Today's Groundhog's Day and the World Famous and lovable GroundHog Punxsutwawney Phil says it's going to be an early spring.
Tell that to Chicago.
From the looks of the Chicago Weather Twitter Stream below, Chicagoans are just trying to deal with a massive blizzard, right now, today.
The Great Chicago Blizzard 2011 caused the closing of Chicago schools for the first time this century and the Chicago Board of Trade has delayed its opening to 10 AM CST. Last night, Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Avenue near Northwestern University were closed and still are today, with cars stranded along the way.
In all, thirty states have been gripped by the largest snow storms since the 50s and 60s, bringing "life-threatening" weather conditions. All you need to do to know this is visit that great connector Twitter and watch the tweet stream for Chicago Weather:
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Special Radio show visit for Dr. Football
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Lake Shore Drive In Chicago Closed, Lake Michigan With 24-Foot Swells
According to tweets, people have been told to abandon their cars and walk to safety because of the unusually high waves. Lake Shore Drive is closed, as is Sheridan Blvd in Evanston next to Northwestern University.
Several photos on Twitpic (like this one by @callmerashad) show a surreal scene of darkness, haze, snow, and cars illuminated by street lights and headlights, and snow - a lot of snow.
All thanks to a giant winter storm system that's literally attacking an area from Chicago to Dallas, where in suburban Arlington, Texas, Super Bowl XVL will be played this Sunday. Already, Super Bowl events are harder to get to in an already spread-out Super Bowl plan, because of the snow and ice.
But that's nothing compared to Chicago.
Mayor Richard J. Daley said the storm is "of historic magnitude, the likes of which we have not seen in decades."
Or, since January 26, 1967, when Chicago was buried under up two 23 inches of snow in two days.
I should know. I was six years old and in Chicago, where I was born. At the time, we lived at 7427 Wentworth. My parents owned a three story (what's called a "two-flat") building that still stands today in good condition. But that month was one where you just didn't go outside at all. Our giant backyard was buried in snow that came up to three feet in some areas. It was a bright white sight. You could not walk down the stairs to it without walking, er, wading, right into the snow. The best thing to do was to stay and home and watch the then-new Star Trek television show.
From the looks of these YouTube videos, watching Star Trek's a good idea now:
Some things and Other things-Our weekly (sometimes jaded and comical) look at news from the world of football-
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online
Some interesting happenings this week from around the football world….
Sunday Night’s Pro Bowl, the NFL’s version of an All-star game was the most watched in 14 years….Really? Not that I wasn’t one of those watching at least part of it, but we all know the players were only playing at half speed…Maybe they should bring back the skills competition, or how about a rookie game? Packers Linebacker Clay Matthews pre game ritual is to douse his long (Blonde) mane in ice water just before he hits the field….nice, what if it freezes? Then he’s really the Iceman…..The NFL Management team, and reps from the NFLPA are finally meeting on Saturday down in Dallas, both to begin talks and to “accelerate” the pace of negotiations…what took you so long Guys? An NFLPA rep told me in E-mail this morning he expects it to be the busiest week in some time….and that’s the best news we have heard in some time…From New England Sports networks’ the Daily Blend: Tom Brady is among the most hated players in the NFL. Guess Pats fans are still in shock that another team from New York beat them in the post season….Speaking of that team from NY wearing Green & White…Rex Ryan was spotted In Hawaii at the Pro Bowl this past weekend without his sweater vest , but wearing a white Jets polo shirt and some Dog tags….Last time I checked he had no military service credit in his background…..Unless they are his Dad’s, or they filming a remake of my favorite movie from1970, Kelly’s Heroes….Maybe Rex is Playing (channeling) Carroll O’Connor’s General Colt character, Or is he Donald Sutherland’s “ODDBALl?”….I want to know who on the Jets Coaching staff is Playing Clint Eastwood’s Part….Hopefully not the recently “dismissed” Sal Alosi…..Today here in NY, they are getting ready to ship 7,000 Pizzas to the Afgan front thanks to UNO Grill…Beats mess hall food, even with the improvements in Army Food…”MRE’s Anyone?I donlt ever remember adding water to Pizza....As I write this, the Super Bowl Media day is going on. Rest assured Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has bought plenty of warm coats since we asked him that 5 Years ago at his NFL Draft Presser….Lots of players are concerned about the pace of the talks between the players and the owners…from Jets DB Antonio Cromartie to Steelers WR Hines Ward…..Speaking of the city of Dallas, that emporium of grilled meat products, we hear there are almost as many people worried about how much they will pay to park their cars for the game as they are about finding “suitable Gentleman’s Adult entertainment….” I remember the 12 months I spent stationed at Ft. Hood down near Waco, no shortage of available “dates” there, Girls just love men in uniforms…Speaking of the Army, If the Pentagon & The department of the Army follow suit like they did with Lt. Caleb Campbell, Lt. Ali Villineuva may make it back to Play Pro Football by 2013…now who wants to figure out what to do with a 6’ 10” Tight End….and this week we’ll close with the “Youngest Reporter” at the Super Bowl, 11 year old Braden Madden, of Sachse Texas is part of the credentialed media this week,..interviewing players and filing stories for the “Weekly Reader” which is part of the Reader Digest family....Good for him,…but I had to wait until I was 29 to get a SB credential,….does he have his FWAA Card yet??We'll cut him a break because he's 11, but we're going to send him a few "real" questions to ask.....
