12:00 Parade in Columbus

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com

Here is what I'm going to attempt to do over at FrontPorch.

frontporchcolumbus wants to help our local soldiers stay in touch. Every Friday I would love to have friends and loved ones send a message via our website to solders deployed around the world.

Anything you want to say, funny stories, family news, whatever. The message's will be posted on the site all weekend for our solders to read and of course archived if they can not view them on the weekend. News from home can be such a wonderful thing. You can even send a photo or two that I will post.

This site is your website, all I do is post good, interesting things. So if you just want to write something good about Columbus or leave a Friday message to the troops, you are all welcome. The world awaits. Columbus is a great little town. Let's spread the word.

Just a way to keep them in touch with what is happening in the area.
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It's been confirmed - The Parade starts at noon with the last tractor going by about 8:30 (long parade).

Fireworks will be at sunset and if you have never seen the Columbus Fireworks you would be shocked at how good they are. I was.
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Anybody watching American Idol? We have missed the last two weeks and totally missed the transformation of Adam Lambert. Here is the before and after - holy cow.


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There is a hole in the beer pipeline.

Seems I'm paying the price for the January lull in brewing. The two month lag is biting me in the arse, that and I'm trying to age the brews more.

HOWEVER - This weekend a magazine will be interviewing me and other members of the Wort hogs about home brewing at Cannery Wine and Spirits in Sun Prairie. I'll be boiling a brew outside their store Saturday 3-5:00.

This will be the 4th weekend in a row for brewing which I believe is a record. Next up is my first Belgium Strong Pale Ale with all sorts of odd things going into it. Anise seed, Sweet Orange peel, Clear Candi Sugar. This will not be ready until next winter. I received my huge order of supplies yesterday.

I also have a Porter that is wonderful. It's been really hard to NOT drink it.



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Is this the 1st Wednesday of the month coming up? Anybody thinking of the Kurth.

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I had to buy a Pantone Huey Monitor Color Calibrator for my computer. Seems my laptop color calibration sucks. This will make the calibration perfect AND has a little thingy that will change the screen as the ambient light changes.
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JJ Hardy. An interesting set of stats.

After just four seasons as a Brewer, Hardy has already accumulated more wins above replacement than all but two shortstops in Brewer history. He consistently draws the obvious comparison to the greatest Brewer shortstop, Robin Yount.

But of you look for baseball players with comparable hitting careers at the age of 25 look at the top 10 that are most comparable to Hardy.

1. Lance Parrish
2. Rich Gedman
3. Jhonny Peralta
4. Russell Martin
5. Benito Santiago
6. Tony Batista
7. Stephen Drew
8. Felipe Lopez
9. Edwin Encarnacion
10. Matt Nokes

Anything jump out at you? Only baseball fans will notice this.

Hardy becomes a free agent in 2010 and will get a LOT of money somewhere. Will it be on the Brewers? Perhaps not. The crew actually have a BETTER Shortstop in the wings and Hardy's best hitting years MIGHT be behind him already.

BTW - Ken Rosenthal (Baseball guru) predicts Yovani is the man for the NL Cy Young.

Peter Gammons says this is going to be Rickie Weeks breakout year "after watching the work Willie Randolph has put in getting Weeks to slow down his game." Think how much better the Brewers would be if Weeks played up to his potential.

Any Strat-o-Matic fans out there? Fielding numbers. Braun - 4, Cameron - 1 Hart -3, Fielder -4 Weeks - 4 Hardy -2 3B . . . .who do we have there???? Seriously - I'll have to loo oh yea . . Hall. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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GOOD NEWS - the baby hippo will NOT be fed to the tigers!

There was a report that the baby hippopotamus would be killed and fed to the tigers because of lack of space at a Swiss zoo. I have to laugh as if this actually happened I would NOT want to be that zoo director. Can you imagine the outcry once the news got out??

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This day in Wisconsin History

1918 - Northland Professor Tarred and Feathered
In an anti-German hate crime, E.A. Schimler, a language professor at Northland College, was taken from his room on the evening of March 31, 1918, by a mob of masked men to a lonely spot a half mile from Ashland, stripped of his clothing, covered with tar and feathers, and left to fend for himself. He walked back to his boarding house in Ashland, and then was taken to the YMCA to clean himself. The authorities said there was no doubt, "that the mob were very liberal in the use of tar and also had on hand a lot of feathers."

Well YEA!!!!

Deployed to Iraq - My View - Picture Car Driver News

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com

Picture Car Driver News

I tracked down who the Picture Car Drivers should talk to if they are thinking of attending and driving in the Columbus 4th of July Parade.

Jim & Dot Heathman are co-chairman of the Columbus Fourth of July Parade. Anyone can contact them either at this e-mail or by the phone numbers below.

The parade starts at 1:00 on the fourth. There is an entry form that they would like to have filled out so they have all the valid information for their records. Line up for the parade starts around 12:30 and is down by Tempkin's Steel in Columbus. Please feel free to call or e-mail with any questions.

Work 920-484-4141 Jim is extension 148 and I am ext 114. You can probably reach us easier at work than home as Jim's usually there from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

As for the official Columbus celebration I'll be making phone calls to all Drivers on my list starting in the next week.
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Deployed to Iraq

It seems a lot of readers are going or have loved ones being deployed to Iraq in the next few weeks. I would love to offer help in some way. Perhaps messages through this blog? Or something?? Maybe have a special day like Friday where you could send a small message to me and I could post it? Then they would have all weekend to view it ???? Ideas?

Maybe I can also do this on the other website frontporchcolumbus.

In fact maybe I'll send a letter to the editor of the Columbus Journal (if they are still talking to me after this blog). Set up something for Fridays. BRILLIANT!!
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I watched the movie Juno this weekend and it was a pretty darn good movie. I recommend it to anybody. Juno ROCKS! It was nice to see good parents for a change. Not strange freaked out ones but parents portrayed as actually having a sense of humor and brains.

Not enough gun play and car chases though.

So since Juno was lacking in gun play and car chases and I did not see one explosion
I also watched Wanted with Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. This is an odd movie that if you are a special effects junkie it is just outstanding. It's The Matrix but done right!! (Matrix sort of sucked).

Just a lot of things I've never seen before. The plot is entertaining and I THINK I liked it. I almost want to watch it again but . . . . . do I?

Wesley Gibbon (James McAvoy) is just an ordinary guy, unaware that his long-lost father is one of the world's most notorious assassins. But when his father is killed, a mysterious associate named Sloan (Morgan Freeman) arrives, offering Wesley the chance to fill dad's shoes. Mentored by Sloan's deputy, Fox (Angelina Jolie), Wesley carries out the will of the mythological Fates, who see Wesley's targets in a magical loom.

Yea - you read that right a magical loom.

As Ebert says "Wanted” slams the pedal to the metal and never slows down. Here’s an action picture that’s exhausting in its relentless violence and its ingenuity in inventing new ways to attack, defend, ambush and annihilate. (like thousands of exploding mice - don't see THAT every day). Expanding on a technique I first saw in David O. Russell’s “Three Kings,” it follows individual bullets (as well as flying warriors) through implausible trajectories to pound down the kills.

