump's run for the presidency.

The dismaying truth is that birtherism is part of a larger pattern of rejection of reality that has taken hold of intimidating segments of one of the two political parties that alternate in power in our governing institutions. It is akin to the view that global warming is a hoax, or that the budget can be balanced through spending cuts alone, or that contraception causes abortion, or that evolution is just another theory, on a par with the theory that the earth is six thousand years old.

So is Illinois really "broke"? You could ask Illinoisisbroke.com (warning - I find the site and twitter feed infuriating). They've been playing radio ads asking if a government employee should be able to retire at 55 years of age when we, the citizens of Illinois, are footing the bill. My suggestion is that this won't be the first generation of government workers eligible for pension, so why is it suddenly a back-breaking expense? Is there no other place in the budget where fat could be trimmed?

Even better, how about refocusing attention on the corporations that do not contribute to the budget in the form of taxes but operate out of and collect revenues in Illinois?

Should someone be able to retire at 55 after working for the government? I say yes. Should a giant, global company operate tax free in my state (where there's a budget deficit)? I say no, and I think that's where the injustice lies.

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

I have not thought about a new receiver for nearly 20 years. I have an older JVC mid-line receiver that I got at American TV and Appliance in Rockford just out of college. Back then, surround sound was the big deal, and while I wasn't too concerned about that (I only had a pair of bookshelf speakers at the time), I did want the option in case I decided to upgrade.

On a few occasions, I've hooked up all five speakers only to realize that this JVC setup only boosted the higher frequencies in the center channel and put a slight delay on the two rear channels. A parlor trick, basically. The standard stereo output was plenty for me, anyhow. Surround sound, even when done with state-of-the-art gear, is just a novelty and is lost after the first 10 minutes. It might even be a distraction to the content. Like 3D video, there's more time spent setting it up than actually enjoying it; for me, anyhow.

So, this morning I happened across a CNET review of the new line of Denon receivers available soon. (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20053559-1.html) I have always had an appreciation for the simple style and solid performance of Denon gear. The only bit I could afford back in the day was my first CD player - a single disc Denon model with A-B playback (select any section of a song by hitting the button [A], then the end of the section by hitting it again [B]). That little feature helped me to learn lots and lots of drum parts.

That CD player lasted through roughly 15 years of abuse, including numerous apartment moves, parties, and even being dropped twice on concrete. When it finally bit the dust, I considered trying to fix it (I knew it would still work if the tracking arms could be adjusted) but had so many other CD players by then, it wasn't worth the expense.

I'm all over the road here. Basically, I admire Denon gear but it's usually out of my price range. JVC was my reasonably-priced alternative when I last needed a receiver (long ago) but I can see where I might want to consider upgrading to the AVR-1612 sometime in the future to accommodate all of the HD content I consume. The USB port on the front makes it even sweeter.

I'll post up if I ever decide to make the jump, but the JVC is still pumping out smooth, clear sound. Perhaps in 2012...

Why I'm Proud of Madison

My great hope is that the lesson learned in Wisconsin (and various other states), where unionized workers have basically been blamed for the budget deficits by the GOP, is that the people won't accept the blame.

I've seen it happening in businesses, especially lately, where a lack of foresight and an abundance of aggressive spending have left companies cash poor in a down economy. You rarely see the top executives take a pay cut. You do see companies shift manufacturing to China; essentially accepting risk in the place of higher pay for better control of the process, then blaming the high cost of American skilled labor. You see them cut large numbers of employees to reduce head count. It's the easiest path to a lower bottom line.

In the past few years, we've seen the Republican party lobby to repeal the affordable health care act which was meant to take some of the bargaining power away from the insurance companies and offer that leverage to Americans who needed the help (most of us would stay with our employer-provided coverage). That is the purpose of the government - by the people and FOR the people.

They've also vigorously lobbied to lower the minimum wage and cut unemployment benefits. If they don't make it easier for American manufacturers to ply their trade, lower minimum wage, and cut unemployment, surely they'll focus their attention on the school systems to make sure that everyone is educated enough to get and maintain a job, right? Wrong again.

I'm not sure what the answer is for folks who live in smaller towns with less opportunity for work.

Anyhow, I'm hoping this attack on the laboring class in America will be seen for what it is and voted back out of office. In the short term, we can enjoy Rep. Anthony Weiner's perspective:

Why You Should Be Driving Stick

There are a few compelling reasons why I continue to buy cars with manual transmissions. Here they are:

1. I am smarter than an automatic transmission. Maybe not more efficient, but I know when I want to go faster and why, and instead of waiting for my accelerator pedal to trigger a computer which does some kind of algorithm (very quickly) to adjust my gear, I've already down-shifted. I can also drop a gear to slow down without using the brakes once in a while. Overall, a manual transmission gives you a little more control over things.

