Today I decided to take up some new hobbies.  I have many hobbies these days so why not add more?  Many that know me know I like to try new things, so I decided to learn some extreme sports: moto-cross jumping and rattlesnake wrangling.

You may ask “Jim, Why such dangerous things and how do the two mix?” Well it’s simple really, no one has ever done moto-cross tricks while wrangling rattlesnakes.  When’s the last time you saw a person do backflips with a moto-cross bike and wrangle rattlesnakes?  Never!

I like to challenge myself and look forward to this new part of my athletic endeavors. I was inspired to do this by Sloof Lirpa, a world renowned athlete that base jumps while rattlesnake wrangling.  Sloof Lirpa is from the tiny town of Ekojasisiht in Norway.

For those in PETA: No rattlesnakes will be in danger or harmed since I will be learning from the best, the man, Sloof Lirpa at his Ekojasisiht training facility.

Another large, horrific campus shooting spree occured earlier today, less than a year after the horrific day at Virginia Tech. This one was closer to home at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. It’s about 60 miles West of Chicago.

My prayers go out to the victims, families and students of NIU. I think my post back on the day of the Virginia Tech tragedy sums up my thoughts on the news today. Rather than repeating the post, just check it out here in my archives.

A local man who was a victim of the Virginia Tech spree had some wise words for the students of NIU. Garrett Evans said:

“The challenge is to forgive the gunman. It seems hard to do that, but you have to forgive so that you can heal.”

Well said Garrett.

Photos of the NIU scene here.

The latest daily talking points the media seems to be harping on is the so-called impending doom of a recession. While I try to stay away from politics and the economy in this blog (for my own sanity), I just had to broach this topic.

I’m tired of hearing the media/pundits scream and pout that a recession is on the horizon or already here in the U.S. While I don’t claim to be any sort of financial expert (far from it), I think I have enough common sense and basic business/economics acumen to see most signs do not point down the recession road as much as they would like us to think.

Even the curmudgeon Andy Rooney, who is the definition of a pessemist, said last night on “60 Minutes” that he doesn’t think there is a recession, while at the same time making fun of the Wall Street Journal.

“I don’t know anything about economics but I don’t think what we’re in is a Depression - or even a recession - whatever the difference is.”

Ironically today’s commentary essentially agrees with Mr. Rooney’s statement that we are not in a recession.

Check out “The Economy Is Fine (Really)” in today’s Wall Street Journal by Brian Wesbury. Brian is chief economist for First Trust Portfolios, L.P. here in Chicagoland. A common sense approach is needed when evaluating today’s US economy. This commentary summed it up concisely in my opinion.

Short but classic dumb criminal story:

“MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Two Australian robbers were sentenced Tuesday for their April Fools Day heist at the Cuckoo Restaurant, where they thought they were hauling away a big sack of cash that turned out to be bread rolls. Benjamin Jorgensen, 38, and his accomplice Donna Hayes, 36, were sentenced in Victorian County Court after pleading guilty to robbing the restaurant in the southern Australian city of Melbourne on April 1 last year.

During the holdup, Jorgensen grabbed what he believed was a bag with the Cuckoo’s cash earnings of about $26,000, but later found it was full of bread rolls, the court heard.

He also fired his gun accidentally in the caper, shooting Hayes in the buttocks.

Judge Roland Williams told the robbers they were a “pair of fools,” before sentencing Hayes to eight years in prison and Jorgensen to seven.

Earlier this week, defense lawyer Greg Thomas said Jorgensen had been under the influence of drugs at the time, had made a full admission to police and was remorseful, News Ltd. newspapers reported.”

A regular Bonnie and Clyde? Not so much…

There are a number of levels of humor in this one.

