Green Day!

I heard Green Day on the way home from work and now I want to hear more!

Eastbound 88 shout out

I have no one in particular to send this to, but here goes anyway:

To the guy in the plaid shirt who stopped to assist the driver in the disabled car on 88 eastbound this morning.

Dude, you ROCK! There aren't many people who would risk life and limb during morning rush hour to assist someone and try to move their car out of a regular lane and onto the side of the tollway. I only wish I had realized what was happening sooner so I could have stopped so you could safely push the car off to the side in front of me; I hope someone was sharper than I was and provided that assistance. No joke - I like to think if that were me someone would step up. Maybe you knew the young woman, maybe you didn't. The thing is, you were there and willing.

Hats off to you, sir!

Dance, Jesco, Dance

A few years ago I saw a documentary called 'Dancing Outlaw' about Jesco White, a self-titled 'hillbilly dancer' from Boone County, West Virginia. It's amusing and appalling at the same time - the abject poverty they live in is profound and the self-destructive streak in this guy and his family is legendary. Apparently Johnny Knoxville has done a new documentary on the whole family called 'The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia.' Check out the clip. The women in this thing are probably in their 30s or 40s but they look 70.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

Here's a still from the Dancing Outlaw documentary of Jesco dancing on a doghouse. The dancing he does is a mix of tap and clogging moves common in Appalachia. Jesco is pretty good but his father, Donald Ray White, was said to be the master.



Must give a shout-out to my friend Aaron who is the one who showed me the 'Dancing Outlaw' documentary...

CCC! Chicks Committing Crimes - careful who you date...

A DuPage County woman is standing trial for the murder of her long-time girlfriend, according to the Sun-Times. Nicole Abusharif was courting a new lady-love and presented her with a 'kick-ass' present: a set of keys to her 1966 black Ford Mustang. The new lady-love was smitten and thrilled. Until it came out there was a body in the trunk.

"She said she had a kick-ass present for me," Rose Sodaro testified. "She reached in her pocket and pulled out the Mustang key. She said I could come and take the Mustang out whenever I wanted."

That night, however, prosecutors contend the trunk of the Mustang contained the body of Abusharif's longtime lover, 32-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Klein.

Abusharif killed her partner, prosecutors contend, so she could openly carry on a relationship with the then 20-year-old Sodaro, whom she had met online a year earlier and pursued in an on-and-off courtship. Abusharif also stood to gain $250,000 from life insurance policies she held on Klein.

Defense attorneys have argued that Klein and Abusharif had an open relationship that allowed them to see other people.

Shortly after the killing, Abusharif met Sodaro at a southwest suburban restaurant, then went bowling with a group of friends, Sodaro testified.

Because murder and bowling just go hand in hand.

The trial continues...

Friday night Fun - It's Scott Miller Night!

We at Naperville City Desk have been fans of Scott Miller for a long time and we were thrilled to find out Scott just dropped a new record called 'For Crying Out Loud." I've only listened to it a couple times through but I love it already. He does what he does best; smart songwriting. There is a lovely duet with Patty Griffin on the record and I hoped to find that on Youtube but it's probably just too early. So instead we'll showcase some tracks from Scott's earlier albums (after the V-Roys broke up).

Here's a live performance of 'Red Ball Express' from Upside Downside. Scott's a real history buff; here's a song about a convoy system designed to keep the Allies supplied during World War II.

Friday night Fun - Bonus Scott Miller!

This is great live performance of a song from Scott's second record, Upside Downside. Digging the train sound on 'Amtrak Crescent.'

Because I know these songs so well:

Well there ain't no ham
like the Birmingham
to make a fellow wanna stay in Alabam'

Friday night Fun - More Scott Miller

This is a song from Scott's first album 'Thus Always to Tyrants.' I have cranked this really loud in the car many times on road trips. How can you not love a guy who writes lines like this:

I'm gonna leave this town
in a cloud of dust
with a fifty-cent lighter
and a whiskey buzz
and there will be a day
when I come back around
when they ask why I'll say
it's 'cause
I made a mess of this town...

(The trim on the Youtube video is supposed to be Tennessee orange because Scott lives in Knoxville. But despite many visits to the Preservation Pub in downtown Knoxville I never ran into him...)

Having guests tomorrow...

No time to post. Cooking, tidying - I'm bushed.

Please amuse yourselves with this clip from the movie 'All About Eve.' Bette Davis KILLS in this scene.

City of Naperville has found itself a guaranteed moneymaker much to the chagrin of many drivers

The red-light cameras at northbound 59 and eastbound North Aurora Road have proven to be a cash cow for the city. Naperville City Desk reported on the installation of the cameras back in early February. After a testing period in the month of January the cameras went live starting February 1. The Naperville Sun reports a total of 1,906 citations have been issued to drivers through March 31, an average of 32 per day. The fine for a red-light violation is $100 a pop. If all pay up that's a cool $190K.

Citations are sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, who may or may not have been the driver when the alleged violation occurred. The citations are administrative and do not go on a motorist's driving record.

