Another Michael Jackson trial, and another verdict. This time the jury found that AEG was NOT liable for Michael Jackson's death.
At some point are we just going to admit that Michael Jackson himself might have a teeny bit to do with it?
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Michael Jackson Trial Verdict
Another Michael Jackson trial, and another verdict. This time the jury found that AEG was NOT liable for Michael Jackson's death.
At some point are we just going to admit that Michael Jackson himself might have a teeny bit to do with it?
It's Not Everyone's Fault
If you look at the newspapers across the country and the way they have reported the government shutdown story, it's nice to see that there is agreement on who is to blame. It's not both sides. It's the Republicans' fault. Plain and simple.
So says The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Chicago Sun Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, and Denver Post.
That's not the "liberal" media saying it. It's across the spectrum, left, right and center.
Ronan Farrow
Mia Farrow and Woody Allen had a lot of children together, but most of them were adopted (including, famously, the one the Woody is now married to). Only one of them was their biological child--the one pictured here with Mia, Ronan. Well, Mia let it slip the other day that Ronan might not be Woody's biological child after all. She also had "relations" with another big celebrity around the time of Ronan's conception. Take a look at the picture of Ronan. It's pretty obvious who it is.
Sorry, Woody. The boys a dead ringer for Ol Blue Eyes (who was 77 years old at the time of Ronan's birth)
Credit: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Sorry, Woody. The boys a dead ringer for Ol Blue Eyes (who was 77 years old at the time of Ronan's birth)
Credit: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
Breaking News @BreakingNews 3m
Report: Bestselling author Tom Clancy died in a hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday, his publisher confirms to @nytimes - @juliebosman
Jake Tapper @jaketapper 13m
WH: 4.7 million unique visitors to Obamacare website, 133k calls, 104k web chats requested. WH claims not to have # for folks enrolled.
Deadspin @Deadspin 13m
Hey, it's Gary Bettman sleeping at the Blackhawks game! http://deadsp.in/hJvfXVr
Daniel Gross @grossdm 32m
Me in DB: People make light of the shutdown's effect on tourism. They shouldn't it's a huge export business. http://thebea.st/GzDeK3
Robert Feder @RobertFeder 17m
A tough year for @wlsam890 just got worse: http://bit.ly/1eYy3BI
Greg Sargent @ThePlumLineGS 6m
Shorter conservatives: Why won't Obama show leadership by brokering a compromise in which only Dems make concessions?
Groovyhoovy @Groovyhoovy 9m
Government Shutdown Watch: Be on the lookout for Nicolas Cage trying to steal the Declaration of Independence.
Deadspin @Deadspin 13m
South Carolina's trying to wipe out this week's Steve Spurrier Show, featuring a slurring HBC. We've got the video: http://deadsp.in/yKpne7z
Michael Beschloss @BeschlossDC 41m
These are RIchard Nixon's 1972 historical All-Star picks (asterisk=active at time): pic.twitter.com/ud1DXGg721
Huffington Post @HuffingtonPost 39m
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock's "Gravity" is being called "extraordinary" http://huff.to/18O8hvD
Swany
My latest Illinois Entertainer column is about the man behind the scenes at the Eric & Kathy show--their long-time producer John "Swany" Swanson.
Read it here.
While the FCC's away...
...the radio and television folks can play. The F.C.C. is part of the government shutdown.
From Tom Taylor's column this morning...
You could run zombies through the halls of FCC headquarters at the Portals, and not interrupt anybody. Only a handful of FCC staffers – 2% - are left during the government shutdown, and valuable online resources are unavailable. Not having the CDBS (Consolidated Database) will be a hardship for engineers, consultants, group executives and more – but not nearly as much a hardship as the shutdown is for the furloughed Commission staff members. Still on the job are “up to two employees working per shift at each location,” including the FCC Operations Center, for emergencies.
From Tom Taylor's column this morning...
You could run zombies through the halls of FCC headquarters at the Portals, and not interrupt anybody. Only a handful of FCC staffers – 2% - are left during the government shutdown, and valuable online resources are unavailable. Not having the CDBS (Consolidated Database) will be a hardship for engineers, consultants, group executives and more – but not nearly as much a hardship as the shutdown is for the furloughed Commission staff members. Still on the job are “up to two employees working per shift at each location,” including the FCC Operations Center, for emergencies.
Slang Phrases From the 1920s
I got a big kick out of this. Thanks to "KS" for pointing it out to me...59 Slang Phrases From The 1920s That We Should Start Using Again
Here's a few...
Cancelled stamp: a shy, lonely female, the type one would describe as a “wallflower”
Cash: a smooch
Cake-eater: in the 1920’s refers to a “ladies’ man”; later, slang for homosexual
Choice bit of calico: a desirable woman
Dewdropper: like lollygagger, a slacker who sits around all day and does nothing, often unemployed
Four-flusher: someone who mooches off the money of others in order to feign wealth
Facebook Messages about Gov Shutdown & Obamacare
I think I've de-friended most of my Facebook friends that post nasty racist screeds against the president and the government, and also those who post nasty anti-Republican screeds. I still have lots of politically-minded facebook friends, but only reasonable ones. (And by the way, there are tons of reasonable people on both sides).
