This Just In...

CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !


And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people! 

During tonight's Wisconsin Badger-Michigan State basketball game, ESPN 2 was running a crawl of spring training baseball gane scores.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.



CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !


And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people! 

A brand new study was issued today on prisons in America that I assure you will have liberals in a tizzy. From a news release by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project:

“For the first time in history more than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison—a fact that significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety.  According to a new report released today by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, at the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were held in American prisons or jails, or one in every 99.1 men and women, according to the study.  During 2007, the prison population rose by more than 25,000 inmates.  In addition to detailing state and regional prison growth rates, Pew’s report, One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, identifies how corrections spending compares to other state investments, why it has increased, and what some states are doing to limit growth in both prison populations and costs while maintaining public safety.

As prison populations expand, costs to states are on the rise.  Last year alone, states spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before.   However, the national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years.  And while violent criminals and other serious offenders account for some of the growth, many inmates are low-level offenders or people who have violated the terms of their probation or parole.”

The reaction from the left is predictable:


We are spending too much on corrections.

Violent crime is still a problem. We have too many non-violent offenders locked up. It’s all putting a great strain on state budgets.

We need to spend less on correction. We need to lock up fewer criminals.

We need to spend the money we’re spending on corrections on education.

As I talked about on WISN today, lefties always try to frame the argument as corrections vs. education that I feel is a flawed argument.

But let’s play the game.

Using data from this very same report:

At the end of 2006, Wisconsin had 23,431 inmates.

One year later, at the end of 2007, Wisconsin had 22,690 inmates. That’s a decrease of 741 inmates, or a 3.2% decline. Wisconsin is bucking the national trend of locking up more bad guys.

Yes, corrections is expensive.

What’s the price tag in Wisconsin?

In fiscal year 2007, according to this report, Wisconsin spent $890 million, or 6.7% of the state’s General Fund.

How does that compare to education spending in Wisconsin?

In fiscal year 2007, Wisconsin spent $1.214 billion on education.

Education is always half of the massive state budget, spending that is above the national average. Education doesn’t get shortchanged in Wisconsin.

As for the high cost of incarceration, it would be costlier to let inmates out earlier and lock up fewer criminals.

Senator Mary Lazich makes the case: we can’t afford to not lock them up.




CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !


And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people! 

Remember Kyla Ebbert?

She was the young blonde who was tossed off a Southwest Airlines flight because she was wearing this outfit:
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A male airline employee informed her the outfit was inappropriate.

When Ebbert asked nicely what was wrong with her ensemble, she was told, "Everything."

Once the world saw the outfit, Southwest was wiping the omelette off their corporate face.

Now Southwest is in the midst of another, "Too sexy to fly" controversy.

Here are SOME of the details.

OK.

That's one account.

Now.....

Here is a statement issued by Southwest Airlines:


"Southwest Airlines would like to set the record straight regarding a situation involving two female Customers, Ms. Sarah Williams and Ms. Nisreen Swedberg, on Flight #3600 from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles on February 14, 2008. During this flight, the Flight Crew and several witnesses confirm that Ms. Williams and Ms. Swedberg's unruly behavior was touched off by an occupied lavatory. After banging on the door, Ms. Williams and Ms. Swedberg became verbally abusive and threatening toward the Customer who had been using the lavatory.

When Our Flight Crew addressed the situation with Ms. Williams and Ms. Swedberg, the two Customers continued their threatening behavior and abusive language. At this time, the Flight Crew requested that local police meet the flight upon its arrival in Los Angeles. The police questioned several witnesses, as well as Ms. Williams and Ms. Swedberg, who were later released. Contrary to reports, we did not ban these Customers from flying Southwest Airlines.

