Peoria blogs: Taxing situations

March 28, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Some quick links:

  • I punked out from last night’s council meeting (feeling much better, thank you for asking). Good thing C.J. Summers was there, with good posts on double taxation (grrr) and a roundup.
  • This is horrible news. It turns out that Eyebrows is one of … those people.
  • A Knight in Dragonland isn’t mourning this death.
  • I do believe I got one right, for once.
  • I now have four seven of the 10 questionnaires I emailed to Peoria City Council candidates.
  • Scott O’Brien makes an extremely valid point about the most recent Iranian Hostage Crisis.
  • UPDATE: B.J. Stone thinks the HOI Fair isn’t getting the numbers right, or marketing itself properly, and it’s hurting their ability to bring in top-notch acts.

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11 Responses to “ Peoria blogs: Taxing situations ”

  1. Eyebrows McGee on March 28, 2007 at 12:13 pm

    You’re only saying that because I haven’t invited you over to play Wii yet.

  2. Billy Dennis on March 28, 2007 at 12:15 pm

    Does your Wii (that sounds dirty) play Solitaire? Pong? Breakout?

  3. Eyebrows McGee on March 28, 2007 at 12:54 pm

    Actually, the entire point of the Wii is that it returns to casual, easy-to-master games that those of us who don’t enjoy button mashers that requires you to hit six different things at once using both hands and about 18 fingers to do some mega spin attack.

    There are some fairly sophisticated game mechanics that can be achieved with the motion sensing controllers, true, but the the core of the Wii is the simple and intuitive mechanic.

    You can, for example, play tennis — only instead of moving your little pong bar up and down or mashing a button, you actually swing the controller like you would a tennis racket. You can lob, smash, hit forehand or backhand, put spin on the ball, hit it hard or soft, and it has remarkably realistic physics. I was like, “Crap, if this was real tennis that stroke would have just lobbed it an inch outside the line.” And then … my video game ball arced up just like it does when I screw up that shot in real tennis, and landed just a titch outside the line.

  4. PeoriaIllinoisan on March 28, 2007 at 2:04 pm

    Sounds like bad a pick-up line: Hey, baby, how about you come over to my place and I’ll show you my Wii.

    I’m not much of a tennis player, but I enjoy the baseball and golf. My son tries to tell me that it’s just as effective to just move your wrist or arm and that I really don’t need to take a full swing or move the furniture out of the way- but really, what fun would that be? It just wouldn’t be right to hit a 300yd drive or a home run with a flick of the wrist. I’m not much into the fancier games, but the sports games are a good time, and as silly (or sad) as it may sound, the whole family hangs out sometimes and plays video games together.

    I’ve tried playing X-Box, but Eyebrows is right, too many damn buttons for this old man to keep straight. Give me an old Atari joystick with one button anytime.

    On a somewhat unrelated note- thanks for the link, Billy, but you’re 0 for 147.

  5. Jose M. on March 28, 2007 at 7:31 pm

    Regarding your Scott O’brien link and opinion–apparently Mr.Obrien and you forget about the kidnap and torture of navy diver Robert Stethem and his murder. The kidnap and torture of American U.N. peacekeeper Col. Higgins and his murder. The kidnap, torture and murder of CIA Beirut chief Robert Buckley. As well as the kidnap and torture endured by all the American and British hostages taken in Beirut by frontmen for the Iranians during the 80’s.

    All these were well, well prior to Iraq, Abu Grahib and any allegations of torture by the U.S. in Iraq.

    • Billy Dennis on March 28, 2007 at 7:54 pm

      And you, sir, forget that when we stoop to their level, we loose the moral high ground and the right to be outraged when such things happen again.

      We can fight evil. Or we can be evil. We cannot do both.

      I do not claim that what we did at Abu Graib is on par with ANY of these murders you mention. But we have to have standards higher than that.

      • Mahkno on March 28, 2007 at 9:48 pm

        Well we don’t have to have high standards but the American public tends to only support military endeavors that pursue or defend ideals rather than realpolitik.

      • Kerry Elam on March 28, 2007 at 9:53 pm

        What are you Victorian English all of a sudden Billy?

        Moral high ground? Loss of a right to be outraged for waterboarding? What a joke. Why don’t you jokers read about warfare in prior days and then talk about something like fighting wars on a moral high ground and with standards. If we do then I’ll see you at the mosque at 5am. I don’t care if we waterboard these pricks just as long as WE get them BEFORE they get my daughter and sons.

        Fight a war and kill without being evil? You can kill during a war and not be evil? Like what Jesuits? LOL!

  6. Karrie E. Alms on March 28, 2007 at 9:26 pm

    Billy: Did you send out a questionnaire to D150 – District 2 Candidates? or a questionnaire to PPD Board President Candidates?

    • Mahkno on March 28, 2007 at 9:44 pm

      You know… I was thinking the same thing. The city council candidates are getting all the attention when perhaps the park district and District 150 have bigger issues at hand, aside from crime.

  7. sctobrien on March 29, 2007 at 12:00 am

    K. Elam,

    Then if we are to be like them, it’s time for us to quit claiming we are the beacon for democracy and model for human rights.

    And whether you agree or not, it goes beyond “waterboarding.” Check your facts.