Here are a few of their political posts that really caught my eye...
Roman Sawczak (Republican)
Deborah Stern Harris (Democrat)
Spike O'Dell (Republican)
Our government is a train wreck. I know...I've just stated the obvious, but I have just had it with these idiots. Both sides. Unbelievable.
Randy Richardson (left leaning gov employee)
Federal employees are often the butt of jokes. I get it. I am a federal worker, and I frequently make light of my job. But I still take my job seriously, because I think the work that I do is important. I’m sorry, but what our elected representatives in D.C. did today to federal workers is not funny. I am one of those anonymous 800,000 federal workers who reported to work today for a four-hour “winding down.” No, that does not mean that we were drinking wine and getting massages. What did I do in those four hours today? I wrote a decision awarding disability benefits to a homeless man so that he has the money to pay for public transportation to get the antiviral medication he needs so that he doesn’t die from AIDS. Without that decision, there are no benefits and this young man very likely dies on the streets. There are no guarantees that he uses this money to get the treatment he needs or that it is not already too late. But at least with the decision I wrote today, there’s some hope. In the eyes of our government, my job is currently deemed non-essential. Tell that to the homeless man dying of AIDS. I am truly saddened by what has become of our so-called leadership in Washington. Their behavior is disgraceful, and they should be ashamed that they are continuing to collect paychecks while so many of us suffer because of their childish behavior.
John Magnus (right leaning gov employee)
From the "insult to injury" department - today, in a pretty good HR mixup, I had to give myself, sign for as the presenter and receiver, my own furlough notice while I was giving them to my staff. "C'mon man!"
Andy Dashiell (Democrat)
Went on to the Obamacare exchange website for Colorado this morning. Assuming it stays in effect and the extremists in Washington don't blow up the entire government and national economy, I am going to see my monthly premiums cut almost in half! And that's *without* any subsidy! Obamacare. I'm a fan.
Rob Schmidt (Democrat)
Government's shut down, might as well have a beer.
Kent Winrich (Republican)
Here are a few of their political posts that really caught my eye...
Roman Sawczak (Republican)
Deborah Stern Harris (Democrat)
Spike O'Dell (Republican)
Our government is a train wreck. I know...I've just stated the obvious, but I have just had it with these idiots. Both sides. Unbelievable.
Randy Richardson (left leaning gov employee)
Federal employees are often the butt of jokes. I get it. I am a federal worker, and I frequently make light of my job. But I still take my job seriously, because I think the work that I do is important. I’m sorry, but what our elected representatives in D.C. did today to federal workers is not funny. I am one of those anonymous 800,000 federal workers who reported to work today for a four-hour “winding down.” No, that does not mean that we were drinking wine and getting massages. What did I do in those four hours today? I wrote a decision awarding disability benefits to a homeless man so that he has the money to pay for public transportation to get the antiviral medication he needs so that he doesn’t die from AIDS. Without that decision, there are no benefits and this young man very likely dies on the streets. There are no guarantees that he uses this money to get the treatment he needs or that it is not already too late. But at least with the decision I wrote today, there’s some hope. In the eyes of our government, my job is currently deemed non-essential. Tell that to the homeless man dying of AIDS. I am truly saddened by what has become of our so-called leadership in Washington. Their behavior is disgraceful, and they should be ashamed that they are continuing to collect paychecks while so many of us suffer because of their childish behavior.
John Magnus (right leaning gov employee)
From the "insult to injury" department - today, in a pretty good HR mixup, I had to give myself, sign for as the presenter and receiver, my own furlough notice while I was giving them to my staff. "C'mon man!"
Andy Dashiell (Democrat)
Went on to the Obamacare exchange website for Colorado this morning. Assuming it stays in effect and the extremists in Washington don't blow up the entire government and national economy, I am going to see my monthly premiums cut almost in half! And that's *without* any subsidy! Obamacare. I'm a fan.
Rob Schmidt (Democrat)
Government's shut down, might as well have a beer.
Kent Winrich (Republican)
Casey Kasem
One of the most famous DJs in the world, Casey Kasem, is apparently gravely ill. But this story about Casey in the Guardian is about more than just his illness. In fact, the illness isn't even mentioned. It's about his children and his brother.
They are protesting outside of Casey's house because his wife will not allow them to see him. Check out the article. There are lots of photos of the protest. It's one of the oddest things I've ever seen.
I'm not going to question the motivation of the children or the wife (who is not the mother of the children) because who knows why things like this happen. To me, the sad part of the story is that Casey is obviously estranged from his family. I've recently run into a lot of this--Good friends who haven't spoken to a sibling or parent in years. I know that sometimes things are said or done that seem unforgivable.
