After the April 1 Supreme Court election, there were cries to have Supreme Court judges appointed rather than elected positions.

Wonderful. Let's take the right to vote away from citiziens.

Now there's word that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barett and a Milwaukee alderman want the city to have greater control of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Do they want the MPS School Board to be an appointed board? That would be a horrendous idea, a local school baord with no accountability to the taxpayers and voters.

Barrett can't do the job he was elected to and now he wants to be MPS Superintendent?

Barbara Miner points out how bad this idea really is.

Here's my nostalgic bone flaring up again.

Many bloggers are writing about their remembrances of Harvey Korman who died this week.

My first experience with Korman was in the mid-60's, though I probably didn't know it was Korman at the time.

He's in this video clip:

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Korman told an interviewer he made this character "superior, arrogant, eite," but that he didn't consider himself a great voiceover talent, calling the people who supply the voices for The Simpsons, "brilliant."

Fully embracing a popular conservative philosophy, and taking notice of Sendik’s down the road, the Franklin Pick ‘n’ Save has decided to compete head on by offering free samples of anything and everything to shoppers.

Today, you had your choice of hot dogs on buns, cheeses, cold veggies, dips, bagel chips, soda, wine, ice cream, fresh bread “baked daily” according to the friendly voice over the PA, and other items I probably didn’t see.

I’ve been shopping at the Franklin Pick for over 16 years. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Yes, competition is a good thing. Just ask the hungry hordes at Pick ‘n’ Save today.

The Democrat Party of 2008




Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton protested Saturday as the Democratic Party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee met in Washington to discuss seating the Michigan and Florida delegations. (NY Times)


UPDATE ON 5/31 @ 9:30 PM




Supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton protested a vote by Democratic officials to seat Florida and Michigan delegates with half-votes.


From the NY Times:

To jeers and boos that showcased deep party divisions, Democratic party officials approved a deal Saturday to seat delegates from the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries with half a vote each, dealing a blow to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The deal, reached behind closed doors and voted on publicly in a raucous meeting of the Democratic National Committee’s rules panel, would give Mrs. Clinton a net gain of 24 delegates over Senator Barack Obama — but fell far short of her hopes of winning the full votes of both delegations.

From This Just In:

Only in the Democrat Party could there be the practice of one man=half a vote.


Watch this woman, Harriet Christian, after she's tossed out of the Rules & Bylaws committee meeting on Florida and Michigan. 
 

On last night’s edition of InterCHANGE on Channel 10, Joel McNally scoffed at Gerard Randall and my criticisms of sellout Scott McClellan, the former Press Secretary to President Bush who has written a scathing book about the Administration, now that he’s longer on the team.

In his feeble attempt to fight back on last night’s program, Joel pulled out the debate gem that just because McClellan wrote something that Gerard and I didn’t agree with, then we assume McClellan must be a liberal.

Well, he sure sounds like one to me.

At first, I was a little surprised to see this on the Journal/Sentinel's website today:

Watch out for deer, state urges

It's summer, not fall, but the state is urging motorists to look out for deer on roadways during June, saying the summer month has ranked as the first- or second-worst month for dear crashes in four of the last five years.

During this time of year, deer frequently dart onto roadways looking for places to give birth, and yearlings wander out after separating from their mothers, according to Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the state Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety.

Hughes said deer crashes between May and August tend to occur between 8 p.m. and midnight. "So, you need to be particularly diligent at night," he said.

Motorcyclists are especially vulnerable because deer collisions can be fatal for motorcycle drivers and passengers. Motorcycles were involved in 10 of the 14 fatal deer crashes in 2007, he said.

Last year, law enforcement agencies reported 17,977 deer vs. vehicle crashes last year, according to the state Department of Transportation. Dane County had the most with 1,025, followed by 714 in Shawano and 655 in Waukesha counties. In Shawano and Green Lake counties, more than half of all reported crashes last year involved deer, the department said.
------jsonline.com.

ALREADY??

In actuality, it's not that surprising.

But it's not just deer you've got to be on the lookout for. From the DNR:

It’s turtle nesting time again!

Please help keep them alive on our roadways

MADISON – During the prime turtle nesting season in Wisconsin, the remains of turtles killed on the road are an unfortunate, and all too common, sight. Each year, from late May through June, turtles leave the water, traversing back roads and major highways, to nest on land and encounter an ever-increasing number of vehicles along the way.

