Let’s take a look at what can be gleaned from looking through the 1978 calendar:

As a ninth-grader, I volunteered with a friend of mine to go to a couple elementary schools and teach fourth-graders about vandalism. It got me out of class. I think that was my main motivation. There were a few ninth-graders and a few eighth-graders who volunteered. We went in pairs to do the presentation, which included a movie and then a discussion. I thought I was going to be paired up with my friend, which was one of the reasons I signed up. That was not to be, but it was OK cause I got to do my presentation with this really cute eighth-grade girl. So it was all good.

My first presentation was at 9 a.m. on Feb. 8, 1978 at the school I attended previous to the junior high experience. I recall watching kids run shopping carts into parked cars in a grocery store parking lot. I think these hoodlums tipped over garbage cans in the park, too. I'm a little hazy on the details. But I do remember asking the kids what they thought of vandalism, how they could help stop it and the like.  Two weeks later, we hit another local elementary school. All in all, it was a good thing for me. I had to be poised under pressure and act like a responsible, mature person, which was difficult for me at the time. Heck, it's still difficult sometimes!

I've got my whole high school track schedule written down that year. The first meet we had was an indoor meet at West Allis Central on March 3. I think I ran the mile there. I remember running the mile at Whitefish Bay on the 8th. Then, there was the two-mile at Waukesha North on March 14. If I recall correctly, the ttrack at Waukesha North was 12 laps to a mile, pretty darn small. So we ran 24 laps in the race. It seemed as if you were leaning into the turns almost the whole way, which, when finished, made you feel like you were walking crooked.

As a freshman, I stunk. I didn't get all that much better the rest of my high school running career. Oh, I got better. But I got discouraged, was a numb skull and didn't realize what it took to reach my full potential in high school. That assessment didn't just have to do with running, it had to do with just about all aspects of my life. I made excuses and whined instead of doing something about my situation. Thank God I changed my ways.

I worked at the St. Bernard Catholic Church Fun Fest from 6-8 p.m. on June 4 of that year. It was our church's annual fundraiser, which included kids games, live music and food. My dad usually worked the corn roast. Hank Raymonds, head coach of the Marquette University men's basketball team at the time, was also working the corn roast this particular shift when I showed up. I needed to do some community service for Boy Scouts, and this was it. I always liked Hank Raymonds. He spoke at a father-son breakfast at church once, discussing motivation.

In July, I worked a few days at the Greater Milwaukee Open ... I think. This is the annual men's pro golf event played in the Milwaukee area. Our neighbor down the street (who incidentally really was at the Ice Bowl) was in charge of the running the parking lots at the event. I got drafted to work a few days. We had to get there really early in the morning, and Mr. Cartier (the Ice Bowl attendee and head boss man) drove me there. Me and two other guys, a teacher form somewhere and a guy in my school a year ahead of me, were in charge of one lot. I found it interesting that people didn't want to park where we told them to park. For some reason, they thought we were making them park father away than they really were. We did have a nice big rut going through the grass lot as it had rained heavily a day or two before.

This was about the most boring work I ever did. I guess it would have been less boring had more people showed up. But I didn't really like telling people where to park anyway, so I guess it was about as good as it could have been.

There were these cute cheerleaders from Brookfield Central High School there for some reason and me and the other minor male among us had a crush on the same one. Of course, she hung around with him and not me. Oh well.

I was at the GMO one other time ... as a Boy Scout. I carried the scoring standard for a group during the second or third round. Jay Haas and Scott Simpson were two of the three golfers. I don't remember the third. All in all, golf is a boring game for me to watch. I don't mind playing once in a while, but it's not an exciting game for me to watch. Some people say that if you do not find a certain sport exciting or interesting to watch, then you must not know how it's played. That's not the case with me and golf. I was a sportswriter for 12 years and I understand the game. I just do not get all that enthused about other watching people smack a ball around.

I showed up for orientation at Wauwatosa East High School on Aug. 30 of that year. The building housed 10th through 12th grades. You could participate in some of the activities as a freshman, but you were housed in the junior high building in ninth grade. I'd run cross country and track, and swam on the higfh school team as a freshman while still attending Longfellow Junior High School. But now it was time to enter the high school.

It was another cross country season that fall, and the big highlight of the season was on Oct. 18, the final meet of the year. My dad offered to give me (I think it was) $10 if I broke (I think it was) 19 minutes for my 3-mile race. That would be my best time to that point. I was running a junior varsity race against our heated rivals, Wauwatosa West. I recall trying to catch this one guy on our team just about the whole second half of the race. He was a freshman and I really didn't want him to beat me. I kicked as hard as I could about the last quarter of a mile and caught him just at the finish line. In the process, I leaned forward, slipped on the damp grass and sprawled forward into the chute, sliding on my front side.

It was pretty cool. It was also cool when my dad handed the cash over to me. I think I beat the goal by about 4 seconds or so.

This was also the year that several of us started attending as many home football games as we could. Some of my friends were in the marching band. So we'd sit behind the marching band when they came up into the stands after halftime and cheer the Red Raiders on. The best high school game of my entire life occurred at Hart Park on Oct. 20, 1978. Our team was playing one of the better teams in the state in West Allis Central. They had this awesome fullback named Jim Melka, who went on to become an all-conference player in college at Wisconsin.