Our Employees must maintain a Safe and comfortable environment onboard the aircraft at all times. Despite some news reports, this story has nothing to do with Ms. Swedberg and Ms. Williams' appearance, but rather, their use of what other Passengers tell us was profanity and threatening behavior onboard one of our flights. Finally, we would have gone out of business a long time ago if we discriminated against beautiful women -- or anyone else for that matter. We carry almost 100 million Customers a year, and they are all beautiful in our eyes."


Based on what we know, in my view Southwest dropped the ball on Kyla Ebbert. That outfit is conservative using 2008 standards.

Southwest did get it right when employees objected to behavior on an airline flight that would have been unacceptable pre-9-11. Those 18 year old women didn't act like adults but instead behaved like spoiled brats. Probably accustomed to getting what they want with little discipline from Mommy and Daddy, they thought their demand sof rbottled water NOW and a toilet NOW should have been honored because the rest of the plane wasn't as drop dead gorgeous as they were.

Prediction:

This isn't over.

Mommy and Daddy have to talk to their lawyers.

After all.

Poor darlings had to wait for a glass of water and to use the bathroom.

Oh, the outright discrimination.

Oh my goodness.

The blatant discrimination.

It's tough being so good looking.




CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !


And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people! 

Very cool!


CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people!

I fill in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN Thursday and Friday from 3-6 p.m.



CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people!

Now let's see.

Fred Keller left.

Then he came back.

Bryan Maersch left.

Then he came back.

Then Janet Evans left.

And now she's back!

It's a lefty's worst nightmare: more intelligent, reasoned, common sense voices.

A certain melody keeps going through my head.

Now, how does that song go again?




CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

Great food. Great live music. Great silent auction.

Great cause.

It's going to be a special night this Friday.

I hope to see you there!


CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

And yes, tickets will be available at the door if you decide you'd like to come out and just party with some very nice people!

While filling in for Mark Belling on WISN Monday afternoon, I talked about photo ID. I referenced a blog Senator Mary Lazich posted earlier this month about a major study by American University that shows photo ID’s are not obstacles to voting.

Then I discussed how Wisconsin is going to blow a golden opportunity to finally adopt a photo ID requirement because Democrats who control the state Senate will not allow a vote on a constitutional amendment on photo ID to take place before the current legislative session runs out on March 13^th.

The constitutional amendment must pass two consecutive sessions of the Legislature, and then be approved by voters in a statewide referendum.

After the Legislature approved three photo ID bills, only to see all three vetoed by Governor Doyle, the constitutional amendment requiring photo ID was introduced on May 3, 2005. The state Assembly passed the amendment, 57-36, on November 1, 2005. The state Senate then passed the amendment, 19-14, on March 9, 2006.

The amendment must now be approved in this, the current session of the Legislature before it can go to voters in a referendum. On April 17, 2007, the state Assembly approved the amendment, 54-43. Now the amendment must be approved by the state Senate, but its fate is all but dead. Democrat leaders in the Senate are refusing to schedule the amendment for consideration.

Wisconsinites would certainly vote to change our state constitution, if they had the chance. According to a statewide survey released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute in October 2005, “Wisconsin residents, by a 63% to 30% margin, clearly favor a constitutional amendment to require photo ID’s for voting. This number is slightly less than general support for the measure where 69% of the residents support requiring photo ID’s to vote, while only 27% oppose such a requirement.”

The measure could have been on the ballot April 1, 2008. Thanks to Jim Doyle, who pressured Senate Democrats, former Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, who could have scheduled the measure for a vote when she was in charge of the senate, but didn’t, current Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, and Senator Spencer Coggs who chairs the senate Elections Committee and refuses to hold a hearing and executive session on the amendment, state voters are being denied an opportunity to vote on the idea.

Remember that.

Remember who prevented this popular, common sense requirement from becoming law.

That was the discussion on WISN on Monday.

The very next day, the Milwaukee Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit issued a lengthy report regarding the widespread voter fraud in the City of Milwaukee in the November 2, 2004 election.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the “Recommendations” portion of the report:

“It is the opinion of the Task Force investigators that more than any other recommendation we could make, our investigation has concluded that the one thing that could eliminate a large percentage of fraud or the appearance of fraudulent voting in any given Election is the elimination of the On-Site or Same Day voter registration system.”