The only time red light violations would impact a driving record is if a motorist accumulates five or more unpaid citations. The city can then petition the secretary of state's office to suspend their driver's license.

Drivers do have the right to contest the citations but so far most have found their arguments falling on deaf ears.

Nour Ayoub was traveling northbound on 59 Feb 17 and he found himself behind a very tall commercial truck. He said the truck blocked his view and he couldn't see the light. Ayoub's car went through the intersection 0.63 seconds after the light changed, "not even a second" after, he said. Ayoub said he tried to break to a stop but there wasn't sufficient time.

Trixie understands this problem - as the driver of a 4-door sedan I encounter this all the time.

But Ayoub's claim was not upheld. The administrative judge and Ayoub watched the video of the incident, and the ruling was made in the city's favor.

"If there's a vehicle in front of you that's blocking your view, you can't guess," the judge said.

Ayoub was not happy with the decision.

"I thought I was coming here to see a judge, not some guy in a suit that's going to deliberate in the city's favor all the time," Ayoub said afterwards. "... The whole thing's B.S."

None of the 18 motorists who contested their citations received any satisfaction. The administrative judge sided with the city in every case.

A city administrator countered claims that the citations were meant to be a revenue generator for the city saying they'd prefer to write no tickets as that would mean there no violations and no accidents.

Gotta think they aren't hating the big windfall for the city general fund, despite all the claims to the contrary.

Lesson to all - YELLOW MEANS STOP. NO RIGHT ON RED FROM NORTH AURORA ROAD TO SOUTHBOUND 59. Just imagine the city wringing their greedy hands anticipating making your pocketbook lighter and STOP. If jackasses behind you blow their horns in protest, let 'em. They won't know it but you just saved them some scratch.

Worked late

And this is all I can manage for a post.

Friday night Fun - A Word with Chester about Doughnuts

Chester explains to Olly what you have to do to get a doughnut named after you at the local bakery...

Friday night Fun - Freedy Johnston

I've been looking for a decent video to showcase this song of one of my favorite artists, Freedy Johnston, and I finally came up with this decidedly low-tech one. But at least you can really hear the song. It's rumored Freedy's at work on a new album... to which I say: YAY!

Here is Freedy Johnston, with 'Bad Reputation.'

Grammar Bitch celebrates a birthday

No, it's not my birthday. It's the birthday of one of the greatest bibles of all time. Strunk & White's Elements of Style turns 50 years old today. Morning Edition did a segment on the definitive writing guide this morning, noting that children's author E. B. White rediscovered a brief guide to style by William Strunk, his professor at Cornell University. The guide was published by Macmillan in 1959 and has informed countless English majors and future Grammar Bitches in ways that will haunt them all their days.

The most famous dictum: OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS

Here is that section, in it's entirety.

17. Omit needless words.

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

Many expressions in common use violate this principle.

the question as to whether / whether (the question whether)

there is no doubt but that / no doubt (doubtless)

used for fuel purposes / used for fuel

he is a man who / he

in a hasty manner / hastily

this is a subject that / this subject

Her story is a strange one. / Her story is strange.

the reason why is that / because

The fact that is an especially debilitating expression. It should be revised out of every sentence in which it occurs.

owing to the fact that / since (because)

in spite of the fact that / though (although)

call your attention to the fact that / remind you (notify you)

I was unaware of the fact that / I was unaware that (did not know)

the fact that he had not succeeded / his failure

the fact that I had arrived / my arrival

See also the words case, character, nature in Chapter IV. Who is, which was and the like are often superfluous.

His cousin, who is a member of the same firm / His cousin, a member of the same firm

Trafalgar, which was Nelson's last battle / Trafalgar, Nelson's last battle

As the active voice is more concise than the passive, and a positive statement more concise than a negative one, many of the examples given under Rules 14 and 15 illustrate this rule as well.

A common way to fall into wordiness is to present a single complex idea, step by step, in a series of sentences that might to advantage be combined into one.

Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland. The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The king of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king. (51 words)

Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place. (26 words)

College Facebook users are STOO-pid

Well maybe not stupid, but they sure study less than students who aren't on Facebook.

A study of 219 students at Ohio State University, being presented at a conference this week, suggests a link between the social networking Web site and lower academic performance, though the reason isn't clear.

Students who said they used Facebook reported grade-point averages between 3.0 and 3.5, while those who don't use it said they average 3.5 to 4.0. Also, Facebook users said they studied one to five hours a week, vs. non-users' 11 hours or more.

Gee, do you think there might be a connection?

This should help if we're ever hi-jacked

Staffers at the Naperville City Desk have been in meetings with safety consultants all week learning readiness drills for piracy-prevention. The clip below is one of the ideas pitched during the meetings that we think has real potential...

Somebody please hide the gauntlets from this family

Two people have died in Indianapolis after a family argument turned into a family brawl and swords were drawn. Literally. According to the Sun-Times Adolf Stegbauer died Monday, four days after authorities say he was seriously injured when an argument escalated into a sword battle with 39-year-old Christopher Rondeau.

Police say an autopsy determined Stegbauer died of complications from a stab wound and that his death was ruled a homicide.