It was a heck of a game. But in the final minutes, it looked as if West Allis Central was going to sew up a close victory. We had them pinned back near their own goal line, and it was fourth down, but all they had to do was take an intentional safety and punt the ball away, and we'd be toast.

However, instead of kneeling down in the end zone and giving us two points that wouldn't really matter, Melka got the ball and started to run out of the end zone. My cousin was an assistant coach on the Central team, and he later told me Melka thought he saw an opening for a touchdown. Our guys tackled him as soon as he got out of the end zone, which gave us the ball back on about the 1-yard line. We ran the ball into the end zone to get within one point on the last play of the game. It was up to the teo-point conversion try to either give us the win or the defeat. I think they ran the same play and we scored, giving us a one-point win, and sending the whole student body overt the fence and onto the field to celebrate.

I remember giving Coach Richmond (J.R. to many) congratulations after I got out onto the field. After I figured out there really was no other reason to be out there, I started heading toward the end zone closest to the locker rooms, where there was an exit. I saw Melka standing up against a goal post crying with his head coach's arm around him. In all my elation over my team's incredible upset win, I found myself feeling compassion for the other team's star.

I don't know why, but I wrote down the Green Bay Packers' 9-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 29. Hadn't written any other scores the whole season. I probably shouldn't have done it. The win gave the Pack a 7-2 record at the time. They only won one more game the rest of the year, finished 8-7-1 and didn't make the playoffs. It's my fault.

I was also keeping track of how many consecutive days of school I was attending at the time. I used to get incredibly sick near the end of the first semester or the start of the seocnd semester. It was my annual flu bug or infection of something or other. Made it all the way to 83 straight days, which ended on Jan. 12, 1979. Missed one day and got right back to school. Although I stopped counting four days after that.

If you read this blog much, you know I'm from Wisconsin.  We Badger State folks are a very progressive people.  I've read the statistics, so I know.  Only two out of every five of us share a toothbrush with someone else.  (Yes, I know.  I am grossed out, too -- which is why I belong to the three-out-of-five group that insists on having our very own toothbrushes.)

Another two out of five still have outdoor commodes.  This surprised me, since none of my neighbors for blocks around have a little house in the backyard.  I think the census busybodies must have mistaken some of those utility sheds that house lawnmowers for outdoor facilities.  Or perhaps the stats are skewed by the cottages "up nort'."  Now, a lot of those do not have indoor plumbing, but they are not usually primary residences.  The owners do have running water at their real houses, but the cottages are another story.  Personally, I don't go "up nort'" for more than an afternoon visit unless I have first asked how primitive the facilities are.  I don't particularly mind the commode, but if I must bathe in the lake or forego the pleasure entirely, I'm not staying overnight.

Contrary to rumor, most of us have not had a party line for the last forty-five years.  (For the younger set, a "party line" is not color-coordinated paper plates and napkins for a birthday bash.  Nor is it a political party slogan.  It means several people all share the same phone line and listen in on each other's conversations when bored.)  West Virginia may still have party lines, but, true to our reputation for being progressive, Wisconsin gave them up long ago.  I miss them, to tell the truth.  When I was a small child, we got quite an education by listening in on the party line, if Mom wasn't watching us.  But, if you breathed too loud or giggled, the yackers would suddenly discover they were being monitored and yell, "You kids get off the line!"

Most of us are well aware that Barack Obama does not live in a cave somewhere between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  We might wish he did, but we are painfully aware that he does not.  Most of us know that the Republican running mate's last name is Palin, not Paladin, although it's possible that "Have gun, will travel" might be her motto, too.  (Sorry, younger folks, you will have to google that one.  Wikipedia will tell you all about it.)  I do not have the statistics of how many Wisconsinites do believe Obama lives in a cave, or that Sarah's last name is Paladin.  I don't think they've been published yet, but my guess is, they would be two out of five.

Wisconsinites do not all wear red flannel union suits, either.  There was a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, some years back, who insisted we do, but it's not true.  You can't believe everything the media people tell you.  That's why we have blogs these days, to set the record straight.  I have NEVER worn a red flannel union suit -- not even on Christmas morning.  My husband would love to, but I won't let him.

So, that's one more scoop in the ol' dumpster on life in Wisconsin.  I'm truly hoping our department of tourism is going to pay me one of these days for these plugs for the home state.  Come on up and visit sometime.

 leeannrubsam.com

Senior members of the Republican party are in open mutiny against John McCain's presidential campaign, after a disastrous period which has seen Barack Obama solidify his lead in the opinion polls.

...snip...

From inside and outside his inner circle, Mr McCain is being told to settle on a coherent economic message and to tone down attacks on his rival which have sometimes whipped up a mob-like atmosphere at Republican rallies.

Original DVD cover.

Two former rivals for the party nomination, Mitt Romney and Tommy Thompson, went on the record over the weekend about the disarray in the Republican camp. And a string of other senior party figures said Mr McCain's erratic performance risks taking the party down to heavy losses not just in the presidential race but also in contests for Congressional seats. Mr Thompson, a former governor of the swing state of Wisconsin, said he thought Mr McCain, on his present trajectory, would lose the state, and he told a New York Times reporter he was not happy with the campaign. "I don't know who is," he added.