Two paragraphs later, the report adds:

“As an alternative, if On-Site registration is to continue in its present form, then the presentation of a government issued identification card that includes the voter’s name, address (including city) and date of birth should be presented before that person is allowed to register and vote.”

Here's the entire report. (H/T: Brian Fraley)

Everyone in the state realizes that an important piece to restoring honesty and credibility to our voting system is to require photo ID…..everyone, that is except Jim Doyle, Senate Democrats, and Democrats who support voter fraud because they feel they benefit.



CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

I remember last summer, filling in for Mark Belling on WISN.

Yet another story about gas prices going up.

Yet another story about a nation’s frustration.

Would American motorists park their cars in their garages and close the doors?

No way.

As mad as we were, no way were we going to drive less.

Have we hit the breaking point?

The Boston Globe says yes.

From their newspaper:


“Gasoline prices have risen so high and stayed high for so long, that Americans are finally doing what once seemed unthinkable: driving less.

Inveterate drivers are carpooling, combining errands to eliminate trips, trying mass transit, and even walking. As a result, gasoline consumption, which grew steadily in recent years as prices passed $2, $2.50, and $3 a gallon, has flattened and even declined, according to the US Energy Department.

Average daily gasoline consumption in the United States has decreased in each of the past four weeks from a year ago, according to recent data. In the past six months, average daily consumption slipped two-tenths of a percent from a year earlier, after growing 2.5 percent in the previous year.

Since crude oil began its run to $100 a barrel, average gasoline prices have soared from less than $1.50 a gallon in January 2003 to $3.12 on Friday, according to the American Automobile Association. Still, gasoline demand grew steadily through much of this period, sometimes falling when prices spiked, such as after Hurricane Katrina, but then rebounding.

But with prices lingering near or above $3 a gallon and with economists expecting them to stay there, consumers are changing behavior, analysts said. Demand appears to have plateaued, with consumption holding flat or slipping over the past several months, compared to the previous year.

"People don't see gas prices going back to $2 a gallon," said Juan Pablo Fuentes, energy economist at Moody's Economy.com in West Chester, Pa. "They're making long-term decisions, like switching from big cars to smaller cars."

Sales of compact cars rose 10 percent in the last two years, while combined sales of large cars and sport utility vehicles fell 7 percent, according to Edmunds.com, an automotive consumer website.”




CFSW HAS WORKED HARD TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY- NOW IT'S TIME TO SAY THANK YOU !

 

Depends who you ask.

If you ask most reasoned Americans, they'll tell you the suicide bomber.

Ask some egghead professor.........that's a different story.

Obesity is more dangerous than terrorism......one of the conclusions reached at an international conference today in Sydney.

Fine.

The next time someone's bombing your country, don't call the U.S. begging for help, until your homeland is overrun with people who couldn't exhibit self-control.

Don't call us.

Call Richard Simmons.



CFSW has worked hard to protect your family- Now it's time to say thank you!

 

It was called unnecessary, an overreaction, discriminatory and unfair.

Mayfair Mall management felt the need to implement new rules that required teens 17 and under to be with an adult after 3:00 p.m. on Frday and Saturday.

Rowdiness is down. Crime is down. More adult shoppers are back. Sales are up.

Shocking.

Here is the Business Journal story I talked about on WISN today.

Now they need to enforce the policy everyday.



CFSW has worked hard to protect your family- Now it's time to say thank you!

A few years ago, the Franklin community was stunned by the very real possibility of a facility being built here to house multiple sexually violent person’s.

Residents were shocked and angry.

Surely, a fight had to be waged.

But someone had to lead the effort.

