New Month- New Economy

It is a new Month, February, the shortest month of the year.

I noticed this week that there are ads on TV promoting a 3D show. Instead of putting on those 3D glasses lets put on the Rose Colored glasses.

What can we do at an individual level to help our economy?

Do we run for office in the local elections. Campaign for a candidate in those elections. What can we do to make a difference.

Let me know, if you are reading any of the blogs I know you have an opinion. Make that on the local level. Let us see what we can come up with to make a difference.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructure- How do we pay for the changes needed.

Look around the city and you will see the need for more infrastructure improvement. The roads are filled with potholes.

We are short on salt for the basic street use this winter.

Driving from the Southside of Peoria downtown you will find 3 watermain breaks.

Now the feds want the city to come up with a huge amount of money for storm water diversion.

We have all seen the requests for new and improved items. Fancy new Hotel Downtown- Great Idea!
Build the Block- Another Great Idea!
New Childrens Hospital Addition- Great Idea!
Addition on Methodist Medical Center- Great Idea!
This is just a partial list of the Great New Ideas and Opportunities.

These are great things, would like to see all come to fruition. But, (You knew it was coming) how can we fix the basic services and infrasrtucture in order to get to and enjoy these Great new ideas.

Lets come up with some plans to solve the mundane daily problems that abound. Then we can enjoy these New Opportunities.

The Digital TV conversion

The Digital TV Conversion, is it a boondoggle of major proportion?

This is from PC Magazine website.
"Demand for digital TV converter box coupons is up, and while that signals an increased awareness of the impending DTV conversion, the surge might require an additional $330 million in government funds, according to the Commerce Department.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is housed within Commerce, projects that it will receive 6.5 million requests for DTV converter box coupons in December – a significant jump from previous months.

With this increase cost of 330 Million over the already allocated $1.34 billion to cover the cost of the coupons, plus $160 million for administrative costs that Congress has already spent. "

This is the public money. Now we have old tv's headed to the landfill or recyclers to be recycled? or at least disposed of properly.

The original idea of the change was to free up the telecommunication band that the current TV signals are on. There is a planned auction of these airwaves for increasing bandwidth for WIFI Access. With the current economy it is now predicted those auctions will be will be a bust.

The roll out of new HDTV's were not a real help to the US Economy. As we have seen many retailers deep discounting HDTV's and some Electronic chains on the throats of bankruptcy.

Do we need additional airwave space for our Blackberries and other portable computing and telecommunication devices, sure we do as we become more mobile. But what is the true cost. An additional $330 Million is chickenfeed when we do not even notice a headline unless it is is Billions and Billions of Dollars.

How could the government have been 30% wrong in their estimates of converter needs?

How has American industry benefited from this large outlay of funds. Labor for the infrastructure, some retail, and the rest is with the major telecommunication companies. The majority of the equipment is produced in foreign countries and imported. Making our Balance of trade at a bigger deficit. Why can not Congress pass legislation that will help the U.S,

Lets see what the new Administration will do as it creates stimulus projects.

New Year

The New Year has arrived.

It should be an interesting year.
In the Early hours of the New Year we have seen action by Isreal into the Gaza Strip.

We will see a new President and Administration.

What will happen to the price of Oil and the Economy have all the prognosticators giving there best guess.

Everyone has there New Years Resolutions, many are the same year after year. Many are new. Hope all can be sucessful.

It will be an interesting year at home and abroad.

Wish you all well in the New Year.

Welcome First Day of Winter

The Sound of Winter arrived before the actual start this Morning. The sound of ice rattling in the trees last night. The sound of footprints crunching in the snow. The fresh crisp air. The cold radiating from the inside of the windows. In preparation for the official beginning of Winter.

Today is the shortest day of the year. For you affected with Season Affective Disorder this is a day to celebrate. Tonight at Sunset starts Hanukkah. Guess in this below freezing weather it really is a day of celebration.

There is a saying for a spring month "in like a Lion out like a Lamb". We can only hope that this applies to Winter as well.

ISU Graduation

The Winter graduations were held today in Redbird arena. The building was packed with family and friends of the graduates. It was a great event.