Some Republicans seeking election to Congress have begun distancing themselves from Mr McCain. In Nebraska, a Republican representative, Lee Terry, ran a newspaper ad featuring support from a woman who called herself an "Obama-Terry voter".

From The Trail at The Washington Post:

CHICAGO -- Falling behind in a sheaf of polls amid one of the nastiest campaigns in the country, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) announced today that he will unilaterally disarm: He will pull his negative advertising and urge his supporters to do the same.

At a St. Paul press conference, the onetime Democrat-turned-Republican sounded as though he was channeling Sen. Barack Obama, who has taken a strong lead in Minnesota polls.

...snip...

Coleman told reporters that he would not be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be McCain's sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama? Coleman said he needs the time to work on suspending his own negative ads.

From The Miami Herald:

For the first time in more than a decade, Florida Republicans are considering the almost unthinkable: Their presidential nominee could lose the state.

The economy, an unpopular president, a strong opponent, and the inability of John McCain to reverse poll numbers despite repeatedly revising his strategy has top state Republicans looking for someone to blame.

''There are a lot of folks who have never been in a foxhole before and are clearly nervous,'' said Brian Ballard, a major McCain fundraiser. ``There is some finger-pointing going on a little bit too soon.''

Even Gov. Charlie Crist, who helped deliver Florida for McCain during the primary, said he will spend the final weeks before Election Day minding the state's weak economy rather than campaigning for the Arizona senator.

''When I have time to help, I'll try to do that,'' Crist said last week, after he flew around the state with McCain running mate Sarah Palin. Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World.

• It has been reported that Clemson head coach Bobby Bowden has been fired.  It's about time.  He was hands down the worst head coach in the ACC.  The two things you can always count on during a college football season are USC being really good and Clemson drastically underachieving.  The firing may have an effect on Bowden's recruits as some of them may change their mind now but the move will ultimately be good for the program's future.
• After this weekend I am fully convinced that the Big 12 is the best top to bottom football conference in the nation.  That Texas-Oklahoma game was a great show.  The reason that puts the Big 12 over the top and ahead of the SEC is their unbelievable quarterback play.  I can't recall a better collection of QBs in a single conference.  Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Todd Reesing, Graham Harrell, etc.  Wow.  Those SEC defenses wouldn't look so great if they constantly faced these types of QB talents.
• Texas will lose and fall from their perch at number one in the nation.  The Big 12 is just too balanced and too good.  In just this past weekend we saw Oklahoma and Missouri go down to conference foes while letting second half leads slip away.  Texas needs to watch out for their next game, hosting Missouri.
• Kudos to Butch Davis for the job that he has done.  His rebuilding process at UNC has happened way faster than I expected.  That was an impressive win at home against a decent Notre Dame team.  They also did that without starting quarterback T.J. Yates.  If they can get enough offense they might even pull off a shocking ACC Title run.
• This just in: Rutgers is a joke.  I tried to tell people that they were one of the most overrated programs over the last few years.  They only had a good run because they had an NFL caliber fullback and an NFL halfback.  Their offense could not make a drive if their life depended on it.  1-5 and falling.
• I have said before that Penn State is a darkhorse national title contender and they proved it this past weekend.  Their stomping of Wisconsin provided the Badgers with their worst loss in 19 years.  
• Don't overreact to Michigan's 2008 season.  It is not that surprising and not a big deal.  They are just 2-4 and seem destined for a season similar to what Notre Dame went through last year.  But they will be back next year.  Rich Rodriguez is too good and just needs a quarterback that can run his offense.  They will bounce back with an bowl appearance next year, similar to Notre Dame this year, and then they'll be on their way.
• I hope you didn't overreact like everyone else did.  USC is still elite and will be right there for a BCS Title berth since they will roll through the rest of their schedule.
• LSU on the other hand is not a serious contender.  We all knew that they were weak at QB but their defense isn't even playing at a high level.  That was embarrassing at Florida and they cannot generate a good pass rush.  Wait till next year.

My motherly (and slightly insane) instincts kicked in and I thought, "I must rescue this poor, cuddly Snookums from being hit by a car!" So I pulled over, hopped out of my car, and walked towards him with several biscuits in my hand.

But the little jerk snarled, growled and snapped at me in a very fierce manner. I felt relieved when I finally reached my car and got in safely.

From my safe vantage point, I took these pictures of him approaching and acting aggressively towards other bystanders:

These people had to pick up their tiny dog and carry it, lest it be mauled by the Wayward and Ill-Tempered Sheepdog.

Finally, someone in Bates Art Barn heard this couple yelling at the dog to go away, opened up the business's front door and beckoned it inside. It appeared that someone in there was the caretaker for this dog, and I wonder: Why would they permit such a fiesty Chundo to run loose outside? Dirka!

As already established, I am from Wisconsin. If our professional sports teams didn't tip you off (Brewers and Packers) we like, nay LOVE, beer and meat, which are almost always accompanied by cheese in one way or another.

I like meat, I like beer, but I l-o-v-e cheese. It's one of the more perfect foods, salty, creamy, goes with everything, in fact there is an archaic law in Wisconsin, still on the books, that says it's illegal to serve apple pie without a slice of cheddar. Although I don't necessarily think it should be a crime to serve apple pie a la mode, instead of a la fromage, if you haven't tried this combination I suggest you find a good aged cheddar (should be crumbly, and smoky) and place a small chunk aside your next slice of apple pie: you can thank me later.