“This is particularly hard for turtles, because as a species they mature so slowly,” according to Bob Hay, an amphibian and reptile biologist with the Department of Natural Resources. “Female turtles mature slower than males, and females are killed at much high rates because of their need to travel about on land searching for a suitable nesting place.”

Road mortality is particularly significant for two rare and threatened species: the Blanding’s turtle and the wood turtle, Hay said, adding that even the more common species, like painted turtles or snappers, can experience locally heavy mortality on roads and highways and their populations suffer as a result.

Hay noted that the Blanding’s turtle takes 17 to 20 or more years to reach breeding age and it may take several decades for a road killed female to be replaced in a population because hatchling and juvenile survival tends to be very low.

“Turtles are an important and fascinating part of a diverse food web necessary for other wildlife and plant life, and highway mortality continues to be one of the major threats to our native turtle populations, Hay said.

Motorists are most likely to see turtles crossing roads near lakes, streams and wetlands this time of year because the roads separate the aquatic habitat, where turtles spend most of their lives, from well-drained upland habitats where female turtles deposit their eggs.

A turtle is no match for an automobile tire. “If you see a turtle on the road -- and only if it’s safe to do so -- carefully pull over and help the turtle to the side of the road it is facing,” Hay said.

When helping an aggressive turtle, such as a snapping turtle, off the road, the safest way to avoid being bitten is to gently drag it across the road by its tail, leaving the front feet on the pavement. It may help to use a stick that the turtle can bite to grab the tail more safely. Hay strongly cautions people to never put themselves or other drivers at risk when stopping to help a turtle. Turtles will generally stop when they notice a vehicle. Driving slower in areas where turtles have been observed and driving around them is another way to help, again, only when it’s safe and traffic conditions permit.

Turtles are up against tough odds even without highway mortality. Five of Wisconsin’s 11 turtle species are experiencing significant population declines. Hay says that as few as five percent of eggs laid survive to hatch and of those, only very few may survive to reproductive age. Natural predators of turtles and turtle eggs are many and include raccoons, skunks, fox, opossums, herons, egrets, seagulls, cranes, crows and others.

People should be aware that the turtle season is closed each year from December 1 until July 15, so taking turtles or their eggs for pets or for food is illegal. Anyone who observes this being done should contact the DNR hotline at 1-800-TIPWDNR (1-800-847-9367).

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Hay- (608) 267-0849

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...



HEROES OF THE WEEK


Aaron Kampman

Hilary Bilbrey

This blog is dedicated to a dear friend, MK.

Tonight’s guests: Wild Cherry, A Taste of Honey, and Hot Chocolate (Absolutely no trend or pattern intended).

Burt Sugarman had an idea in the early 70’s. To take advantage of the popularity of the Johnny Carson Show, he suggested NBC air a weekly 90-minute music program immediately following the Carson show on Friday night. The Midnight Special was born and stayed on the air for over eight years.

Famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack was the announcer for the show that typically featured a different guest host every week. Helen Reddy and the Bee Gees were most often picked for that role.

Many musical styles permeated the 70’s, including R &B and disco. They were often highlighted on The Midnight Special.

The Righteous Brothers were the first and most famous “blue-eyed soul” artists. Numerous imitators followed.

Named after a flavor of cough drops, Wild Cherry started out playing straight rock. But with disco capturing the attention of fans, the band was bombarded with requests to "Play that funky music."  It became their only hit, going to #1 in 1976.

Sometime around 1971, singer/bassist/guitarist Janice Marie Johnson and keyboardist Perry Kimble organized a band after they met at an audition for vacation gigs for Princess Cruises. They called the band, “A Taste of Honey,” after an old R& B song, one of their favorites. They quickly started playing in Southern California bars and military bases in the U.S. and abroad (Kimble would eventually leave the group).

Their first single came about after the group encountered a less than responsive audience at a military base. A Taste of Honey was unusual in that it featured two female guitar players. During this particular engagement, Johnson felt that the male crowd wasn’t warming up to them because they were chauvinistic.

Before the recording session for “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” Johnson was warming up on her bass, unaware engineers were rolling tape. The bass solo is a key part of their smash that sold over two million copies in 1978.








We close with a group formed in London in 1968.  The band’s second album was filled with message songs of social and political commentary. But it was a light-hearted tune from that album that climbed the charts and enjoyed renewed fame in many films like “The Full Monty,” and in commercials.  Hope you’ve enjoyed.