Someone had to organize, gather the troops, buy the yard signs and buttons, and order the busses that brought over a thousand people to a state public hearing at State fair Park, the most-attended legislative hearing in the history of the state of Wisconsin.

Citizens for a Safe Wisconsin (CFSW) worked with Senator Mary Lazich and state Representative Jeff Stone on legislation to ensure that a facility to house sex offenders would not be funded or built anywhere in Milwaukee County.

What else has the group accomplished?

• Instrumental in the passage of “Jessica’s Law” in the State of Wisconsin
• Instrumental in passage of AB591, a bill now enacted into law which requires active GPS monitoring of several classes of sex offenders
• Served on the special Legislative Council on Placement of Sex Offenders which will result in stronger reporting requirements for sex offenders and improved communication with the public
• Supported and lobbied for the Governor’s SAFE initiative which has led to capture of a large number of sex offenders who have failed to register with the State or have not met their supervision requirements
• Continue to work tirelessly on enhancements to Chapter 980 (Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Law) to have the legislature enact “burden equity” whereby communities won’t become dumping grounds for the State’s worst of the worst.

The volunteers have given up work and vacation days, sacrificed time away from their families, and have all too often dipped into their own wallets to pay for their dedicated efforts on behalf of, not just Franklin, but parent and children all across Wisconsin.

Now CFSW needs your help.

This Friday CFSW holds their first annual fundraiser. It is sure to be a fantastic evening with great food and outstanding entertainment by one of Milwaukee’s hottest dance bands, the Boogiemen.

There will be amazing items available through a silent auction and raffles. One of the items up for bid will be a PRIVATE FIREWORKS SHOW donated by Bartolotta Fireworks.

The fundraiser will be held at the Oak Creek Community Center this Friday night at 6:30.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to a group that has been working so tirelessly for you and your children. The CFSW needs and deserves your support.

Ticket prices are now a family-friendly $25. That’s less than 50 cents per week to help support a group of your neighbors to continue to fight for our most precious commodity….our children. Think about it. Is the health and safety and welafre of a child worth 50 cents a week?

Click here to order your tickets.

I have seen firsthand the hard work, devotion and success of this wonderful group of citizens. I am honored and proud to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for what promises to be a very special evening. I hope to see you there, and thank you!

I fill in for Mark Belling on Newstalk 1130 WISN from 3-6 p.m.

As promised, I will talk with state Senator Glenn Grothman on his proposed constitutional amendment to do away with affirmative action practices in Wisconsin.

Also, some updated information about photo ID you may not be aware of.

The following is a guest commentary by former FranklinNOW.com blogger Janet Evans


As a parent, I’m aware of the many stresses that must be dealt with regarding teens. 

I believe a parent must stay involved with their children in order to stay on top of what is going on in their lives.

Even if that means being annoying or being told you are the meanest parent in the world. 

You need to communicate with your child, know where your child is going and you need to know their friends.

One of the best ways to know their friends is to open your home to those friends.  Even so, there will be times when you still don’t know everything going on.

As a parent, I was never told of the curriculum that is introduced in health class. 

I didn’t ask.

As far as sex education, I’m all for a parent teaching that at home, but don’t have a problem with it being taught at school. 

I never checked into what is mandated by the Department of Public Instruction to be taught to students regarding health or mental health.

With the unfortunate issue of teen suicide brought to my attention this past month, I happened to be checking the WI DPI web site, and found some information that really threw me for a loop. 

I discovered the statistics of suicide and alcohol use for teens in Wisconsin. 

If you are not aware of these statistics, and have teens, you will be shocked. 

If you are like me, you will wonder why you have not been informed by school officials of these statistics and surrounding facts. 

These facts could help save a child’s life. 

These facts are mainly given to school administrators and professionals. 

I believe they should be given, at a minimum, to all parents.

But why not publish them in a yearly newsletter to all citizens?

The shocking facts ….

Wisconsin was ranked 8^th in the nation for teen suicides in 2006. 