2. 136,000 miles without a transmission problem. Maybe it's the superior craftsmanship present in the 2002 Saturn Vue, or maybe it's just nice to not have to worry about all of those control mechanisms and fluids. Sure, I may need a clutch at some point, but not yet, and that's a lot of miles.

3. Wanna borrow my car? If you answered yes, you'll need to know how to drive a 5-speed. If you do, you're probably a pretty good driver. (I'll still deny you because it MY CAR. That'd be like lending out my underwear!)

Anyhow, I think people have become a bit complacent about driving and car dealers like the extra dough they get from fixing automatic transmissions, so I don't expect things to change anytime soon. It's a shame, because slamming the car into "D" just isn't very satisfying.

Arrrrrrgh. Template Malfunction

Well, I went through the entire list of images that the designer of this blog template used to create the nice look and feel of place. Unfortunately, he didn't pony up for a pro Photobucket account and now all of the design pieces are showing a "You need to buy a pro account with Photobucket" ad. So, I tracked down each individual piece (42 of them) and hosted them myself. Found out later that these pieces were for the original Wordpress template - not the Blogger template. Grrrrr.

I'll be mulling around whether to give up or try to find the correct images, but not tonight. This was enough futility for one night.

Ciao.

Shredded Villages and Bamboo Bikes

I'm not even going to try to encapsulate it with a witty editorial intro, just post up the stuff I've been seeing this week.

1. The Tsunami. Clearly, the biggest story in the world at the moment. It's breathtaking devastation caught on film and ongoing. There's an amazing photo series at the Boston Globe - here's the link:
Japan - Vast Devastation - The Big Picture - Boston.com

2. Census numbers in the Midwest. Digging the new public media venture called Changing Gears, which is where I got this info. Interesting stuff on the rebuilding of the area's manufacturing core.


View Midwest Census 2010 Results in a larger map

3. Bamboo bikes. Might seem trite in the wake of such amazing geological disaster, but this video is compelling for a few reasons:

Bamboo on Wheels from Jan Sturmann on Vimeo.

The Hawk

No, not the icy winds that takes your breath away downtown - I'm talking about a real hawk. I see it on the road sign in the farm field on my way to work in the morning pretty frequently. Apparently, it's learning that our neighborhood is chock full of small rodents, too.

Caught this a few days ago just as I was about to let the dog out:



It's not big enough to go after our dog, but I didn't want to give it a reason to defend itself, either. This morning, I saw the same hawk under one of our trees, eating something. I'll bet it wasn't berries...

Why is Your Computer Slow?

I work in front of a PC all day and lots of the stuff I do at home revolves around the computer as well. It's imperative for my sanity that my computers run efficiently and quickly, and I've compiled a few key (free!) tips to keep them humming. These tips will work for you, too.

1. My favorite maintenance tool is CCleaner. Formally known as Crap Cleaner, it does exactly that. You have control over specific things you might want to keep, like browser cookies, via a simple checkbox list.

I run this weekly at least; sometimes more frequently. I also use the registry tool on occasion, but unless you're having problems that aren't resolved by the rest of the tools in this post, it's probably safer to leave this alone.

2. Windows comes with a defragmenting tool built in, but it takes forever and does a mediocre job. Auslogics or Defraggler (from the makers of CCleaner) do a much better, quicker job. This probably doesn't need to be done more than once a month. I wait until I'm done for the day, then check "shut down PC after defragmentation" and let it roll.

3. By now, you must have some kind of antivirus installed. I've been using Avast for many years with only minor hiccups (software bugs, not virus compromises) and will stick with it because it doesn't hose my system like the Symantec (Norton) programs do. I'm also hearing great things about the free Microsoft Security Essentials. If you're wary of a third-party developer, this might be the ticket.

Those are the basics. You can set them all up to run a full scan/defrag/cleaning while you sleep so that on Monday morning, you're starting with a fresh system.

Two more quick tips:

SugarSync: Downloaded a song at home and would like to have it available at work instantly? SugarSync does that. 5 GB of storage for free and you can access it from any of your computers or smartphones. Definitely quicker than carrying a USB key everywhere.

Google Chrome: If you use Internet Explorer, the most recent version is not bad. Firefox (my favorite) has more features but can run a little slower. Google Chrome was built for speed. If your speed issues revolve around web browsing, try Chrome.

Politics, Football, and Video Games (AKA Wife Repellent)

My official stance is that I'd like to see all new management and coaches for the Bears. I don't care if the players love Lovie. I presume they also love their checks. I bet they'd love winning a Super Bowl, too. Honestly, I'm getting tired of hearing about the '85 Bears.