Mubarak Stays, Obama Wants Change Now, Tahrir Square Protestors Angry
The Egyptian President Hosnie Mubarak's statement that he would not seek re-election and step down in seven months was not well-received by his people. And even before the evening speech, thousands if not millions took to the streets and to Tahrir Square to say in different ways, some direct, others harsh, still others vulgar, "get out."
The Guardian UK described it all this way :
Four generations, more than a million people (according to the army count at 2pm) are here. They are all doing what they have not been able to do for decades; each and every one is having their say in their own way and insisting on being counted. Their dominant demand, of course, is for Mubarak to step down.
President Barack Obama just gave a speech where he called for change "now," but was read by some observers as less than direct. The unfortunate fact is if Mubarak were to just walk away, the Egyptian Government would be in chaos, and no one knows what the next direction would be.
Would opposition leaders take control, and if they did, would they be moved aside by yet another political group we don't know about. Also, would that rapid transition come by bullet?
We don't know, and it's a sure bet President Obama does know. It's a good thing Obama doesn't have someone like CNN Analyst David Gergen as an advisor, because if Obama had listened to him, there would have been no speech at all, and the World would be calling for him to say something. Gergen's safely away from the White House, and its a good thing.
What seems to be happening is Obama's giving the protesters a green light to continue their work, and in a way giving a green light to a kind of orderly chaos. This is clearly from over, and there are indications it's just beginning.
How Did This Start? Economics, Youth, and Social Networks
Many of the great post-World War II social movements were started by people in their 20s. The one that comes to mind is the free speech movement of the 60s, which really wasn't confined to Berkeley. It was in Europe as well, and in something called The May Student Riots.
The The May Student Riots were, like today, a strike against French's traditional culture, and happened at a time of economic weakness, and threatened to totally skink President Charles de Gaulle's Administration. Also Egypt's median age is just 23, whereas President Mubarak is a defiant 82 years old.
On top of this, Egypt's people are poor. While the U.S. income inequality is actually worse than for Egypt, it's hard to make an argument that America's poor are worse off than Egypt's poor, and the per capita income there is just under $6,500, where it's about $47,000 in the U.S..
On top of all of that, add something France in the 60s didn't have: the Internet and mobile communications. They, in the form of smartphones, social networks, blogs, and microblogging sites, have served as the modern foundation for the planning of dissent. What was too expensive to do 40 years ago, having a printing press and a way to send out papers, is now surpassed by a free and easy way to communicate ideas within seconds.
Plus, World wide media like CNN and the BBC communicate Western ideas of freedom, something particularly annoying to hardline old timers in the Mid East.
The resultant impact, what the SF Bay Area Community refers to as "disruptive," has gradually taken down all forms of old approaches in World society: newspapers, media, the very way we work, and now governments.
We're in the middle of a time that's without precedent in World History. The World Communication System has tied together what Bob Klein (who now owns Oakland's Olivetto Restaurant), called The Global Teenager when he was affiliated with the Global Business Network in the 80s.
Klein explained to me then that there were basic cultural values that bound teenagers and young adults together then. It's fair to say that such is still true today, but accelerated by digital technology and World wide media.
Because of that, the process is organic, elegant, and powerful.
That is fueling a World wide desire to dismantle tyrannical governments, and no more is this currently so than in the Mid East.
The website MidEastYouth.com asks if the protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen are being done by "agents of the West," and then answers the question with a large dose of sarcasm. In a blog post called "Will the Tunisian scenario be repeated in Egypt?" Bedlam Beggar of Tunisia says:
Tunisia’s revolution against Ben Ali’s iron-fisted regime is the proof that repression of the masses and attempts to crack down nation-wide demonstrations using tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition result in escalation. Egypt is witnessing a similar scenario these days. Change from below seems imminent once again and the potentate risks to be deposed. Indeed, despite the oppressive measures taken by the Egyptian government, thousands are expected to join street protests scheduled after Friday prayer today.
He goes on to explain that "Facebook did not start the uprising. It only helped rally people. Social networking and video-sharing websites are now used to inform the international community about what is happening in Egypt. Trying to put an end to new media coverage is a clear indication that the regime wants to cut people off the outside world. Cybercitizens’ role proved bigger than professional journalists’ in such revolutions."
And because of that, and due to organizations like The Social Media Cafe In Cairo, Obama's speech, so terribly misread by CNN's Gergen, may have struck a match that kept the protests going on, perhaps violently. This AP video shows a man being killed by a sniper in Egypt's North Sinai as he was fleeing...
If we see more of this, Egypt's "Days of Rage" will not only continue, but spill over to other parts of the Mid East.
Obama knew what he was doing. He was giving protestors room to grow, and to take out Mubarak on their own. But, he knows and said the process will not be a clean one.
Stay tuned.
Snoop Dogg At Twitter Headquarters San Francisco
Continuing its tradition of featuring icons of American Pop Culture (Wil-I-Am, and Rainn Wilson) at its San Francisco headquarters, Twitter had legendary Hip Hop Rapper Snoop Dogg over for a visit last week.
It looks like Snoop Dogg's wearing a Dodger Blue jacket! and undoubtedly talking major smack against the San Francisco Giants. In San Francisco. At Twitter HQ? Naw, man.
Ok. It's on. The LA Dodgers are going down, Snoop. Forget it.
No word on if the Twitter staff said "And to the D - to the o - to the double G," but I'll let you know.
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