NUMBER EIGHT  þ

Wisconsin fluctuates between 8^th and 14^th from recent data. 

Wisconsin ranks 1^st in the nation for alcohol use among teens. 

NUMBER ONE  þ

Teen suicide mainly stems from depression. 

Alcohol use goes very much hand-in-hand with depression. I recently spoke with a friend, a psychologist who works with teens, and he told me that when a teen mentions the word suicide, s/he in almost all instances is truly contemplating the act. 

That teen needs help in all cases. 

A depressed teen may not be talking to you, the parent. 

A depressed teen may not have any friends to talk to, period.

Following are two DPI documents that are given to school professionals:


http://dpi.state.wi.us/sspw/doc/suicythfactsheet.doc    Ã

http://dpi.state.wi.us/sspw/pdf/wellawareresil.pdf     Ã



Here are some questions for you, the parent. 

Do you think, if you have a teen in a public school, and you have never been made aware of these facts regarding teen suicide, that it is the responsibility of the district to inform you of these facts?

Is your district training their school professionals to the state mandates regarding suicide prevention?

And, are students being instructed, in health classes, about suicide, with up-to-date information?

I would also ask my school-aged child exactly what they have been taught about suicide and alcohol abuse in health class, and when, and who instructed them.

This needs to be an open discussion, at home and at school with your teen.

On the slide presentation in the link below, it is a lesson to see the photo and read of a 28-year old Golden Gate bridge jumper who survived his suicide attempt:
 
Baldwin recalls, "I instantly realized that everything in my life that I'd thought was unfixable was totally fixable-except for having just jumped."

Youth Suicide Prevention     Ã


What a gut wrenching reality for every parent. 

For every adult. 

Isn’t there a teen, or a young adult out there that we, as adults, can reach out to?


-----------------------------------------------------------

Resources:    

•  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  Toll free hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

•  www.focusas.com/Suicide.html    Ã
 How to answer teen questions about suicide, statistics, what to say and what not to say.•  www.aap.org/advocacy/childhealthmonth/prevteensuicide.htm    Ã
American Academy of Pediatrics: Some Things You Should Know About Preventing Teen Suicide. •  www.yspp.org/aboutSuicide/suicideFAQ.htm    Ã
 Frequently asked questions about youth suicide.•  www.teensuicide.us    Ã
Information on teen suicide prevention.

•  www.save.org   Ã
Suicide Awareness/Voices of Education (SAVE).

NOTE: For the benefit of new readers, Culinary no-no began on my blog last summer when I wrote about my wife’s preference for ketchup on a brat. I consider such a selection to be taboo. I started discussing improper (in my view) food issues, a departure from most foodie articles that focus on what’s good to eat and drink. I thought I’d write until the summer grilling season was over, but over 40 consecutive weekly blogs later, I’m still writing about culinary no-no’s.  A complete surprise to me, the feature has become one of the most popular items I write about.


Since tomorrow is Monday, you’ll be dining at home. SmartMoney reports that one of the ten things that restaurants won’t tell you is:

"Never go out to eat on a Monday."

Christine Bockelman on SmartMoney writes:

“If you think that Monday, when restaurants tend not to be crowded, is a great time to eat out, think again. "You're being served all of the weekend's leftovers," says Francis, the exposé co-author. Kitchens prepare food on a first-in, first-out basis, meaning whatever is oldest gets served first. It's a way to ensure that everything on the menu is as fresh as possible.

The system works great most days, but it can run into a little glitch over the weekend. Distributors typically take Sunday off and make their last deliveries Saturday morning, which means that by Monday any food not used over the weekend is at least three to four days old. And it will be served before the same ingredients arriving in Monday's delivery.

What to do if you wish to dine out on a Monday? Ignore your instincts and go to a place that's perpetually crowded. "If you are open 24/7 and busy all the time," says New York chef Lucia Calvete, "all your ingredients are fresh all the time."

