Wednesday

I decided to go generic with the home page.  This is a shot looking Southwest down the Mississippi from the Bettendorf levee.

I'm really distraught today with Bristol Palin ousting the much more talented Brandy (?) from DWTS last night.  This Tea Party stuff has gone too far! Pop Culture is pure and should not be disgraced by someone without the proper lineage.  I'm playing the race card.

Congrats to 3 for her recent attention to her blog.  Loved the shot of her "Bag Lady" cart.  (Separately, my pal Bill recently purchased a very similar carrier to tote files from lawyer's office to lawyer's office while in C-town doing depositions on a valuation litigation matter for one of our bigger clients.  He's a big believer in the thing!)

Thanks to RevKev for his explanation on the California illegal immigrant tuition issue.  Not sure where I fall on the question.  Like Illinois (and a few other states too, I'm sure), California is spending money it doesn't have, nor seemingly, a plan to find that money.  I spoke with a SoCal real estate developer this week who seemed to be pleading the case for a Federal bailout of California's budget problems based on the rationale that California was an entity "too big to fail".  Hmmm.

My pal Cal's holiday season office party is being held at his Muskie office after work this evening.  Last year, he hosted the group at the club.  My guess is that the $$$ got a little off budget with that open bar.

The Salvation Army kettles are in full bloom.  I'm thinking that I opined here last year that they need to change their model.  That fact has not changed.

Speaking of technology, on NCIS last night, they had as a minor element of the show, a modern-day pick-pocket using a hi-tech wireless device that could steal and transfer credit card numbers simply by getting proximate to her "mark" while walking down the crowded sidewalk. Scary stuff.  3 needs to mask her wallet on those subway rides!

All for today.

BCOT