I guess I liked the movie.
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Purely My View

It seems that the TICP cronies have won. Did you see how many people attended the Mayoral debate? Twenty Five (25). Seems TIIP has really energized the community with two candidates that tell you they have the same views. AWESOME! No one really cares. The only difference between the two seems to be that one wants you to be afraid at what might happen if we don't vote for him (sounds like some other candidate in the past doesn't it) an the other one that seems more friendly and likable.

Both were on the TICP "want" list. Did you know that TICP in a "fair and balanced" way made thousands of phone calls before the primaries a tell people to vote for ANYBODY but Nancy Osterhaus? Is that really what a "Truth" website should do? Then they went to on bash Osterhaus with half truths on their "Truth" in Columbus Politics website.

Then the Columbus Journal has 5% of the newspaper taken up with Shirly Hoffmen's (TICP-guru) writing this week - Gutter Gussie and TWO Letters to the Editor. t for TICP.

sigh!

I'm all for Truth in Politics and NOW, for the most part they seem to be posting slightly more valid information but they obviously HAD another agenda before the primaries.

Speaking of the candidates. I have a couple thoughts.

First of all Bob Link keeps telling us he is a lifetime resident of Columbus which is NOT something I feel is a good thing for a mayoral candidate. Hiring from within is not something I believe is good for business practice. Look at the Milwaukee Brewers, they have been hiring Managers from within for years with no results.

When a company is not going well do you really want someone who has been doing things the same way?

I believe people that are lifetime residents no longer are in tune with the outside world. For instance, he said "I care about my community, that has taken a lot of bashing". This is Bush Cheney style talk. Trust me, Columbus is NOT taking a lot of bashing from anybody. In fact no one really knows where Columbus is. That's the real problem.

Being an "outsider" that recently moved here I can tell you that there is no bashing of Columbus going on. People like to pretend there is but the only things I hear are small random comments like "I hear their politics is messed up". That is not really bashing of Columbus. That is a random comment. I hear worse things about Madison. Of course with websites constantly broadcasting how BAD it is you have to again wonder what the real goal of TICP is. Again - sounds a lot like a administration we just got rid of. Promoting all the bad for personal gain.

Another thing I don't like about Link is he is ALREADY bashing Kaland - you can tell he is a long time resident - fights dirty and carry's a grudge. Yea - he wants to change things by getting angry and threatening you with what might happen if he is not elected.

And "beholden"? who really says that word. "I'm not beholden?" I think he is going for the blue hair vote.

I've never met Mr. Link and I'm sure he is a nice guy - I just do not like the way he does business at all. One huge flaw he even mentioned is his lack of ability to think outside the box. He mentioned that you won't see any yard signs (called advertising) saying he does not like to spend money on useless things. Wow - I guess Columbus will continue to be unheard of if he is Mayor. Let's not spread the word or anything. Let's not do any advertising. IF you can not advertise HIMSELF, do you think he will advertise Columbus?

I've been told he also does not think Public Enemies did Columbus any good. WOW - let's just stick our head in the sand shall we?

OK - enough Link bashing (someone has to - Kaland is to nice and is actually trying to get people to work together NATURALLY, not forcing people to work together).

As for the Auditorium. You all know I am 100% pro Auditorium. But I also think the city spending huge amounts of money on this will just never happen. I hate saying this but it's going to take private donations. ON THE OTHER HAND. The talk about long range plans about building Police and Fire Stations? Ummmm - we HAVE a Police Station in City Hall (sits below the Auditorium). I hope to God they do not decide to spend half a million dollars on a nice square brick building and NOT fix what they already have. THAT would be stupid.

The North Dickason Boulevard canopy thingy. I have to agree with the two Candidates. At this time I can't see it. I'm sorry Todd - I agree with you on almost everything and it would be GREAT. I see this happening once the downtown is more vibrant. And it will be vibrant in the future. It's a "we can build it once they come" thing. Right now all it would do is to make a nice place for people in one of our many dive bars to hang out in. (Don't get me started on the dive bar situation). It seems the city bows down to whatever the bars want. If we want a band at night on the Boulevard we can only have it with permission of the bars because we might take buisness from them.

That is a crock of BS.

OK - speaking of dive bars. I feel that once Columbus becomes a non-smoking community (that will happen - I guarantee it) the diveieness will be a little less. I know now there are beer cans and garbage all over the city parking lot from bars. Drunks have walked into Jenny an Josh's yard more then once and they were forced to put up a huge fence to keep the drunks out.

My view is we must get the City Council to be stronger with better people. I'm liking Bomkamp and Brun. The only big thing Bomkamp and I have a difference in opinion on is with the Udey Dam but that is fine. Difference in opinion is a good thing as long as it is not a stubborn difference. If people can actually LISTEN to the other side and change opinions THEN the community can grow. Lord knows I change my opinion on many things. It's a sign of strength, not weakness.

I'll get off my soap box now.

HEY - if anybody is connected with the Fire Department I would love to talk to somebody in the Dept about a project. It's been in my head for over a year now - seriously my head might explode if another summer goes by.

You don't want to see

"The Columbus Fire Department responded to an exploding head on Vista Circle" do you?

Have a wonderful Monday - and remember - Mondays are the #1 day for heart attacks, be careful out there.

Rod

SNOW YOU SAY??

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com

Don't forget to sign up for the Public Enemies Fantasy Baseball league. It's fun, it's easy, and gives you a reason to stay in tune with baseball and it's free - password PEC - look for Public Enemies.
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I just read two reviews of Public Enemies. One review loved it and said the crowd applauded and all was joy. The other guy did not like it and hated the digital and near the end of the review said "I'm a film student" and at that point I threw up on my keyboard.

DO NOT let "film students" ever review movies. Kiss of death as they all have their own little artistic slant on how things SHOULD be done if THEY were in charge. Just SAYING "I'm a film student" tells you a few things. It says "I'm arrogant "and it says "I'm ONLY a student and really don't know much about the real world".

So you mix that with "I love the movie" people and "I'm a film student and hate the movie" people - which do you believe.

I rest my case.
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That glob of blue down there in Texas is what everybody is watching. This area of low pressure will travel east and at the moment they say it will start to veer north once it hits the bottom of Illinois. This is the key, when will it start it's northward veer. 100 miles early and we could be in for a huge shock with 8 inches of snow. 100 miles east of ILL and we might not get anything. The band of snow is narrow.

I think we are right in the bulls eye and it is going to move north faster then expected. Late Saturday night could get pretty interesting. But again - it is just a small very intense blob of moister. It's going to be a crap shoot on who gets the snow. The farther southeast the greater chance of BIG snow.

Yes - I AM a Super Genius! And, humblnicity pours through my veins like shit through a goose. Why you ask, am I being so modest and humble this time? Could it be that people loved my Scottish Heavy at home brew club? No no - they did but that is not the reason (I find if odd how I'm so groggy the morning after home brew club, is it a coinkiydink?).