The Basketball floor was gone and the chairs were filled with robe clad graduates and their professors. It reminded me of a ceremony that I participated in Horton Field House, many years ago. It was nice that every student could walk across the stage and get their diploma covers. The ceremony was straight forward with the graduates coming into the ceremony to the familiar sounds of Pomp and Circumstance. The ISU Symphonic Winds made a wonderful performance of this music.

The crowd braved the blustery wind into the arena. The Administrators and the Faculty with their various colored robes were quite unique. The Board of regents were in Bright Red Robes. Dr. Al Bowman was in A Bright Red and White robe.

The professors accompanied each Doctoral Candidate and placed the Hoods on the candidates as they accepted their degree. It was a moving experience.

Seeing my nephew get his PHD was priceless.

The Big Hunt for Fabric

I visited one of the 4 Tazewell County Wally's looking for some fabric for a Christmas Project. I entered and saw that it had been remodeled with all kinds of fancy shelving, bright displays and all the products moved. So I got a chance for some Aerobic exercise, As I searched for the fabric department.

I roamed down Aisle after Aisle, Found the hardware, spotted some Artificial Flowers! Thought I was in the home stretch. As I went around the corner I spotted more Craft items, saw the popular Cricut. Am I near the fabric. The next aisle had 5 sewing machines. Voila, the fabric must be near.

Then the truth came, the new remodeled Wally does not have fabric. I spotted a person wearing a spiffy smock and name tag. I asked her wear the fabric was located. She informed me that it was no longer in the store. I asked why. She said that they had reduced the store by 25% of the items. Moving the slow moving items out the door.

And who said that capitalism was dead. It is alive and well in Tazewll County.

TAX on Cows- New revenue source

The Feds have a new idea for taxes. Taxing livestock for emissions of methane.

"Some consider cow gas a major contributor to global warming. So the feds have floated the idea of charging farmers for their bovines' gastric eruptions.
You might cows them as a source of milk, but the Environmental Protection Agency sees them as a source of methane gas -- the kind that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere and contributes to global warming.
"You can hear them burp as they ruminate, when they bring back up to chew it again. That's what emits the methane," explained Charlie Hanehan of Hanehan Dairy Farm.
The EPA has floated the idea of taxing farmers for each of their cows.
Hanehan estimates it would cost about $175 per cow, per year. He milks 1,300 cows."- WNYT

Other ruminants would be taxed as well.

Great Idea- many benefits
We can hire the unemployed to be cow counters to collect the tax.
Will provide instant meals for the homeless shelters etc. as farmers reduce the size of the herds.
Will increase price of Hamburger at least $1.00 per pound.
And you thought the price of milk was high now!
Lower the prices of Rawhide Chews and leather coats as supply of raw material increases.


Will fast food go veggie? how can you make a 2,000 calorie vegie burger?

Stay tuned, I am sure we have not seen the last of the new taxing ideas.

Underage drinking in Washington

The PJStar reported that there was an underaged drinking party in Washington. In reading the comment section on PJStar website. Made me wonder where the real responsible people are in this world.

Many of the commments were in favor of the underaged drinkers.

What if someone was hurt from the activity? Would we have this same group saying where were the police?

Lets be responsible and have a safe and sane Holiday season.

What happened to the classified ads

In looking at Saturday and Today's PJ Star the classifieds have been shrinking in volume. If it were not for the unfortunate foreclosures, etc. There would be even less.

These pages are the real revenue producers.


Being a big fan of the printed word, It is hoped that it can be turned around.

Attitudes

Shopping today was quite an experience. Having my list set, I was pretty detached from the actual shopping experience.

This gave me time to look at the surroundings and the attitudes of the shoppers and clerks. It was quite interesting.

First stop was at the Farm Store. Got to get your Carhartt's for your Christmas folks. The place was bustling with shoppers, the clerk at checkout was happy and most helpful. It was a good shopping experience.

Next stop was at one of Tazewell Counties 4 Wally's. Surprisingly it was not packed. The crowd was quite friendly and the clerk festive and friendly.


