DeWayne Bartels says John Vespa is not ‘annoying’. His wife Diane, on the other hand …
Heh.
As good a reason to vote for a guy as any, I suppose …
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010Lawmaker takes in on the chin for belly dancer
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010
Belly Dancer
I really hope this guy doesn’t find himself in electoral trouble over this.
Via the Associated Press:
Democratic (Ohio) state Rep. Robert Hagan said he was assaulted Sunday the Lemon Grove Cafe. Hagan said a man asked him to step out of the way of his view of belly dancers on stage and then taunted him with offensive language.
Hagan responded, “Back away, man,” and said he got slugged. Hagan said he required 11 stitches to close a cut chin.
My two cents: My first thought was ‘Belly dancing? At a restaurant?’ We don’t have belly dancers at restaurants here in Peoria. But you can order lunch at any of the stripper joints in the immediate area. In fact, Big Al’s serves a heck of a tasty lunch. Club Cabaret supposedly has great hamburgers (or so I hear). Elliott’s has a really good kitchen as well. You can also order really bad food at Hooters, and get to look at young half-naked ladies.
I don’t like to mix the two activities. If I’m hungry, I don’t want to be distracted too much or I might accidentally stick a form in my eye or something.
If anyone can identify the enemy, it’s Captain America
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010Via Publius Forum:
In issue number 602 of Captain America, a new story line has begun called “Two Americas.” In it the current Captain (there have been a few of them, apparently) is on the trail of a faux Captain America that is mentally deranged and getting chummy with some white supremacist, anti-government, survivalists types going by the name of “the Watchdogs.” While investigating this subversive group, Captain America and his partner The Falcon — a black super hero — have decided to try and infiltrate the secretive organization.
In preparation for the infiltration, Marvel Comics depicts the two super heroes out of costume and observing from a rooftop a street filled with what can only be described as a Tea Party protest. The scene shows crowds of people in city streets carrying signs that say, “stop the socialists,” “tea bag libs before they tea bag you,” and “no to new taxes.” Naturally, the people in these crowds are depicted as being filled with nothing but white folks.
My two cents: Naturally, the writer of this post is up in arms. Because the Tea Party movement is just ordinary Americans taking to the streets expressing their views. This is why these people are making comments on this blog advocating violent overthrow of the liberal government.
Marvels Comics, in my opinion, just recognizes racism, ignorance and scapegoating for what it is.
Twenty years from now, all these people who attend these things will be embarrassed. Or their children will be.
Getting out while the gettin’ is good
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010Via the Peoria Journal Star:
School District 150’s number two in charge is the finalist for another administrative job in Bloomington.
The District 87 School Board is voting on a three-year contract with current District 150 Associate Superintendent Herschel Hannah Jr. to become Bloomington’s assistant superintendent for human resources, District 87 Board President John Dirks confirmed Monday night.
My two cents: 150 is on the verge of hiring a new superintendent. Hannah was hired as an assistant superintendent because then-superintendent didn’t have the necessary credentials. No doubt the new superintendent will want her own people as assistants, and may just want to clean house of underperformers. Methinks Hannah sees the writing on the wall.
Things to do while snowed in
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010My to-do list for today:
- Update LinkedIn profile.
- Send a bunch of emails.
- Finalize that TellPeoria pitch for new publishers.
- Work on those Freedom of Information Act Requests I’ve been threatening to do for weeks.
Peoria Driveability Update: No residential plowing yet
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010From my inbox:
Date: February 9, 2010
Released by: Alma Brown, Communications Manager
Subject: CITY CREW UPDATECity crews continue to plow primary streets and maintain primary hills with salt. The same type of maintenance is expected to continue during the day today with additional snow in the forecast. Residential plowing will begin once snow fall has diminished and primary streets are good for travel. Please use caution while traveling, streets are snow covered due to blowing and steady snow fall. Primary streets will likely stay covered during the day and overnight hours. A Parking Ban is automatically in effect at (2) inches of accumulation.
The City will begin to ticket vehicles parked on designated snow routes beginning at 9:00 a.m. today.
A brief anti-commercial message
By Billy Dennis on February 9th, 2010Attention assignment editors and media pundits: Can we PLEASE stop wasting column inches and air time discussing Super Bowl commercials?
It’s giving free publicity to corporations rich enough to afford air time during the Super Bowl. It’s a stupid news media cliche, like articles about Krispy Kreme grand openings and Black Friday sales at Wal-Mart.
Besides, anyone who watches the Super Bowl “for the commercials” is a cultural moron, and needs to be hidden away from public view.
The commercials are NOT the best part of the Super Bowl. This is a myth perpetrated by the corporations that benefit.
The excessive hype and marketting does NOT enhance the Super Bowl experience. The commercials were intrusive. Any break in the action was filled with a paid message. This was the greatest contest the Super Bowl has seen in decades, and everytime I looked up, they were hawking something.
Excessive greed is ruining sports, and the Super Bowl is the prime example. Was anyone there who was not a reporter, a celebrity or someone with a ton of money to throw away? Normal people cannot afford tickets to regular season games, let along a big event like the Super Bowl.
