Toledo City Govt's top achievements in 2003 - Symbolic, meaningless, waste-of-time accomplishments in 2003 by Toledo City Council and the Mayor. - More>>
posted by jr to politics at 2:49 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

End-of-year economic news - New jobless claims lowest of Bush tenure. On Monday, NASDAQ topped 2000 for the first time in almost two years. Most states no longer facing budget deficits.
posted by jr to business at 1:41 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Special license plates for drunks - I think the DUI plates is a great idea: public humiliation for drunk drivers. "... first-time drunken-driving offenders who must use yellow license plates with red numbers if a judge grants you limited driving privileges while under suspension. The head of the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission refers to the license plates as the "Scarlet Letter," an allusion to the 1850 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne about a woman ordered to wear the letter A as punishment for adultery."
posted by jr to news at 1:25 P.M. EST     1 comment

Government control over our eating habits? - Gorge yourself this holiday season while you can. If government is thinking about it, then it will be just a matter of time before legislation is passed that dictates how we eat. If someone told you 10-20 years ago that government would one day ban smoking in bars, would you have believed that person? "For the soaring number of Americans who are becoming dangerously overweight, states and cities across the country want to help. With the U.S. Surgeon General calling obesity an epidemic, legislators nationwide are offering measures to encourage healthy food choices and ban the worst temptations." - More>>
posted by jr to health at 3:06 P.M. EST     1 comment

Smoking ban 'really' begins - Just in time for holiday break. "Toledo’s smoking ban went into full force [Monday]. The ban affects about 1,500 bars, restaurants, and bowling alleys in the city. For many bar patrons, it’s nearly impossible to separate alcohol and tobacco. Like hamburgers and french fries, they just go together." - More>>
posted by jr to culture at 2:27 P.M. EST     2 comments

UT men's hoops off to good start - After hammering Wright State Monday night, the UT men's basketball team is 7-1. In the Wright State game, "... UT sets school record with 17 three-point field goals. UT shot 58.1 percent for the game to raise its season field-goal percentage to 48.5 percent. The Rockets are now averaging 80.5 points per game and outscoring their opposition by an average of 12.3 points per game. The Rockets will next be in action on Tuesday, Dec. 30 with a trip to legendary Freedom Hall to face No. 20 Louisville (5-1)."
posted by jr to sports at 2:08 P.M. EST     1 comment

Detroit Lions set NFL record for futility - "The Lions took their place in the National Football League’s record book by doing what they do best — losing on the road. For the 24th consecutive time away from home, Detroit lost a game. The Lions’ last road win was a 10-7 decision over the New York Jets on Dec. 17, 2000, when Gary Moeller was the coach." The one common thread during the losing streak: Matt Millen. "At this point, [Lions’ owner William Clay] Ford must fess up and admit he made a mistake in giving Millen keys to his car, even though Millen didn’t have any driving experience. Millen has crashed. The franchise is in need of serious repair."
posted by jr to sports at 8:40 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Ohio House opposes gay marriage - This is week-old news now, but I don't understand the arguments against gay marriage. None of them make any sense to me. There are worse problems in the world than worrying about gay marriages. Let the gays marry. "The legislation changes Ohio's existing marriage statute to add: 'A marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman' and declare that extending benefits for unmarried partners to state employees, whether of the same or opposite sex, is against state policy. It also says Ohio would not recognize same-sex marriages entered in other states." Stupid thinking Ohio. - More>>
posted by jr to culture at 5:01 P.M. EST     1 comment

Marcy Kaptur's most recent brain-fart comments - Last Sunday, Marcy Kaptur said on AM 1370 WSPD that the Middle East was better with Saddam Hussein in command of Iraq. Marcy claimed Saddam killed terrorists. Marcy said Saddam was the "bulwark" against Middle East terrorism. Marcy said, "I think that Saddam's capture, in some ways, is irrelevant." I wish WSPD would make the audio available, or at least post a transcript of the interview. Put these comments alongside Marcy's March 1st comments where she said the terrorists are like our Founding Fathers.
posted by jr to politics at 4:24 P.M. EST     10 comments

