July 31, 2012

ok du- let's defeat eric cantor. whaddya say?

as posted in the dave mudcat saunders thread-
i will match up to $500 in du donations to wayne powell, cantor's opponent.
let's put some money where our mouth is now.
they set up a sourced link so that donations can be tracked.
i'll give you 24 hours.
starting right now.
if you can't afford to give, please knr.

http://tinyurl.com/bwoa5dz


eta that the $500 has. been surpassed but i will add another c- note if we hit $2k and one more if we hit $3k.

July 30, 2012

eeeewwwww!

just stepped on 2 slimed up, softened up rawhides. not at once, couple minutes apart. talk about gross.
i have stepped on 2-day dead mice before, and that is what i thought it was. even the second one.
dogs!

July 29, 2012

referendum for an elected school board in chicago.

i am curious what the folks in this forum think about the issue of elected vs appointed school boards.
for years we voted on the board of trustees for the illinois university system. nobody knew or cared who they were voting for. this exercise in futility was ended in '95. nothing has changed that i can see, but it would be interesting to see a serious research project on this.

the chicago school board here has long been a nest of bloodsuckers and cronies. i don't really know how much power they actually have over much besides purchasing. i think it is better than it used to be, if for no other reason that it was pared down from (i think) 17 members to 5 when ritchie daley got control.
but there is a move afoot to get a referendum (advisory) on the ballot to move to an elected board. i think a big part of the motivation is aimed at penny pritzker, who is one of the richest citizens of chicago.
i just don't think the voters will give a shit. they already grumble about voting for judges. and it will be the wealthy trust fund babies who have time and money to run and win.

does anyone think this will help at all?

July 27, 2012

garbage disposer is the phrase for the day. add garbage disposer to a thread title.

or so the nice business men from hong kong who aaallllllllllll emailed me about it this morning lead me to believe.

July 27, 2012

caption this picture

July 26, 2012

caption this photo-

July 24, 2012

City(chicago) to hire more teachers for longer school day

Source: chicago suntimes

After months of acrimony culminating in a 90 percent strike authorization vote, the Chicago Teachers Union and the city have reached an agreement that could help avert a strike and pave the way for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s longer school day.

Instead of requiring teachers to work a 20 percent longer day, the Chicago Public Schools have agreed to hire more teachers to handle “enrichment programs” that include art and music.

Teachers will continue to work the same hours they do now. Additional time in the classroom — adding up to a 7-hour day in elementary schools and 7.5 hours-a-day, four-days-a-week in high school — will be handled by the new hires.

Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/13970433-761/city-to-hire-more-teachers-for-longer-school-day.html

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i knew that rahm had a plan up his sleeve to resolve this. i hope the rest of the negotiations go smoothly. rahm emanuel is a lot of things, but stupid enough to provoke a teachers strike is not one of them.

July 24, 2012

cook county land bank.

Statement from Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer - July 24, 2012
"I am happy to report Cook County is moving forward with an initiative to create what will be the nation's largest land bank. The resolution, sponsored by myself and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to establish an advisory committee was approved at today's Cook County Board meeting. With a strong focus on collaboration with Suburban Cook County and on economic growth opportunities, the Advisory Committee will set the implementation strategy for the launch of a Cook County Land Bank.

http://www.bridgetgainer.com/foreclosure-and-land-bank/2012/07/coming-soon.html

bridget gainer is a sharp one. hope she goes far in politics.
this should rattle a few banks.

July 22, 2012

can you disarm a rooster?

i am thinking of having one clutch of chicks. thinking that i can get out my dremel and dull up his nails and beak. but wonder if people take permanent measures to keep peace in the barn yard.

also, how many chicks is a normal clutch?

July 22, 2012

ozone cleaners?

anybody know anything about this? found a couple on ebay while looking for a steamer. smart idea or new age woo?
not too sure where the best forum for this is, but i thought regulars here might have some info.
eta link-http://www.tersano.com/