But forgiveness is as much for you as it is for the person you're forgiving. Forgivers rarely regret it. At least that's been my experience.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
Jose Canseco @JoseCanseco 8h
I will bring CansecoCare to Washington and fix this crap if I have to. #yeswecanseco
Leonard Nimoy @TheRealNimoy 13h
Members of my family have been denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. They'll get coverage with Obamacare. LLAP
Greg Sargent @ThePlumLineGS 13s
63% of moderates say gridlock in DC is fault of GOP wanting to "block any Obama initiative" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/01/the-morning-plum-republicans-enter-the-danger-zone/ …
Matt Yglesias @mattyglesias 2m
Now with working link—here’s what you need to do on Obamacare launch day: http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/10/01/obamacare_launch_day_what_you_need_to_do.html …
daveweigel @daveweigel 3m
Beginning to think that the GOP made a mistake going into a gov't shutdown battle without any idea of how to win.
Colin Joliat @FlintSkinny 9h
RT @BCAppelbaum: Midnight. The National Zoo has released its lions. Good luck to everyone in Northwest D
Rebecca Berg @rebeccagberg 1h
What comes next for House Republicans on govt shutdown: Nothing. There's no new plan except to wait. http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-government-shutdown-fight-house-republicans-dont-know-what-comes-next/article/2536637 …
Xeni Jardin @xeni 4m
So 86% of CDC is furloughed; many air safety personnel are too. If you're a zombie space horde planning an aerial plague invasion, NOW.
Amanda Marcotte @AmandaMarcotte 16m
Whine all you want about the shutdown, America, but Daddy GOP told you not to elect the black President and now you must be punished.
Catherine Thompson @KT_thomps 7m
Darrell Issa: "Not funding the government is part of funding it." http://bit.ly/1dTVIAf
Chicago Radio Ratings
From Tom Taylor's NOW column...
Chicago – Bears football may help explain the 4.9-4.9-5.4 jump for CBS all-newser WBBM and its FM simulcast at 105.9. It now ranks #2. Just above it is CC’s urban AC “V103,” with its 17th win in the last 18 books. But “V” is drifting southward, down 7.4-6.7-6.2. (Read "V103 celebrates 25 years at the top" from Chicago media observer Robert Feder here.) Third place goes to Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX, 5.3-5.0-5.2. Then come CBS Radio’s country “US 99.5” WUSN, 4.9-4.5-4.5 and Clear Channel’s top 40 “Kiss” WKSC with a one-year best (4.1-3.9-4.3). It’s the fanciest PPM ever for CBS-owned adult alternative WXRT (2.8-3.5-3.8). But there’s a down-trend for Merlin’s classic rock “Loop” WLUP, 3.4-3.0-2.6. In talk, Tribune’s WGN drops 4.6-4.6-4.0. Cumulus talker WLS can’t break a 2-share, 1.8-1.7-1.9. In sports, it’s the CBS “Score” WSCR, 2.0-2.2-2.3 and Disney’s WMVP, 1.0-1.0-1.1. Three stations manage a cume larger than two million – CHR “Kiss” at 2,254,700, hot AC “Mix” at 2,063,400 and CBS Radio’s rhythmic “B96” WBBM-FM at 2,046,000. B96 ranks #10 in share
JRL in Carol Stream
John Landecker will be making his first appearance in the Western suburbs to promote his book “Records Truly Is My Middle Name”. He’ll be at the Carol Stream Public Library from 2-4pm this coming Sunday, October 6th.
John is bringing along his home movies from his days at WLS in the 1970s, and will be reading excerpts from his book. After the presentation, he’ll take questions from the audience. These last few library appearances have been smash hits. Come on out and enjoy a fun afternoon with a radio legend.
Carol Stream Public Library is located at 616 Hiawatha in Carol Stream.
Quitting via Video
This is a real story, apparently. This woman quit her job via video. At the risk of sounding a thousand years old, I'm thinking that when she interviews for her next job, she's going to regret this.
Badfinger
The final scene in the final episode of Breaking Bad featured my son Sean's favorite band, Badfinger. I'm guessing they chose it for two reasons. Badfinger, and the opening line of the song...
Babe's Called Shot
It supposedly happened on this day in 1932, during Game 2 of the World Series. Cubs 365 has the details.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Green White History
One of my on-going writing projects is chronicling the history of Green White Soccer Club, a club co-founded by my father in 1956. Every month I write about one year in Green White history. This month it's 1980.
You can read it here.
South Side Story
If you know anything about me, you know I'm a die-hard Cubs fan. My son Sean might even be a bigger Cubs fan than me, if it's possible. So when he said he wanted to go to U.S. Cellular for his birthday, I was a little surprised.
"I just want to see another ballpark," he said to me. "We've driven by it, but we've never gone in."
"OK," I said, "but you can't wear any Cubs stuff. I took your brother to a Cubs-Sox game at Comiskey when he was five years old and an entire section of White Sox fans booed him for several innings because he was wearing a Cubs hat. They booed a five-year-old."
"Really?"
"Really," I said. "I'm not kidding. No Cubs stuff. We'll just go enjoy a ballgame."
"I promise," he said.
I let him bring four of his pals and we spent Saturday night at the park. Had a good time too. We were in the front row of the centerfield bleachers (the seats even have backs!). Seven homers were hit that night, so we saw lots of fireworks. Plus, after the game, they had an actual fireworks display. And because the White Sox won, we got free fries at McDonald's.
