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Archives: March 01 - 10, 2008 |
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Saturday, March 01, 2008
Warning: Repeating again my frequent warning that a person often has to face public scrutiny for what he posts on the internet, please be advised as follows: Gang leader “Bird Road Rudy” Villanueva is now going to be “getting some” - after uploading a taunting YouTube video, in which he invited certain law enforcement officers to . . . “come get some.” According to a story in the Miami Herald, “Bird Road Rudy” was a convicted felon at the time of his rather enthusiastic invitation, in which video he personally brandished several weapons . . . and that’s a big federal law “no no.” Villanueva will be sentenced in May on a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a penalty of up to 10-years in prison.
Warning, Warning: If you’re a professional baseball player and you are invited to Italy anytime soon . . . don’t go! Italy’s highest appeals court has ruled that it IS a criminal offense for men to scratch certain itches in public, according to an article in The Guardian. The defendant in the case was fined and ordered to pay court costs - even after his attorney suggested that his client’s conduct was merely a "compulsive, involuntarily movement, probably to adjust his overalls."
Warming, Warning, Warning: You may disagree with me from time to time, but please - for your own good - never, ever mess with me on the internet. If you do, I will send Bird Road Rudy over to your house to pay you a visit (after first springing him from jail on appeal, of course). Or, if you’re a man - my people will simply apprehend you and ship you over to Italy, where - if you really are a man and left to your own devices - you will most assuredly run in to trouble, sooner or later.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Wish I Were THERE: Today, more than anything, I wish I were in Los Angeles to run . . . the City of Los Angeles Marathon. It’s one of the unchecked “experience” items on my lifetime wish list. Everyone should have such a list. It keeps you hopeful.
If I Were “Running” Today - and if I had this man’s credentials - I would run as . . . Steve Novick, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Oregon. Please check out Mr. Novick’s refreshing television campaign ads, available via YouTube. Ad 1: “To Tell The Truth.” Ad 2: “Beer With Steve.”
Politics As [Un]usual: I confess. I was a political candidate once . . . in 1996. I actually enjoyed my experience (overall) as the Democratic nominee for Effingham County State’s Attorney. When the year 2000 rolled around, however, I just didn’t have the money to repeat the effort. Especially in view of some rather well-funded primary opposition.
I remain very proud of the accomplishments of my ‘96 campaign. I was the first candidate to take a risk and openly support the Effingham Unit 40 high school construction referendum (others followed suit, but significantly afterward). My chief fundraising event helped to assist victims of domestic violence. My campaign commercials were issues-oriented, but upbeat and quirky. I debated well and honestly . . . even on my politically unpopular view against the death penalty. Very importantly, my opponent and I each ran a squeaky clean campaign. Even more importantly - as my opponent now sheepishly is forced to concede - compared to HIS slacker offerings, I threw out much better parade candy. [I also presented much better “theme music” - parade tuneage yet unequaled in these parts, if I do say so myself. For example, I created a cheesy entry theme of “Nightmare on Crime Street” - a parody of Will Smith’s “Nightmare On My Street” - for our local Halloween Parade. Uh . . . guess you had to be there]. Will I ever run again? Probably not. But one thing I’ve learned through the years is that you never say never.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Caffeine In Athletics: Most of my running friends know that I am strongly opposed to the taking of drugs for the purpose of enhancing athletic performance. But I am aware of several locals (outstanding people otherwise) who routinely ingest caffeine to boost their running times. Intuitively to me, this practice runs contrary to the spirit of athletic achievement and the goal of physical fitness and well being. Which is why I was pleased to see an article in the Chicago Tribune this weekend warning of caffeine’s many dangers. I was very disappointed to learn last year that a running publication to which I subscribe, Peak Running Performance, repeatedly has advocated the taking of caffeine supplements to improve distance running performance. I think that we should all just recognize this practice for what it really is: wrong . . . in addition to being dangerous.
Travel Time: I am headed to deep Southern Illinois (Vienna - in Johnson County) this morning to assist a truck driver friend in a traffic court matter. I should be back in the office early this afternoon.
Running: I am still trying to get my running “mojo” back, after crashing only 30-minutes into my previous effort on Sunday morning. This evening, I put in 60-minute of continuous running inside my office building . . . and I once again felt better.
Running Music: “Pocket Full Of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield. Love the lyrics.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Youth Is Served: Young people seem to be focus of our next few journal entries. Firstly, the kiddies are getting yet another day off from school. Yesterday, it was the Casmir Pulaski holiday. Today, it’s the icy weather.
