Secrets to a long happy marriage

R.I.P. David Brenner

"David Brenner dies at 78; comedian was a favorite of Johnny Carson"

http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-david-brenner-20140316,0,6742173.story#axzz2w5pWRtim

Cable Commission Corruption

Racine Community Media has put up numerous posts concerning Racine Cable Commission corruption:

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/78436399224/breaking-news-city-of-racine-to-ask-caledonia

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/78585821383/breaking-news-local-group-files-formal-complaint

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/78856238371/city-of-racine-pushes-formal-ethics-complaint-of

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79237830366/what-is-rico-and-what-will-it-mean-for-city-of

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79265282822/racine-here-city-official-mary-osterman-who-is

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79360572520/racine-city-of-racine-residents-taxpayers-to

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79433976852/taking-a-closer-look-into-the-city-of-racine-cable

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79438108887/potential-scheme-manipulation-of-bids-in-a

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/post/79623671431/in-this-video-clip-racine-alderman-jim-kaplan

http://racinecommunitymedia.tumblr.com/

Open Blog - Weekend

Count me in!

"Was The 'Fix' In For Skies Fall Media Group and Jerry Bloom?"

From Racine Exposed:

"In the last post, it was revealed that Jerry, or Gerry Bloom, was a Contributor and Fundraiser to the John Dickert campaign for mayor. In addition, he just so happens to control a warehouse in Mt. Pleasant that Skies Fall Media Group, with the approval of Racine’s Cable Commission, is moving Racine’s cable access TV station to. Racine Exposed has just obtained a copy of the contract between The City of Racine and Skies Fall Media Group and from the contract, it would appear that the 'fix' is in and that John Dickert campaign contributor and fundraiser, Jerry Bloom, knew in advance that he was set to be paid rent once the move to his warehouse was made. Further, it would appear that the amount of rent may not even need oversight or approval by the Common Council, while the residents and taxpayers of Racine wouldn’t be any the wiser."

Read more: http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/was-the-fix-in-for-skies-fall-media-group-and-jerry-bloom/

Do You Like Your Job?

Do you love it? Do you hate it? Want to strangle your boss? Want to strangle yourself?

Please let us know in the poll below. If you're currently out of a job, consider your last one, or your profession, or the top job you've had.

Please feel free to make comments below the blog. If you're afraid of revealing your job/employer, post anonymously or under an assumed name.

Four for Fridays

Hello everybody and welcome back! Starting to feel wiped out here... The overtime has been creeping up to me this week. Thank God, I can sleep in tomorrow. (I hope) Anyways, some questions for you...

1) Have you ever ordered for anything online?

2) What is your favorite desert?

3) What news story are you currently following?

4) What is your favorite zoo animal?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

If you stare at this image long enough, you get a headache.

Neil Young - "Unknown Legend"

Guess I'm on a Neil Young kick.

DECORAH EAGLES 3/9/2014 6:53 PM CDT DAD LEAVES AND MOM COMES IN ...

Open Blog - Thursday

Be careful where you point that thing.

The Boneyard 10K

I have posted pics from Tucson's Boneyard before and many of you seen pics of it. The Boneyeard is the common name for the 339th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). AMARG prepares military planes for storage, strips old planes for parts and recycles old planes. They have over 4,000 planes parked on site.

Pima Air and Space Museum offers a bus tour of AMARG but you never get off the bus. You can walk or bike outside the fence and look in at some sections (there is even a bike trail and picnic tables around some sections so obviously they expect people to do this) but normally you can't get inside.

I finally got to be inside, not in a bus on March 1st. They sponsored the 2nd Boneyard 5k/10k. I missed the first one...didn't hear about it until I saw pics in the paper the day after. When I saw it announced for this year, I made sure to sign up so I could run around this interesting site.

No spectators were allowed...only registered runners (or walkers...the generous time limit was walker friendly) and they checked tickets at the gate. It was a fun run...there was a clock but they didn't record finish times.

Which is just as well I stopped to take lots of pictures (and I wasn't the only one taking pics!) I just used my cellphone camera...not going to run with a big DLSR. They had little signs along the course telling you about some of the more significant planes.