Keeping my passion for cheese in mind, and my distaste for California's incessant determination to be the "dairy state" you will understand the apoplectic reaction I had recently at my local farmers market. I have a friend visiting in a few months and although I think he is wonderful in many, many ways (shares my love for Settlers of Catan and makes my best friend smile) he does not eat any meat or dairy products. He loves food, which makes this lifestyle choice even more enigmatic in my eyes. And yes, it is a choice. He's not allergic, or in need of lowering his cholesterol, he chooses to deprive himself. Of course in his eyes, it is not deprivation though he did admit to me once that he misses Twix bars.

Knowing his arrival is mere months away, I scrambled to start thinking of things I could cook for him. I love cooking and feeding people, but these meals usually involve a combination of the food trinity mentioned above. So I poured over my cookbooks, looked for places where I could make substitutions and hit many roadblocks of the cheese variety. Everything I love involves cheese so I was determined to find an acceptable substitution.

Sunday: Farmer's Market Soy Cheese Stand

Against my better judgment I sampled some Soy Swiss. Imagine eating a bite-size racquetball that had been brining for several days. I could not bear to swallow it and the sample lady, whose body was clearly aching for a cheeseburger, had the nerve to act offended.

"It tastes just like cheese, try another"

Whoa. Hold up. Just like cheese? JUST LIKE CHEESE?! Does dirty hobo sock taste just like foie gras (actually I hate foie gras so that might be a fair comparison). Does splenda-flavored jello match the decadent texture and flavor of a dark chocolate-hazelnut mousse? I think not.

I will serve my vegan fried ratatouille, cashew tofu, and several other delicious meals but I will never, ever make anyone suffer through the agony that is soy cheese. Good day.

I got one of those phone calls again. I knew it was coming. There had been an article in my local Wisconsin State Journal about nearby Mazomanie, Wisconsin. Apparently this small town about 30 minutes east of Madison has recently begun to revamp its downtown area. Instead of the typical bar-lined, trinket shops that encompass main street of most small towns in Wisconsin, Mazo has turned its downtown into various cafes and plenty of galleries. Naturally I was expecting a call from my mom, and when my phone rang I was not surprised to hear: "So Als, when are we taking a road trip out to Mazo!?"

Downtown Mazo offers quite a few galleries, filled with tons of beautiful art, pottery and jewelry all made by local artists. The buildings have been newly painted and spruced up, sporting pale pastels. There are also a few cafés and one or two restaurants along the main drag, but they were all closed being that it was a mid-weekday afternoon. There wasn't much too the downtown area, but I got the feeling that come five years from now Mazo will be a hopping place.

Fun Mazo Fact: Before my visit there, the only thing I knew about Mazo was it was famous for it's nude beach. So if galleries aren't your thing...

The Neal Smith Trail

We've ridden along Saylorville Lake several times in the past, from the Big Creek Lake beach area at the north end to the visitor center near the dam. Just recently, Mrs. Smith and I started at the marina on Saylorville and pedaled south past the Butterfly Garden and visitor center, crossed the dam and spillway from east to west and cut through the campgrounds below the dam. The rest was new bicycling territory for us.

From below the dam, we rode a reasonably well maintained asphalt trail all the way to downtown Des Moines and found ourselves on Court Street just as the farmer's market was wrapping up on a Saturday at noon. Good time for an outdoor lunch of sandwiches and Bloody Marys at Legends American Grill.

From below the Saylorville Dam to downtown, the ride is flat and mostly through woodlands until you get near the Birdland marina. A few blocks farther on, you're in a residential neighborhood and on the sidewalk for a short distance before dropping down on the trail again past Des Moines Lutheran Hospital and emerging along the river by the Botanical Center.

Back up at the lake, the trail meanders through woods, campgrounds and open prairie with some undulating hills and occasionally more strenuous climbs. From the marina to downtown and back is about 40 miles.

Cannon Valley Trail

We visited this one for at least the fourth time, which should tell you something. It's one of our favorite rides, starting in Red Wing, MN, and following the Cannon River to Cannon Falls, about 20 miles west. There are some fun, friendly saloons and a winery to visit in Cannon Falls before pedaling back to Red Wing. The trail is an abandoned rail line featuring gentle grades.

Red Cedar State Trail / Chippewa River State Trail

We sampled both of these Wisconsin trails for the first time on Sunday. The Red Cedar runs from Menomonie to the Chippewa River, where it intersects with the Chippewa. We started seven miles from Menomonie in Downsville, halfway to the scenic bridge over the Chippewa River. The Red Cedar trail is hard-packed but a little rougher than those of us on road bikes would have liked. It rattled my cyclocomputer senseless at points. Across the river, the trail turned to asphalt and met up with the hard-surface Chippewa trail. We turned south and rode another seven miles to the riverside town of Durand. At one of many bars in town, we snacked on chicken fingers and deep-friend cheese curds chased down with some cold beer.

If we'd turned north, we eventually would have reached Eau Claire about 26 miles away.