Youth To Be Served? Movements are afoot in several states right now to lower the drinking age to 18. However, none of the efforts - including one such movement in nearby Missouri - appears to have gained significant support. As expected, some of the discussion centers on the youthfulness of U.S. soldiers serving in the Middle East.
Youth In Service . . . In The Legal System: I am always pleased when I see the concept of “Youth Court” receiving good publicity, as well as an accurate explanation. “Youth Court” receives both this week in a feature article in the Southern Illinoisan newspaper. Effingham County’s own “Youth Justice” program has been a productive venture for several years now and functions similarly to the Perry County system - as that system was described in the Southern Illinoisan. For more information on “Youth Justice,” please contact the Effingham County Probation Department.
Running Music: “No Air” - Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Beautiful love song, nice video, wonderful lyrics. But I’m dedicating this one to my lungs and the rest of my body after 90-minutes of continuous running this evening. Actually, I was very pleased with the workout. Weather permitting (?), tomorrow will be our first official day of boys track practice at Effingham High School. I’m guessing we’ll be indoors.
Of course, one of the reasons that I am in training is to perform well in a marathon - although as of right now I’m not even sure which marathon(s) I’ll be entering this year. Speaking of which, a student at the University of Southern California wrote a humorous blow-by-blow account this week of her experiences in the recently concluded Los Angeles Marathon.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Overzealousness: Every once in a while, a prosecutor or a law enforcement officer will make the mistake of “overcharging” an incident, i.e., making a mountain out of a molehill. This apparently was the case recently in Martin County, Florida . . . where a goofy defendant cursed at a police dog and now faces an “animal cruelty” charge. Police say the defendant yelled an obscene statement as he walked past a patrol car, thereby - according to a sworn statement - “causing (the dog’s) behavior to become overloaded, tormenting the dog.” In reaction to the charging decision, internet postings have decidedly favored the defense. Wrote one poster: “No wonder the court system is a disaster. Swearing at a dog? What’s next? An arrest because you looked at a rabbit funny?”
Running Music: “Every Day” by Rascal Flatts. It’s an uplifting song about the kind of person who often is our greatest helper in life. The tune - which I previously had not heard - was the musical highlight of my 60-minute run this morning.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Overzealousness - Part II: Of course, some law enforcement officers have their reasons ($) for “overzealous” behavior. Take, for example, the case of a Michigan police officer who wrote more than 2,300 tickets last year for purported stop sign violations. That’s an average of nearly nine stop sign tickets per day and - as a result - a lot of overtime pay for court appearances. Hmmmm.
Overzealousness - Part III? Anyone who has represented a student at school disciplinary proceedings - as I have from time to time - must recognize one unmistakable fact. Getting school officials to seriously reconsider their disciplinary decisions is next-to-impossible. A 17-year old from Connecticut is learning this lesson now in a federal appeals court case. The student claims officials at her school violated her free speech rights when they banned her from serving as a student council member following her internet posting of some mildly nasty comments - from her home computer.
UNDERzealousness: A Northern Illinois woman was apparently so unenthused over a recent call to jury duty that she allegedly threatened to blow up the DuPage County Courthouse. She currently is being held in custody . . . in lieu of $ 50,000-dollars bail, according to a report in this morning’s Chicago Tribune.
Running: One of the last things I did today was put in 90-minutes of continuous running at my office - from 8:10 to 9:40 p.m. It was a struggle, but now that’s it “in the bank” I feel very good about today’s effort(s).
Friday, March 07, 2008
Animal Cruelty - What It MIGHT Look Like: For internet surfers confused by Wednesday’s lead story, here’s a case of actual (as opposed to imaginary) animal cruelty. Professional golfer Tripp Isenhour is facing criminal charges for killing a hawk with a golf ball - reportedly on purpose - last December in Florida.
Congrats! All the years of hard work have finally paid off for local track and cross country star Matthew Feldhake of Effingham. Matt will compete for the Eastern Illinois University Panthers next year . . . on a well-deserved athletic scholarship!
A Little Advice Concerning Traffic-Related Bond Postings: When you receive a traffic citation, it’s always best to post extra cash as bond - rather than your drivers license - if possible. There are reasons for this advice, some of which were pointed out this morning in the Chicago Tribune. Several officials believe that the state’s antiquated system of posting cash bond on traffic allegations should be ended.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
An Enjoyable Appearance: I made a brief unscheduled appearance yesterday as “Scott The Attorney” on the “Bondsy and Jenny In The Morning” show on KISS-FM (99.7) out of Springfield, Ill. Paternity and child support were our topics, and the general conclusions were as follows: 1. If at all in doubt, it’s important to get DNA testing. It’s easy and it’s cheap (now) - usually costing somewhere less than $ 100.00-dollars. [Also, knowledge of hereditary factors could turn out to be priceless, health-wise, for the child]. 2. “Child support” is a right belonging solely to the child, not either parent. Note: The radio hosts’ questions were very relevant and appropriate, and the program was fun - as expected.