Other than listening to five boys screaming non-stop for several hours (where in the world do they get the energy?), the Cell was a very positive experience. It's still not Wrigley, but if I had brought five boys to Wrigley, I would have had to take out another mortgage.
"I just want to see another ballpark," he said to me. "We've driven by it, but we've never gone in."
"OK," I said, "but you can't wear any Cubs stuff. I took your brother to a Cubs-Sox game at Comiskey when he was five years old and an entire section of White Sox fans booed him for several innings because he was wearing a Cubs hat. They booed a five-year-old."
"Really?"
"Really," I said. "I'm not kidding. No Cubs stuff. We'll just go enjoy a ballgame."
"I promise," he said.
I let him bring four of his pals and we spent Saturday night at the park. Had a good time too. We were in the front row of the centerfield bleachers (the seats even have backs!). Seven homers were hit that night, so we saw lots of fireworks. Plus, after the game, they had an actual fireworks display. And because the White Sox won, we got free fries at McDonald's.
Other than listening to five boys screaming non-stop for several hours (where in the world do they get the energy?), the Cell was a very positive experience. It's still not Wrigley, but if I had brought five boys to Wrigley, I would have had to take out another mortgage.
Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road
Good news, bad news. I believe this dead skunk is the one that has been tormenting my dog for the past few months. Unfortunately, it's on the road right in front of my house, and it reeks so much I had to close all the windows.
I know that skunks are all part of the circle of life, and that they are necessary for something, but I can very easily imagine a world without them.
11 Famous Songs You Didn't Know Were Sued for Plagiarism
I had no idea about some of these, including "Folsom Prison Blues", "Come Together", and "Do You Think I'm Sexy". You should check it out. The article provides videos of the "original" songs. I personally think "Come Together" is a bit of a stretch, but you can decide for yourself.
Fuse posted the article.
Joel Daly
Former ABC anchor Joel Daly is appearing on stage in Evanston. Robert Feder has the details.
I've gotten to know Joel a bit over the past few months because Eckhartz Press is going to publish his memoir after the first of the year. (More details to come.) If there ever has been a true Renaissance man, Joel is it: Reporter, Anchor, Attorney, Pilot, Actor, Singer, Performer.
The guy does it all.
College Radio Day
From Tom Taylor's NOW column this morning...
College Radio Day is tomorrow. It started with a professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey named Dr. Rob Quicke, and has quickly spread around the world. Quicke tells NorthJersey.com that it’s now “a global event…we have 37 countries signed on.” As the organizing website says, “the aim is to raise a greater, international awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate around the world, by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day.” Why is college radio important? They say it’s “the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis. Indeed, many famous and successful bands today, owe their initial break to being played on college radio.” College Radio Day began in 2011, grew to 585 student stations in 29 countries, and could be even bigger this year, as it’s celebrated tomorrow, October 1.
I am a big supporter of college radio. It's how I got my start in radio way back in 1981 at WPGU in Champaign-Urbana. See if you can spot me in this picture...
College Radio Day is tomorrow. It started with a professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey named Dr. Rob Quicke, and has quickly spread around the world. Quicke tells NorthJersey.com that it’s now “a global event…we have 37 countries signed on.” As the organizing website says, “the aim is to raise a greater, international awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate around the world, by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day.” Why is college radio important? They say it’s “the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis. Indeed, many famous and successful bands today, owe their initial break to being played on college radio.” College Radio Day began in 2011, grew to 585 student stations in 29 countries, and could be even bigger this year, as it’s celebrated tomorrow, October 1.
I am a big supporter of college radio. It's how I got my start in radio way back in 1981 at WPGU in Champaign-Urbana. See if you can spot me in this picture...
Friday, September 27, 2013
Sammy's New Look
Sammy Sosa is slowly but surely heading to Michael Jackson land. Now he's not only white, he has blue eyes. And Ricky Ricardo's haircut.
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A New Way to Promote TV
CBS is now promoting television shows the day AFTER they air. Why would they do that? To promote "time shifted viewing".
The New York Times has more on this new phenomenon.
A Headline That Makes Me Happy
From the Hill: "FCC considering rule that could keep big media companies from getting bigger"
In this case they are talking about changing the way UHF stations are counted versus the way other stations are when calculating media ownership caps. The FCC is basically saying that they should be the same now that all stations are digital, which makes perfect sense to me.
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
The Associated Press @AP 7m
Cuba says athletes can sign professional contracts in foreign leagues, reversing long ban: http://apne.ws/1bLmj4d -RD
DRUDGE REPORT @DRUDGE_REPORT 9m
Man steals ambulance -- with patient still inside... http://drudge.tw/1bctWhq
Groovyhoovy @Groovyhoovy 21m
Thank you for making WGN Morning News #1 from 6am to 10am in September. Suck it, Kelly Ripa.
