Washington Street. A much better shot of that crane.

The trouble with electric fences. (Via.)

* A vigil.

* A man and his sign.

* Let it all hang out.

Fourth Street.

* Someone decided a good way to squeeze panhandlers out of downtown would be, instead of giving them money, have businesses give panhandlers cards listing phone numbers and addresses of area agencies that help people. Something tells me that's not really a good idea.

* The Ricketts should have checked with the people from whom they want a government handout for Wrigley Field before trying to go on the attack against Barack Obama. Also:

And in Chicago, a city of 2.7 million where the U.S. Census Bureau says 20 percent of people live in poverty, should the wealthy folks who own Wrigley Field really top the priority list?

* I'm following the NATO protests in Chicago with great interest.

* As if they're not already propagandizing us.

* I gave it a 5.

* I still can't think of car races without thinking of the Sunday Sunday Sunday guy. (More on the man with the voice. Sorry to find out he died in 2010.)

* Sasquatches are more fun than the people who talk about them all the time.

* All right now.............

Cement pond.

* 15 Powerful Things Happy People Do Differently.

* We could watch bastions removal all day, especially now that we know what bastions are.

* A man. A game. Laughing and crying. Life:

[he] sobbed. Not like a baby, but like a grown-ass man assessing his life's meaning in the face of his impending demise. He rambled down the hall, howling: "Aaawww, shit! I never read that like that before!"

Dock Ellis upon hearing his own voice as he read aloud the letter Jackie Robinson wrote him. From What Dock Ellis Taught Me About Drugs, Spitballs, Hair Curlers, Office Culture, Race, And America. Excellent reading. [Via.]

* You gotta move.

When I left the office tonight, this bird was singing on the roof of my building. In case I never mentioned it, cardinals taught me how to whistle.

* Would you sign a lifestyle statement? What if it meant the difference between keeping your job and losing it?

* An American hotel family. I think that story is about ten years old. (Via.)

* If I was in charge of cameras in the courtroom, I'd forget about televising the big trials for now, and just put permanent cameras in small claims, child support, and traffic court with a feed to the public access channel. That's where the real action is. And education.

* There's a lot of rock solid advice for all of us in this commencement address.

* When I was growing up, my mom had an old sewing machine, which we mostly used as a telephone stand in the dining room. Late at night, after I was supposed to be in bed asleep, I would sneak out and park myself under that sewing machine where I had a clear line of vision to the television in the living room. And, unbeknownst to everyone else, I would watch Johnny Carson right along with my parents.

* Tender is the night.

Wouldn't you like this for your next car?

* What women want: Priorities for IL women voters: Jobs and economy, not abortion.

* Happy Mothers Day to all us mothers.

* His mother left him when he was quite young.

So, you've finally reached the age of 73. You're in fairly decent health. You've lived quite a full life. But, instead of playing shuffleboard in Florida, or taking the grandkids to the museum, you and a couple friends, ages 69 and 71, plan to burglarize a fucking fortress, rob the place blind, and possibly murder the 68 year old woman who lives there. Why? Well, because this is what you've done all your life. This is not a made for TV comedy.

Golden years.

Moon next to Hilton.

Summertime is said to be one of the most covered songs in the world, but this version by Billy Stewart is my absolute favorite. The realz, as we say.

Some people put basketball hoops on their garages. Others put John Wayne. We've been here before.

* I've recently noticed Xfininity, formerly Comcast, is running TV commercials for itself in Spanish. I'm not complaining. But, I am curious what kind of studies they did of the Springfield market area that made them think this was a good idea.

* Let the airwaves flow.