Hmmmm - I lost my train of thought . . . . . hmmmmmmm

Oh yea - my brilliance and humblitude.

So at the Public Enemies meeting Paul the newspaper dude is there and I happen to have a small photo of the Whitney Building I took (soon to be in postcard form . . and when I say soon I mean in the future) which I dare say is pretty cool. He shows it to Kara the Advertising Sale Consultant for Capitol Newspapers Columbus Edition South Ludington First Floor near the window Branch (I bet they all wear more then one hat . . .which would look silly if you think about it) who mails me and asks if she can use it for a promo for something called Faces and Places (not sure what that is).

I was a little hesitant because I have a little project I'm working on and I'd rather not have some stuff "out there". BUT - she was looking at the photo in more of a Black and White version.

THAT I can do. So I played around desaturating and using an orange filter and bingo. Add faux matting and a faux frame and presto the magic happens. I'll have to see how it's rated on photo.net. Seriously good photographers rate photos and I did a study last year. I submitted 8 photos without a frame and recorded the ratings. I took those photos off line for 6 months, added frames and put them out there again.

On average I got a higher rating of 0.25 on each photo. Frames really matter. I see so many good pieces of art with just horrible frames. Getting that perfect frame is important . . .not that I have that ability. I'm as lost as the next guy.

WOW- got a little off topic there.

ANYWAY - here it is.

hmmmmm maybe white would be better - give it a brighter look.
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So then I get an email from Eric the PR Account Coordinator from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and it seems that are looking for photos of PE to send out to the Associated Press (AP).

THEN I get three emails from people I sent bookmarks to and they seem to all love them and they are giving me virtual pats on the head.

So I'm a little pumped up today.

It's weird how moving from a large city to a small town can energize you. Is it the air? Is it the people that live here? Is it the beaten down feeling from traffic in Madison that makes you want to just sit around like a blob?

DJ mentioned last week that every time we drive back home from Madison after work it feels like we are going on vacation.

I'm just blabbing on and on now.

Put this on your calender - March 7th 2010 will be The Oscars!!

This day in Wisconsin History

1920 - Nation's First Tank Company Created in Janesville
On this date Janesville was chosen as home base for the National Guard's first tank company in the United States, the 32nd. When activated for duty during WWII, the unit was called Company A, 192nd Tank Battalion. This company fought in the Philippines during World War II. Many of the ninty-nine Janesville men who became prisoners of war and were tortured during the infamous Bataan Death March, were affiliated with this tank company.

OH - BTW - I saw the last 2 minutes of LOST last week and saw Sayid kill Harry Potter. WTF.

Have a great weekend
Rod

Public Enemies Fantasy Baseball & Uday Dam

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running rampant

With baseball season approaching I figure I'll start an online FREE Fantasy baseball league. So if you are interested go to the CBS Sports Public Enemies, (NOT Public Enemies Columbus) it's in the 1050 area. (Winner gets free beer) It's will be a head to head league meaning you go against another team each week. I believe you set your roster before each week??( some one chime in here). I've never been in one like this before so . . . . . . . Password is PEC. The draft will be live but I'm pretty sure you can automate it and I can change the date and time. I just defaulted it to Monday the 6th which is raising red flags now that I type it . . . . hmmmmmm why is my red flag warning lights going off in my head. Open to suggestions = any day but Sunday the 5th which for some reason I can not click on.

If I don't get enough people that read this (I doubt I will) I'll go over to . . . . . gulp . . . Imdb.
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DJ and I were eating at the Argus yesterday ( great great food BTW under new ownership) and I took this sort of random, under my arm, RAW photo. I'm having fun shooting RAW. RAW is a format that does nothing at all to the photo (unlike jpeg). RAW image files are sometimes called digital negatives as they fulfill the same role as a negative in film photography, that is, the negative is not directly usable as an image, but has all of the information needed to create an image.

Thus - it's a whole new ballgame for me and I'm having a blast.

You don't see all of my swing and miss photos!! LOL
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Public Enemies Parade Float. I suppose we should, at SOME POINT, have a tiny meeting to discuss the float in the 4th of July Parade. I have several Picture Cars Drivers planning on attending(with their cars). Not that I know who they should contact about the parade).

It also seems I'll have to call people about the July 25th event. Email is getting no response and I wonder how many people really look at email. They HAVE email accounts but do they READ email accounts.

April 6th is our next Celebration meeting . . . . . hey! wait a minute . . . . . April 6th??

AHHH HAAA!!!

Cancel the April 6th draft day. suggestions? Maybe automating would be the way to go?
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I got this from Chris C. I believe he was security up at Little Bo and down here at Da Dells.

This has to do with the movie "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and it's villain John Travolta . . . . . . wait a minute, is that John Travolta??


no no - THIS is John Travolta. That other guy is A.J. McLean from the Backstreet Boys.

Now Chris said it was scary how close they matched. I said it was scary that he knew what A.J. McLean from the Backstreet Boys actually looked like.

Thanks Chris.
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Did I mention that the Red Bud Bakery location will become a Hamburger joint? I think this is an outstanding location for this kind of place. The James Street Dining location I think just sucks. Wrong side of the street. Facing north on a hill is one bad thing but you have a giant eye catcher in the City Hall that draws you attention away.

That giant eye catcher works perfectly for the Red Bud burger joint. Your eyes just travel up the street to the tower. People need to look at locations like it's a photo, where do your eyes travel and why. How can you make it work for you!

Speaking of the Uday Dam. I'm going to say this once and let it go away as I know I am in disagreement with 50% of Columbonions ( yet in agreement with 50%).

I am pro destructing the dam. I feel the river should be allowed to run it's course naturally. A navigational river flowing through Columbus would make it possible for more small business. Another point is it would release all the toxins built up over the last 100 years that are laying behind the dam.

The dam has no purpose and while I'm 100% for keeping history, this piece of history is not beautiful and has no purpose. By keeping the dam we will only be passing on more problems to future residents of Columbus. Fix the gate now and in 50 years we will have to fix it again. Who is responsible for raising and lowering a meaningless gate. And if it is open or closed at the wrong time will also open the flood gates of bickering and decision making about WHY it was open of closed at the wrong time.

Taking the dam out now will eliminate future problems.

I'm not going to be jumping on any big band wagons on this because I'm trying to stay away from band wagonizing. It just stresses me out and I have too many other projects in the works at the moment.

I will voice my opinion if anybody cares though.

Cold Case Solved in Columbus

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running rampant

I received an email last night from our Mayor Nancy O.

Great news for Columbus . On March 11th, 1980 there was a murder in Columbus … it has remained unsolved for 29 years. Today Curtis Forbes from Randolph was arrested and will be charged!