So, what will you preparing for your home meal Monday night?

Beef?  Chicken? Pork? Lamb?

How about none of the above.

Why not consider a meatless Monday as a means of eating healthier?

That’s right.

A meatless Monday.

Oh, and that means all day Monday.

No bacon with the eggs.

No burger for lunch.

No meat at dinnertime.

A meatless Monday, all day Monday.

Meatless Monday is the brainchild of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health that says, “Meatless Monday is a national health campaign to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer - four of the leading causes of death in America.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently wrote about Meatless Mondays. As you might expect, writer Jeanne Besser viewed Meatless Mondays as a wonderful endeavor to benefit all mankind, the greatest thing since sliced bread, sans meat of course.

Besser writes:

“I’m going to try it. In addition to being good for my family, it’s a great way to educate my kids about the benefits of eating more vegetables and fruits as part of a more healthful diet. It’s also a good way to get back on track after weekend splurging (hopefully no one saw us a Dairy Queen last night…)”

Yeh, yeh, yeh. Because Dairy Queen is just so awful.

Here are just a few of the comments from Besser’s readers:


“We go meatless at least three times a week now but, of course, the problem is keeping “meatless” from translating into a cheesy goo-fest. A vegetarian meal that involves 2 pounds of melted cheese is probably not doing my family any favors.”


“Lets see, I believe Monday I’ll have the bacon smothered/slathered chops ala bacon-lard-glazed onions. Meatless Mondays are for the wabbits!”


“Not only is it healthier for you, but it’s sure healthier for the animal. Anyone who has watched this week’s video of the tasering of a sick cow laying on the ground—sticking it in the eye, etc.—and can still eat the meat of that poor animal needs some empathy classes. And some rethinking about what is food and what isn’t. PS—a pig has a higher IQ than a dog.”


“Why would you go meatless in order to be more healthy? Moderate servings of meat along with plenty of fruits and vegetables through out the day are just fine. If you want to be more healthy, cut down on your refined sugars and starches! Then try taking a walk.”


“To all the superior vegetarians out there: We are at the top of the food chain for a reason. We are animals and we require meat protein. There’s nothing more pasty and sickly looking as a vegetarian starving for protein. It’s all moderation. Why is a lion eating a gazelle nature and a human eating a cow inhumane?”


“All this burger talk is killin me! I’m going for a Big Mac. Maybe, if I’m lucky, my fries will come from the bottom of the pile. Really soft and greasy that way!! Wish they still used trans fats. MMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!”


“Vegetarianism - veganism in particular - is little more than the dietary equivalent of Scientology. Eat some meat and like it. That’s why we were made with canine teeth.”


And my favorite:


“I will support Meatless Monday as soon as all Vegans eat meat one day a week!”


Well, here we go again. Another do-gooder organization trying to tell me what to do to live better. They use the tired tactic of trying to make me feel guilty about meat, that, I hate to tell them, is necessary and can be very healthy.

It’s interesting that I should stumble across the Meatless Monday campaign this past week. It’s Lent. I’m Catholic. I’m now enduring Meatless Friday’s. And let me tell you. Every Friday in Lent, I wake up craving hot dogs, pork chops and filet mignons.

I’ll listen to a lecture on the importance of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet.

Pontificating about how I need to eat less meat?

Been there and heard it all before.

Meatless Monday?

Pass the A-1.