We started on the west side of Kolb Road. The west side is where planes go into storage or they store spare parts (like wings). Theoretically, planes on this side of the road could fly again. Here are some pics from the west side.

I am happy I did the 10k the 5k course stayed exclusively on the west side of the road. The 10k, however, crossed the bridge to the east side. The east side is where planes go to die. These planes are frequently missing large, important parts and will never fly again. Here are some east side pics. Look closely at the first one...the folded wing planes are obviously carrier based...and the row on the right have props! Yes, propeller driven carrier based planes. I know the existed but I had never seen one in person.

The show was not done after the race. This was the weekend of the Heritage Fly In.  Shortly after the race, an F-22 took off and started flying around doing all kinds of stunts. Very impressive. The pilot hit the afterburners a couple of time and went ballistic...literally, not figuratively.

As you can see, the day was cloudy. Unfortunately, the weather started deteriorating a little before 11am and I decided it was time to head home for a hot shower. Overall, a great morning and you can bet I will be back next year...and invite friends.

Sunday out Birding!

This past Sunday Drew and  I had to get my daughter to work at 8am so we decided to go out to Kenosha County. Drew has heard that there is a Snowy Owl out there by Cty Rd H and Cty Rd KR.

We did find the Snowy Owl but it was way to far in the field for our camera to get a really good picture. It was funny because we were driving around and could not find it at first then I seen something out of the ordinary on the hill that was white. I took the binoculars and sure enough it was the Female Snowy Owl. It looked like she was sitting on top of a grill and I tried to take pictures but with it to far out you can't tell what it is unless you zoom the picture in.This was on Cty Rd KR that we seen the owl but we thought maybe if we drive around to the other side on Braun Rd maybe we can get a closer picture. So when we had gotten to that side no she was down a hill and we could not see her.

Well there is an up side to our trip out there we did see a lot of different other birds. I had taken a picture of a Female Cardinal in a tree out there. I could hear her calling an I thought it was a male but no I seen her and had to get a picture she was sitting so pretty in the tree.

Then we decided to go to Richard Bong Recreational Area to see if we could find an other birds. With the weather being so nice out Sunday we thought there would be a lot out there to see. When ever you go looking for birds it is a hit and miss with them.

On our way out of there on the road I seen a Red Tailed Hawk in a tree just sitting there looking around. So I took some pictures. I even was able to catch a picture of the hawk taking off.

This was a really great way to enjoy such a beautiful day outside for us with such great weather.

Neil Young - "Piece Of Crap"

)

Sad, but true.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my sweethearts!  How are you?  Ah, we’ve finally been given a few good days, weather-wise.  It’s wonderful to open your jacket or open a window in your car.  Fresh air.  I forgot what it smelled like.  Of course, “they” are predicting more doom and gloom with the weather.  “They” may be right, but with every day that passes the sun is up a little longer and up a little higher in the sky.  The spring solstice approaches no matter what Old Man Winter does.

I’m wearing my Irish green today because St. Patrick’s Day occurs on Monday, March 17, before my next blog.  If you hurry, you may still have time to enter the St. Patrick’s Day parade that starts in downtown Racine this Saturday at noon.

“Parade entries are being accepted until Wednesday, March 12. To download a copy of the parade application, go to www.racinedowntown.com/St.PatricksDayParade.html. For more information, call the Downtown Racine Corp. at 262-634-6002.”

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/st-patrick-s-day-parade-is-saturday-entries-accepted-until/article_f5676afa-a8a5-11e3-84a3-001a4bcf887a.html

I think the Señor and I may attend the parade for Junior’s sake.  He loves a parade.  So does the Señor, but he won’t admit it.  I hope the Señor doesn’t drink too much green beer like last year.  That was a mini-disaster. 

As we move toward Racine’s celebration season (spring and summer), I do hope that the pall cast by the federal civil rights lawsuit against our Mr. Mayor Dickert and his associates won’t darken festivities too much.  Even if Mr. Mayor is a crook, let’s party!  Nothing or no one in Racine is so big that it can’t be partied away.  That’s a lesson taught by Mr. Mayor himself. 