Back at Downsville, of course it was time to eat again, which is why we chose that as our starting point. We just missed the Sunday brunch at The Creamery, but still had some of the tastiest appetizers ever. Not being a food critic, I won't try to describe it. If you're in the area, go there.

You will call me up and thank me.

Predatory Lenders.

Little Rock - A new study said the number of payday lenders operating in Arkansas dropped by about 86% after state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel threatened legal action over their high-interest loans. Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending said the survey showed the number of payday lenders went from 237 in March to 33 in the most recent count. Here is visible proof that we do not need NEW LAWS all we need to do is effectively enforce the law’s already on the books. We need to eradicate these bottom-feeders who prey on the people who can least afford it. Good for Arkansas!

Are you kidding me?

A federal appeals court and Ohio's high court have rejected a death row inmate's argument that he is too fat to die by lethal injection. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati and the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Richard Cooey's execution could go ahead as planned.

The 41-year-old Cooey is set to be executed Tuesday for killing two University of Akron students in 1986. Cooey's attorneys argued that prison food and limited opportunities to exercise contributed to a weight problem that would make it difficult for the execution team to find a viable vein for lethal injection. Cooey is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 267 pounds. So what is the problem … Here’s your Kool Aid … Drink it!

News from down under.

Illegal prostitution rings masquerading as "escort services" will be targeted under changes to Queensland law. Police Minister Judy Spence today said the government would follow a recommendation from the Crime and Misconduct Commission to crack down on outcall prostitution services, which are illegal in Queensland. Ms Spence said some operators which advertised as "escort services" were actually a front for prostitution services. (Gee, no kidding.)

Under legislative changes, legitimate escort businesses will need to indicate that sexual services are not provided when advertising and when receiving phone calls from interested clients. "We want to make it more difficult for prostitution services to masquerade as social escort services and get by our tough restrictions," she said. The offence (sp) will carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment, or 14 years if the offenders are found to have been using intellectually disabled people.

So I guess if I am reading this right, the only people who avail themselves of prostitutes down under are highly-paid, intellectually disabled, over achievers?

Not So Politically Correct In Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has apologized to a black student who during a class last year was shown a clip of the movie "Blazing Saddles" that features racial epithets. During a workshop for working professionals last year, an instructor showed a scene of the 1974 comedy in which blacks are shown working on a railroad.

Whites call the workers racial epithets and an overseer orders them to sing like slaves. The student complained and the school's Office of Equity and Diversity, which investigates racial discrimination, got involved, and an apology was issued. Nothing was forthcoming for the poor white students who were forced to sit all the way thru an incredibly bad movie.

Skeee-ratch this!

Arthur Watkins, 53, of Kansas City has won more than $400,000 in two Powerball drawings within a four-month period. Missouri Lottery officials said Watkins selected the Powerball numbers to win $200,000 in the Sept. 24 drawing. He matched five white-ball numbers in the May 21 game to pick up $200,000. Watkins bought both winners at the Longview Apple Market in Kansas City. I have figured out what the problem seems to be, they roll the numbers too fast on the PowerBall drawings, and they are not giving the rest of us enough time to wish on the balls.

Vote … And Vote Often … For Your Candidate of Choice

Early voting has started in some of the key states, and apparently, the democrats need some extra time getting all those dead people to the polls.  The moderator for the recent debates, who came from PBS, has a new book coming out, which is pro-Obammer.

But then again, every PBS station is pro-Obammer.

America in an election year moves on. Events and schedules are being met. And it appears that my interview for the second job as an early morning paperboy may have been accepted. (The McDonalds min-wage work until you die program, did not pay off … I am not Latino ... I am after all Caucasian so therefore unemployable.)

The paper route thing fortunately is happening ... I start on Thursday.

Dick Cheney has cut back on the speaking engagements, figuring that it is awful hard to get people to follow a parked car; he is strangely silent these days. It has been rumored he has been observed to be sitting in his office most of the day, oiling his shotgun and muttering something about lame ducks.

Chris Matthews has accused Sarah Palin of staring into the camera like a dolf, he said this, while staring into the camera like a dolf.  Albert Gore is now calling for "civil disobedience" on the building of new coal fired electricity plants, but this is not to include those that help pay for Lear Jets, long limo's and huge massive square footage houses.

000

Parting shot: “All people smile in the same language.”

Brookfield Alderman Scott Berg has several links concerning the city's 2009 budget at 359 Degrees.

Darryl Enriquez at Waukesha FYI informs us on the testy public comments sessions at recent Waukesha common council meetings.

Fairly Conservative's Cindy Kilkenny wonders at Elmbrook Schools superintendent Matt Gibson's thought processes.

Alexander at Hobo Springs posts about the anger at the Waukesha McCain/Palin rally that's gained so much attention and notes that if we're angry, it's about the issues, not the personal stuff.

Curt Otto blogs at Maple and Main about a new store coming to downtown Waukesha.

Kyle Prast takes a break from political stuff at Practically Conservative to give us a glimpse of an outing to the Anaba Tea Room.

James Wigderson catches us up on the 97th Wisconsin Assembly district race at Wigderson Library & Pub.

Take this opportunity to check out Homemaker's Guide to the Galaxy where MommaBlogger has a recipe for S'mores. The pictures will make your mouth water.

In national news, JJGravelle at The Daily Scoff expounds on what the international supporters of Obama say about him.