Next year, I’m boycotting any product or service that buys an ad during the Super Bowl.
[/rant]
Remember, this ISN’T torture
By Billy Dennis on February 8th, 2010I don”t want to hear ANYONE who has defended waterboarding to me to express anything other than indifference to this:
An Army sergeant who served in Iraq for 15 months has been restricted to his Washington military base after being accused of waterboarding his 4-year-old daughter because she refused to recite her ABCs.
Remember folks, the Bush administration says this is NOT torture. So don’t get upset. It’s just enhanced interrogation. It’s not a crime.
We have the right to do it to THEM, and therefore, they have a right to do it to US.
Yeah, this is going to p*** off a lot fo readers. But I’m trying to get people to realize how defending torture is never justified.
Peoria Driveability Update: Let’s be careful out there
By Billy Dennis on February 8th, 2010From my inbox:
Date: February 8, 2010
Released by: Alma Brown, Communications Manager, 494-8554
Subject: CITY CREW UPDATE
City crews are maintaining primary intersections with a sand/salt mix, and primary hills with straight salt. Plowing operations will begin with accumulations over (2) inches. Expect a slow morning rush with snow covered streets and reduced viability from blowing snow. Motorists should use caution while traveling during the next (36) hours.
Dave Koehler for lieutenant governor? (UPDATED: Callahan suggested)
By Billy Dennis on February 8th, 2010This was a comment on this post about the Democrat’s lieutenant governor search. I thought it interesting enough to bring to the front page:
it won’t be hynes, quinn only surrounds himself with people he trusts. To balance the ticket with a downstater, to pick someone who the democratic base will find appealing, to pick someone he likes, I think he should pick our own Dave Koehler. The two are close, good on social issues except for guns with the base, articulate attack dog, all about job creation….. Name me someone better.
I met Pat Quinn once. It was at some event ont he Riverfront. Dave Koehler introduced us.
(UPDATED) I’ve chatted with a few political animals. There’s no big minuses to Quinn picking Koehler, except that the Dems would have to find someone to run for his seat in the Illinois Senate and Koehler favors allowing gay marriage, while Quinn supports civil unions. A plus is that no one sees him as a viable successor to Quinn, and Speaker Mike Madigan wants to keep that path clear for daughter Lisa Madigan, the current state attorney general.
But, one person pointed out that due to success in the Chicago burbs, there is no real big need for them to cater much to downstate any more. And there was a mention about getting a woman on the ticket.
Instead of Koehler, I’m hearing the names from collar county/suburbs like Sen. Terry Link or Sen. Susan Garrett, both from Lake County. One person suggested Colleen Callahan, who has ties to agriculture and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
PJS sports staffer Steve ‘Ash’ Aeschleman passes
By Billy Dennis on February 7th, 2010My condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Steve ‘Ash’ Aeschleman.
Help support Peoria Pundit/Blog Peoria Project
By Billy Dennis on February 7th, 2010The hosting bills are due for both sites. Donations via PayPal areappreciated.Please use the donation button to the right.
Thank you in advance.
What’s missing from this article?
By Billy Dennis on February 7th, 2010Peoria Journal Star business editor Paul Gordon writes that he and biz reporter Steve Tarter are going to start contributing to a j-blog on the PJS Website
So what's missing from the article? The Web address. I don't have the print version in front of me. For all I know, the URL is tucked inside some nifty graphic.
Marty Wombacher has it made following a familiar formula
By Billy Dennis on February 7th, 2010Remember the publication Nearby Nite-Life? The guy who ran it used to go around and visit bars with his camera, take a punch of pictures and post them in this little newspaper that was distributed to his advertisers. He made enough money at it to keep the thing going for decades.
I do believe the owner has passed away, but his family kept it going. I’m not even sure it’s still running (due to the fact I spend far, far, far less time in bars that I used to).
But I remember thinking: What a racket. The guy just taked pictures of people boozing it up, sells some ads and makes a living at it.
When that lesson wasn’t lost on ex-Peorian Marty Wombacher, who started a Website called A Guy Walks into 365 Bars. Basically, his business plan is to to visit one bar ever day in New York City. He takes pictures or the bartenders and patrons and writes a review. Then he tosses it onto his site.
Right now, he has a PayPal button on his site, and some Google ads. But he’s hoping for some publicity about the site that will lead to more revenue for him. And if I know Marty, he’s try to turn it into a book.
Go look at the site. Some of the lady bartenders are kinda hot.
Full disclosure: Wombacher is an advertiser on Peoria Pundit.
Advertise on Peoria Pundit
By Billy Dennis on February 7th, 2010An advertisement:
If you’ve ever thought about buying an ad on Peoria Pundit, now is the time to consider it. With the election over, a prime piece of “real-estate has opened up: And through TellPeoria, you can buy ad space on other Peoria area blogs.
And conversely, if you want to start making money with your blog, sign up as a TellPeoria ad publisher.
The TellPeoria site is completely self-serve, but if you want help getting set up, give me a call at (309) 863-5748.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
