Blogosphere

Toys for Troops is gearing up for another outstanding effort, and they need help:

When U.S. soldiers are injured on-duty, they are fl own, via MedEvac, to The Warrior Transition Battalion in Fort Gordon, GA. Family Services there contact the spouses and parents, and arrange for them to meet their loved ones stateside. The family members are often distraught, and leave home without remembering to bring baby’s favorite teddy bear, or their own toothbrushes. They face hours in waiting rooms before they get a chance to see their soldier or to talk to physicians.

We hope to make the arrival and the time in those waiting rooms a little more comfortable for these family members. We will supply the WTB with 200 bags, fi lled with nonperishable food, toiletries, and toys and activities to occupy both the adults and the children.

After our fi rst shipping we will maintain that inventory as needed. There are currently 420 soldiers at the WTB in Fort Gordon, with 3 infl uxes a week.

We hope that you’ll join us!

They're doing a "Care Pack" event on Sunday, September 21 at 2 PM at the Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul, and at various other locations.  There's lots more information here, and I'm sure that local blogger Gnightgirl, who founded Toys for Troops, will have ongoing updates on her blog and on the TFT website.

Please help out if you can.

I am often accused of posting talking points from John McCain.  I usually just laugh it off, given my differences with McCain on so many issues, and the fact that I've never actually gotten any talking points from him.

Now, though, he's got this strange "Spread the Word" thing on his campaign website (click on image at right for a larger screenshot), in which he's encouraging people to post his daily talking points to various blogs. 

Help spread the word about John McCain on news and blog sites. Your efforts to help get the message out about John McCain's policies and plan for the future is one of the most valuable things you can do for this campaign. You know why John McCain should be the next President of the United States and we need you to tell others why.

Select from the numerous web, blog and news sites listed here, go there, and make your opinions supporting John McCain known. Once you’ve commented on a post, video or news story, report the details of your comment by clicking the button below. After your comments are verified, you will be awarded points through the McCain Online Action Center.

I have no idea why they think this is a good idea, or what the "points" awards are good for.  IlliniPundit.com is listed with "conservative" blogs, and I have no idea why we're listed at all and, say, IllinoisReview or McLean County Pundit aren't.

Honestly, I had no idea this existed until CapFax posted about it today, and I do want to echo his warning. 

I’ve said this many times before, but now that I’m on some target list it’s worth repeating: Please, don’t post canned DC talking points on this blog.

I hate DC talking points more than just about anything in the world.

If I catch you posting these talking points from McCain’s site, I’ll delete your post and probably put you on the “hold for approval” list. And the same goes for Obama’s stuff. Thanks.

I'm not really into comment moderation or deletion, but if someone is repeatedly copy-and-pasting talking points from McCain or Obama (or anyone else) on here, then that's a pretty shallow corruption of the whole idea of community discussion we're trying to foster on here.  Our readers and commenters are the most politcally aware people in this part of Illinois, so if you can't think of something original to say, pasting crap like this isn't going to persuade anyone, so please don't do it.

Thanks.

http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html

"Mr. Wright seems to me to be part of the great "barbaric yawp," as Walt Whitman called the American people fighting, discussing, making things and living. I like the barbaric yawp. I don't enjoy it when it makes me wince, but at least when I am wincing, I know the yawp is working."

My brother-in-law's new(er) blog got some nice coverage in one of his local newspapers.

They even linked to him.  Must be nice.  ;-)

UPDATE:  And their new blog gets even more mainstream media love, and there's even a mention of this site.  They're off to a great start!

My brother-in-law has a new(er) blog that discusses Madison County (down by St. Louis) politics.  They're having nursing-home-related issues.

Billy Joe Mills at Urbanagora reports that Governor Rod Blagojevich is a closet Dallas Cowboys fan.  The reasons for a recall keep rolling in. 

Kiyoshi is leaving journalism for politics.

Some interesting reactions this morning.  Excerpts:

It's Matt's World

It's Hillary. I'll admit to being surprised, along with a lot of other people. Clinton deserves kudos for coming back from behind after Iowa. I still think she'd be a terrible candidate in the general election. She does well among Democrats, but not with independents or wavering Republicans (unlike Obama), which is crucial to look at when thinking of the general election.

Analog Periphery

For the Democrats, Obama is virtually their next Jack Kennedy in his charisma and message. Edwards offers a strong populist stance for the little guy. Hillary just offers you the 1990s.

My Pet Goat (AKA wayward)

It was a little disappointing, but not too bad.

moon_grrl

There's still a lot more primaries to go, so I'm not going to despair and give up on the rest of humanity just yet. I hope that my Lemming Theory of Primary Voting doesn't hold true this time (Namely, that once a candidate is seen as "THA BEEEEG WINNAH AND THA SURE BET!", stupid people who don't think much about things other than, say, who's winning on Survivor will mindlessly vote their way).

I'm also not going to think about the fact that the Democratic winner of the New Hampshire primary usually goes on to be the nominee.

Damn you, rank and file Democrats. Now I'm going to be indgestive, gassy, and crabby for the rest of the month.

Any others I've missed?

I'll be making an appearance on an Illinois GOP Network version of Blog Talk Radio tomorrow night at 8 PM, no doubt discussing New Hampshire and how awful my predictions were. 

I've never done anything like this before, so please keep that in mind when I make a fool of myself.  I have no idea if you can listen live, nor do I have any idea why anyone would want to.

