Federal stimulus efforts to encourage “green energy” businesses took a shot to the chops today when Solyndra, a California solar energy company, declared that it will file for bankruptcy protection. Solyndra had received $535 million in federal loan guarantees and was one of 40 concerns that was supported by a Department of Energy program designed [...]
Archive for August, 2011
A Costly Solar Flame-Out
Posted in America, Politics, The Economy, World, tagged America, China, green technology, Politics, Solar Power, Solyndra, World Economy on August 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The Message In An App’s Popularity
Posted in Politics, Technology, tagged Angry Birds App, Fruit Ninja App, iPhone Apps, Obama Clock App, Politics, President Obama, SPY mouse App, Technology on August 31, 2011 | 1 Comment »
What does it mean when an “app” is popular? Does it convey a deep message about social trends? Or, does it only indicate that some iPhone and iPad nerds liked the concept, or the price, or having a hot new “app” to yak endlessly about? It may be worth asking that question, because the “Obama [...]
Let The Games Begin!
Posted in Columbus, Ohio, sports, tagged Big Ten, Buckeye football, Buckeye Nation, college football, Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State, Ohio State Buckeyes, sports, The Best Damn Band In The Land on August 31, 2011 | 2 Comments »
On Saturday, a bit before noon, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team will take the field for the first game of the 2011 season. When The Best Damn Band In The Land marches down the ramp to the cheers of more than 100,000 fans, it will mark the end of what has seemed like the [...]
Snakes In The Trousers
Posted in crime, Humor, tagged Airplanes, crime, Humor, Lacey Act, smuggling, Snakes, Tortoises on August 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Lately there have been a series of curious stories in the news about people trying to smuggle rare animals and birds by storing them on their persons. Such conduct violates the Lacey Act, which prohibits the smuggling of exotic animals. The weirdest attempt, in my view, was by a man in Miami who tried to [...]
The Feds, Below The Mendoza Line
Posted in America, Politics, sports, tagged America, baseball, Federal Government, Gallup Poll, Lawyers, Mendoza Line, Minnie Mendoza, Politics, sports on August 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Cristobal Rigoberto (“Minnie”) Mendoza played for the Minnesota Twins in 1970 and hit .188 for the year. That threshold of futility has come to be known in baseball as the “Mendoza Line.” If you start the season in a slump and begin to pull out of it, crossing the Mendoza Line and getting above .200 [...]
Skeeter In The House
Posted in Dogs, Family, Penny, tagged Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dogs, Family, Penny, Skeeter on August 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
We have a new dog in the house. Her name is Skeeter, and she is a seven-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. In a few days Skeeter will be going to live with Kish’s Mom, who was heartbroken when her longtime canine companion, Effie, died a few months ago. Our hope is that Skeeter will be [...]
The President’s Name Plate
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, FEMA, Politics, President Obama on August 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
President Obama visited FEMA headquarters over the weekend to check out how preparations for Hurricane Irene were going. Oddly, somebody at FEMA thought it would be a good idea to make a name plate for the President and to place it in front of him as he sat at a conference table. You see it [...]
Oh What a Night
Posted in Entertainment, tagged Courter Simmons, Four Seasons, Frankie Valli, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Jersey Boys on August 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
No ordinary Sunday night for some members of the Webner clan which included special guest BJ. We all went by limousine to Cap City diner compliments of Agnes then off to the Ohio Theatre to see the Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys is the wonderful story of blue collar kids – Frankie Valli and the Four [...]
Goodnight, Irene, Goodnight
Posted in weather, tagged Chris Christie, evacuations, Hurricane Irene, Michael Bloomberg, New Jersey, New York City, weather on August 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Hurricane Irene has come and gone. The storm hit the Carolinas, then weakened by the time it moved north to New Jersey and New York. Still, it likely produced billions of dollars in damage, due to flooding and high winds, left millions of people without power, and is being blamed for more than a dozen [...]
Surf Chicago
Posted in Travel, tagged Chicago, Lake Michigan, Oak Street Beach, summer, Travel on August 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Saturday afternoon, Richard, Kish and I took a long walk along the shores of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. What we saw was not the Chicago I’ve come to know during my many wintry visits. It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the 80s and bright blue skies, and the shoreline was hopping. There [...]
Dissing The Benjamins
Posted in America, tagged $100 bills, America, American Currency, American Money, Currency on August 28, 2011 | 1 Comment »
On our quick trip to Chicago to drop some things off to Richard this weekend, we stopped to gas up at a station somewhere in rural northern Indiana. As I was paying at the pump, this sign stopped me in my tracks. What’s wrong with $100 bills, and why would my paying with one affect [...]
Old Blue, Adieu
Posted in Family, tagged clothing, Family, Humor, Jackets on August 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This weekend Richard assumes ownership of Old Blue, a jacket with a curious back story. Kish bought this Eddie Bauer jacket for me about 15 years ago. I call it Old Blue. It’s a perfect jacket for many months of Columbus weather — waterproof, and not too heavy. For some reason, however, Kish has grown [...]
Latin Jazz Lameness
Posted in America, Music, tagged Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, America, Grammys, Latin Jazz, law, Lawsuits, Music on August 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
In April, the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences voted to reduce the number of categories for which “Grammys” are rewarded, from 109 to 78. One of the categories that will be eliminated is “Latin Jazz.” The artists who formerly competed in that genre-specific category will now have to compete in a more general category, [...]
At Summer’s End
Posted in Columbus, tagged Celosias, Columbus, flower beds, Flowers, house and grounds, marigolds, Salvias, Zinnias on August 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Time for an update on our patio flower beds, about three months after planting. The red Salvias were the munching favorites of our furry backyard creatures, but have come on strong in the last few weeks. The little Celosias didn’t do grow appreciably and were routinely pulverized by any heavy rainstorm. The Marigolds did well, [...]
