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Thursday, July 31, 2003

I was thinking about examples of where media consolidation has skewed the news that Americans hear. This morning on my bike in to work (280 miles logged since I bought my bike pc). I rode by the RCA (Hoosier - let's not even talk about NAFTA) Dome so I could hit the main post office. Here is a stadium just 19 years old and we have had talk for at least 3 years that it isn't big enough for the Colts.

Colts Owner Jim Irsay 'say' he not make enough profit. He 'say' not enough corporate box seats. I 'say' if he want new stadium, he buy new stadium. "It must not be assumed that subsidization of sports or stadiums by the public sector is economically sound." - The Heartland Institute. Cincinnati just blew about $1 billion on their new stadiums.

Here is an example of a story that has been given limited coverage by the major news channels. "Billions in corporate welfare handed to a select few." Or "Greedy Team Owners Given Public Hand Out Worth Billions". OK, so my headlines are too long. This misuse of tax dollars effects most larger cities in America and millions of citizens, yet ABC or FOX are giving limited coverage to it because of obvious pressure from national sports organizations, sport franchises and advertisers. News conglomerates would wrongly say debate over a new stadium is a local issue. With media coming from fewer sources, a story like this is not getting the coverage it deserves.

Friday, July 25, 2003

Built to Spill, the ordinary guys from Boise who happen to make extrordinary music, will be playing in Cincinnati on a Friday, 9-19-03. I'm trying to decide if it would be worth the money and effort to see them play, if only to hear them do "Kicked It in the Sun". This got me thinking about Soundtrack Moments in my life.
Everyone who enjoys music has Soundtrack Moments- whether they are accidental, coincidental, or contrived. Indeed I'm sure it is a reflection of our self-aware, ironic post-post zeitgeist- but they bring such joy! It was in August three years ago that I was careening down the Cherohala Skyway in North Carolina listening to some mix tape that contained "Kicked It in the Sun" and its guitars that churn like a creek in the springtime. This is the road that bikers love- they race up and down it in their crotch rockets and sometimes die doing it. Speaking of roadtrips and Soundtrack Moments, I must mention that before we left on our trip to drive the Pacific Coast Hwy to Big Sur I carefully made a couple of discs of tunes that would be good driving music. It worked brilliantly! Particularly "Rings Around the World" by Super Furry Animals- the low bass and high-flung keyboard zings meshed perfectly with spectacular scenery exploding past us. Lime green mountains on one side, cold blue ocean on the other, condors wheeling above. Finally, I note a Soundtrack Moment worthy of a "feel-good" movie. It was winter, and Jeep, John, Jenny, Todd and I came back from dinner during a very heavy snowfall. Huge flakes were spinning from the violet night sky and clinging to everything. We ran into our backyard and made snowman, snow angels, threw snowballs...Exhausted we came inside with a big dish of the main ingredient for snow ice cream, and the song that was playing was the Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?" Timely, lovely, and unplanned.

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Evidently Pete & Repeat Hussain were killed in a raid.

Thursday, July 17, 2003

Conversation overheard at work: "I was picking the bugs out of my radiator on Sunday and what did I find with the bugs? A frickin' hummingbird! Its beak was jammed in the radiator!"

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

KC was great, but we didn't get to see our niece Lauren, and here about her trip to Bonaroo. We did get to hang with Melinda. Yeehaw.

Last week we had two failed attempts at trying to hear free music in Garfield PArk here in Indy. The Indianapolis Symphony got rained out on Tuesday, and a free Bluegrass show got rained out Friday. But I did end up taking Pat Garvey and John Wallace to see the Amazing Sunken Garden of Gafield PArk, with its wonderful dancing colored fountain.

Sunday was the Idyllic Summer Day. Breezy. Partly Cloudy. Low 80s. So we went canoeing down the Driftwood River between Edinburg and Columbus, Indiana. The water was high, but still in the banks. We shot along at a fair clip. The final rapids were as wild as I have seen in Indiana. Afterward we went to Columbus' Mill Race PArk where the Driftwood meets the Flatrock to form the East Fork of the White River. Along with the entire city of Columbus, Mill Race PArk is worth a look for its architecture and design.
While there observed a very festive red-headed woodpecker hawking flying insects.
After that we drove out through Hope, Indiana to Shelbyville where we bought some produce. Then we went home to chow.

Thursday, July 10, 2003

Visiting Kansas City is always a pleasure. I cannot believe it has been 8 years since we have been there. On the 4th of July we did our patriotic duty of consuming mass quantities of BBQ at legendary Arthur Bryant's. Such an exciting entrance- as soon as you walk in you can smell the years of hickory smoke infused in the walls of the place. As you wait in line you can see behind the counter piles of glistening meat in the pit, rosy hued smoked Nirvana. In honor of Calvin Trillan, my favorite food writer, I ordered burnt ends and sausage. The ends, which are bits of smokey blackened beef brisket, were drenched in the gritty sauce and exploded with fat, lean,and flavor when popped in the mouth. It was such a monumental meal I could barely speak.

Rain. We've had rain. Indianapolis has had over 4.5 inches of rain since the beginning of July. Of course Kokomo has trumped us with an entire foot of rain. Great for hi-speed canoo-in'.

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Indepence Day has come and gone, but the 17th annual Nike All-America Basketball Camp is rolling along once again at the Conference Center on the IUPUI Campus.

Monday, July 07, 2003

On the way back from Kansas City this weekend, at Effingham we got off I-70 and took Ol' 40 all of the way to Terre Haute. You can drive at a reasonable speed, and have almost no traffic this way. Plus the scenery.

In Terre Haute, we stopped for dinner at Ambrosini's. A Terre Haute standard for many a year. Sunday night a band was setting up in the tavern, and it was so damn hot in the outdoor dining area (on the street), so like we sat in the Family Dining area. Ordered up a pitcher of Bud (for me -- Ab drove the rest of the way home) and a generous order of cod and perfect french fries, with slaw. Abby had the Italian Roast Beef. Looked good. Definitely worth a look if you happen in the Haute. Near downtown at 1367 Wabash. Afterwards if your in the mood, stumble across the street to Sonka's Irish Pub, another Terre Haute classic.

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