“Let the Midnight Special shine it’s ever lovin’ light on me.”

Take your pick at completing the above sentence:

Hold on to your wallets.

Stick 'em up.

Suckers!

Just hand over the money and no one gets hurt.

You knew we were gunnin for ya, dintcha?

It's for the children.

It's an investment.

Fiscal responsibility? What the hell is that?

Drivers across America are getting angrier and angrier, for a variety of reasons:

“The first IBM Commuter Pain Survey released today shows a substantial number of drivers in U.S. metropolitan areas are fed up with longer commutes, higher fuel prices and increased pollution and are seeking to reduce the daily toll on their emotional well-being and wallets. “

For example:

• $4.50 per gallon gas is driver “break point”

• 35% have cancelled a vacation trip in the last month due to anticipated traffic

• 63% say traffic has gotten worse

• 27% have “turned around and gone home”
  

Here are more details on the survey.

I kid you not.


SOMEWHAT RELATED STORY:
And in this case, there's no committee to refer the name back to.



DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE 2008  BEST IN FRANKLIN-AREA DINING SURVEY

They tell us they did everyday.

And then they post this on their website:

We want your ideas

If you're reading this, we want to hear from you.

Reporters and editors at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are working to keep you updated on breaking news, upcoming events and all the important happenings in the area. We can cover a lot of things. But we can't be everywhere.

So if you see news happen, or happen to know of news (or just have an idea for a forum topic), send us an email at jsmetro@jsonline.com. Or call the tip line at 414-224-2919.
---jsonline.com.


And they need help from the masses to find news?

I would suggest reporters scratching their heads for ideas merely look to all these community blogs for good stories.

That would be too easy.

And my guess is, soooooooo beneath a "trained journalist.'

Last week, one of those trained journalists (in the sports department) made it very clear that bloggers can't shine his shoes after a blogger reported that Brewer manager Ned Yost was to be fired that day. The report, obviously, turned out be wrong, and bloggers were painted with a wide brush that they are unreliable, the argument being that any average person in possession of a computer can blog and write just about anything.

Does that happen?

You bet it does.

A lot.

And that leads newspaper reporters to have a certain attitude about bloggers.

Print journalists, I believe, hold bloggers in the same regard as radio talk show hosts. Rather than credit bloggers and talk show hosts for stories they've done first. print journalists will work on stories, publish them at a later date with some new spin making it appear as though they broke the story instead of making the embarrassing concession that Sykes, Belling, or Blogger X beat them to it.

Makes me wonder just how seriously the Journal/Sentinel will take Joe Lunchbucket when he calls in with a hot tip...

See it.

Right in the middle of the pack.

Nostalgia.

At the risk of setting off a barrage of old fogey alerts, I readily admit to often reminiscing about those good old days.

Many times, the memories revolve around music.

I play no musical instrument. I do not possess the talent my brother has who, in the 60’s, strapped on a candy apple-red Fender Stratocaster, playing in bands at gigs where go-go girls danced in cages right next to him on stage.

But I am a music lover that has marveled at pop stars of the 60’s and 70’s. In those days, you heard them on radio and then saw them on television.

Television in the 60’s provided ample opportunity to see your favorite stars on Shindig, Hullabaloo, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace, not to mention dozens of variety shows.

The 70’s showcased these stars in late-night hours on Friday, usually after Johnny Carson or some other post-10:00 news fare. On NBC, it was the Midnight Special. On ABC, it was In Concert. Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert was a syndicated vehicle.

I love watching the old clips of those great programs. Over the summer months, I will share some of my favorites as we relive those thrilling days of yesteryear. Starting this Friday night at 11:30, join me in musical time travel. I’ll call the blog something cool and trendy like, Friday Night Live.

You, of course, can read/watch anytime you wish, but to capture the flavor of what it was like for those old Friday night shows, it’s best if you stay up a little late, click on at 11:30 and rock out.

We’ll do our best to keep the blog a bit more interesting than just tossing up some videos.

Any requests?

K-A-R-A!

UPDATE ON 5/30/08:

O-H N-O!

Remember Semaj Booker?

Having gotten away with all kinds of juvenile crimes, it’s no surprise the little devil tried it again.

This time, those clever TSA workers (the oh-so friendly sleuths in the airports) caught Booker.

Think he’s learned his lesson?

Nahhh!!!


DON'T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE 2008  BEST IN FRANKLIN-AREA DINING SURVEY