Marilyn McIntyre was 18 years old, married and lived on South Ludington street with her husband and 3 month old child when she was murdered in her home. No one was ever arrested or charged with her murder. October, 2007 I received an email from Marilyn’s niece asking us to take another look at this murder and bring justice to her family. I went to our police chief and asked him to reopen the case and see what they could uncover. He did, and it has continued to progress for 18 months until today there was an arrest. Last year Marilyn’s body was exhumed and additional DNA evidence collected. Lots of good police work has led to an arrest today. Columbia County Sheriff’s office, Dodge County Sheriff’s office, Columbus Police Department and Department of Justice all worked together on this case. Charges will be filed tomorrow, Wednesday. This is really exciting… today I’m happy to be the mayor!!!
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Channel 3000

March 19 2008
Sheriff's Lt. Wayne Smith said that his agency received a tip during the summer of 2007 from an informant about a killing in Columbus. He said that the tip had the wrong time frame, but authorities linked it to the unsolved murder.

Smith said that a man was interviewed in Sioux Falls, S.D., during the renewed probe as a "person of interest" in the case, but he said that the investigation is now focusing on another man in the "greater Columbia-Dodge County area."
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Oddly I was just thinking of this a few weeks ago, maybe I had read it in the news somewhere but it popped into my brain.

This is the 2nd cold case that I am within 6-degrees of. I can not think of the exact facts but a coworker of DJs dad, some 30 or 40 years ago had a wife that just vanished. I guess everybody at the time thought it was very odd because the investigation said she went out for a walk or something. One of those "why would she do that" and "it's totally not like her" type things.

Well, DJs dad was curious and for some odd reason was thinking about this and asked the police whatever became of this cold case. The police looked into it, opened the case and found evidence. The husband did it. He was still living in Madison(???), had a new wife and was living a happy happy life.

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Columbus had 2.97 inches of rain last night. It was really coming down about 10:00. Blake did not appreciate having to go out. sigh! There are more and more signs that he is getting old. Makes me sad. Just little things.

I THINK he has a tooth ache now.

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Yesterday on this day in Wisconsin History - 1874

On this date magician Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, though he later claimed to have been born on April 6, 1874, in Appleton, Wisconsin. At the age of 13 he left Appleton, where his family had emigrated, for New York City, and began his career as an escape artist and magician.
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Here is the bring you down moment of the day.

In 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist factory caught fire in New York killing 145 teenage emigrants. A sweatshop in the truest sense. The factory was located on the top 3 floors of the Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. There were 4 elevators that could hold a total of 12 people and two stairways both locked on the outside. The fire escape would opnlu hold 2 people at a time.

The factory was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris adn this was the third such suspicious fire in their factory's. It seems that Blanck and Harris like to deliberately torch their buildings in order to collect on the large fire-insurance policies they purchased. They had been asked on numerous occasions to install sprinkler systems but that might put out a fire.

The workers were paid $15 a week ($329 in today's money) for 84 hours a week of work (12 hours 7 days a week)

Though Blanck and Harris were put on trial for manslaughter, they managed to get off scot-free**. Still, the massacre for which they were responsible did finally compel the city to enact reform. In addition to the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law passed that October, the New York Democratic set took up the cause of the worker and became known as a reform party.

** - scot-free = Sceot is Old English for "a tax." Scot and lot was a medieval municipal tax levied on residents. Someone who managed to avoid paying this medieval tax got off "scot free."

Eventually, the word evolved to describe getting away without any kind of punishment, fiscal or otherwise. Kids who fake fevers get out of school scot-free. Cagey adults escape jury duty scot-free. And dogs with remorseful eyes get off scot-free from just about any wrongdoing.
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I took this a couple days ago walking to work.


BTW - Whos! - if you do not get an email from me - contact me at some point.

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Have a dry day today.

Rod

The Public Enemies Columbus Celebration

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www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimisity running rampant

I attended a meeting for the Public Enemies Columbus (not associated with the blog but I'll take any credit I can get) last night and then was busy email all the Picture Car Drivers that were in Columbus. If you have not gotten an email let me know.

Speaking of The Blog - notice - yea baby!!

It was decided that the big day will be July 25th. This will also be the BIG weekend of the Explosion. The Explosion is a huge woman's softball tournament with teams from all over the U.S. and Canada that encompass Columbus every year. This will also be our tiny Maxwell street days and NOW The Public Enemies Columbus Celebration (insert echo).

IN THE WORKS

A live jazz band next to City Hall, a Dillinger Look-A-Like contest, plenty of food, dancing, Picture Cars all around town (hopefully) a Picture Car parade (I just thought that up - I'll work on it), actors/reenactors, hayride/taxi service, popcorn, Maxwell Street days and anything else we can think of.

If you want to be involved give me a shout. Our next meeting is April 6th at 5:30 and Julie's Java House - the epicenter of optimicity.

Also - found out that the Old Red Bud Bakery is slowy being turned into a hamburger joint. They are waiting on papers and forms and dealing with venting problems (or the lack of vents actually). Check out the owners new store where Inhabitz(sp?) used to be. Seriously cool antiques, real ones, not garage sale hand me downs. I'm not an antique sort of guy but they really did have some interesting stuff the other stores do not have.
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So after the meeting I was wondering around town looking for photos and took a bunch. As I was leaving the sun was setting as a big orange ball. I told Blake who was the Come-Along dog we needed to capture the sun (which he did not think was such a good idea and mom would be mad).

But driving through town I could not get away from buildings and it was slowly sinking (the sun). I reached the edge of town and it was touching the horizon. I was not in a good place so I sped up (looking for Trooper Zang to appear at any moment). I zoomed into the country racing the sun, I had to fine SOMETHING.

Mid-State Equipment appeared and looked promising with all their cool equipment but the sun was now halfway buried. I swung right onto Bristol, I was losing, the sun seemed to be going faster then my car, DAMN IT. I cross Schaefer Road, almost gone. I scan for anything that would make the photo interesting, NOTHING, almost gone.

Then when all is lost I slam on the brakes (after making sure I was safe). The car stops, I stare straight ahead for 5 seconds and then start backing up. Blake is looking worried and growns as we are now traveling back word at 50mph (well, not a clue how fast a normal car back up - probably 10mph SEEMED LIKE 50).

Blinkers on - I jump out and shoot one photo.

I THINK you can see 3 pixels of the sun if you enlarge the shot.

OH - man - when I converted it to 72 pix it really got blurry WHAT UP!!! leave it as it is! LOL

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So today we could see some hail.

The good news is that NOAA has changed the rules on what severe hail is now. So when 3/4 inch hail starts beating on your car, don't worry, severe hail NOW has to be at least 1 inch in size. The 3/4 inch hail is just normal hail.

Also - I have heard that "warm" is now anything ABOVE 95 degrees so Global Warming is no longer a problem. WHEW - I'm glad we fixed that little earthly disaster before we really had to worry about it.
============================

HEY - I see some one has an idea on Imdb.

In the thread 1000 things to do while waiting for Public Enemies

37. Check www.columbuspublicenemies.blogspot.com daily to get more PE info
(thanks GRINDER :)

55.Chase down Grinder

THEN some one says later "Chase down Grinder".... LOL !!!!

