Saturday, April 18, 2020

More Sad News

RIP...



Here are The Soft Boys...

Minutia Men--Passengers, Poker & Peterik


This week we have two celebrity guests on Minutia Men...poker pro Tristan Wade and rock and roll star Jim Peterik, who has sent us his latest song.

Listen to it here.

Friday, April 17, 2020

Unhinged

He will burn down this country on his way out...

HIlarious

You want to hear another name for dad jokes? Jokes. We are all funny. Especially this guy...

My apologies

I'm a Tody-Tyrant

Alright, I'm going to stop this now, but one last one. This is called, and I'm not kidding about this, Kaempfer's Tody Tyrant. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus kaempferi) is a rare species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. It was known only from two specimens until the 1990s, when it was finally observed in life. It is protected under Brazilian law and it is on the United States' Endangered Species List. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is 10 centimeters long and olive green in color. The bird lives in forested habitat, often near rivers. Pairs often forage together. They build nests several meters up in trees, constructing them with mosses, grasses, and dead leaves. The call is a series of "kwit" notes.

I'm a Woodpecker

What is this bird called? I kid you not, it's called Kaempfer's Woodpecker. Kaempfer's woodpecker (Celeus obrieni) is a species of woodpecker from Brazil. The type specimen, a female, was collected in the Brazilian state of Piauí in 1926. No other individuals were collected or seen and the bird was feared extinct, until a male was captured by Advaldo Dias do Prado during mist netting in 2006 in the state of Tocantins.

I'm a Circulation Enhancer

The day you find out you share your name with a product.you'd rather not be associated with...

Kaempferia Parviflora is Thai Black Ginger‎. BLACK GINGER is a rare and powerful type of ginger that is taken as a N.O. supplement specifically for improving circulation throughout the whole body, especially in relation to the areas that matter most to men..It is named after 17th century naturalist Engelbert kaempfer

I'm a Flavonoid

The day you learn you share a name with a flavonoid:

Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a melting point of 276–278 °C (529–532 °F). It is slightly soluble in water and highly soluble in hot ethanol, ethers, and DMSO. Kaempferol is named for 17th-century German naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer.

Free Kicks--Diversions in Soccer Entertainment



If you're a soccer fan, and looking for something to binge, lots of suggestions in this podcast.

Listen to it here.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

RIP Brian Dennehy

More sad news. They're dropping like flies now. Esteemed actor Brian Dennehy has passed away at the age of 81. I'm sure he's not thrilled that most of his obits lead with his role in "Tommy Boy".

For me, I will always remember him for this role...

Roger Badesch

I feel for Roger Badesch. He is so excited to get his first copy of his book, but we're obviously in a holding pattern right now because the world has shut down and we've been deemed non-essential. When we get the go-ahead to go to press, this is a book you have to read. Roger has lived a very interesting life...

Chicago Radio Ratings

Thanks to Robert Feder for posting these. If you'd like to see the daypart breakdowns, click here.

1. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 7.7 (5.8)
2. WVAZ 102.7-FM urban adult contemporary, 5.3 (4.9)
3. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 5.2 (5.4)
4. WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 5.1 (5.3)
5. WGN 720-AM news talk, 4.5 (3.9)
6. (tie) WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 4.3 (3.6); WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 4.3 (4.8); WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 4.3 (4.2)
9. WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.8 (3.3)
10. WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 3.3 (3.7)
11. WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 3.1 (3.3); WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 3.1 (3.3)
13. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 2.8 (2.6)
14. WUSN 99.5-FM country, 2.7 (2.8)
15. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 2.5 (2.7)
16. (tie) WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip hop, 2.4 (2.5); WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 2.4 (2.3); WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.4 (2.6); WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 2.4 (2.4)
20. WGCI 107.5-FM urban contemporary, 2.3 (2.1)
21. WLS 890-AM news talk, 2.1 (2.3)
22. WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 1.8 (1.9)
23. WPWX 92.3-FM urban contemporary, 1.4 (1.4)
24. (tie) WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian, 1.3 (1.5); WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.3 (1.9)
26. (tie) WEBG 95.5-FM country, 1.2 (1.4); WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 1.2 (1.2)
28. WFMT 98.7-FM classical 1.1 (1.0)
29. WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 1.0 (0.8)
30. WZSR 105.5-FM hot adult contemporary 0.7 (0.6

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Spirit of Chicago

Thanks to the Ides of March, Jim Peterik, Dennis De Young (formerly of Styx), Cathy Richardson of Jefferson Starship, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and many others for this great song and video...