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN 41m
Brewers have been winning this week -- and sliding back in 2014 draft order. As of this morning: 7. COL 8. TOR 9. PHI 10. MILW 12. NYM
Mark A. Rayner @markarayner 46m
11 Quotes From Authors On Censorship & Banned Books … http://tmblr.co/Zhl6Iyw82gN5 #bannedbooks
Jimmy Novak @JimmyNovakRadio 51m
Lindsay Lohan and Jimmy Fallon Say Twerking Is "So 2-0-1-3" in Hilarious Sketch—Watch! http://bit.ly/18uQsQm @1023xlc #radio
Huffington Post @HuffingtonPost 52m
The problem with PCs that Bill Gates is finally admitting to http://huff.to/1eJOqlD
Marcus Leshock @marcusleshock 54m
The history of the guitar solo in one video. Amazing stuff... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GBu1hpgg4I#t=364 …
Michael Tomasky @mtomasky 1h
New Column: I think finally Americans are figuring out who the arsonists in Washington are http://thebea.st/18trEbl via @thedailybeast
NBC News @NBCNews 1h
'Extremely likely': Top scientists blame humans more clearly than ever for global warming http://nbcnews.to/16veizq
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
MLB @MLB 21s
Carlos Gomez homered off Paul Maholm, bat flipped, and the rest was just pure insanity: http://atmlb.com/1fHTCFs @RedBull #MustC
Slate @Slate 2m
All hail the billionaire-funded, cheat-tastic America's Cup victors! http://slate.me/16C6QLO
SportsCenter @SportsCenter 1h
Yankees 2B and free agent-to-be Robinson Cano is seeking a 10-year contract worth $305 MILLION this offseason. (via @Buster_ESPN)
Huffington Post @HuffingtonPost 6m
Remember Melissa Joan Hart's Maxim cover? Yeah, she was totally high on ecstasy during that photo shoot http://huff.to/1eHMxFZ
Radio.com @radiodotcom 14m
The Kinks may reunite http://cbsloc.al/14ICWcr
Hub Arkush @Hub_Arkush 15m
I've updated my #NFL power rankings. A shakeup in the top 10, including with the #Bears. http://shawurl.com/soa
Kevin Robillard @PoliticoKevin 23m
Until yesterday, it was illegal in Michigan to have a bumper sticker for a group you weren't a member of: http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/09/michigan_house_peels_off_bumpe.html?utm_campaign=2013-09-26-Stateline-Daily.htm&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua#incart_river …
phil_rosenthal @phil_rosenthal 19m
Saw a woman writing parking tickets park in front of a hydrant. Which seemed wrong.
Shari VanderWerf @shariv67 24m
Last night I saw a play about Stockholm Syndrome. At first I hated it, but by the third act I never wanted it to end.
POLITICO @politico 25m
"I haven’t heard such vile, profane, obscene language,” King said about calls to his office from Cruz supporters: http://politi.co/16sYwF8
Best "Best Man" Toast Ever
These two brothers were asked to deliver the best man toast at their brother's wedding, and they created this to be played at the wedding instead. It's fantastic. (More information about it at Gawker)
Being Heckled Via Twitter During Stand Up Act
Dan Nainan is a comedian. Josh Rogin is a reporter for the Daily Beast. During Nainan's set in Washington, Rogin was making snarky tweets about Nainan's act, critquing his jokes.
Apparently Rogin is on Nainan's twitter feed, because after his act, Nainan went up to Rogin and said: "Are you Josh Rogin?"
When Rogin nodded, Nainan punched him in the face.
It's a little more direct than the kind of heckler-put downs comedians normally use (Kevin Matthews used to say: "Hey, listen, I'm going asshole hunting in the morning, and I could use a decoy"), but it's certainly effective. On the other hand, Nainan was arrested, so he may not try this technique again.
300 Sandwiches in Exchange for an Engagement Ring
One of the "reporters" for the New York Post's Page 6 column has made a deal with her boyfriend. He said he would get her an engagement ring if she made him 300 sandwiches.
So, she's taking him up on it. Right now she's about 124 sandwiches short, but she still has her eye on the prize.
Many women are horrified by this story, but I think it sounds like a pretty fair deal. Even if every sandwich costs her $5 to make (which I doubt), and she gets another $3 for her labor (which is generous for three minutes of work), that's about a $2400 value.
I paid more than that for an engagement ring twenty five years ago. She's still going to come out ahead.
Call me a romantic.
Joke for a Thursday Morning
Thanks to "LM" for sending it...
Three ladies were having lunch. One was engaged, one was a mistress, and one was married.
While chatting about their relationships they decided it would be great fun if each of them greeted their man at the door that night wearing only a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes. They would also lunch again the next day to compare notes.
The next day, two of the woman were still giddy from the doings of the night before.
The engaged woman's fiancee saw her and said "You are the woman of my dreams..I love you" and they made passionate love all night long.
The mistress' lover didn't say a word; just trembled, took her in his arms and they had wild sex all night.
The married woman's husband came home, saw her and asked....
"What's for dinner, Batman?"
Three ladies were having lunch. One was engaged, one was a mistress, and one was married.