1. The heist took place on April Fools Day last year. Not getting off to a good start in the whole planning thing…

2. Grabbing a bag of bread rolls which they was thought was really full of cash. Nice job looking in the bag…. Hopefully the rolls were fresh and tasty…

3. Accidentally shooting the accomplice in the bum. Well it could be worse… I’m sure that Ms. Hayes does not write any love letters to good ol’ Benjamin…

4. Ms Hayes got a longer prison sentence. The mastermind? Really? I’d expect this kind of numbskullery from the guy. Especially since he was the one on drugs…

5. They held up a restaurant named “Cuckoo”. ‘Nuff said…

Its been a while since I posted maily due to being on vacation and busy times this summer. Nothing like getting back into the groove with this article in the Washington Post yesterday that is quite a surreal tale of an attempted robbery. What robbery ends with the intruder apologizing for breaking in to the wrong place, sipping wine and getting a group hug? Ha! Sounds like something from a Saturday Night Live sketch, but this really happened.

Photo Credit: Vincent Ma

The senseless, horrific massacre that occurred on the Virginia Tech campus this morning was shocking and tragic to say the least. My prayers and sympathy go out to the families, friends and acquaintances of the Virginia Tech students and faculty that perished today.

I can never know their pain and loss, especially given the horrific magnitude and circumstances of this situation. I do know what it is to lose a friend in shocking, vaguely similar circumstances. When reading about the first shooting online at the office this morning, I immediately thought of what happen to my friend Jay Severson about 10 years ago.

During my senior year as student at Purdue University, Jay was an RA for a dorm floor and was murdered at the entrance to his room by a student that he had caught with drugs. The student took his own life after a standoff with police however that situation never escalated to anything like today.

I remember every detail of that day and the many days followed like they were yesterday. I remember the shock, pain, disbelief, sadness and the questions. Questions that were eventually answered as to what happened, but others that will never be answered in this life. I’m not a counselor, but I can say from experience to the students, especially those that may have lost someone today to make sure to talk to each other, your parents, to counselors, to ministers and most importantly to God.

I have never once felt anger at the student who took Jay’s life, even though his actions caused such great heartache and loss in Jay’s family and large net of friends, in addition to his own family and friends. All I could do was forgive him and pray for his family. I’ve been asked how in the world I did no feel angry at that student? I can only explain it as God’s grace. As time has gone by I have chosen, through God’s help, to focus on the good times with my friend Jay rather than the circumstances of his death (which I will never forget).

My prayer for the families and friends of the Virginia Tech victims is they will be able to focus on the good times with those they have lost and that God comfort them in this time of grief.

Update: Photos tell the story.

I was happy to see that today Chicago won the right to be the U.S. bid for the 2016 Olympics! About a year ago, when this process was starting, here in Chicagoland it was not thought to be serious. However as time went by, interest and backing within the area grew. When Chicago became a finalist with L.A. , it became even more interesting as to how realistic the chances were. Clearly they made a great impression on the USOC, as I assumed L.A. would win since they had hosted previous Olympics and had some supporters on the voting board for the bid.

The last cities to host the Summer Olympics in the U.S. were Atlanta: Nice place… but is not a big sports town and is not in the same league as Chicago. L.A.: Smog… horrible transportation system… and again.. not a big sports town. If these places hosted Olympics it in the past, I certainly like Chicago’s chances to outshine them in 2016!

Now comes 2 more years of lobbying the International Olympic Committee before the final choice its made. Anyone who knows Chicago or has lived here are aware that there are no better people to lobby and schmooze people like Daley and his minions. Locals know that the most scrutinized part of this process will be funding and who in Mayor Daley’s machine of cronies will profit from this. I think most people locally will support it as long as they don’t get hit with more taxes to pay for it or scandals that seem to hit everyone Daley knows.

While that seems inevitable, I would personally like to see the Olympics in this area. Chicago is a great sports town and a beautiful city with plans to have many of the Olympic events or near on the lakefront. Even the proposed Olympic village will be on Lake Shore Drive. While this is still yet not a reality, it’s exciting to think how Chicago can hit the world stage to display what a beautiful and fun place Chi-town is especially during the summer.

Here is video from CNN on 9/11/2001, live (time condensed) video as it happened that day.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Thanks to HotAir

I have intentionally not posted on Iraq because I’m not interested in getting into that much on this blog. From time to time however, I like to share an article covering facts that seem to be skimmed over or ignored by the media.

