Memnison Journal

Susan’s Mom, Connie, who lives with us, spent the holidays off at her son’s house in Sinai , South Dakota, and was going to come back today, but the icy roads are holding her off for a day.   She just called and asked how things were; ’sleeping’, I said.   Still no noise from upstairs.  I [...]

Not-Surprise: Democratic leaders (such as Sen. Reid) reportedly pushed Blago not to pick a candidate for Senate (this was before the phone calls came out) that couldn’t win downstate, which included pretty much any of the main black players in Illinois Democratic politics.    Obama suggested others, including two of the same group: Illinois Veterans Affairs [...]

I’m just so looking forward to a grownup in the White House.  I think most of us are.

A good friend who has tons of cool ideas and never gets around to going much with them came over for the New Years’ party with a story treatment and basis.   It’s really stirred me up as to where this could go; it’s not alternate history, but more a mix of hidden history and political [...]

…now thinks that the nomination of Burris to the Senate is of vital importance To All African Americans everywhere, and he Just Got Over His Outrage at Blago.  I agree with Ta-Nehisi Coates on this; this is ridiculous.

Blago’s selection of Roland Burris as the new Senator from Illinois is an interesting pick, mostly from the direction of Blago deciding to stir the pot in a reaction against the Feds and everyone railing in the press and whatnot against him.

Roland Burris until this weekend had become a has-been in Illinois politics; he got [...]

From flooding earlier this year (click on image to enlarge):

The complete set is here at Flickr.  A sample after the cut:

From Dick Meyer at NPR on Blago and Made-off:
As audacious as Blagojevich’s political gluttony is, it is easy to find far worse political corruption, much of it perfectly legal: Distorting intelligence to invade Iraq, torturing prisoners, failure to regulate Wall Street, and systematic pork-barrel boondoggling come quickly to mind. If you’re feeling expansive, how about [...]

The last GM plant in Dayton / Moraine City shuts down, where my Dad, Mom and Granny worked (when it was a Frigidaire plant (they shifted to pickups and SUVs in 1979)).  The local officials are trying to figure out what to do next, and the workers are cut adrift.   As are the plant’s myriad [...]

Lobbyists are gnashing their teeth and rending their garments; what are they to do without having a ready-made place to grease palms now that Ted Stevens is leaving the Senate?

To maintain an open line to Mr. Stevens, the association hired Ms. Sutherland, who left Mr. Stevens not long after delivering those warnings to open her [...]

Barones Pizza, a local joint, has gone under due to the  Lisle’s city fathers’ dumb decision to redo the ‘downtown’ Main Street of our village.  The local businesses on the two blocks have been hurting a lot - especially since the whole area has been torn up all summer and fall from the construction to [...]

Dayton officials say that an entry they put in a pile of stuff for a possible Obama-signable economic stimulus package for local jobs wasn’t supposed to be there - an initiative to get hookers off Dayton streets.  I can’t imagine the sort of jobs something like *that* would generate locally.
Wait, maybe I could.  *shudder*

With huge numbers of people unemployed, and more rolling into the offices, the states are running out of money to pay benefits.  Like 30 out of 50 states.
Drill-baby-drill just went *choke*, as oil companies are suddenly unwilling to finance new exploration.   Existing wells are being shut down as uneconomical to operate, and forecasts are [...]

Joe Cool and his faithful Scandinavian sidekick, Woodchuck, at a Kennedy Space Center photo thingy.   Memorial Day weekend, 2007.