The Squire, a longtime stalwart of the CU blogosphere, is back to blogging at a new site, Speaking Liberally.

Subscribed and blogrolled.  Welcome back, Squire.

(Hat tip: It's Matt's World)

Happy Birthday to Matthew of It's Matt's World.

Coming soon: smilepolitely.com:

Smile Politely is our way of filling a void. Champaign-Urbana has a rich history of creative media that diligently records the output of the community's most talented individuals, and in doing so, becomes a part of the creative process in and of itself. While some still exist in name, they no longer adequately engage our community. Champaign-Urbana needs media that wants to immerse itself in our local culture, not just settle for scratching the surface. This is the void that we see.

So, we created a home for wayward writers looking for a place to expound on what they see around them. Our home is nothing too sophisticated, but we have plenty of space to fill. Collectively, our writers will spotlight creative projects in town. We will discuss ways to improve your quality of life through opportunities and events in our cities. And we will expose the roadblocks thrown out to developing our community.

Looks good - the more the merrier, I always say.

From Toys For Troops:

As Toys for Troops continues to send beanie babies to the soldiers, we focus, now, on the upcoming holidays. We intend, with your help, to send care packages to every soldier on our list at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please join us, to make sure this happens.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007
COOKOUT & CARE PACKAGES
BRATS PROVIDED, POTLUCK SIDES & DESSERTS
4:00-8:00 P.M.
GREENHOUSE AT SILVERCREEK RESTAURANT
402 N. RACE, URBANA

Our Thanksgiving care packages will be packed on November 3, as we cook brats in the Silvercreek parking lot, and come together in the greenhouse to pack up stuff for our boys. Brats will be provided; Bring a side or a dessert.  In addition, everything on the Silvercreek menu, including appetizers, drinks, and desserts, will be available for purchase.

Help them out if you can.  They're local and they're doing great work.

Illinois blogger par excellence ArchPundit has assembled a BlogAds "hive" called "Blogginois" to collectively market advertising services.  You can see a new ad on the right for that hive.

The other bloggers in the hive are:

• Chicagoist
• Peoria Pundit
• Prairie State Blue
• Chicago Reader
• Methods Reporter
• Faithfully Liberal

To advertise, click on the ad on the right, or go here.

Thanks!

A group of Illinois Republicans have launched a new website called Illiois GOP Network with a goal of "connecting grassroots Republicans."

For every commenter who posts here, the blog owner will donate a buck to Toys-For-Troops.

Please go ahead and leave a comment there for a great cause.

From local blogger Lori Stewart, who is heading up the Toys-for-Troops effort:

TFT has really taken off, in the last 10 weeks. Hundreds of people, as you know, have donated beanies directly to us, mailed their own boxes of toys, mailed care packages to soldiers, and helped defray shipping costs by donating cash or picking up their own boxes to send along themselves.

We have approximately 8000 beanies to ship out right now. We hope, Sunday night, to raise a few bucks to help defray shipping costs (7000-8000 beanies to ship now), purchase soccer balls, and prepare more care packages for the troops.

We want you to have fun while we do it, though: There will be a few door prizes, and a 50/50 drawing.

If you'd like to help:

I'm still working on spaghetti dynamics. If you think you might be able to help "in the kitchen," let me know.

If you have anything to offer in the way of a door-prize, or know of an individual or business that might help, forward that information!

Please email her and see how you can help.  Or hit her donation button and send her a few bucks.

In a further effort to cure my Blogger's Block, and to discuss something other than politics on a sweltering Friday afternoon, I'm going to respond to an "Eight Random Things" meme that I was tagged by IP.com blogger/commenter Loren Heal on Socrates' Academy.

I don't usually do these things, especially on here, but what the heck...

1.  Let others know who tagged you.

See Above.

2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

1. Conservationist Conservative:  I drive a hybrid vehicle and volunteer for, raise money for, and donate to conservationist causes.
2. I built my current desktop computer, because I wanted to see if I could.
3. I can't get to sleep at night without reading first, even if I'm completely exhausted.  Sometimes I'll read 200 pages, sometimes I'll read two, but if I don't, then I just can't clear my thoughts and I lie there tossing and turning.  It's a habit I've had since I was a little kid, that I've never really tried to break.
4. I've been trained in the use of C-4.
5. For the first time in my life, I am following a TV show religiously.  I've never been able/willing to schedule my life around a TV show, so I'd start watching something, and just drift away after business forced me to miss a few episodes.  But now, with a DVR, my guility pleasure is Big Brother 8.
6. I like to eat the unpopped pocorn kernels at the bottom of the bowl.
7. I collect recordings of Dave Matthews Band concerts, and I have more than 1,000 of them.  I've attended 29 Dave Matthews shows.
8. I hate shaving, but hate having a beard even more.

That's a lot of uses of the pronoun "I" in a single post. 

3.  Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

Done

4.  Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

This is always the worst part of these things.  It just feels like passing along a chain letter, but if you don't, then it gives the impression you're not interested in anyone else's responses.

Ugh.  Do I have to do this part?

Reminder:

Blogger Bash

Esquire

Tonight - 7/31/07

5:30 PM until whenever

Hope to see you there!

Don't forget about Tuesday night's Blogger Bash - 5:30 PM at Esquire.

Everyone is welcome to attend, and please spread the word.