A Wautoma man was charged Wednesday in Waupaca County Circuit Court with drunken driving  his 13th arrest on the charge in the past 12 years.
The arrest came just one month and three days after he was released from prison on his 12th conviction.
Judge John Hoffmann put Daniel W. Nordell, 52, under a $5,000 signature bond at his initial appearance on the felony operating while intoxicated charge, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and three years of extended supervision.
According to the Post Crescent, Nordell doesn't even hold the record in Waupaca County. Another rural man from the area was arrested 21 times for drunken driving, and convicted 17 times.
Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 4:38 PM by A.J. Romens
In a world where hearing problems are real, concerns are mounting and lawyers are looking to make gadget providers liable, the maker of the predominant iPod music player has created new volume controls.
Apple issued a software update Wednesday for its recent iPod models - the Nano and the video-capable iPod - allowing users to set how loud their digital music players can go.
I have MP3 player (which is not an iPod; I am not cool enough to own an iPod) and sometimes I listen to it loudly, especially when I want to drown out the bus. I am sure other people also listen too loudly. And certainly more people have iPods or similar devices than ever before.
So, will we all be deaf 50 years from now? Maybe, but it won't matter. By then, we will be able to plug our iPods directly into our brains.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 10:46 AM by A.J. Romens
The United Church of Christ is once again producing TV ads showing all types of people, including a single mother, a disabled person and a gay couple, getting ejected from a church. It is part of the UCC's continuing campaign to show that they are a Christian church that doesn't reject people.
They ran similar ads in December of 2004. Major TV networks refused to air them because the presence of a gay couple made the ads too controversial. Has anything changed this time around?
The decision by CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox to decline the latest advertisement shows the networks have a narrow view of acceptable images of gays and lesbians, church leader Ron Buford said Monday.
"They are saying, 'You can entertain on 'Will & Grace' and 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' but when it comes to showing you as whole people with the church, that is going to far," Buford said.
Buford has a good point. Is the media only accepting of gays only when we don't have to take them seriously? Didn't American media have a similar attitude toward black people years ago?
A couple of the networks, ABC and Fox, don't air religious advertising at all, and I am fine with that. Yet, networks like CBS and NBC are picking and choosing which religious advertising to air. It seems to me they are picking the religions they like. And it seems to me that they like the religions that exclude gay people.
I must point my readers to this article from the Marshfield News Herald on the winners of the World Championship Cheese Contest. My hometown area won many awards, as they usually do. Way to go, cheesemakers!
The AP today as a humorous article about a man who was accidently charged over $4,300 for a couple burgers. What is not so humorous is the careless grammar used in the article:
Beane ordered two Whopper Jr.s and two Rodeo cheeseburgers when he pulled up to the drive-through window last Tuesday. The cashier, however, forgot that she'd entered the $4.33 charge on his debit card and punched in the numbers again without erasing the original ones  thus creating a four-figure bill. (Emphasis Added)
It isn't Whopper Jr.s; it's Whoppers Jr. This article makes William Safire sad.
Josh Levin, an assistant editor at Slate, is in fourth place out of 3 million NCAA bracket entries. He writes about how he managed to pick three out of the Final Four here. He also talks about the two people who managed to accurately pick each and every Final Four team correctly, including George Mason:
I'm now in a tie for fourth place, behind two entries that still have their Final Four intact. The ESPN message boards are abuzz with speculation that the perfect entries belong to robots, George Mason alumni, or possibly women, because "as we all know women usually win with their ridiculous picks." The guy in second place, Ethan Stokke, appears to be a trash-talking 14-year-old. He also seems to have filled out five brackets, the contest's maximum. I filled out one bracket, of course. Only indecisive losers fill out multiple brackets.
A group of university researchers said yesterday that they had created what sounds like a nutritional holy grail: cloned pigs that make their own omega-3 fatty acids, potentially leading to bacon and pork chops that might help your heart.
Bacon that is good for you? Is this a sign of the end of the world? Not yet. Not until they figure out how to make pigs that secrete their own barbecue sauce.
In other thoughts that are occurring to me right now:
What is the deal with cannibalistic cartoon pigs? Down the street from me is a Famous Dave's. Here is their logo, which I see nearly every day:
I just can't help but think that he is cooking up his kin.
The Smoking Gun has the list of requirements Dick Cheney... um... requires when staying in a downtime hotel suite. You can read about it here.