And we can't forget the turmoil in the financial markets.

Dad29 points out derivitive cheerleaders Alan Greenspan and Robert Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton. Hmmm.

Well, I can predict the stock market won't fall tomorrow. [UPDATE: Never try to read a financial post late at night.] The Asian Badger in this general post on the mess notes that tomorrow is Columbus Day, a federal holiday.

A couple of miscellaneous items.

Dan at Skeptics Anonymous reflects on a 2006 trip to Philadelphia to see the Brewers play.

Huckleberry Dumbell at The Spring City Chronicle just doesn't give fine news summaries and nice poems, but also great pictures he has been acanning.

That's it for this week's edition. Each week I peruse local bloggers and select the ones I think are the best. It's hard sometimes and you may not agree. So submit your own thoughts whether you're a blogger or a reader. You can do so using this form. Or you can e-mail them to me. Or put them in the comments of this post.

Past posts and future editions can be found on our here.

It was a moment I shall not forget for some time.

I grew up in a small town in Waushara County, where my public school taught me a great deal about history and civics.  I graduated with the idea planted in my mind that the future was limited only by my shortage of personal drive and ambition.  I was as good as every other person, and yes, could even be President of the United States if my desire and intellect took me in that direction.  I grew up believing that one of the underpinnings of the nation, one of our shared commonalities, was that we all have the same 'democracy gene' which runs through us as Americans. 

As one who labels himself an idealist before any political label, the words and images of the woman at the McCain rally made me feel really shocked and sad.  We all have heard lots of harsh words this year as the election rages, but the underlying message as expressed by this woman deeply concerns me.  Her words tell me that our nation has strayed far from some basic concepts that I thought we all held dear.

Granted, it is more than possible that a yet to be determined segment of the population is not yet ready to vote for someone other than a white male for President.  It is also likely that a high percentage of the electorate cares not at all about civics as adults anymore than when they had to memorize just enough as students decades ago to pass a test.

And yet.....and yet....

To see religious fears and prejudice, along with a rancid dose of xenophobia have such a voice in this election is really disturbing.  Barack Obama is an American, Christian, and not an Arab.  Fear mongering is at the root of this present political storm, and being fostered to promote the worst fears in the electorate.

But the real question needs to be asked.

What would be wrong with an Arab American with a Muslim faith, a keen mind, and hopeful policies running for President?  Under the vision of the Founding Fathers about what constitutes leadership and criteria for holding elected office why would the lady with the microphone have any reason for concern?  The 'democracy gene' need not be all white and Christian to be American. 

All weekend long her word "Arab", and her fear over it, has stuck with me.  To that woman I would say there is a great deal that I fear in response to her time at the microphone.

We are drifting from so many ideas that once were the bedrock cornerstones of our democracy.  Too many see these episodes only as a political opening for a candidate to score points, but never realize the larger rip to the national ideals that have been made.  That is why her comments stick with me.

Many will forget the woman's words and move on to the next election event.  I think her words should be remembered, and used as an education moment.

Technorati Tags: JohnMcCain, Elections, Ethics,

The Asian Lady Beetle is not the same insect as the "Lady Bug" we remember from childhood. This species, native to Asia, was introduced into the south by entomologists as early as 1916 in hopes of controlling aphid populations.

In 1988, after several attempts, the Lady Asian Beetle population finally took hold, with colonies being reported in the New Orleans area. The species spread quickly, moving north and within five years, was being reported in the Midwest. Within seven years, the species was prevalent throughout the United States and Canada.

A mistake? A beneficial accident? An intended consequence? In Wisconsin, the Lady Asian Beetle is widely considered a nuisance, gathering en masse on houses, in houses, under houses, between houses and on televisions (but only when House is on). They bite, they leave stains on the walls and they leave foul-smelling excretions. Also, in New York, Ohio, Iowa and Ontario, the beetles have been found to contaminate young grapes, altering the taste of wine.

Still, they have been instrumental in controlling the aphid population, and are considered a beneficial insect by farmers, especially in soybean crops which are becoming an ever-more important part of American agriculture.

Whatever your opinion, they Lady Asian Beetle his most likely here to stay, which means we need to come up with a new rhyme for:

"Ladybug ladybug fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that's little Ann,
For she crept under the frying pan."

Which brings up a good question - what is the deal with that rhyme? Here's the short answer...
In Medieval England, farmers would set fire to the old hop vines in order to clear the field for the next crop. They would chant this rhyme to warn the ladybugs that were crawling amongst the vines eating aphids. The ladybugs and their larva could escape from the flames but the pupae, called "nan" were stuck to the vines and could not.

There's probably a beneficial side to everything, whether it's readily apparent or not.

Canon EOS 5D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

This weekend has been nothing short of phenomenal and relaxing, and I owe that to Fitz's family, and their gracious hosting. The colors of fall are vibrant and alive up here- my photos are simply stunning. Don't worry, posting will commence within the next 24 hours!

That being said, I want to give a special shout out to Columbus, without whom, this weekend would not be possible (imagine a fist pump and a wink). Doing nothing on a long weekend has been everything I dreamed it would be!

More come...stay tuned...and stop by often!

Christian Schneider has created an über-blog combining all his various media representations.