Then to Radio place for some electronic goods. No one in the place, In and out quickly with my little purchase. The clerk was helpful here as I have no idea about electronics.

Then to the big new K store in East Peoria. The place had more merchandise than aisles to walk down. Good thing they do not have conventional carts. You would never make it through. What happened to recycling, I bought three items and have 3 new hangers. The checkout was a mess, 4 lanes open and a minimum of 6 in each line. The clerk was a robot. No banter other than telling everyone to have a safe holiday.

Then to the less than 5 dollar store. They are always fun to go to. Got some stockings to hang by the Chimney I do not have. And a Santa Hat to wear with my new Dr. Suess Christmas Tie.

It was a fun day. Now to Wrap the goodies and get them on thier maeery rounds.

No Bah Humbug today. Clue"Stick to the list!"

Is the Weather Bear MIA? Who in local media do you go to get the best Winter Weather info?

Weather Bear Where have you gone? Do we need to send out a Missing Bear Report.
None of the three local stations are having the on screen graphics of the weather.

Well, I guess it is not officially winter, yet.


In looking at the various media outlets who do you believe?

WHOI Website says there are no collision or parking bans checking it at 3:30 this Sunday afternoon.

CI Proud website says that Bartonville WMBD WYZZ states that Bartonville has a parking ban and Washington has a collision alert.

CIPRROUD also reports a Winter Storm Warning.

WHOI has nothing about a Winter Storm Warning.

WEEK TV reports a Winter Weather Warning in effect. Nothing about Parking Ban or Collision alert.

WMBD Radio reports that there is a Winter Storm Warning with the Parking Ban and Collision alert.

PJStar was up to the minute on all the details of the collision and parking bans.

Weather.com and the weather channel on Comcast channel #2 are reprting the Winter Storm Warning. Although early this morning we were without the weather channel on cable.

Be safe when bad weather strikes. Do you really need that trip to the Dollar Store?

Have a safe day.

It is Bird Feeding Time

It is that time of the year to get the feeders full. The Suet cakes in the holders and plug in the Bird bath heater.

Feeding the birds is quite the enjoyable hobby. Seeing the birds and other creatures interact is most interesting. We now have two kinds of squirrels visiting the feeders. The newest is the black squirell. The are much smaller than the grey squirrels that have been in the area for a few months.

This year one of the early arrivals have been some Cardinals. The bright red is quite flashy against the vegetation.

Last night as I went outside there was one of the neighborhood feral cats trying to get a drink out of the birdfeeder.

Feeding these little critters are a pleasure.

Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is slowly drawing to a close. The day was a great day. Seeing my new 2 day old grand nephew.

Making pies and cakes for friends, and families.

Finished up decorating the Tree in honor of our dogs in the park.

It has been a glorious day.

While being thankful for the many wonderful things that have happened in this last year.

Have a great rest of the Holiday.

And preparing for that great day of shopping, basketball and having fun.

Thanksgiving

Today, I attended the Chamber Thanksgiving dinner at the Civic Center. On the program was a moment of meditation. The speaker talked about dreams. Made me think about all the dreams I have had over the years.

Being thankful for those dreams, ambitions and hopes. The fire that drives our lives. How we live those dreams and the positive things that can occur from realizing our dreams.

Have you relized your dream?

Be thankful for those dreams, and act on those dreams.

Have a great Holiday season.

Jaxson's Dania Springs, FL

Traveling in Florida, we had some time before the silver bird headed back to the cold of Illinois. Near the airport we wandered upon an Ice Cream Shop on US 1 South. It was wonderful.

Jaxson's Ice Cream reminds you of Farrell's that used to be in the mall. (Remember- Peorians always equate things to that have closed) Except it did not have a big drum. When you walk in you see all kins of old cany Necco Wafer, Charleston Chew, etc.

The tables were old with the wire backed chairs at each table. The walls were lined with an assortment of old items. Railroad, kitchen, kids toys and other memoabilia.

The Ice Cream was superb. The menu must of had 100 different kind of combinations. With real Ice Cream. I had a parfait. How do you say a shake glass full of all kinds of strawberries and bananas. And healthy scoops of Vanilla Ice cream. It was wonderful.