I had to add

113. Hire security to get people to stop chasing me.
=========================

OH - one last thing - I mentioned I wanted a photo of our new Electric Truck.

HERE SHE IS!!

think we have to give her a name!!!

Have a good day!
Rod

DO I Still Have To Blog?

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com

WOW - I am so focused on something else I forgot to blog, what is the world coming too.

A few things to make sure you all know about.

Public Enemies Day - Columbus

Picture Car Drivers - it looks like we will be changing the Public Enemies Celebration Date from July 11th ( just so we do not have to go to war with Iola) to ??????. Are there ANY conflicting dates we need to look out for.

As we were told time and time again - the cars are the stars and Columbus wants the stars!! We are having a meeting tonight. Be nice to know of any conflicts.

The Heine 19

I'll go into this more when May 9th is on the horizon but Doug Caldwell's Biking Triathlon (Cycle/Hydrate/Eat Pizza) is taking shape. This year (as in all years I think) the ride is 23.4 miles from his house to Minnesota Junction (not a freaking clue where that is). T-Shirts and Hats will be given away with a donation of $13 to $16. Starts a 2:00 (in the afternoon).

So make plans. I'll have more on this in the coming . . . . . . . blah blah whatever.
======================

I see DJ and I are on CCAP now as felons

DJ -Ride in Vehicle w/o Wearing Seat Belt
Rod - Operator Fail/Have Passenger/SeatBelted

We are bad-ass baby.

I have not heard if the powers want to take my bling away from the other day but it has been flown overseas so no one can touch it.

I see it says " Bond Amount $10.00". Does that mean we are free on $10 bond?. It'll take a lot more then that to keep me behind bars copper!
=====================
Hey - I want to take photos of the new Columbus Electric Truck (unless it looks boring). They took delivery of it Friday( ???).

April 24th is Arbor day - WE NEED MORE TREES IN COLUMBUS.

I do have to say and I'll make this known when it happens that Columbus has the most amazing flowering trees I have ever seen. Not the Red Bud trees which underwhelm me (they are not really meant for a town this far north - I'm not a big red bud fan) but all the other trees make this town gorgeous.

Speaking of saving energy. Seems Americans are messing things up (as usual) when it comes to conserving energy. People buy energy efficient cloths washers and wash more cloths. They buy energy efficient light bulbs and then leave them on longer. They buy efficient furnaces and then bump up the thermostat a few degrees.

People just don't know how much they are using. Out of site out of mind. It's like gas prices. You see 10 times a day the fluctuating gas prices but do you ever notice the price of milk on a daily basis?

I bet America could save a ton of money if every device had a little dial on it telling people how much they were using. Of course then we would all go around stressing out raising health care costs.

I must do some head down programming today. busy busy

Have a cheery next few RAINY days. BIG storms tomorrow - not sever but copious amounts of water in the air.

Rod

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

.

NEW www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
positivity running peremptorily
-------------------------
--------------------------------

It was all going so well until Trooper Zank stepped back grabbing his gun and then things got a little dicey.

Two hours before that happened DJ and I were entering the Capri Steak House for the 2nd Annual Columbus Business Appreciation Awards Luncheon (CBAAL) and meeting people we knew but could not remember their names (there are so so many).

We sat at a random table which would turn out to be the Winners table and made chit chat and were having a good time. There was that guy over there that we recognized but did not know from where (they own the Apple Tree restaurant , and before that Lum's in Monona and before that a restaurant in Alaska).

Salad was served which was very fresh and yummy. But not to waste anymore time awards were being given out. They talked about The Blog and mentioned the new website and I got up and people clapped and I was going to thank them all for not suing me in the last year but I decided to let sleeping dogs lay.

Pictures were taken and our table actually had three award recipients. Kim, (you all know Kim from the comments section) for her work on West James Gallery and Robin(??) from the Secret Garden Floral YOUR LOCAL COLUMBUS, WI FLORIST who's website has a link to a list a funeral homes on their useful site section. Not that that is a bad thing, just something I had never considered having a list of funeral homes on my blog. I'm doing a market study on this.

Lunch was served, family style chicken dinner and I tell ya - it was GREAT!! The Capri did a wonderful job. Well done Doc.

Then the CEO of Trek, Ride Longer You've Earned the Extra Daylight (man! talk about taking credit for something) gave a little talk that was very interesting about how fat America is getting and the need to ride bikes more often which after going on five 500 mile bike adventures I agree with. Although after one of those rides I never want my butt touching another saddle.

After the talk there is a raffle and the guy that works at Frank Porth Chevrolet-Buick! Good People to Turn To wins the bike. Go figure. Yet another winner at our table.

After it was over I talked to Pete Kaland (mayoral candidate It will be a better land with Pete Kaland) about history and so forth, the guy is a history geek/library dude and that cannot be a bad thing at all.

So anyway, DJ (who's Easter bunny name is Cuddles Fluffy Paws) and I leave the Capri and DJ has been working on a project since . . . . a long time . . and finally is mailing the packages out. We stop at the post office and she finishes mailing and jumps in the car.

I pull out and she is saying "FINALLY THAT'S OVER" (meaning her project not the ceremony) and I pull out. We are on the way home and turn onto Avalon and I look in my mirror and there is this State Trooper gaining ground at like 100 miles per hour. ME??? YOU WANT ME??

I pull over and this big grumpy looking man-bear walks up and says. "SIR - do you realize you do not have a front license plate?" I say "yea the threads are stripped it's in the back" and then "MAM! Is there a reason you are were NOT wearing your seat belt?"

Now DJ and I wear our seat belts 100% of the time . . . . I thought,  but I guess this time there was a momentary lapse (99.9%).

"MAM, I'm going to have to give you a ticket and SIR, I'm going to have to give YOU a ticket for allowing a passenger to not wear a seat belt".

Well la dee freaking daa!!

I seriously almost broke out laughing but didn't. He looked mean. So then he asks for my drivers license which had my OLD address and he didn't like that a whole lot and then the weirdness started.

"CAN I ASSUME YOU TWO ARE A COUPLE?"

DJ says "That's a very serious thing to say to a girl you just met" or is thinking that and . . .

Wait a minute? was he hitting on DJ (the uniform thing always makes me nervous)? So I nip that one in the butt and say "yes - we are married!" but I feel weird saying it for some reason. There were a few dozens things I WANTED to say. Was he baiting me? WTF!

So he takes all of our papers and goes back to his car and were sitting there laughing (seriously we were). I wanted to say DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? But figured my award would not carry that much weight.

I'm assuming that over the radio the dispatcher is saying

"Rod Melotte has given us a second chance to catch Rod Melotte."

Ten minutes later he comes back to the car and issues the tickets and warnings and hands me some pink papers and starts explaining what they say. Of course I want to be a good citizen even though my last experience with an officer of the law had me getting thrown off an elevator in Madison (remind me sometime to tell THAT story . . . . not real good with authority I guess).