Now lets get to Sunday. Five Games end at the Wire. Arizona beats those Cowboys on a blocked punt in overtime. Atlanta rides a great pass with six seconds to go in the game by Matt Ryan to beat the Chicago Bears with a field goal. Minnesota beat the Detroit Lions by a field goal at the end of the game. The Houston Texans beat the Miami Dolphins with a touchdown pass at the end of the game by Matt Schaub. The game that I like was Brett Farve showing that he still has it and the New York Jets left the  Cincinnati  Beagles winless. What a season so far and it is not even half over. My Pittsburgh Steelers have the toughest schedule in the league and they are 4 and 1. They are going to show everyone what it is all about and win a sixth superbowl ring. You have heard it hear first.

So what game this weekend was the best game you watched? What Surprises did you see this week? I would really like to hear from you.

Recently while doing a google search on myself (c'mon you do it, too) I found that there's a dude with the same name as me currently running for the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 51st District, which I think is pretty awesome.

He may be a total Republican stooge--he named one of his DAUGHTERS "Reagan" and he uses the word "family" on his website so much that I think it might be a secret anti-gay code--and his major qualifications for public office seem to be dropping out of law school after two years and being recognized with his wife as "one of the top young couples in agriculture," but I'm still stoked that someone with the same name is a potential public office-holder. I might even vote for him...you know, if I lived in Southwest Wisconsin.

And the best part is that on his site I found that if you live in Wisconsin, you can order what's called a "Farm Sign" that says "RUSSELL FOR ASSEMBLY". I'm imagining a "Farm Sign" as a 50-foot banner with huge letters that I could hang on my parents barn back home--which is a prospect WAY too tempting to resist!

So I immediately called a friend who's family lives outside Madison, and they've ordered a Nathan Russell Farm Sign, which they will then ship to me, hopefully in the next couple weeks.

This is gonna be sweet.

We've got company that showed up late Saturday night, a mom and two kids around Graham's age. They arrived to find us already gathered around a campfire, S'mores supplies and beers all good to go.

Then Sunday, I had a full day with the kids. A boat ride to retrieve the kickball that had floated away. Air hockey with 6-year-old Luke (I wasn't trying to win, or to lose, but I beat him 10-8. Does that make me a bad person?) A walk around part of the lake so they could splash stones in the creek and collect fancy rocks. And a bit of swimming. In mid-October. Crazy. Who knew a weekend could be this pleasant?

Tonight the kids get to sleep in the tent on the back lawn. I'm going to do rock-paper-scissors in a few minutes with Angela, Luke and Love's mom, to see who gets to supervise the kids' mini-campout. They're good kids, and they play well together. So I'm not even sure if the on-call camper parent will be the winner or loser. They'll get less sleep, though. The short nap we gave the kids in late afternoon assures us of that. I took a nap too, so I'm probably a better candidate to sleep outdoors.

Now it's another hour around the campfire, good conversation, and a quick check on my Treo's internet connection to see how the Patriots are doing on Sunday Night Football.

The coming week is bound to be a letdown after this. So best to make hay now, while the Wisconsin moon shines through a lovely, gentle haze.

This weekend a neighbor had his parents at his house, and while outside on Saturday afternoon James invited them all over for his homemade pumpkin pie and tea.  During our time together the conversation somehow moved to politics........gasp!.  The parents were in their mid 60's, and both college graduates with professional backgrounds.  Neither was overly political through the years, though neither ever missed an election.

After the selection of George Bush in 2000 with the thinnest margin ever of votes separating presidential candidates, came the audacity from the GOP that President Bush had a mandate.  Then came the American invasion of a Middle Eastern nation and the never-ending drain of our treasury to keep the war going.  It was this as the background that will put our neighbor's mother going door-to-door starting this week in Wausau.   Never before has she done something of this type, but as both parents made known at our family table, the stakes have never been higher.  She is working for Barack Obama for President.

Another neighbor told us this afternoon she had just got off the phone with a long time set of friends who had just returned to Wisconsin from a week in Michigan.  Were they on vacation?  No, they were going door-to-door for Barack Obama, and hoping to make a change in the nation.

These are only two examples of what is happening, but I am confident that this is the type of work by ordinary everyday Americans that will create the change in America that we need.

More Change You Can Believe In.

There is no way, no way, we can have a fair election with legitimate results. No way. The taxpayer is funding this stealth coup against our election system. ACORN is the most egregious but they are hardly singular. We must STOP, verify  every voter, confirm their legitimacy. This is CHAOS and it is happening, strangely enough, in every battleground state.

There is something terribly, terribly wrong here. Ask Santorum about Pennsylvania.

By Jeffrey Lord 
10/10/2008 4:09:45 PM

A retired Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice says that she is "not confident we can get a fair election" in the state come November.

Justice Sandra Newman, accompanied by Dauphin County District Attorney Edward Marsico and Pennsylvania Republican State Chairman Robert Gleason, expressed her concerns at a Harrisburgpress conference this morning. A thick document replete with photo copies of phony registrations and aerial shots of vacant lots used as "addresses" for "voters" was handed out to journalists.

Gleason was even more explicit.