Carbondale: With a handful of members of the Effingham High School Boys Track Team, I journeyed down to the Southern Illinois University High School Indoor Track & Field Invitational this morning. None of our guys did as well as they had wanted, I’m sure, but it was a great experience just to participate in this huge event, as always. Interestingly, Connie Price - Smith, S.I.U. - C.’s head track coach, who presided over the invitational, is a former Olympic athletic who will be headed to Beijing for this summer’s Olympic Games as an assistant coach for the USA.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Lighter Later: Daylight Saving Time kicked in here at 02:00 a.m. today. The bad news is that we lost an hour of sleep and that it’s now darker in the morning. The good news is that the official scheduled time of sunset here this evening is 06:56 p.m.
Congratulations, Son! Some guy named Rob Ealy, a senior at the University of Illinois, has taken up running recently. This year likely will be his first full year of racing events (5 or more). Yesterday, he finished an impressive 21st out of 123 total runners in the Earth, Wind & Fire 5K event in Champaign - Urbana. [Robert is actually 22-years old, not 14 as reported in the online race results]. Prediction: Rob will be running sub-20:00 5Ks by the end of the summer.
Behind The Music - Hey There . . .Olympic Running Person: “Hey There Delilah,” a sweet but narcissistic No. 1 record by the Plain White T’s (sic) in July of 2007 actually was written about a runner. The T’s lead singer, Tom Higgenson, reportedly penned “Delilah” after developing a crush on Delilah DiCrescenzo, a Chicago area distance runner who is attempting to qualify this year for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 3,000 meter steeplechase event.
Another Posting - Another Case Solved: It’s becoming quite a phenomenon. In the latest episode of what could be called “Stupid Criminals,” police in New York have charged four high school students with first degree gang assault - after one of them posted video images of the crime on YouTube.
Uwe Blab: There’s an enjoyable feature article in this morning’s Decatur Herald & Review / Journal - Gazette / Times Courier newspaper (and now online) catching up with former Effingham High School basketball star Uwe Blab. Blab later played for Bob Knight at the University of Indiana and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. The 7’2 Blab fondly remembers Effingham and apparently is doing well now as a software developer in Texas, with a wife and their three children. The newspaper story includes a basketball promo photo from the '80-'81 season at EHS.
Kicking And Screaming: A most noteworthy addition to the Word Press web site “Stuff White People Like” is an entry titled “Hating (Certain) Corporations.” For more information on the satirical web site “Stuff,” please see our Feb. 20th journal entry. What’s “Stuff” really all about? It’s a satirical yet analytical look at the sad, see-through people in our society who are overly consumed by thoughts of attempting to impress others with their purported coolness.
And Finally: Counting a 60-minute office building run this evening - my second hour run of the day - I now have endured one full week of the Arthur Lydiard marathon training program. In the last three days, I’ve put in long runs totaling four hours. My running mileage for the week totaled approximately 60-miles for the first time in quite a while.
And Further: I now have survived four weeks without any carbonated beverages or McDonald’s / Burger King type fast food - probably for the first time in my life. It’s a Lenten thing. I’d like to be able to say that I’ve really slimmed down in the past month, but I haven’t . . . probably because I’ve been drinking juices and milk rather than low calorie diet soft drinks. Two weeks to go.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Warrant Issued . . . For Attorney: I’ve never seen THIS happen before. A judge in Effingham County issued an arrest warrant late this morning for an out-of-town attorney . . . after the attorney failed to appear in court with his client, following a history of difficulties in an ongoing felony court case. The attorney’s bond was set in the amount of $ 5,000.00-dollars. To my knowledge, the warrant remains outstanding.
Settlement Possible In Pet Food Products Case: A class action lawsuit (with at least one area tie) may be nearing a settlement in federal district court in New Jersey. More than 3700 pets nationwide - including one of my friend’s cats in Effingham County - died last February (2007) after eating pet food that contained toxic melamine, a contaminant in flour that had been imported from China.
Rush, Rush: Today was a rush, but not in the best sense of that word. Scheduling issues had me rushing off to traffic court this morning in Decatur, then rushing back to juvenile court in Effingham, then rushing to Subway to grab a quick bite to eat, then rushing to court (on six different matters) in Vandalia, then rushing back to Effingham for boys track practice at E.H.S.
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