SO - where was I. He is explaining what the tiny letters on the pretty pink paper say and since I can't see the words I go for my glasses in the pocket of my coat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SIR!" and Trooper Zang is stepping back and grabbing for his gun!  Holy Shit cowboy relax (I didn't say that but thought it very loudly!!). "I'm getting my glasses" (moron) and I continue looking in pockets not letting his gun hand bother me . . . much.

I'm hoping DJ is taking all sorts of photos with her cell phone as planned but then I see she is about to Bonnie and Clyde it out the door if things get dicey if I don't find my glasses soon.

As luck would have it they are in pocket number three and as I put them on I can't really focus on anything anyway.

He explains that we have a warning for the front license and another warning for the incorrect address on my drivers license and TWO $10 tickets for the seat belt violations (even though I was wearing MINE).

He says we can go to Portage to dispute the tickets and I say

"WHY - there is absolutely nothin I want to do in Portage."

OK OK - I only thought that but I missed the rest of what he was saying as the entire Public Enemies trailer which I have memorized is now going through my head.

Right around the time Johnny says "wanna take that ride with me" and Marion Cotillard says "Yea I wanna take that ride with you" Trooper Zang growls goodbye and I take off not wearing my seat belt - I GUESS he filled his quota as he didn't pull me over AGAIN.

Of course all this has made us late for the Dog Guard fence guy but he is good with it and we're going to buy his fence which is MUCH better then Invisible Fence and all of there hidden fee's.

And finally to add one last thing to make my day. I get a letter from my credit union saying I am 0.37 cents Past Due on a loan. At least there is not a $25 late fee.

Thinking back I should have told Trooper Zang that my Mafia name was Bugsy The Brains Napolitano.  That would have gotten a reaction.

sigh.
-------------------------------------


I'd like to thank the CDA for recognizing The Blog and I really do appreciate it. The last thing I ever ever thought would happen was that this would really take off THIS much. 360,000 hits in one year was about 359,000 more then I thought.

It's a two way street you know. The people and town of Columbus has awakened something and like a giant hairball I just gotta get the words out of my system.

Have a great weekend.

Rod

Big Award Thingy Today. busy busy

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running rampant

Downtown district needs you!
VOTE for Pete Kaland Mayor
VOTE for Bill Bruns 3rd District
VOTE for Dave Bomkamp 2rd District
========================================

There ya have it - the final three to vote for. I got a huge email from Pete Kaland (step away from the coffee Pete) about his love for history and he is pro downtown.
==========================================

No REAL blog today - I'm off selling Bookmarks and preparing my 30 minute speech for the award thingy I'm receiving today from the Community Development Authoritarians led by Minty Fresh.

HOWEVER - you you guys out there check this out.

The brand new FA-22 has come on line, would this NOT be a sweet ride? BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE (as you knew there would be). Make sure you read the last paragraph about this fighter.

Langley is to be first Operational AFB for the FA-22.

In Actual In-flight (simulated)Combat Operations against the F-15, two FA-22s were able to operate without detection while they went Head to Head against (8) F-15s. The
FA-22s scored Missile Hits (Kills)against all the F-15 Aircraft and the F/A-22s were never Detected by either the F-15s or Ground Based Radar. Maj. Gen. Rick Lewis said:
'The Raptor Operated Against All Adversaries with Virtual Impunity; Ground Based Systems Couldn't Engage and NO Adversary Aircraft Survived'!

FA-22 --- America 'S Most Advanced Fighter Aircraft for the 21st Century! (and kicks tail against anything in the 19th Century) They're a titanium and carbon fiber dagger. They're so advanced that if their on-board locator is switched off even our own satellites can lose track of them. They're the first military aircraft ever built that is equipped with a 'black-out button'.

What that means is this: The best conditioned fighter pilots are capable of maintaining consciousness up to in the vicinity of 15+ G. The Raptor is capable of making 22+ G turns. If someday an adversary builds a missile that is capable of catching up to one of these airplanes and a Raptor pilot sees that a strike is imminent, he hits the 'B.O.B.' and the airplane makes a virtual U-turn, leaving the missile to pass right on by.

They know that in the process he'll temporarily lose consciousness, so the Raptor then automatically comes back to straight and level flight until he wakes back up.
===============================
Seeing how at times, I "temporarily lose consciousness" I'm trying to get one of those buttons installed on my desk at work. I press the button and the keyboard continues to enter random words on the screen until I wake up.
=====================

Gotta get ready - I have to make get my bedroom hair looking perfect (like on the Oscars - it's how it's done nowadays).
==============================

Weather Pixie is in LA for a day or so waiting for a plane trip to Hawaii. She's been doing a little shopping and so forth - meeting friends and relaxing. Nothing real exciting YET. She hopes the weather is nice in Columbus - it's real muggy in CA.





Rod

Downtown Needs You

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running vociferously

Downtown district needs you!
VOTE for Bill Bruns 3rd District
VOTE for Dave Bomkamp 2rd District
===============================

WELL - it seems I was thrown onto a wild goose chase** last night by one who shall remain nameless. The City Council didn't talk about Parking Lots and whether we should fix them or leave them looking horrible. That will be NEXT week.

OH - nice try Minty. Game on!

** I know I know what you're saying, "Rod, you sound a lot like Shakespeare". Actually I do sound a lot like Shakespeare. He was the one that introduced us to wild goose chasing in 1592.

Romeo: Switch and spurs, switch and spurs; or I'll cry a match.

Mercutio: Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five.

OK! whatever you say dude!

I can just see myself transported back in time (I love time traveling) and trying to mix in with THAT Crowd.

I pop into the local bar and see a guy with some beer.

"Hey man - can you pass one of those tumblers of beer my way?"

Thou art like one of those fellows that when he enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword upon the table and says 'God send me no need of thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need.

"What? I just want one beer. Don't taze me bro."
===========================
An interesting thing happened at the CDA (Community Development Authoritarians) meeting. Boyd Kraemer the City Admin started to talk in my language. Playing the Game. I've always said life is a giant game and you have to figure out how to play it and he starts explaining how to play the Columbus game of Politics and how somehow over the last seven-ish years people have forgotten the rules.

It was pretty interesting. It sort of ties in with something I've always thought when it comes to politics.

People get all hyper over voting for President but they ignore what will REALLY effect their lives. Local government. I feel local government is way way more important then National. Yet people to bother with local.

ANYWAY - back on topic. He explained that in order to make ANY change in local public policy it all starts with the City Council. That group of people are the ones that actually make the big decisions about YOUR well being. Do you even know who those people are? And what they stand for?

So once you get City Council to listen to you, THEN, things start to happen but not before. You have to go through the channels to get things done and it all starts with the City Council.

So lets say we have talked the CC into understanding how important the Historical district is. THEN they can toss a little money to the CDA who is pro-downtown and then THEY can help the Main Street people into achieving their goal. BING BANG BOOM

But it all starts with the CC.