"Between March 23rd and October 1st, various groups, including ACORN, submitted over 252,595 registrations to the Philadelphia County Election Board" with 57, 435 rejected for faulty information. "Most of these registrations were submitted by ACORN, and rejected due to fake social security numbers, incorrect dates of birth, clearly fraudulent signatures, addresses that do not exist, and duplicate registrations. In one case, a man was registered to vote more than 15 times since the Primary election."

"Voter fraud is no longer just a Philadelphia problem," Gleason said, with ACORN targeting key counties across the state. Counties specifically cited included:

* Delaware County: One of four key suburban counties that surround Philadelphia and are at the heart of the campaign by the forces of Senator Barack Obama to carry the state. In one instance, an ACORN employee circulating voter registration forms in Delaware County was featured on the Pennsylvania "Megan's Law" website, described as having been arrested for "aggravated indecent assault" of a child. Other ACORN circulators had prior criminal records for forgery and giving false information to a police officer, among other charges. Gleason has provided copies of complaints from actual Delaware County voters who were notified by the local election board of their "new" registration to vote. One voter wrote that he "did not complete this form because this information does not match my info at all. I have been a voter for many years. Did not recently register to vote." Said another: "I did not submit any application for voter registration…While the spelling of my name and address is correct, the birth date and Drivers License (sic) number are incorrect." And another angrily wrote that the "personal information" on a form submitted in her name "IS NOT ME." She added: Please have the county investigate this. I feel my identity is being compromised."

* Philadelphia County: The situation in the state's largest city is so bad the Philadelphia City Commission, which supervises the registration of Philadelphia voters, voted unanimously to "voluntarily" turn over its extensive records to the United States Attorney's office for prosecution.

* Dauphin County: Dauphin County (the location of the state capital) District Attorney Marsico said the situation was so bad in Harrisburg that one ACORN worker is now being sought by authorities for submitting more than 100 fraudulent voter registration forms. The charge is 19 counts of perjury. One Harrisburg lobbyist, a voter for 30 years, had received notification she had recently filled out a registration form. The lobbyist went straight to the DA with her complaint. Marsico said that what was happening with ACORN "affects the integrity of the process" and that the volume of phony registrations made him "sure that others are going on" that have been undetected.

* Allegheny County: Pittsburgh. Here District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and county police Superintendent Charles Moffatt have just announced, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that "they are investigating and considering charges against ACORN staffers and other voter registration groups."

* Centre County: The home of Penn State, which enrolls more than 40,000 students at its home campus. Justice Newman said there was a "massive effort" to fraudulently register students, with efforts aimed at "multiple registrations."

* Erie County: The county at the northwestern tip of the state with its largest namesake city, here too students at local colleges are being targeted in "student registration drives" designed to register voters 18 and over "multiples of times." Student registrants, registered to vote in their home states, had "pending absentee ballot applications" submitted so they could vote for president both in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The Director of Elections in Erie has reported the telltale "same handwriting" on applications, according to Newman.

Marsico added that he believed the attempted fraud was being perpetrated in smaller Pennsylvania counties as well, counties where the resources to investigate simply don't exist.

Perhaps most humorously was the role of 21st century technology in tracking down several attempted frauds. Through the wonder of Google, aerial shots displayed the following:

* 2418 Curtin Terrace in Philadelphia is -- an empty field.
* 3103 S. 24th Street in Philadelphia -- ditto.
* 4543 N. 11th Street in Philadelphia -- ditto.

And so on. And on again.

Asked whether the Pennsylvania State Democratic Party had come forward to work with the GOP on the ACORN voter fraud issue, Gleason tersely shook his head. One source did say that much of the impetus for the fraud was "an Obama effort," as opposed to the Democratic Party as an institution.

All of this brings Pennsylvania into focus as yet another key battleground state where a serious effort is being made to, bluntly put, steal the presidency in a move reminiscent of the attempts made by the 2000 Gore campaign in Florida. Just as ACORN's efforts have been directed at key electoral states such as Florida, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico Ohio, and Wisconsin, so within Pennsylvania have its efforts been targeted at key Pennsylvania counties. For decades the internal electoral math of the state for Republicans has been to overwhelm the heavy Democratic vote in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with strong showings in the Philadelphia suburbs, Central Pennsylvania, and western counties outside Pittsburgh.

Thus have ACORN's fraud efforts -- those at least that have been detected -- been directed at Philadelphia (where increasing the Obama total to counter less enthusiastic support from white ethnics becomes critical), Delaware County in the pro-GOP Philadelphia suburbs, Dauphin County (in the heart of Central Pennsylvania) and Erie in the Northwest.

Is it really possible that the presidency could be stolen for Obama by virtue of a massive voter fraud here in Pennsylvania? And elsewhere? ACORN seems to think so. One so-called "non-partisan" ACORN member, Gleason pointed out, has been captured on video tape saying the group's objective was to "beat McCain down." Not exactly "non-partisan" sounding, is it?

Newman, the retired Supreme Court Justice, was blunt on the evidence: "I don't want a president who does this."

ACORN clearly does. Makes you wonder: why?

FLORIDA: Many convicted felons remain on voter rolls, according to Sun Sentinel investigation  (hat tip Van)

Thousands who should be ineligible are registered to vote More than 30,000 Florida felons who by law should have been stripped of their right to vote remain registered to cast ballots in this presidential battleground state, a Sun Sentinel investigation has found.

There will be more details posted here as they come about