PREVIOUS CULINARY NO-NO’S

1) Ketchup on a brat
2) Green peppers on pizza
3) The dirty martini
4) Fruity brats
5) A Bloody Mary after dinner
6) Women “manning” the grill
7) Eating pizza at Festa Italiana, brats at German Fest, or tacos at Fiesta Mexicana. (Be adventurous. You can have those items anytime).
8) Eating a cream puff as though it was a hamburger.
9) Taking your own bottle of sauce when invited to a barbecue.
10) Touching the grill if you’re a guest at an outdoor barbecue.
11) Coaching the host on how to grill.
12) Some regional flavored ice cream…..like black licorice.
13) Taking the husks off before you grill corn on the cob
14) Being afraid to chill red wine
15) Pizza on the grill
16) When serving exotic or strange dishes to guests, do not tell them exactly what it is. Instead, use a more inviting term (caviar) rather than being blunt (fish eggs).
17) In late summer and early fall, this time of year, don’t buy zucchini. Somehow, someway, you will find zucchini or zucchini will find you.
18) Showing disrespect to your restaurant server.
19) Eating out on a Monday night.
20) Pumpkin beer.
21) Mail-order turkey.
22) Grilled cheese is just for kids.
23) Dining in the dark.
24) Ketchup on spaghetti
25) Sneaking healthy foods into treats to get your kids to eat it.
26) Do not throw away culinary gifts received in the mail because you don’t like them.
27) Do not feel guilty about eating Oreos. (Oreos are not to blame for out of control obesity).
28) Doing something so totally ridiculous that you are desperately forced to call the Butterball Turkey Hot-Line for assistance.
29) Don’t forget the sweet potato January-October.
30) Using resource guides from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s on gracious living to plan holiday parties
31) Eating cranberries, the best of the super-foods, only during the holidays.
32) Egg nog that isn’t spiked.
33) Putting hot spices and other weird stuff in chocolate bars and hot cocoa.
34) Don’t disregard fruitcake.
35) Sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve ain’t champagne.
36) Ordering a Coors Light or any facsimile when at an outdoor open-air bar on a tropical beach.
37) Smoking bans in restaurants and bars in Wisconsin.
38) Goat burgers and healthy items at tailgate parties.
39) The restaurant of the future, with all kinds of cameras trained on you for....research.
40) The Budweiser Chelada
41) Replating
42) Sour cream on potato pancakes, as opposed to applesauce

 

Fans around the world of the popular MONOPOLY board game are now voting to choose which global cities will be included on the first-ever worldwide MONOPOLY edition. Visit  www.monopoly.com to have the chance to pick from more than 68 ‘candidate cities’ from six continents. The United States has six candidates on the ballot: Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.

According to a Hasbro news release, here’s how the global cities will be selected:

“The 20 cities earning the most votes will automatically win a spot on the new MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition game board and will be placed on the game board in rank order from highest rent property to lowest rent property. So as the election begins, pundits may ponder whether Oslo, Tokyo, or Toronto -- or another great global city -- will claim the coveted spot traditionally occupied by Boardwalk. Others may wonder if wintry Montreal will cozy up next to warm weather Rio de Janeiro and be neighbors on the board. And there’s always the possibility that former political foes will find themselves as friendly members of the same property group.

Fans may cast votes for up to 10 of the “candidate cities” from (January 22, 2008) until Feb. 28, 2008. To facilitate voting for MONOPOLY fans worldwide, the website is available in more than 30 languages.”


OK.

So where does Franklin come in?

Back to the Hasbro news release:


“While the ballot of candidate cities attempts to capture the greatest cities on the planet, game maker Parker Brothers acknowledges that some fans may feel that their favorite city didn’t make the list. Fortunately, fans visiting www.monopoly.com can nominate virtually any city on Earth via a wild card (a.k.a. write-in) vote component on the website. Then, beginning Feb. 29, 2008, the top 20 most nominated wild card cities will compete in a one-week face-off for the opportunity to be featured as one of the two members of the “low rent” property group, traditionally home to Baltic Avenue and Mediterranean Avenue. This means the new game board may feature property spaces representing Paris, France AND Paris, Texas. Or Kalamazoo could become a worldwide household name if it joins the board alongside such famous cities as Sydney and Cairo.”


So let the write-in campaign begin!

The odds aren’t the best, I’ll grant you.

But wouldn’t it be cool, and wouldn’t it do wonders for our image and marketing, to see FRANKLIN, WISCONSIN on the global edition of Monopoly?