While chatting about their relationships they decided it would be great fun if each of them greeted their man at the door that night wearing only a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes. They would also lunch again the next day to compare notes.
The next day, two of the woman were still giddy from the doings of the night before.
The engaged woman's fiancee saw her and said "You are the woman of my dreams..I love you" and they made passionate love all night long.
The mistress' lover didn't say a word; just trembled, took her in his arms and they had wild sex all night.
The married woman's husband came home, saw her and asked....
"What's for dinner, Batman?"
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Shutting Down the Comments Section
Popular Science just announced they are shutting down the comments section on their website.
I'm 100% behind this decision. I've been campaigning for all news-webites to do the same. The vitriol in the comments sections of even the most banal articles is beyond belief.
Everyone has the right to free speech, but they don't have the right to it on every website. Those are privately owned.
If you feel an incredible urge to comment, create your own website or blog. It's inexpensive, and in some cases, even free. But you'll have to be accountable for what you say, instead of just peeing anonymous poison on complete strangers.
5 Years Ago Today
From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...
September 25, 2008…In Tel Aviv, more than 45,000 people attended a concert by Paul McCartney, 43 years after the Beatles were banned from playing in Israel because of official fears that they could "corrupt the nation's youth." He sang his solo hits as well as Beatles favorites, but the highpoint of the evening came when McCartney dedicated his performance of "Give Peace A Chance" to his late fellow Beatle, John Lennon, and sang about the folly of war, a theme that clearly resonated with the Tel Aviv audience.
This video is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the audio equipment for that show. It's a promotional/advertising piece, but it's interesting for an audio geek like me...
September 25, 2008…In Tel Aviv, more than 45,000 people attended a concert by Paul McCartney, 43 years after the Beatles were banned from playing in Israel because of official fears that they could "corrupt the nation's youth." He sang his solo hits as well as Beatles favorites, but the highpoint of the evening came when McCartney dedicated his performance of "Give Peace A Chance" to his late fellow Beatle, John Lennon, and sang about the folly of war, a theme that clearly resonated with the Tel Aviv audience.
This video is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the audio equipment for that show. It's a promotional/advertising piece, but it's interesting for an audio geek like me...
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
Slate @Slate 14m
Ted Cruz still talking, still trying to fool you into thinking he can stop #Obamacare: http://slate.me/1eGRSxi
Ben Finfer @BenFinfer 9m
Ted Cruz has officially proven he's a good enough bloviator to host sports radio.
Jay Bilas @JayBilas 1h
Q: Which is longer, Sen. Ted Cruz's filibuster or Digger Phelps' story of beating UCLA in 1974? A: We don't know yet. Both are still going.
DRUDGE REPORT @DRUDGE_REPORT 22m
Police: Woman Eaten By Dozens Of Hybrid Wolf-Dogs... http://drudge.tw/1fCxQmw
Robert Feder @RobertFeder 10m
Help wanted: New boss for @WGNTV: http://bit.ly/1h0lKBu
Ron Smith @oldiesmusic 1m
A textbook on how to issue "criticism" positively: @KenLevine Did Shelley Long try to get Kelsey Grammer fired?: http://bit.ly/18YXafr
stephen serio @StephenJSerio 1h
Another Chicago CEO lets us peek in office. The hook: he has the largest collection of pre-Chicago Fire beer bottles! http://bcove.me/l9l3kdjx
New York Daily News @NYDailyNews 1m
"Sexist" gorilla being kicked out of Dallas Zoo. http://nydn.us/18ph5Yz
Rolling Stone @RollingStone 1m
Bono showed off his impression of Bill Clinton yesterday at the Clinton Global Initiative: http://rol.st/1ao8Njk
HuffPost Chicago @HuffPostChicago 1m
Cubs score a team-record 50th home loss http://huff.to/1h0qffs
Former Tribune Exec Gets 2 Years in Prison
Stephanie Pater was convicted of stealing more than $260,000 from the Tribune company. The judge gave her 2 years in prison yesterday.
Full details in the Chicago Tribune.
Dhani Harrison
Rolling Stone has posted Dhani Harrison covering his father George's song "For You Blue"
He sounds exactly like his old man. Nice work, kid.
He sounds exactly like his old man. Nice work, kid.
Dan Burns, Inside the Writer's Brain
Eckhartz Press author Dan Burns has his own website, and has been contributing blog entries.
I particularly enjoyed this one, called "A Thousand Different Faces".
Here's an excerpt...
"Unless a writer writes solely for himself, for his own personal enjoyment, the goal of the writer is to get at least one other person to read something he wrote. If that one person, the reader, was to use her hard-earned money to purchase something he wrote, even better. If that single reader was to go even further and do something crazy, like actually read what he wrote, then hallelujah! And if the stars were perfectly aligned and it was “in the cards” and if that single reader made the effort to share a comment about the writing, then as a writer, he would have hit the jackpot, would have experienced the Grand Slam of Writing."
If you'd like to get inside the writer's brain, Dan's blog post is a nice start.
If you'd like to read what all the fuss is about, Dan's novel "Recalled to Life" is available right here on the Eckhartz Press website.