Maybe this is too cynical, but I feel like anyone can pull off anything in politics, regardless of the rule of law, if they have the right connections. Hell, even if they don't - all it takes is to just do the thing that seems so far out of bounds it couldn't possibly work, and then everything just continues on as if it never happened. That doesn't work for me, but then again, I'm not running for office.

I set up the new, improved home theater over the weekend. We now have the Dish box, the PS3, and the stereo receiver in the cabinet with the television on top. The PS3 replaced the Wii, a big computer, and an upconverting DVD player.

I also got an IR to bluetooth converter (very small) which allows the universal remote to control the PS3 as well. So, to watch TV is one button, to watch a movie, play a game, or surf the Internet is one other button. That's it.

Last, I re-connected the speakers with better, newer wire, and now the whole thing looks and sounds fantastic. The next upgrade won't happen for a while, but it'll be a fancy receiver that can aggregate HDMI cables and separate out the subwoofer signal.

In the meantime, I still have to figure out what to do about the garage door opener. It's never just one thing.

Addendum:

Dear "The Shack",

We're totally over. Lose my number. I needed guidance and you sold me down the river on a lie. I still don't need a $70 HDMI cable and those banana clips were the wrong size. Jerks.

Those Grapes Were Probably Sour, Anyhow

A few things.

1. I'll not miss Lovie Smith. It's great that he's a player's coach. Players work hard for him. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the money.) I won't miss the miscues (timeouts to freeze his own kicker or negate a 3rd down conversion, allowing the OC to put Todd Collins ahead of Caleb Hanie on the depth chart, etc.) or the disdain for the media and, vicariously, the fans. If the Bears are not feeling the love right now, the wall he's put up has a lot to do with it.

2. We're still two linesmen and two top-tier receivers away from having a premier offense. Cutler is as good as we've had in my lifetime and Forte makes things happen with even a tiny seam. Oh, right. We also need an offensive coordinator. I think Martz is good, but needs a very specific recipe for success. This offense isn't built for him.

3. I really don't understand the vitriol towards Cutler and his ailing knee. Fighting to stay in when you can't plant your lead leg and make accurate passes is purely selfish. I'd much prefer see him admit he can't make throws and get the backup in (unless, of course, the backup is Todd Collins). I watched Cutler get POUNDED all season with nary a complaint. He might not be the most warm person, but he's not here to win a beauty pageant.

4. Along the same lines, why in the hell have we not seen Caleb Hanie more in the regular season? In any of the games where the score was either up or down enough (including vs. Seattle in the playoffs), he should have gotten a few reps. I'm not selling him as the answer to anything, but he's better than Todd Collins and we might need him some day.

5. Give the Packers some credit. They kicked to Hester and bottled him up pretty well. They made the our improved O-line look like rookies, and they completed passes and made plays pretty much at will, even against our venerable defense. They also show a certain confidence, from head coach to QB, when they take the field. It's not a rushed style of play, nor is it pure business - it looks like they're having fun. You know, they were picked by lots of people to be in the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season, and ultimately, they got there.

6. This season has been great in many respects and very frustrating in many others. There was an early bout of losing football which made me lose what little hope I had. Then, there was the Martz and Cutler we had hoped for, the Forte we had seen the year before last, and the defense looking almost as good as it did last time we went to the Super Bowl. The knock all along was the soft schedule and the inability to close out elite teams, but the Bears handled their business (with the exception of New England and Green Bay at the end of the season). With all players healthy for the majority of the year, 11-5 is still not the 13-3 of the previous Super Bowl team. In fact, only 2 or 3 of the 11 wins was decisive. The losses left more doubt than the wins did confidence, I think.

7. In the past three or four years, I've called for the job of Lovie Smith, and I still stand by it. I think Jerry Angelo needs to hit the bricks as well. We need new leaders that draft well and fill needs on both sides of the ball, expect and demand the best out of players whether they like them or not, and not only say they'll beat Green Bay and win the Super Bowl, but actually do those things. I think there's a nice roster of talent to cherry pick and plenty of fat to cut. I think the first thing we need is an Offensive Coordinator that will take Cutler, Forte, and Olsen to the next level. The next thing is help on that O-line. Then one or two premier receivers. Defensively, one more hot CB might be good, but we're pretty well stocked otherwise, assuming Chris Harris recovers from the torn hip muscle. My big concern for the future is that the stars are getting older.

8. I hope there is football next year, but I hope the Bears have a new management regime. Yes, it'll be Cutler's fourth OC in five years, but maybe that one will finally bring the best out of him and cause the offense to win games for a change. That would be great.