Read this article in World Magazine titled “On Borrowed Time: Captured memo shows terrorist leaders realize they are fighting against the clock.” By John Dawson. I have quoted the article below:

“While Washington lawmakers were debating an exit strategy for the United States’ prolonged engagement in Iraq, terrorist leaders may well have been cheering them on. That’s because when it comes to measuring the insurgency’s success in war-torn Iraq, enemy leaders and many American politicians don’t seem to see eye to eye.

Documents found during a raid on a former safe house of super terrorist Abu Masab al-Zarqawi and released after his June 7 death suggest the terror leader didn’t think the insurgency was as strong as some Washington pols say it is. Instead, the letter, penned by Zarqawi himself or someone close to him, reveals an insurgency nerve center worried about a prolonged engagement and the rise of the Iraqi National Guard.

The prevailing wisdom among administration critics on Capitol Hill maintains that time has worked against coalition forces in Iraq. Prolonged conflict, they say, gives insurgents an edge as continued casualties eventually will turn the American public against the war effort and the Shiite majority against the new Iraqi government.

After House Republicans pushed through an early June resolution rejecting an “arbitrary date” for withdrawal, Senate Democrats tried to pass a nonbinding resolution calling on President Bush to set a timetable for removing all U.S. forces from the Iraq theater.

“The administration’s policy to date—that we’ll be there for as long as Iraq needs us—will result in Iraq’s depending upon us longer,” said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, during a Senate debate on setting a timetable for withdrawal. “Three and a half years into the conflict, we should tell the Iraqis that the American security blanket is not permanent.”

Terror leaders inside Iraq apparently see things differently. In the preamble of what appeared to be a strategy memo composed by Zarqawi’s organization, the terrorist leaders of the Iraqi insurgency declared time to be working against them.

“As an overall picture, time has been an element in affecting negatively the forces of the occupying countries, due to the losses they sustain economically in human lives, which are increasing with time. However, here in Iraq, time is now beginning to be of service to the American forces and harmful to the resistance,” the seized document stated. In particular, the memo pegged the mass arrests of insurgents and the freezing of terrorists’ assets as prime reasons insurgency leaders believe they are failing.

(more…)

Lou Dobbs had an very interesting commentary about the illegal immigrant protests today. Read it here. It is revealing and thought provoking.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg felt like taking a 15 minute “cat nap” during a hearing today. I wonder if she had a pillow to make it a little more comfortable for her to sleep in our highest court. The picture on the left depicts this funny scene.

It seems highly technical matters of political redistricting in Texas do not interest her. It wouldn’t interest me much either, but it’s her job to be interested because of the importance of her position. Not to mention the importance of her ruling.

Just a thought for the Justice: Drink more coffee and maybe a Red Bull or two.

The recent injuries suffered by ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt in Iraq have been all over the news this past week. All of the networks, cable news, and even local news channels were making it a top story.

I certainly hope they both make a full recovery and am glad that their families did not lose them. I have great respect for anyone who puts themselves in harms way when they are not required to.

That being said, I have been frustrated to see the obsessive over-coverage of this incident. I realize Bob Woodruff is a recognizable face to many because he is a national news anchor. But what really irked me was how the media gave relentless coverage of this for days on end. What about the our brave military soldiers over there? Did they cover the incidents where our soldiers died that day?

Bob Woodruff is not any more important or any more brave than our great military personnel there in Iraq and around the world.

In fact, he’s not even in the same league as our troops. But with the coverage of this incident, it seems the media thinks that Woodruff is more important. He is not. Our military faces those incidents and attacks every day! He travels over there to cover the war, for a very short time and some how he’s a hero? Yet again proof that the media has no clue about what is important. Their self-important mindset is sad and disgraceful. I really hope and pray that they will change someday.

I came across this article the other day and I completely agree with it. It really echoed what I have felt since this story broke. Our troops deserve better recognition for their efforts and sacrifice.