The demands aren't that interesting, compared to some crazy celebrities, but it is interesting to know what sort of things the Vice President likes done for him (he enjoys the Diet Caffeine Free Sprite, Fox News, and the temperature set to a crisp 68 degrees).
Texas is arresting people for being drunk... in bars. I am not kidding. From Reuters:
The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission's Carolyn Beck.
Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkenness, Beck said.
The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car.
Wow. That is pro-active. Yet, is it pro-active enough? How about arresting people for ordering drinks in a bar? Or perhaps entering a bar with intent to get drunk?
Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 9:33 AM by A.J. Romens
The New York Times has an article today about one of my favorite actors, Steve Buscemi:
"When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed," Mr. Buscemi said, recalling a history of being stabbed, axed, shot and fed to a wood chipper. "I really thought that after getting killed on 'The Sopranos,' I should not accept scripts where I die. I mean, there's nowhere to go after getting killed by Tony Soprano.
"But then I got offered this great part in 'The Island,' " he said, with a whaddayagonnado shrug. "I didn't even make it a third of the way through the movie."
While he dies a lot, his roles are usually very good, and fit him very well. And while he dies a lot, we are often sad to see him die, which is all anyone can really ask for in a movie role.
Footnote: This article actually mentions (in passing) one of my favorite movies of all time, The Hudsucker Proxy.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 at 10:39 AM by A.J. Romens
[Linguist Professor Thomas] Purnell had been walking down a hallway behind a couple of female undergrads who were discussing a party that one had been to but the other had not.
"One of them says to the other, 'Eck-tually, it was ax-cellent,' " Purnell explained.
That snippet of overheard conversation - trivial to the untrained ear - demonstrated the forces of linguistic change bearing down on Wisconsin. The unusual vowel sounds are hallmarks of a change coming at us from the Southeast, the so-called Northern Cities Shift in which "aa" and "eh" sounds are being reversed.
This change, however, is moving head-on toward another vowel change coming from the West, the so-called Low-Back Merger. In this second change, words such as caught are being pronounced increasingly like the word cot.
In other words, Wisconsin is at the epicenter of a linguistic collision.
It's been pointed out to me many times that I always say cot instead of caught.
People have made fun of me for it, but perhaps I am just ahead of the trend. Soon we will all be talking like me.
So take note: I bullheadedly pronounce "porcupine," pork-a-pine. I suggest you do the same.
Workers discovered a storage room within the Brooklyn Bridge that contained all sorts of survival supplies, put there in case of a nuclear attack. The supplies were presumably from the late 50s and early 60s, when the U.S. was at the height of nuclear war paranoia. Included among the supplies were tins of survival crackers. From CNN:
The stockpile included empty water drums and boxes of medical supplies, such as tourniquet bandages and an intravenous drip. Also, there were cans of high-calorie crackers with instructions to consume 10,000 calories a day per person. The instructions said the crackers should be destroyed after 10 years, but they were mostly intact.
Ten thousand calories a day? Apparently, experts in the 1950s believed the best bodily protection from nuclear radiation is a thick layer of fat.
AP Writer Jennifer Loven takes on President Bush's favorite opponent, "some:"
"Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the war is lost and not worth another dime or another day," President Bush said recently.
Another time he said, "Some say that if you're Muslim you can't be free."
"There are some really decent people," the president said earlier this year, "who believe that the federal government ought to be the decider of health care ... for all people."
Of course, hardly anyone in mainstream political debate has made such assertions.
When the president starts a sentence with "some say" or offers up what "some in Washington" believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows.
The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position.
The article goes on to give a whole basket full of examples. More than anything, this is an example of good journalism. Loven has clearly been doing more than reporting. She has been listening.
From an article about the NCAA tournament (and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison) on ESPN' page two:
I don't know what made me cringe more: Having to watch those two geeks singing that takeoff of the "Gilligan's Island" theme in that over-and-over Applebee's commercial -- or hearing analyst upon analyst invoke the name of Larry Bird when gushing about Morrison.