This IS the Super Bowl

Hard to believe it hasn't come to this before in my lifetime. For that matter, it hasn't happened in my dad's lifetime, either. He has never been a big fan, but I can guarantee he'll be watching this one.

This year's Bears have already way surpassed my expectations by finishing the regular season at 11 and 5, then crushing the Cinderella Seattle playoff team after losing to them earlier in the season.

The losing streak at the beginning of the season had me thinking that the former loser head coaches were spent as coordinators as well. Urlacher is not getting younger, and the offensive line was a total mess. Somehow, after the bye week, everything fell into place.

The special teams unit has been consistently excellent for years, but that's not enough to win championships. It can get you over in a few games, though, and it did this year.

Defense has been the anchor of this 2010 Bears team. Solidifying safety was the number one issue. Having so much depth at LB with Brian Urlacher at the helm again makes that one of the best LB squads in the league. Picking up Julius Peppers has changed how teams plan for the Bears, and the acquisition of Tim Jennings came in under the radar, but I'd debate whether or not that's the second best pickup of the off season. We have DBs to cover any group of wide receivers now.

The offense went under a major transformation. Mike Tice is coordinator of the year, in my estimation, for taking a line with only 2 better-than-average players and making them solidify. Cutler took a few steps this year, too. Instead of throwing the ball when the read is not there, he just takes the sack. Sucks for him, but that shows that he's a team guy and is learning. Still tons of upside, and so far he's 1-0 in the post season.

The Packers are where I'd expect the Bears to be next year. They had a terrible year for injuries and their record shows it. Despite all of that, they got in to the playoffs by beating the Bears, although I don't think there was any urgency on the part of the Bears. This game should be a real monster.

The Packers still have a few key injuries, but both teams seem to be peaking at the same time. The Bears have home field advantage, and including a terrible turf surface, we also have a loud, disruptive crowd. Can't wait for kickoff.

I got an e-mail from a friend this morning; his prediction - Bears 100, Packers -7.

Bears.

More Projects Getting Done

On the heels of an excellent holiday, January hit us with a solid dose of reality. I'm back on track to losing 40 pounds (despite a slight setback I blame on casserole) and the house is getting some necessary updates.

We put off the bathrooms when the kitchen sink broke, but then only days after putting down the payment on the sink, a toilet broke. So, in essence, we did both. The toilet was affordable and easy (thank you Kohler!) but the kitchen required more of a lifestyle adjustment, if only for a few days.

It's funny how when everything worked fine, we were never in a huge hurry to get the dishes done. We're busy and I'm pretty lazy, so until the sink is pretty full, sometimes they sit. Once the sink wasn't around for a day or two, we had a designated bin for the dirty dishes, and it was stressful.

Here's what the kitchen looked like before we started:

Here's what it looked like torn apart:

And the final product:

Counters by Lowe's and H+H Woodworking, plumbing by yours truly. Only minor leaks so far!

(Note the sink - it already has dishes!)
((They were just what wouldn't fit into the dishwasher from the three days without a kitchen.))

Next project - catching back up on credit card bills.

2010 Recap (Good, Bad, and Ugly)

2010 started out with the revelation that we were likely going to have a baby. That sure raised the bar for the rest of the year, and now that the dust has settled, it was far and away the most important news of the year. Of course, the August arrival of Elias John was the most significant improvement to my life since Jennie agreed to marry me all those years ago.

This baby brings out the best in everyone. It's remarkable, really. We were as ready for him as we could be and the reaction from our family and friends has gone way beyond what we expected.

It's also fun to track the firsts. For example, in one day, Eli visited Wisconsin for his first Christmas with the extended family and also had his first hotel stay when Kenosha became too snowy to traverse that night. (He did great, for the record.) I'm not sure if we should count his trip to Los Angeles as a first since he wasn't born yet.

We also had plans to do some remodeling before Eli was born, but he came three weeks ahead of schedule and so we put it off indefinitely. That didn't last long. The kitchen faucet snapped, so we decided to do the last steps to bring the kitchen up to snuff (countertops/faucet) instead of the bathrooms.

Shortly after we put down the cash for the counters, the toilet broke in the bathroom we put on hold. Figures. Then the garage door opener crapped out. Then my car started running rough. Long and short, the end of the year was expensive.

I lost 12 pounds from October through December, but I think I lapsed enough to wipe out much of that progress. The holidays are difficult with all of the family dinners and baked goods. My family is especially good at this last part. I need to get back on track.

Another unexpected twist at the end of the season was my manager taking me into a conference room to let me know that he was giving me a promotion and raise. I hadn't even asked for it yet. The long hours and stress finally paid off.

Despite the bump, we still have some financial figuring to do, but 2011 should be fun.