Authorities said Stegbauer’s sister-in-law, 77-year-old Franziska Stegbauer, was fatally stabbed while trying to break up the fight. Rondeau, who is her grandson, also was wounded.

Rondeau was being held in a jail medical unit on preliminary charges of attempted murder. Police Lt. Dawn Snyder said amended charges against him were being prepared.

I swear I'm not making this up.

Wearing 'Uggs' too much may bring you to your knees

Many women wear Uggs throughout the long Chicago winters because they can stay toasty warm. But a podiatrist says they are not the best choice because they offer poor arch support, according to the Sun-Times.

That lack of support can lead to problems with the knees, hips and back. Women who wear them too much may increase the potential of these problems down the road.

Ugg is firing back saying that in 30 years of doing business no one has come back to the company with complaints over lack of arch support.

Trixie has a pair of Emus (just as good as Uggs but cheaper!) but has relegated them to strictly indoor use - they are my house slippers. I wore them outside once in the snow - I ran outside to get something in my car - and nearly slipped on the sidewalk. I quickly came to the conclusion that when I can find a pair with a nice lug sole I'll consider them for outdoor use. Until then, they serve their purpose admirably inside. I'll stick to my Sorels for outdoor use; I've been trusting them for over 20 years. That company has been around for 101 years and really knows what they are doing.

Grammar Bitch has good intentions

Grammar Bitch was talking to someone this week and (s)he said: "For all intensive purposes..." GB silently cringed and groaned inside her head. The correct phrase is "For all INTENTS AND purposes..."

Get it right, people!

Naperville City Desk is on assignment

NCD will be on location in Grand Forks, ND this week.

Yes. North Dakota.

Watch for pics of the Red River soon.

Some of the best lines ever from 'Veronica Mars'

So I was reminiscing over the weekend watching the first couple eps of the first season of 'Veronica Mars' and bemoaning the fact that one of the smartest shows EVER only got three seasons, so I decided to post a little crunchy VM goodness.

Immortal line: 'Your trellis is a whore.'

C'mon MONDAY!!

Saturday morning fun!

I spent many a Saturday night as a young kid watching 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', one of the best sitcoms of all time. Here's a feature on Sue Ann Nivens, the happy homemaker played by the incomparable Betty White, who was the original Martha Stewart but with a serious edge.

Friday night Fun - Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Americana artist - Gillian Welch, with her playing partner, David Rawlings. Gillian is another artist I got to see perform at the office.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Caleb Meyer

Friday night Fun - Radney Foster

It's Americana/honky tonk night and this is one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters, Radney Foster. 'Just Call Me Lonesome' is a track from 1992, his first solo album, Del Rio, Texas, 1959.

You call me baby,
I've got a new name
don't need my old one
call me Lonesome
from now on...

Friday night Fun - Chris Knight

Here's a song from another one of my all-time favorite songwriters, Chris Knight. The comparisons to Steve Earle are inevitable but he's a talent in his own right.

Here's a true story about Chris Knight. I used to work for a major book and music retailer based in Michigan. The music labels used to bring artists to our offices to meet with the buyers and they'd perform, which is a really amazing perk that I miss very much. I'd gotten Chris Knight's self-titled first album from one of the buyers and loved it from the start so I was really looking forward to his appearance. A couple people in the office asked me about him because they heard he was coming and I said, 'well, he writes these gritty story songs and he's an Americana artist.' They said 'what's Americana?' and I said, it's like country music only WAY better and they immediately said 'no way - I don't like country.' I just said suit yourself. Chris arrived and very graciously took a seat in our cafeteria and started playing and singing with me and about four other people in the audience. He kept singing and wouldn't you know it, people started drifting in and by the time he was done the room was at capacity. My co-workers said after the show 'you didn't say it was gonna be like THAT - that was awesome.'

Yeah! Next time just listen to me!

This one's dedicated to my brother: Enough Rope, title track from his 2006 album.
(Please ignore the weird Aussie chick.)

Movement to eliminate use of animal mascots for professional sports teams gains ground

Detroit resident Joey Kolodziecziec(KOE-LOE-JAY-SIC) is a diehard fan of the Detroit Lions. But even this diehard was disgusted by what he saw last football season from the hapless Lions who could not scrape together a win to save their lives. By the end of the season his dismay drove him to action. Kolodziecziec contacted his local state representative and suggested that the image of the lion and it's connection to pride and strength was so wasted on the team they should be banned from besmirching the good name of the king of the jungle. The movement caught on and soon Michigan legislators introduced a bill to ban the Detroit football team's use of the lion image. The bill is still pending in the Michigan House.

But Michigan is by no means the only state to consider such action. Residents of the city of Baltimore have encouraged that state's legislators to relieve the state bird from representing the perenially poor-performing Baltimore Orioles. And Tennessee residents have launched an initiative to force the Memphis Grizzlies to drop the mighty bear as their mascot after the Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs yet another year last season. Animals activists groups such as PETA have expressed support for all this pending legislation saying that animals should not be exploited in any way.

Naperville City Desk will continue to monitor these ongoing efforts.