It's the mustache that invokes the comparison, but that's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to address what Bayless recognized today, and what I was going to post about tomorrow: those Applebee's geeks. Seriously, that commercial came on every break during the tournament. I will now recite all the lyrics from memory, with no assistance:
Just sit right back and grab some tail A tail of a tasty shrimp Sensations new at Applebee's Is really worth the trip Sauteed, crisp fried or fire grilled Served on a handy skewer So many shrimp you'll want to plan A three hour too-errr A three hour too-errr So join us here this week my friend It's time for eatin' good Shrimp sensations new at Applebee's In your neighborhood
How can you be sure that I really wrote it from memory? Well, if you watched the tournament at all, I am sure you could recite it from memory as well.
If you hate yourself and want to see the commercial again, it is of course available at the Applebee's website.
People in Madison still complain about the smoking ban, which doesn't allow them to smoke indoors in public places. Maybe they should be happy they are allowed to smoke outside. From the New York Times:
The smoking ordinance, which was unanimously passed by the five-member Calabasas City Council last month, prohibits smoking in all public places, indoor or outdoor, where anyone might be exposed to secondhand smoke. The ban includes outdoor cafes, bus stops, soccer fields, condominium pool decks, parks and sidewalks. Smoking in one's car is allowed, unless the windows are open and someone nearby might be affected.
Outrage? Nope:
The ordinance encountered little resistance. The Chamber of Commerce and the city's restaurant association supported it, as did virtually every citizen who appeared at public hearings. Tobacco lobbyists never weighed in, Mr. Groveman said, and a spokesman for Philip Morris, the nation's largest cigarette maker, did not return a reporter's telephone calls Friday.
It was tough to find an aggrieved smoker at the Calabasas Commons outdoor mall Friday morning, particularly after it started raining. In fact, television crews filming reports on the law outside a Starbucks outnumbered smokers 5 to 0, by actual count.
Calabasas is one of those gated suburbs, where they are used to an excess of regulations (bending-over garden lady cutouts in the front yard probably aren't allowed, either). I wonder how this would fly in a real city.
When it comes to my NCAA bracket, I went wrong almost everywhere. Here’s a breakdown of the 16 finalists, along with my sweet 16 picks:
Atlanta Region Winners: Duke, LSU, West Virginia, Texas I had: Duke, LSU, Iowa, California Comment: Both Iowa and California were knocked out in the first round by lower seeds. Hey Iowa: I thought the Big 10 was better than that.
Oakland Region Winners: Memphis, Bradley, Gonzaga, UCLA I had: Memphis, Kansas, Indiana, UCLA Comment: I knew Bradley was good, but not beat Kansas and Pittsburg good. Hey Indiana: I thought the Big 10 was better than that.
Washington D.C. Region Winners UConn, Washington, George Mason, Wichita St. I had: UConn, Illinois, North Carolina, Wichita St. Comment: That’s right, I called Wichita St. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Hey Illinois: I thought the Big 10 was better than that.
Minneapolis Region winners: Villanova, Boston College, Florida, Georgetown I had: Villanova, Nevada, Florida, Ohio St. Comment: This bracket is totally shot, as I also have Nevada meeting Ohio St. in the next round. Hey Ohio St: I thought the Big 10 was better than that.
I am near the bottom of my pool. Even worse, Bob Barker is kicking my ass.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 7:30 PM by A.J. Romens
Tomorrow starts my favorite sports event of the year, the NCAA basketball tournament.
Tonight I just finished my bracket predictions. In the future I will post my successful picks (both of them) and my many, many failures. Today, I unveil my Final Four selections (guaranteed to go down in the second round):
The Wisconsin State Journal last weekend had a wonderful story about the oh-so-unpronounceable geographic terms that is Wisconsin. From the article:
At northern Wisconsin's Chequamegon-Nicolet U.S. National Forest, public affairs specialist Cathy Fox has heard it all. Just looking at the name terrifies. "I had some poor guy call from California once," Fox recalls, laughing. "He said, I need to update some information on Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch' -- I said, Go ahead. Try it!' "
Only Wisconsinese features a silent "Q." The correct pronunciation is sha-WAH-ma-gun. The strangest she's heard was check-wa-ME-gun. "That was the phonetically correct person," Fox says, coining a new meaning for P.C.
Of course, many of the names are hard (or annoying) for even native Wisconsinites to pronounce, so we develop ways around it. Chequamegon Waters Flowage? We just call it Miller Dam.
Footnote: While looking up info for this article, I googled "flowage". The top 30 results concerned flowages in Wisconsin, or definitions of the word. Is Wisconsin the only state that uses the term? Does everybody else just say "lake?"