The cost of the lawsuit and its fallout are not a hindrance to Mr. Mayor.  No mater what it costs us, he’ll wiggle out of it one way or another.  I have faith in him.

Over the weekend, the Journal Sentinel said that federal agents are probably already in Racine, investigating into whether any federal crimes were committed.  (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/247655031.html#ixzz2vVcVEAVJ)  I would say that now is a good time for anyone involved who feels like he or she may go down with the rats on ship to step up and admit your part.  I, Madame Zoltar®, will personally guarantee your leniency in court.  I know all of the judges in Racine.  Tell everything that you know now and you’ll receive only a slap on the wrist. 

The people at the top of these scandals never go down with the ship.  At worst, they receive a couple of years at a federal minimum security resort.  It’s always the people below them who take the hits.  Some of the hits can destroy your career, or even your life.  Step up, now, and attest to what you know.  You won’t be hurt.  Madame Zoltar® commands it!

Thanks for stopping by to peruse my prose.  Visitors and readers bring me joy.  Together our love and joy amplify the good in life.  Together, we can do anything.

Psst, Men in Black, get the real lowdown here: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Please continue to be cautious in your winter driving.  As the snow and ice melt, they’re revealing some teeth-jarring potholes.  It also gets kind of ugly out there as the melting snow reveals all of the dirty debris hidden in the snow banks.  March may be muddy, but we still march on.  Paleomnesia!

Open Blog - Wednesday

Uh, Betty must moonlight as a fairy, or something.

Local & Area Blogs & Sites

Blogs and sites listed under our sidebar list now include the title of the last item posted on the blog or site.

We may add the post times (like in the Local News list), too, but first I have to clean out the dead wood in the links.

"Tools Or Fools? The Tragic Irony Of Racine’s Cable Commission"

From Racine Exposed:

http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/tools-or-fools-the-tragic-irony-of-racines-cable-commission/

Open Blog - Tuesday

This is another one of those "you-figure-it-out" images.

"European Air Traffic in 24 Hour Period"

http://www.nats.aero/

It's kind of amazing that more of them don't crash into each other.

Local Loyalty - Larsen's Bakery

Welcome back!
This week's edition is about

 

Larsen's Bakery 

3311 Washington Ave

Racine 

6am-5:30pm Mon.- Fri. 

6am-4

Larsen's is run by a brother and sister team, 

Don and Debie. 

I got quite a history lesson, doing this interview!
The building has been around since the early 1900's, 

originally Washington Bread Company, then Hendrickson's Bakery.

In 1947, Don and Debie's dad was 19 years old, and was a delivery driver for Hendrickson's Bakery. It became Larsen's when it was bought by Einer Larsen, who came here straight from Denmark, (how cool is that?!)

who then sold it to Don and Debie's mom and dad in 1969.

Don and Debie have been running it for the last 6 years or so. 

I have a little connection to this place, 24 1/2 years ago, we got our wedding cake from Larsen's! I was digging, trying to find our wedding pictures, I had to wonder if there was a freak chance Don may have been one of the 2 guys to actually deliver our cake. The hunt will continue until I find that album!

What makes Larsen's unique, is not only the kringles, but also the unique specialty items they make. Recently, they added a vegan line, that has been gaining popularity. 

Again, the "3 words" question was a stumper, so it's a goody!
After much thought, here are Don's 3 - 

1. Challenging - the economy definitely impacts things

2. Fulfilling - having personal connections with people

3. Fun - any business where sugar is involved can't help but to be fun :)

Stop in and try some goodies, you'll be glad you did!
Don't forget to tell them you saw it here!

Jurassic Park Cat Raptor

Tonight -Pattern or Practice - Second Showing at the Oriental Theatre

 

 http://patternorpractice.com/showing-at-the-oriental-theatre/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Controversial Documentary About Civil Rights Violations Commented by Southeastern Politicians Announces Showing at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE – (Feb. 28, 2014) – Jim Spodick, producers of the much-talked about documentary, Pattern or Practice, has announced a second showing will take place on March 10, 2014 at 7 PM at Milwaukee’s Oriental Theater. Pattern or Practice shows the life-changing side of racism and how denial and disbelief  smooth one's conscience, but does nothing to prevent the damages brought by bigotry and prejudice.