I particularly enjoyed this one, called "A Thousand Different Faces".
Here's an excerpt...
"Unless a writer writes solely for himself, for his own personal enjoyment, the goal of the writer is to get at least one other person to read something he wrote. If that one person, the reader, was to use her hard-earned money to purchase something he wrote, even better. If that single reader was to go even further and do something crazy, like actually read what he wrote, then hallelujah! And if the stars were perfectly aligned and it was “in the cards” and if that single reader made the effort to share a comment about the writing, then as a writer, he would have hit the jackpot, would have experienced the Grand Slam of Writing."
If you'd like to get inside the writer's brain, Dan's blog post is a nice start.
If you'd like to read what all the fuss is about, Dan's novel "Recalled to Life" is available right here on the Eckhartz Press website.
Nicknames on Jerseys?
According to this report, the NBA is considering allowing a few players to have their nicknames on the back of their jerseys instead of their last names, like "King James" instead of just James, or "D-Wade" instead of simply Wade.
And you thought these guys were narcissistic before...
The Most Litigious Radio Personality in the World
Remember Todd Schnitt? He's the Tampa radio personality who sued Bubba the Love Sponge for making deragatory comments about him. The jury ruled against him in three hours.
So what is he doing now? He's suing his attorney. The details are here at the local Tampa television station's website.
Here's my favorite part of the article: "Schnitt paid Campbell's firm $1 million for legal services, but he owes another million and is refusing the pay."
The only winners in lawsuits are the attorneys. After this lawsuit he's going to owe another attorney money too.
Is Radio As Good As it Used to Be?
Most people say no. From Tom Taylor's NOW newsletter today...
Researcher Mark Kassof’s online questioning of 989 adults 18-64 turns up these conclusions – when asked about the statement that “Radio isn’t as good as it used to be,” 19% agreed strongly and another 34% agreed slightly. 28% disagreed slightly with the statement, and 13% disagreed strongly...Kassof says “from a demographic perspective, 18-34s are the most negative.” 61% agree about radio not being as good now, compared to 53% of all adults. Mark says “what’s interesting is that the oldest of the 18-34s were only teens” when the 1996 Telecom Act came along, “the law that enabled ‘mega-groups’ that many blame for the decline of radio.” On balance, men are more negative about radio than women, and 18-34 men are the most negative cell of all. Where does radio do well? With 45-54 men and women.
I'm still in that final demographic, but even I admit it isn't as good as it used to be.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
CBS Chicago @cbschicago 2m
Obama: ‘I haven’t had a cigarette in probably six years. That’s because I’m scared of my wife.’ http://cbsloc.al/1dFYl8C
Mark A. Rayner @markarayner 8m
Love this Julia Fierro quote about the responsibilities of the writer. http://tmblr.co/Zhl6IyvuXlsi #books #amwriting
John Arguello @CubsDen 22m
Cubs Top 50 Prospects: 11-20 | Cubs Den http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/09/cubs-top-50-prospects-11-20/
Slate @Slate 1m
AIG CEO Says Bonus Outrage Is "Just as Bad and Just as Wrong" as Jim Crow Lynching: http://slate.me/1fya6Qv
John McCain @SenJohnMcCain 3m
Must-read Wash Post: "Unserious Washington - As lawmakers delay reckoning with nation's finances, we all pay price" http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-debt-crisis-deserves-a-serious-respons/2013/09/23/3c5a74c4-2468-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html …
Huffington Post @HuffingtonPost 5m
In honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday, here's what "The Great Gatsby" can teach you about life http://huff.to/1eDWbcJ
Bill Wyman @hitsville 12m
I've just been informed that the new Sting album has a song called “The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance.”
The Daily Caller @DailyCaller 14m
Harry Reid: 'We're not going to bow to #teaparty anarchists.' http://ow.ly/pa4gf
Josh Liss @JoshLissSports 24m
Going for broke. Last October Nate Burleson broke his leg in a #Lions loss to the #Bears, 13-7. He's out this Sunday with a broken arm.
USA TODAY Life @usatodaylife 30m
Elton John: "I worry about Justin Bieber & Miley Cyrus. Her performance ...the tongue thing freaked me." Interview: http://usat.ly/1b29iAh
The Twitter IPO
Twitter is going public soon. According to the Street, they have decided to use the New York Stock Exchange.
Twitter is hoping it goes better than Facebook's IPO last year.
Twitter is hoping it goes better than Facebook's IPO last year.
Banned Book Week
The National Library Association is celebrating Banned Book Week, trying to highlight the disturbing trend of books being banned in this country. As an author, it would be a badge of honor to have the most banned book, so congratulations to Dav Pilkey, the writer of 2012's most banned book.
Captain Underpants!
My kids love those books.
Captain Underpants!
My kids love those books.
Is LinkedIn Hacking Address Books?
That's the charge several LinkedIn members are making in a lawsuit filed this week.
The Wrap has the details. If it's true, it's slightly disturbing to say the least.