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold introduced today a resolution for censure against President Bush. The censure resolution amounts to a congressional scolding, saying the president was wrong and broke the law by authorizing wiretaps.
I was surprised to read something Frist said in defense of Bush. From the Journal Sentinel:
Frist said Feingold's approach sent a "terrible, terrible signal" to Iran and other countries, adding that it was wrong to signal a "lack of support for our commander in chief."
I can't believe he is still making the argument that our, or any country's, strength comes from forced support for its leadership. I think a lack of support sends a great signal; it sends the signal that we are a tried and true democracy.
Thursday, March 09, 2006 at 1:34 PM by A.J. Romens
Do we kill them? In Wisconsin, we don't, and haven't since 1853. That could change. From the Wisconsin State Journal:
Efforts to restore the death penalty in Wisconsin advanced further Tuesday than at any time in the last seven decades, as the Republican-controlled state Senate voted to put an advisory referendum on the ballot in September.
"This is a big deal," Senate President Alan Lasee, R-DePere, for more than 30 years one of the Legislature's staunchest death penalty advocates, said after the 20-13 vote. "We've never gotten this far on this issue...."
Opponents make the usual argument against the death penalty:
"There is absolutely no foolproof, positive, 100 percent guarantee in the world that we will ever have a system that will never execute an innocent person," said Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D- Middleton. "One out of a billion and the system is flawed."
After spending time with criminals, even the worst of the worst, at the Department of Corrections last summer, and talking to DOC officials from states with the death penalty, I have a new perspective.
It is so easy to vote for the death penalty. The act of voting in a little box in your local gymnasium or town hall is far, far away from the point where a convicted criminal loses his life. I think that, if we want the death penalty, we should bring it a little closer. Make it a little more real.
I propose that, in Wisconsin, the death penalty be carried out by the people of state, jury duty style. The execution would be carried out by a panel average citizens, drafted to do their civic duty. If a man were sentenced to die, it would be they who flip the switch, or turn on the machine, or inject the fluid that takes his life. That would make it a little more real. It would make this advisory referendum mean something.
The UW-Law School this week switched to a new network. That network disagreed with my computer, big time.
My internet connection was gone. My network connection was gone. If I merely tried to connect, the network would punish me by locking up my computer, stone cold. If I thought about connecting, the network would somehow invade my brain, making me hit the reset button on the back of my skull, which is painful.
So, I struggled to regain my domain over the internet. I enlisted the help of friends. I downloaded updates. Service packs. Drivers. Other drivers.
By five p.m., it looked like it was all over. And then, I triumphed. I found the answer. The internet is mine, once again!
Sure, the connection problems were probably my fault. I didn't keep my computer updated properly. Nerds would have scoffed at woeful state of my laptop. I probably still have all sorts of issues that are neatly hidden away, waiting to frustrate at a later day. But I don't care. The beginning of the day was a disaster. Tonight, I celebrate victory!
I also celebrate by once again linking you to important news like this.
State Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, says he is shocked that the University of Wisconsin System had 40 felons on its payroll last fall.
But why shouldn't felons be productively employed after they have paid for their crimes?
Study after study shows that when former convicts do not find work, some get desperate and return to criminal activity. That means more taxpayer money spent on prosecution and prisons and more insecurity for the rest of society...
Clearly, if felons are working on UW campuses in jobs related to their crimes, the System should be called to account. Yet, where the System is giving felons a second chance without jeopardizing safety, it deserves praise.
Job #1 at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections these days is trying to give inmates the skills and opportunities to get a job.
Suder's plan is to employ criminal background checks for University workers. Yet, what happens if the background check reveals that an applicant is a felon? If the applicant is the best qualified, shouldn't the University hire him? Shouldn't every employer?
Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 7:38 PM by A.J. Romens
The New York Times is once again demonstrating they will pick up on something cool in one month or less, or your money back. This time, it is movie trailer parodies of Brokeback Mountain. The paper features a still from my favorite of all the spoofs, and what I consider the greatest fake movie trailer of all time, "Brokeback to the Future."
In the scene that the parodists borrow, Marty introduces Dr. Brown (Christopher Lloyd), saying, "This is my 'uh' Doc. My uncle. Doc!" In the new framework, this introduction sounds like the confused, stammering introduction that a closeted young man might make of his older boyfriend, whom he's trying to pass off as a boss, an associate, an uncle.