Pattern or Practice features restaurant bar owners who had their licenses and businesses taken by city of Racine, Wis., elected officials. The footage includes interviews with business owners who, with their own words and emotions, outline the abuse and harassment they experienced at the hands of the city of Racine.. The film uses documentation from actual committee meetings, network news casts and articles that ran in the local newspaper.

“As a property owner in Racine, I have been seeing firsthand the abuse and mishandling of power that our elected officials have been implementing on our city and citizens,” said Spodick. “I’d say things really starting escalating over the past ten years. I was hearing and seeing stories of the travesties that were taking place to business owners and knew I had to get involved to bring awareness to what these politicians were and continue to do to our city.”

The title, Pattern or Practice, comes from the Justice Department term meaning: pattern of discrimination that has been conducted against a group of persons or an issue of general public importance. The film focuses on the practice of selective legal enforcement that is enabled by a passive public perception of "I'm glad it's not me". Racine County Supervisor and owner of the local black newspaper, Ken Lumpkin, states "I was raised in Montgomery Alabama during the marches for freedom with Dr. King and thought this type of activity was dead.”

“You can’t turn on the news at night without hearing about political corruption in one form or another and it’s not party-specific,” said Spodick. I want the viewers of Pattern or Practice to see the faces of these victims, listen to their stories and get angry….very angry. I’m hoping this film will be a platform for citizens throughout the country to send a message to their elected officials: “No more. Not on our watch and certainly not with our vote!”

For more information on the Pattern or Practice, contact Jim Spodick at (262) 930-5467, patternorpractice@gmail.com or visit patternorpractice.com. 

# # #

Open Blog - Monday

Have a Garfield Monday.

"Feds likely already on the Racine liquor licensing case"

From JSOnline:

"When reputable lawyers sue Racine city officials, tavern league members and a downtown business development group claiming they conspired to run minority bar owners out of business, there are going to be questions.

"One of the first from many people who heard about the case's claims was 'Are prosecutors on this?'
 
"Oddly for this sort of blockbuster suit, the lawyers weren't saying much (perhaps letting a recently screened documentary film tell the plaintiffs' version) But from a series of 'can't comments,'  suggest some government authorities, like the federal Department of Justice, are indeed looking hard at liquor license regulation in Racine, and maybe some campaign finances too.

"The lawsuit portrays a racially biased effort by white business owners and downtown Racine boosters to force out the minority tavern owners, or even white tavern owners if their bars attract mostly minority customers. Specifically, it accuses Mayor John Dickert of accepting bribes from those concerns and then using the city's regulatory and police functions to accomplish that goal. It claims excessive contributions to Dickert's mayoral campaigns went either unreported or were laundered through his private bank accounts and reported as personal loans to his campaign."

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/247655031.html#ixzz2vVcVEAVJ

The news is going to be full of lying John's bullshit in the months to come.  I feel a duty to report these things, but at the same time I'm concerned about this sewage affecting our site.  Dickert has been a gangster in City Hall from day one.  He's destroying our city and this federal lawsuit may be what finally does us in.  All because of Dickert's lies.  His narcissism will take us down with him. 

I'll try not to post too much negativity, but there are going to be many stories on this lawsuit.  We can only hope that the truth will be discovered.  If the feds are here, I cheer them on.  What took you guys so long?

"Has The City Of Racine Morphed Into a Criminal Syndicate?"

From Racine Exposed:

More wrongdoing by our "leaders."

http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/has-the-city-of-racine-morphed-into-a-criminal-syndicate/

"February 2014 Property Report"

From Property Reports:

"According to the Wisconsin IPAS system, 124 documents were recorded during February of 2014 for the City of Racine. There were 27 foreclosures, and most homes sold for tens of thousands less than the assessed value."

Read more: http://racinesales.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/february-2014-property-report/

Spring Forward

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 AM this morning. Turn your clocks an hour ahead.