Another Endorsement

RIP Jim Bolger

It's been a rough week for ex-Cubs. Jim Bolger passed away last Thursday at the age of 88. Here's his listing from EveryCubEver...

~Jim Bolger 1932--2020 (Cubs 1955-1959)
Bolger backed up all three outfield positions for the Cubs in the late 50s. His best season was 1957, when he got the most extensive playing time of his career. He hit .275 in 273 at-bats and knocked in 33 runs. He also played for the Reds, Indians, and A’s in his big league career. His nickname was Dutch.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The old girl still looks great

Pretty Big Endorsement

Dave Hillman



The 90+-year-old Cubs are...

Wayne Terwilliger 6/27/25
Bobby Shantz 9/26/25
Bobby Morgan 6/29/26
Ed Mickelson 9/9/26
Jim Willis 3/20/27
Dave Hillman 9/14/27
Duke Simpson 9/15/27
Bob Kelly 10/4/27
Tommy Brown 12/6/27
Vito Vallentivetti 9/16/28
Gale Wade 1/20/29
Ed Wincienak 4/16/29

When the Coughing Stops

If you really want to know what's it like in the emergency rooms, this op-ed in the Washington Post sums it up beautifully. Written by a doctor who also suffered through the E-bola outbreak. It's heartbreaking, but beautifully written.

RIP Jim Frey

Jim Frey was 88 years old. RIP.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Easter Bunny

There's a reason for the expression "going at it like rabbits"

Don't Mess with 60 Minutes

The Lisagor Awards

I was nominated for several Lisagor Awards back in my days with the Northwest Indiana Times, and at that time, they didn't really honor radio for their news reporting. They do now, but apparently only one station in town got the memo. Here's the entire list of Lisagor nominees fro radio in Chicago. See if you can spot a trend...

BROADCAST: RADIO

Best In-depth News Story or Series


Dan Mihalopoulos, Tony Arnold, Dave McKinney and Alex Keefe, WBEZ Chicago
Patrick Smith and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Linda Lutton, Dan Mihalopoulos, James Edwards and Alex Keefe,
WBEZ

Best Investigative Reporting

Patrick Smith, Chip Mitchell, Shannon Heffernan and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ

Best Reporter

Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
Michael Puente, WBEZ
Maria Ines Zamudio, WBEZ

Best Feature Reporting

Linda Paul, Ken Davis and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ
Jessica Pupovac, Jesse Dukes and Shawn Allee, WBEZ

Best Public Affairs Programming


Michael Puente, Lakeshore Public Radio
Staff, WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Dan Mihalopoulos, Kristen Schorsch, Justin Bull and Alex Keefe, WBEZ

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Taneshia Rice, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson,
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central

Best Health or Science Reporting

Ken Davis, Linda Paul and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Monica Eng, Jessica Pupovac, Michael Lansu and Jesse Dukes, WBEZ
Bianca Martin, Meha Ahmad, Stephanie Kim, Nereida Moreno, Jenn White and Daniel Tucker,
WBEZ

Best Sports Story

Kate McGee, Manuel Martinez and Kate Grossman, WBEZ
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ

When you lose Fox & Friends

I know it's just the weekend host, and I know this virus has affected her personally (which seems to be the requirement for Republican empathy to kick in), but it's a step in the right direction...

One particular Fox & Friends host has had enough of Donald Trump’s criticism on media’s coverage of coronavirus — and she wasn’t afraid to express it. Fox & Friends weekend co-host Jedediah Bila took to Twitter to dig into Trump after he criticized Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, who discussed a New York Times article about Trump not acting sooner on the coronavirus.

“Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews,” tweeted Trump. “I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press(please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. It’s a whole new ballgame over there!

Bila, who was recovering from COVID-19 last week, did not mince words with her response to the former host of Celebrity Apprentice. “Enough with the 3rd grade name-calling. Chris is doing his job. The news should not be any president’s friend, ally, or buddy. If it bothered you when Obama complained about Fox News, but you’re silent on this complete nonsense, then just stop. Seriously. Enough.”

Note that the segment Trump freaked out about was a perfectly normal and very measured interview with an expert from John Hopkins, who didn't blame Trump personally for anything. He just pointed out that if action had been taken sooner, we'd be in a better place in this country. He also said it may take a little longer than the administration thinks before we can safely return to work. Not exactly radical opinions.

Minutia Men--Curly, Clue & Krauts Too

I think you'll really enjoy this week's episode. Comedian Tim Clue is quite energetic and entertaining...

Sunday, April 12, 2020

RIP Glenn Beckert


Very sad news. One of my childhood heroes passed away today. His old teammate Fergie Jenkins just posted the news of his passing on Twitter.