Tuesday

I'm more than a little disappointed that I'm not in IC tonight. 4 had a conflict. No Airliner pizza for me. :(

Nothing but "Wall Street bailout" on the news the last couple of days. The purists remain irate and want the ship to crash and burn so that the Phoenix can eventually rise from the ashes. While that path would likely prove, in the long run, that the free market system works, there would be a lot of collateral damage along Main Street in the short run.

OK. Its official. Galveston is requesting $2.2 billion for reconstruction. According to that pillar of factual information, the NYT, that request works out to about $37K per resident. Why not? The folks living below sea level in New Orleans are still at the Federal teat. Or is that, trough?

Here's a good one. Chicago's Mayor Daley wants the bars around Wrigley (and Sox Park if they get in to the playoffs) to stop serving beer after the 7th inning to try to keep a lid on rowdiness among the fans. Let's see. On what will most certainly be one (or more) of the most exciting days around the ball park, the Mayor wants the bar owners to cap their profits at seven innings worth. Only a PC politician could come up with that one.

Let's see. Biden can't shut up. Palin won't talk. Both are hung out to dry by the Fourth Estate. Arguably, each side could use a little of the other.

How 'bout this? From the distinct philosophical leanings of the Hollywood crowd, is it any surprise that the West's Washington-Oregon-California border is often referred to as the Left Coast?

On the Inflation Front. I used to buy those tart, green Granny Smith apples at HyVee for $1.29 a pound, maybe 3-4 years ago. The price inched up over time, and they kind of went off my radar screen when they regularly got to $1.89 - 1.99. The price tonight: $2.69. ExxonMobile's got nothin' on HyVee.

One of the Midwest's rural-oriented retailers is called Blain's Farm & Fleet. It sells a variety of hardware, tools, automotive equipment and lots of other stuff used around the home, garage and farm. I always thought that "Blain" was some guy's first name. Turns out that "Blain" was a couple of brothers' last name. Given the propensity of today's parents to pick gender-neutral and family surnames as first names, tomorrow's store owners will be even less easy to identify.

Hope everyone has a great day.

BCOT