Radio Hall of Fame
Just got my invite to the Radio Hall of Fame dinner (November 9). Congrats to my old bosses Steve Dahl & Garry Meier, who are being inducted this year. S&G were one of the best radio teams in history; groundbreaking, controversial, and wildly creative. I feel very lucky to have witnessed it from the producer's booth for a few years.
I didn't get an invite because I was part of the show. There were many more people that were a bigger part of the show than I was (like Bruce Wolf, Leslie Keiling, Carrie Cochran, Maggie Brock, Laura Witek, Buzz Kilman, Roman Sawczak, Dan Falato). I got it because I write about the media. But I'm looking forward to attending.
Dick Biondi
WLS great Dick Biondi was interviewed by NPR (Scott Simon of Weekend Edition) over the weekend. Great stuff.
You can listen to the interview here. The transcript of the interview is there too, if you'd rather read it.
I worked with Dick at WMJK for many years. You'll never find a more energetic person than Dick, and I've never seen anyone who can work a crowd like that man.
The playoffs
Turn about is fair play. Last night the Pirates clinched a playoff spot by beating the Cubs. On this day in 1984, the Cubs clinched a playoff spot by beating the Pirates.
Both Harry and Jack Brickhouse were in the clubhouse during the celebration.
Watch them in action at Cubs 365.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Happiness is a Warm Gun
From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, this little tidbit from 45 years ago today...
September 23, 1968…At EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles recorded "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," originally called "Happiness Is A Warm Gun In Your Hand," the title inspired by the cover of a gun magazine that producer George Martin showed John Lennon. Jim Morrison of the Doors visited the Beatles in the studio and watched them record.
September 23, 1968…At EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles recorded "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," originally called "Happiness Is A Warm Gun In Your Hand," the title inspired by the cover of a gun magazine that producer George Martin showed John Lennon. Jim Morrison of the Doors visited the Beatles in the studio and watched them record.
Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame
Shame on me for not even knowing that the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame existed. (It has been around for more than 20 years) I only found out because of a Robert Feder tweet announcing this year's inductees. The list is here, by the way, and includes Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts and Kukla, Fran & Ollie's Burr Tillstrom.
I knew that Tillstrom was from Chicago, but had no idea he was gay. It's not even mentioned in his wikipedia page, not that it should be. In fact, I'm hoping it's not mentioned because it isn't really relevant to his art, but I suspect that the wiki-author just didn't know. Tillstrom died in 1985, and was popular long before "coming out" was considered socially acceptable.
I knew that Tillstrom was from Chicago, but had no idea he was gay. It's not even mentioned in his wikipedia page, not that it should be. In fact, I'm hoping it's not mentioned because it isn't really relevant to his art, but I suspect that the wiki-author just didn't know. Tillstrom died in 1985, and was popular long before "coming out" was considered socially acceptable.
Today's Best Tweets
Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...
Brett Taylor @BleacherNation 1m
#Cubs: Ryne Sandberg is an Interim Manager No More and Other Bullets http://bit.ly/18l3aRq
daveweigel @daveweigel 4m
My 26-year old brother is signing up for an Obamacare exchange. Do I give him garlic and a stake to ward off Creepy Uncle Sam?
DRUDGE REPORT @DRUDGE_REPORT 7m
Houston Astros set record low as just 915 people watch game... http://drudge.tw/16lA0Wv
Josh Marshall @joshtpm 8m
Big Deal >>> Egypt Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Orders Its Assets Confiscated http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/egypt-bans-muslim-brotherhood-orders-its-assets-confiscated
Josh Liss @JoshLissSports 11m
#Bears Henry Melton is being "evaluated this morning back at Halas Hall" for potentially serious knee injury, Trestman tells @WBBMNewsradio
Chuck Todd @chucktodd 16s
Remember, this fight over funding the govt is about a 2 1/2 month continuation of funding. So we may end up seeing ANOTHER showdown in Dec
@JesseFFerguson: Politico - "Poll: Most oppose defunding effort" http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/obamacare-defunding-government-shutdown-poll-97201.html …
kippermcgee @kippermcgee 2m
Morning Blend: "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now." ~Chinese Proverb
Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune 50s
Bears head coach Marc Trestman: We were "at our best when our best was needed" http://trib.in/1aYMrFS
John McCain @SenJohnMcCain 2m
Must-read @MedvedSHOW @WSJ today: "Countdown to GOP Self-Destruction" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323665504579033220194883160.html …
Steve Cochran
Robert Feder has a great interview today with the new morning man at WGN, Steve Cochran.
When I interviewed Steve during his last tour of duty at WGN, he was very unhappy working for the knuckleheads who eventually ran that station into the ground. (You can read it here) It's good to see he's happy again. He sounds like he belongs on WGN.
The Emmys
I'm guessing the Emmy Awards didn't have a huge audience in Chicago last night (because it was up against the Bears), so here's a recap of the winners in USA Today.
Notables are Modern Family for best comedy and Breaking Bad for best drama. Also, "Behind the Candalabra" won a ton of them, including it's star Michael Douglas. The biggest upset was Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) beating Bryan Cranston for best actor.
But the biggest winner of the night, of course, were the Bears.
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