So if you want to make the downtown of Columbus, that historical district that brings people to our town, that area that people remember - YOU HAVE TO TELL the CITY COUNCIL! Otherwise if no one is there to steer them in the right direction they just float around aimless or listening to whoever happens to be there.

It is important to show up to City Council and tell them what you feel. Trust me - I never did. Never been to a City Council meeting in my life before I moved to Columbus. Didn't care. Let others do that. But in Columbus there are no others.

I've been posting photos that I HOPE will get some of you to pay attention to a part of Columbus that the current City Council does not care about BECAUSE, no one has told them anybody care. All they hear is doom and gloom from the other older faction of Columbus that is against downtown. Do you want them to win??? Let's get off our butts before it's too late.

Hidden Columbus

Sorry about the above but I'm afraid the Historic District could lose this battle if we just let others take control.
================================

OH - My portrait of the day is Ronald and his little friend. BTW - all of these are real photos.


OH - last night I talked a tad to some radio guy that was at the meeting. Sorry I did not formally introduce myself and so forth. I'll come straight to the point . . .Who are you? LOL
=======================
And BTW - I sent a small article to the Seattle Post Intelligencer last week and I see headlines today

The pioneering P-I slips into the past.

Damn it. Not another one. Here's my lawyers number - I might as well just post it on top of the blog 555-1212. I hope this does not hurt my chances of Paul putting an article into the Columbus Journal this week. If so - just use the number posted, he's a little busy lately, get in line.

Have a great day - MAN it's cold out!!

Rod

One Year Anniversary of Filming

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running rampant (at some point)

I attended the Community Development Authority meeting last night and it was pretty much over my head with the acronyms which I believe was some sort of secret talk among the Authoritarians. However then some dude poked a guy code named Minty Fresh with a pin and all hell broke loose.

I have been sworn to secrecy on the rest for the time being However I did come away with a feeling that there is hope for the downtown area. HOWEVER - PLEASE - we need more people attending the City Council meetings (Tonight 7:00). PARKING LOTS are going to be talked about - let them go and fill up with garbage? - or clean them up? THEY NEED INPUT (I'm being serious on this one)- just nodding heads would work - come on people!!!

I plan on attending and saying . . . something.

If you care about the downtown district.

VOTE for Bill Bruns 3rd District (TCIP has his email incorrect so he MUST be the good guy)
VOTE for Dave Bomkamp 2rd District

These people are pro downtown.

I'll have more in the next few days on the good stuff goign on in Columbus.

Before I got in the car after the meeting I was forced to take a photo of The Columbus Carriage Works.

This was at 7:30 - pretty freaking dark out. This is dummied up for the web - in real life it's sweet but also 60 meg.

And here is another one of Columbus - enlarge this if you can to see the details (hmmm which just dooes not come through in 72 dpi)



========================================

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.

No time to reminisce today I have a 4 hour "vision" meeting (if I could find 20 hours of outside low (or high) paid work I could retire). Last year at this time I was walking around in 25 degree weather all day taking photos.

Think they would have had some problems with the snow making machines???

But sadly I have a "Vision" meeting today and can not have a normal blog - HOWEVER - I do have something that might make you smile.

Here is a wonderful portrait of Wayne and Jeffery from 1970. What wonderful kids, so relaxed and carefree.



Now you would think that after that outstanding photo the parents of Wayne and Jeffery would have MAYBE gone to another photographer or perhaps left town.

But no.

Here is Wayne and Jeffery one year later.





Wayne is serving time in the big house
and Jeffery has not gone out his apartment for over 25 years.

BUT WAIT

How could the parents have put those two darling children through so much stress and torment?


Lets look a few years earlier - where it all began.





Have a great Tuesday while I'm enduring someones vision for State Government.

Rod

The Real Story of the Real Bernie Brewer

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running obstreperously

Holy Macaroni - was that a nice weekend or what. I have to think this was the best weather since October. Did everyone get your Christmas decorations down?

=============================

DON'T EVEN get me started on this eye sore piece of crap - you have not seen the last of THIS photo.

This really shows how we want to get buisness into town doesn't it.

This screams:

WE CARE for our downtown.

I had a moment of brilliance as I remembered I have a PS3 which connects to the web. HEY - The Public Enemies trailer is on the web!!!

So DJ and I watched the trailer on our big screen and with our 7.1 surround sound system and the audio is outstanding(4 foot tall sub-woofer . . . I do like my base). So chalk up another 4 or 5 viewings of the trailer.

I think it is becoming like the Rocky Horror Picture Show - we know all the lines.

Dum dum dee dum dum dee dum dum dum.

Where's JOHNNY!!

The real question is - why is that guy putting pop corn in his ear.


Built in 1944 the Milwaukee 261 is a 4-8-4 locomotive and weights over 1 million pounds. Currently the 261' boilers are being overhauled which will take most of 2009. There is an excellent website about the 261 here.

It has come through Columbus many times in the past and once fixed will come again!

======================================

Movies - Watchman - a resounding THUD as 2/3s of the audience dropped in it's 2nd week giving Watchman the 4th largest drop (behind Friday the 13th, Hellboy II and The Day the Earth Stood Still) from the #1 spot.

However there is a movie that is quietly doing something amazing. Liam Neeson's "Taken" is showing unbelievable strength dropping an unheard of 9% in it's 7th week. It's made a incredible $126 million (way more then they thought it would) and is now classified as a sleeper sensation. In the last two years there have been only two other movies to spend seven weeks in the top five. Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight.

=========================================

Went out for a drive yesterday and while we were in the worst part of the day for taking photos I had to stop and take this for my all season mill collection.

=================================

We all know who Bernie Brewer is - that little dorky guy at Miller Park that slides down the slide into a giant beer mug (hmmmmm no beer mug??). But did you know the history behind those actions?

In 1970 the Milwaukee Brewers were rather new and having problems with attendance. So Milt Mason (69) said he would go into a little chalet on top of County Stadium and stay up there until the Brewers would get 40,000 in attendance for one game. He thought it would take a week or two.

Forty days later the Brewers hit 40,000. But wait it gets better.

Milt is so excited to get out of that blasted chalet (there were some pretty horrific storms I remember) that in his excitement he slid down a 30 foot rope severely burning his hands and legs before falling the last 15 feet and breaking a few dozen bones in his frail body.

Once his very lengthy recovery was complete the Brewers, as a gift, gave him a lifetime supply of beer which it seems he tried to drink in one day and he died of liver failure do to alcohol poisoning.

So the next time you see Bernie Brewer sliding DOWN into his beer . . . there is some truth in it.

Many stories say he died from a bad batch of beer but I have been doing a LOT of research on that and it's an urban legend. There is no way you can die from a bad batch of beer unless it was tampered with and I would think that there would have made the news of tampering, ESPECIALLY in Milwaukee.
===================================

So DJ finally has her new phone. She has been researching phones for a long long long time and last month she was finally able to get a new phone and she had the perfect one picked out and went to the store to get it and was told. "SORRY, as of yesterday we no longer sell THAT one."