On Presidents' Day, Hasbro found a George W. Bush look-a-like to help "Mr. Monopoly" encourage people to vote for a US city to be included in a new world edition of Monopoly. (RAY STUBBLEBINE/HASBRO/REUTERS)

As I post every Sunday, here are the top five most popular of my blog entries from the previous week.

Special note about this week’s top five: two of the top five were individual interview pieces Janet Evans did with the four Franklin School Board candidates. I feel it would be unfair to post those two blogs and not the other two. If you would like to read all four blogs, click here.


1) I have an announcement to make

2) The Dems and infanticide

3) Reminder….

4) Big announcement tonight

5) Culinary no-no #42

At Relevant Church in Ybor City, Florida, it won’t be the typical Sunday church service today. Parishioners have been told that the subject matter today and the next few Sunday’s will be………….AHEM!!.......quite different.

I spent an hour on this subject on WISN the other day and I was impressed at the quality of the callers who refrained from snickering and off color remarks.

The message to have sex more often coming from the pulpit isn’t all that frequent (At my church, it has never happened). But the message, surprisingly, isn’t new.

On WISN I also referred to a 2006 article about San Diego minister Joe Beam who holds seminars telling Christians it’s not good enough just to have sex. It has to be quality sex.

From the article, in my view, it’s difficult to argue with Beam’s message:

“It’s a simple one: Sex is good. Good sex makes people happy. It deepens relationships. So it helps marriages last and that pleases God and makes society better.”

Here is the article on Joe Beam that while I discussed on WISN, I edited carefully.

DISCLAIMER: The article does contain some adult material that some readers might find offensive.

Anna Uhls of the Washington Post writes:

With the Academy Awards coming up on Sunday night, there is a category that is definitely missing from the 'best of the best' night: The Best Line. Now, I know there is a Best Screenplay category, but "The Best Line” is different. The Best Line has nothing to do with art of dialogue, the three act structure, or the development arc of a character - for it is simply, one line.  The winner is a combination of memorable and meaningful words that are delivered with fierce acting.

And the nominees are….


10. Homer: "Spider Pig, Spider Pig... Does whatever a Spider Pig does..."
-The Simpsons Movie


9. "I think I may be beginning to disappear"
- "Away From Her"


8. “Call it, friendo.”
- "No Country for Old Men"


7. Remy: "If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff.”
- "Ratatouille"


6. Seth: "Number 2: it doesn't even have a first name, it just says "McLovin"!”
- "Superbad"
(There were other quotes in this movie that probably would've trumped this quote if it weren't for our anti-profanity discussion policy.)


5. Patrick Kenzie: “I always believed it was the things you don't choose that makes you who you are.”
-"Gone Baby Gone"


4. Plainview: "Did you just tell me how to run my family? How about if I came to your house in the middle of the night and slit your throat. What would you think of that?"
– “There Will Be Blood”


3. Juno MacGuff: "As far as boyfriends go, Paulie Bleeker is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni.”
-"Juno"


2. Gust Avrakotos: “There's a little  boy. On his 14th birthday, he gets a horse. Everyone in the village says, 'How wonderful. The boy got a horse.' But a Zen master says, 'We'll see.'  Two years later, the boy falls off the horse and breaks his leg. Everyone in the village says, 'How terrible.' The Zen master says, 'We'll see.' Then a war breaks out and all the young men have to go out and fight - except the boy can't because his leg is all messed up. And everyone in the village says, 'Oh, how wonderful.'..."
-"Charlie Wilson’s War"


And the envelope, please....


1. Plainview: “I... drink... your... milkshake! I drink it up!”

-“There Will Be Blood”


Watch Daniel Day-Lewis give an oscar-winning performance of slurping that milkshake:      

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My personal favorite is from "Ratatouille" when Colette, a female chef says, “We don’t mean to be rude but…we’re French.”