Heart disease in women - "500,000 women die from heart disease each year. Many women believe breast cancer to be the number one killer. One in every 2.4 deaths among women is from heart disease; one in 29 women will die of breast cancer. Heart disease has been the number one killer for nearly 100 years. It kills 65,000 more women then men each year, and increasingly, it's a young woman's disease, killing more women under 45 than any other disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
posted by jr to health at 3:39 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Lions need to dump Matt Millen - Detroit Lions president Matt Millen: "He oversees a franchise that has spiraled downward to a 9-37 record under his watch. He called one of his Detroit Lions a "devout coward" in a radio interview last year. He has cleared out some talented veterans with no apparent or good plan to replace them. Many of his free-agent signings have been dismal, short-sighted and costly. Finally, this past Sunday, he used a derogatory term for gay males during an exchange with ex-Lion Johnnie Morton, now a receiver with the Kansas City Chiefs." Millen called Morton a faggot. Millen gave a lame apology. So far, Matt has not been fined. Morons.org explains why he should be punished. - More>>
posted by jr to sports at 3:21 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

And we never landed on the moon - The black helicopter, conspiracy theorist nutballs are oozing from the earth's crevices. X-Files theme song playing. "On Seattle radio yesterday, Rep. Jim McDermott [Democrat] questioned the timing of Saddam Hussein's capture, saying, 'I'm sure they could have found him a long time ago if they wanted to. I've been surprised they waited, but then I thought, well, politically, it probably doesn't make much sense to find him just yet. There's too much by happenstance for it to be just a coincidental thing that it happened on this particular day. I think the fact is that the administration has been desperate to find something (positive), and this came up.' " Obviously, poor Jimmy is off his meds.
posted by jr to politics at 5:03 P.M. EST     2 comments

Horrible reading report card for TPS 4th graders - This fall's reading achievement test results for Ohio's public schools are available. "Among Ohio's six urban school districts, Toledo Public's 27 percent passing rate for fourth graders was the third best." How about that spin: "third best." Only 27 percent passed? Statewide, only 50 percent of the fourth graders passed. Statewide for third graders, 53 percent passed. I never realized it was this bad. Turn off the TV, get a library card, rent some books for free, and read. Simple and cheap. Of course, parents would have to get involved too. But no, the school officials' solution is to raise taxes. - More>>
posted by jr to education at 5:32 P.M. EST     2 comments

Parental training for problem teens - "In the Toledo area, parents of strong-willed or out-of-control adolescent children can get special training to manage teen behavior problems on the home front. Called the Parent Project, the training program teaches concrete identification, prevention, and intervention strategies to deal with some of the most destructive adolescent behaviors, such as poor school attendance and performance, alcohol and other drug use, gangs, runaways, and violence. Since the program was introduced locally in 2001, 90 parents have attended the Parent Project classes. Some courts mandate that parents and teens take Parent Project classes. The cost is $100 for one parent and $20 for the second parent. The cost for a teen to attend separate classes is $100."
posted by jr to parenting at 3:59 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Michigan budget cuts - "Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s executive order that cuts $379.8 million from the state budget won approval yesterday from the House and Senate appropriations committees. ... more lean times for schools and municipalities. Public school districts will get between $90 and $100 less per pupil from the state, resulting in millions of dollars in cuts for larger districts. Michigan counties, municipalities, and townships will lose 5 percent of their state revenue sharing funding this fiscal year." Estimated loss for area counties: Hillsdale $42,818, Lenawee $91,699, Monroe $133,603.
posted by jr to news at 3:51 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Toledo ranks low in 'sleep' - There's a survey on just about anything. "A recent survey on the best and worst cities for sleep ranks Toledo 82nd on the top 100 list. The best rest in Ohio is in Cincinnati, but its still not a good rest, the queen city finished 51st. The worst place to sleep in the U.S. is New Haven, Conn. The best city, perhaps a nap on the beach, is Honolulu."
posted by jr to other at 11:32 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

UT students upset over housing law - And for good reason. College tuition and enrollment keep rising, so a way to save cash and space would be to share a residence. This law seems like another example of Toledo's intolerance towards the Creative Class. Was the Byrne Hill Estates issue a factor here? "Toledo zoning law forbids more than three unrelated people who are not considered a "functional family" from living together in a single-family home or a unit of a duplex unless they have a special-use permit. [Guy Beeman, student government president] said the law could affect thousands of students and should be repealed or amended so more students, perhaps five, could live together. A better alternative, he said, would be increased enforcement of the laws targeting poor behavior."
posted by jr to news at 11:19 A.M. EST     5 comments

