And a little jealous. I’ve been jonesin’ for a new laptop.
It’s a bribe, obviously, by one of the most controversial companies in America.
Freebies are one of the things serious pundit bloggers are going to have to learn to reject if the medium is going to be taken seriously.
free laptop,Microsoft laptop,bribes

Better late than never, all links are via the Journal Star:

The city says that the park district can build its boondoggle zoo no matter what damage it could do to the park’s historic status.
My two cents: Don’t worry, though. The city will still be telling private homeowners what color paint they can use, though. It’s [...]

Saddam Hussein is just hours away from achieving room temperature. In fact, the bastard might be barking in Hell by the time I finish typing this post. Events are moving a rapid pace in Iraq, certainly faster than our namby-pamby judicial system where the accused actually have rights.
I thought it might be appropriate to speculate [...]

It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy:
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could face execution within hours, reports from Baghdad suggested Friday.
Giovanni di Stefano, one of Hussein’s defense attorneys, told CNN the U.S. military officially informed him that the former Iraqi dictator has been transferred to Iraqi authorities for his execution and that a “credible source” [...]

A star-studded cast and splendid photography are featured in “Lawrence of Arabia,” 1962’s Oscar-winning epic scheduled to be screened at downtown Peoria’s Apollo Theater January 12 and 13.
The film biography of British-born T.E. Lawrence, the sprawling picture follows the struggle of Bedouin Arab tribes at the edges of World [...]

Any comments from the peanut gallery? Now’s your chance.

Some catching up:

Kudos to member John Carroll for his post on an actual local issue.
I’m still waiting for posts from some of those who promised one. You know who you are. And I’ve sent invitations to specific people and I haven’t heard back from many of them.
For the second month in a row, I had [...]

Conflict of interest is a phrase that is used frequently. Conflict of interest can exist in many circumstances and is only bad when the conflict is acted upon in a negative way.
Tony, who comments quite frequently on this web log, believes there IS a negative conflict of interest in Peoria at the level of [...]

All links via the Journal Star:

Some dirtbags knocked over some tombstones at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in West Peoria.
My two cents: This is what SHOULD happen if the vandals are ever caught. The surviving relatives of those whose graves were vandalized should be allowed to urinate on the graves of the the perpetrators. Of course the [...]

A quick glance around the Illinois Blogosphere:

Diane at Illinoize reports on the hundred new laws that go into effect on Jan. 1. The government is trying to help us again.
IlliniPundit reports on yet another example of the Federal Election Commission is stifling political speech in America.
The Inside Dope is seeking nominations.
ArchPundit apparently is asking Barrack [...]

A quick scan of the Peoria Blogosphere:

PeoriaIllinoisan takes a look at the year in blogging.
C.J. has breaks down this week’s Outside the Horseshoe and suggests a blogger should have been invited. I’m sure Vonster could have provided some valuable insights. And, C.J. just right now discovered that you can’t always trust what you read on [...]

You have the floor.

You know how East Bluff neighborhood activists were accused of being to backward thinkers opposed to anything new, and how they were all closet racists, simply because almost all of them were opposed to moving Glen Oak School to the park?
Well, there’s talk amongst some of them about how to help raise money for the [...]

I was worried for a moment.
When I opened up my blog to other posters, it took a while for folks to take advantage. Then Dr. John Carroll was the first to take the plunge. With 11 posts, he’s really stirred the pot a bit with his non-stop advocacy for the sick children of Haiti and [...]

Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974. It was immediately called a third “Corrupt Bargain.” To say his decision to grant the pardon to the disgraced 37th president was controversial is an understatement. For many, it defined his short presidency. It most likely cost him the election of 1976.
But look beyond [...]