If you are in the Fort lauderdale area visit Jaxson's. It is worth the Ice Cream Headache.

Economy and the Holiday's

It seems that Halloween is the new launch for Christmas. It used to be Thanksgiving. What changed, why not bring back Christmas Past?

Christmas used to be a time of family, friends and enjoyment. Now it is hurry here for this sale, what will so and so think of their gift. Should I buy Gift cards or try to think of what to get them. The joy of the Holiday is fleeting.

You turn on the radio stations and already hear christmas music. Even the drug stors are full of Christmas items. Do we not have long enough to find that special made in the orient item to give for Christmas.

I am not a bah- HumBug. We just need to get it in perspective. Spend less, expect less and be happy you do not have to woek extra shifts to pay for it.

Give to helping groups, that help the community through out the year. You have been seeing that the food pantries are dried up, help those folks out as well.

Slow down and enjoy the season.

Do I have the wrong calendar..is it Easter and not Halloween?

The leaves are filling the neighborhood lawns, the days are getting shorter, and the chill has started to fill the air. It must be time for Halloween.

Opening today's newspaper's plethora of ads I was drawn to the local supermarket chain that is proudly announcing a Sale on Large Eggs. Can these folks have thought about the placement of this ad.

Maybe it is a sting that the local police are having to try to stop neighborhood vandalism. I do not think this is the case but you never know.

Remembering the many pranks of Halloween the sale of Eggs in 1/4 of your front page ad just did not seem to be responsible.

Guess I am old fashioned, but watch out for those sale Eggs flyong off the shelves and onto siding and cars near you.

Early Voting

Saturday I took advantage of the early voting opportunity. The place was packed.

As I looked at the line I tried to picture who they were voting for. It was a fun little quiz. In talking to people in other states this seemed to be the norm. My line was 45 minutes to get to the voting machine. In talking with someone in GA they had people waiting as high as 2 hours.

It will be an interesting year to see how the voting continues as we get nearer the election.

It would be great if somehow your cable or satelite provider knew that you voted and you did not have to see any of the commercials.

Well we have a extra window to vote. How many will not exercise their right.

Birthday's a time of reflection

I went to a friends Birthday Party yesterday. It brought back memories of the many things that have happened over the years. Made me pause and think about the early years of our friendship.



The pickup baseball games in the schoolyard and at the ball field down by the river. The basketball games after we had removed the snow off the baskeball court. The time we had spent together playing, laughing and doing things together.



I guess it is the values that we shared as youngsters and how those values are pretty much the same today. Maybe a few tweaks..he still likes the Cubs .. I have changed from the Pirates to the Cardinals. (Thanks to Dick Groat) That age was a lot different than the activities and mindset of today.



At that time the most important thing in lfe was items like What was the batting average of Kenny Hubbs or the ERA of Ray Sadecki. And trying to figure out if the reliever had a save. This was during the time that baseball statistics would change forever. The dreaded asterisk associated with Roger Maris's Home run Acheivement.



Looking around the room at the party interacting with the yougsters I saw a different picture. One was at the far end of the table removed from conversation as he was engrossed in a handheld video game. The other youngsters were talking about their school challenges and the dreams of their future. Most were still in Grade School. If we had turned on Mr. Peabody's way back machine the conversation would have been about how soon all of could be outside playing a game of football, or whatever activity we would have as a group. The kids today seemed to have become more Goal oriented at an earlier age. Is this a natural evolution?

It was great to see all the kids and the grownups and how our lives has progressed. The basic values have not wandered far for my friend and I.

Last night after the party I ran into a friend that was sort of in a Funk about their upcoming Birthday. She was upset over her lack of meeting certain goals she had imposed upon herself. She was not able to focus on the present. The many great things that have happened to her those few short years that she was looking back across. The kids, the many accomplishments she has had. The fun and joy that seems to surround her.

Yesterday was a great day seeing many friends and many interesting thoughts and shared journeys. Birthdays are just a day on the calendar. Another bit of wax that has turned into energy and spent. We need to make the best use of that wax.