Windmills kill birds - Bowling Green now has one or two of these windmills. Interesting. Environmentalists clamor for alternative energy sources. They got something 20 years ago with a wind farm near San Francisco. But now the environmentalists have changed their mind. "Two organizations seek to block the renewal of permits for nearly 1,400 wind towers – for the sake of birds. An estimated 22,000 have died due to run-ins with the structures' blades, including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and other raptors." - More>>
posted by jr to environment at 2:59 A.M. EST     4 comments

Lieberman going after 'Big Doughnut' - It's definitely a 2004 Toledo City Council issue after their Water-is-Wet resolution. Council forced their smoking ban on Toledo for public health reasons. It makes sense for Council to follow Lieberman's lead by attacking Big Doughnut. An addictive chemical is used in the glaze of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Alcohol, fast food, junk food, all of it needs controlled or banned by the government to improve our health, since we are too dumb to know any better. I think we all knew this would happen. I wonder how this will affect Joe's lead in Ohio? - More>>
posted by jr to health at 10:08 P.M. EST     2 comments

Parents support school uniforms - "Nearly 80 percent of parents who responded to a Toledo Public Schools questionnaire at teacher conferences last week favored a district-wide uniform policy. Peter Silverman, president of the board of education, said he expects the board to adopt uniforms for elementary schools." The comments opposing the policy are lame. - More>>
posted by jr to education at 4:42 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Area network of angel investors - "A group of local investors will serve as angels for companies in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan that need money to start up or expand. [It] has several private investors who will screen applicants and decide individually whether to lend personal money to businesses. Such networks exist in bigger cities but are more unusual in towns the size of Toledo. CoreNetwork has 27 investors who each have a net worth of at least $1 million or annual income of $200,000 for at least three years. Although the network is open to any type of business start-up, spin-off, or expansion, typically riskier ventures with less of a proven record are expected to be its customers. A typical investment probably will be $200,000 to $2.5 million."
posted by jr to business at 12:12 P.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

Why move a business to the burbs - from downtown Toledo? This article about downtown engineering firm SSOE, Inc. provides a little insight. "... the suburban option is an attractive one, with closer parking, more safety, and more reliable electricity. SSOE said it is being offered significant incentives, including at least one location offering a 10-year tax abatement, and without the 2.25-percent wage tax levied on all employees." - More>>
posted by jr to business at 5:08 P.M. EST     3 comments

Another worthless action by Toledo City Council - "Toledo City Council members who wrote an anti-Patriot Act resolution introduced a stripped-down version yesterday aimed at answering Mayor Jack Ford’s objections. Co-sponsors Peter Gerken and Frank Szollosi, both Democrats, said they hope for a vote at council’s next meeting Tuesday. The resolution criticizes the 2001 anti-terrorism law as a threat to civil liberties, especially of Arab, Muslim, and southeast Asian immigrants."
posted by jr to politics at 4:55 P.M. EST     1 comment

TV viewing habits - [via MarketingWonk.com] "Young people - especially men and women 18-24 - may be abandoning the tube, but television apparently still holds an attraction for children 2-11. Total day usage for children 2-11 is at a five-year high for October." Comments from the MW editor, "While those among us with both working brains and operable apposable thumbs seem to be moving to more involved media consumption - like interacting with one another, reading and using the Internet - we all need a place we can park the rugrats for a bit."
posted by jr to entertainment at 11:31 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment

TPS health plan talks continuing - A week before the levy vote, Toledo Public School teachers agreed to accept health insurance co-pays. Agreed to discuss the issue, that is. The teachers were suppose to vote on the issue in December. That's been delayed. For any real savings to be realized, all of the TPS unions need to participate. "The Toledo Federation of Teachers has not scheduled a membership vote to accept medical co-payments because the district and its unions continue to discuss broader terms of potential health insurance savings. The delay has allowed the district to expand health insurance reform beyond the teachers’ union." - More>>
posted by jr to education at 11:06 A.M. EST     No comments     Post a comment