POOP!!!

So back to the drawing board. Two more weeks of researching and she found the next perfect phone, in fact it is rated the absolute BEST phone among the 13 to 18 age group. So good that one teenager said she would sell this phone to ANY stranger on the street.

So DJ got it and spent the night sim carding and playing and she went to bed will little cell phones dancing in her head.
======
5:45AM comes and the room is alight FLASHES and COLORS and ALL SORTS OF RACKET with TUNES, BEEPS, WHISTLES and SHRIEKS and I'm awake thinking I'm in the middle of Las Vegas casino.

"Sorry, I guess I'll have to fix that" she says.

13 to 18 year old's probably don't use the alarm much.
=================================

BTW - I'll be voting for Dave Bomkamp for Alderperson - I wrote to him and attached something I wrote (hopefully in the Columbus Journal this week but . . maybe not - it's really good) and asked his opinion and got a very positive response. So I'm going to reprint it later this week so we can hold his feet to the fire later this year when he wins.

Maybe even if he doesn't win just for fun.

no no - I would not do that!!

I'M IN CAMP WITH BOMKAMP
and I have matches.

Have a great Monday.

Rod

bad day in US-good day in DOWTOW WITH RODMELOTTE

.

www.FrontPorchColumbus Dot Com
optimism running rampant (at some point)

Long but you have a whole weekend to devour it!

Last night I dreamed Clay Aiken died. I really hope he does not die today. The real question is why why why was he in my brain in the first place. What goes on in there while I'm sleeping anyway. Clay Aiken????
==================
Don't Ponzi me bro!!

So you have heard the Ponzi word a lot lately. Charles Ponzi did not invent the Ponzi scheme but because he bilked $15 million out of investors in the nineteen-teens he gets credit.

A Ponzi scheme is basically a pyramid scheme but Bernard Madoff perfected it. The guy really IS evil. He looks like a nice old man but that is why he is evil and I do not feel for him one tiny bit. He will live in a max jail for the rest of his life and will never be talked to, have ANY friends and he will live his final years is utter and complete loneliness. Probably won't last long in there anyway.

He stole even from his longtime friends and knew NEW he was stealing from them.

Even small towns like Columbus that invested everything in his scheme lost money. At first I laughed at people that were taken in but I was listening to interviews and even conservative money managers who did their due diligence were taken in. One guy said "I am very very good at what I do financially, I'm very conservative and do a lot of research and was totally blindsided. Am I embarrassed? No! He stole from me, I'm angry"

Here is sort of what he did in a VERY Cliff Note way.

He comes to you in January and says give me $1000, I will give you the $1000 back in February PLUS a nice steady income from my hedge funds. Sounds too good to be true right, until you start getting checks for $1100 the next month. The reason you get a good return is because in February he got other people to give him $1000 so you are getting THEIR $1000 and they will get $1000 for the people the NEXT month.

Here is the tricky part. The reason this worked for SO long is that he offered only modest gains, nothing huge, it was like real investing AND at first he only offered it to rich people. This was a key because he knows rich people would not want to take their money out, they were smart enough to keep it in.

It was working SO well he stopped telling people about it. It became sort of a secret club, people asked him if they could get in on his investing skill. The slow pace and ongoing cliquish "insider" word-of-mouth marketing enabled his scam to work for decades. Until 2008 when the stock market started to crumble. All of a sudden people wanted their money. UH OH!!

Charities lost hundreds of millions. Thousands of normal people like you and I lost their entire life savings, they have zippo, nothing. Small towns that invested lost everything. $65,000,000,000 (BILLION) GONE! And no one knows where it is.
=========================
Speaking of the Stock market.

I'm feeling like Coach on Survivor now. Trying to predict things. Last week it seemed to ME that the market was looking like it was really pooping on itself. I know that at the end of a big bear market the market will dive in one final huge POOPER. I was telling myself that this really looked like a bottom style crash. However - I have never been in a situation like this and unless you are 100 years old no one has.

We shall see. It's been a real real good week so far. There is good financial news coming out. Remember , the Stock Market is a predictor for what things are like about 6 months from now. Cross your fingers.
============================
Public Enemies.

Looks like Oshkosh is doing nothing for Public Enemies meaning maybe we can get their Extras to come on down to Columbus. The PROBLEM is both people in charge of actors have no email (I can not fathom that).

So get a hold of me if you are in Oshkosh and want to attend our party July 11th.
=============================

Long long story that happened yesterday

This is Crazy Chinese Guy

Where do I begin. I actually can not put into words the events. hmmmmmmm

I was going to take a final look at my bookmarks (they look AWESOME!!!!) before givign the printers the GO! I stopped at the Capitol and took a photo in the rotunda.

I was leaving and a guy ahead of me was walking out. He stopped in the revolving door and and spoke something but I had no clue what he said.

On the outside he pointed at his huge camera and said something on the order of "you picture". After a lot of pointing and so forth I knew he wanted ME to take his picture but his camera had - "dead battery - no find".

I pointed to a local camera place "you buy battery - I take picture". He gets all excited like a puppy and now it's getting weird.

He starts jumping up and down (literally). And saying "you stay here you stay here- I get battery - you take picture me".

THEN - he raises his arms in the air and starts screaming and is running to the Camera Company arms over his hear and screaming like the Home alone kid. Oh man! I'm at the top of the steps wondering what I should do. A guy coming the other direction says "That guy is having a good day". "Seems so!" I say

BUT WAIT - it's not over.

I stand there with a silly grin on my face wondering what I should do. So I take a few photos and decide to just stop in at the store to see if he is really there. YUP - but he can not buy a battery. His camera is a Sony and it will take two days to order it.

Charger back and hotel - you no have battery? It took a few minutes to get that across. I tell him I will take his photo and email it to him. I give him my card so he can email ME so I can get his address. He takes my card and writes, in Chinese, his email address, which I'm pretty sure my keyboard does not have those characters.

no no - u email me so I get your address, YES YES he says - u good friend so I give him another card. Then he wants to buy a $3 battery for something else. Gives the clerk his card which is rejected, no money. "I call wife, no problem." Here u use one of these? and he whips out five other cards. All Chinese cards.

rejected, unreadable, unreadable, old date, rejected. "I call wife, she at hotel no problem I be back. I on vacation come back in aprow 5 day I here."

So finally we go out and I take the above photo of him and we shake hands and he SKIPS off into the sunset.

I walk back to work and take a photo outside of where I have worked for TWENTY YEARS - now you will see why I am so downtrodden and oppressed.

It's just a real cheery building to walk into every single freaking day.

I get an email an hour later - bad day in US-good day in DOWTOW WITH RODMELOTTE (my email address was RODMELOTTE@yadayadablahblah.net

And I mail him the photos.
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And finally - you have to click on this link to see something DJ will not let me do.

Beer bottle Domino

And if that was good check out this old commercial.

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Have a great weekend
Rod