Obama on Criminal Justice

I have talked a lot about Clinton's tough on crime stance, but I don't know that I've given enough information about Obama's position. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling laws and helped reform a broken death penalty system. According to his website these are his four main criminal justice goals:

1. End Racial Profiling

Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

2. Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support

Obama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

3. Eliminate Sentencing Disparities

Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

4. Expand Use of Drug Courts

Obama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

And for some of that famous Obama rhetoric, I give you an excerpt from his remarks at Howard University's Convocation in Washington, D.C., on September 28, 2007.

As President, I will also work every day to ensure that this country has a criminal justice system that inspires trust and confidence in every American, regardless of age, or race, or background. There's no reason that every single person accused of a crime shouldn't have a qualified public attorney to defend them. We'll recruit more public defenders to the profession by forgiving college and law school loans - and I will ask some of the brilliant minds here at Howard to take advantage of that offer. There's also no reason we can't pass a racial profiling law like I did in Illinois, or encourage states to reform the death penalty so that innocent people do not end up on death row.

When I'm President, we will no longer accept the false choice between being tough on crime and vigilant in our pursuit of justice. Dr. King said it's not either-or, it's both-and. We can have a crime policy that's both tough and smart. If you're convicted of a crime involving drugs, of course you should be punished. But let's not make the punishment for crack cocaine that much more severe than the punishment for powder cocaine when the real difference between the two is the skin color of the people using them. Judges think that's wrong. Republicans think that's wrong. Democrats think that's wrong, and yet it's been approved by Republican and Democratic Presidents because no one has been willing to brave the politics and make it right. That will end when I am President.

I think it's time we also took a hard look at the wisdom of locking up some first-time, non-violent drug users for decades. Someone once said that "...long minimum sentences for first-time users may not be the best way to occupy jail space and/or heal people from their disease." That someone was George W. Bush - six years ago. I don't say this very often, but I agree with the President. The difference is, he hasn't done anything about it. When I'm President, I will. We will review these sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the blind and counterproductive warehousing of non-violent offenders. And we will give first-time, non-violent drug offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior. So let's reform this system. Let's do what's smart. Let's do what's just.

Yes I Can . . .

I just returned from voting. I can feel the world changing already.

Augie and Izzy can feel it too. Based on Augie and Izzy's neighborhood yard sign count Obama is winning by a landslide. In fact, in all of Bloomington they have only seen two Clinton signs.

If you're in Bloomington and you're trying to figure out this early voting thing, swing by the Curry Building, which is at 290 W 7th St between Bloomingfoods and College Ave. They have reserved parking for voters and a little flier in the window with the hours they're open. I was the last voter today, so head on over tomorrow so you can cast your vote. I believe they're open on Saturday and Sunday.

Tuesday is the big day of course. The U.S. Supreme Court in their infinite wisdom has upheld the disenfranchising I.D. requirement, so, Hoosiers, don't forget these tips for voting:

• If you are registered and will be 18 or older by November 4th, 2008, you can vote in the May 6th Primary.
• When you go to vote between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., you must bring with you a Photo ID issued by the state of Indiana or the U.S. Government that has your name and an expiration date after November 7, 2006.
• Acceptable ID includes Indiana Driver's Licenses, Indiana state photo ID card, a U.S. Passport, U.S. Military ID or Student ID from an Indiana state school, so long as it includes a photo and an expiration date.
• And if this is your first time voting, make sure you bring an acceptable document that shows your current address -- such as an Indiana driver's license, current utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck.

Clinton is Tough on Crime . . . Which is Not Good

In these last few days before the Indiana primary, if you still think Hillary Clinton is the correct person to lead this country, please read Prof. Berman's post and the items to which he links.
To sum up: Rising imprisonment is the price the Clinton wing of the Democratic party is always eager to pay to win power. Rich, white, elected Democratic officials do not pay any direct price from rising imprisonment; the real costs of rising imprisonment are borne mostly by poor and minority populations and their families. Being the toughest with imprisonment terms, especially in the context of non-violent crimes, is not the only way for Democrats to win political power. Nevertheless, as Senator Hillary Clinton's expressed opposition to crack retroactivity highlights, the Clintonian eagerness to sell out poor and minority populations and their families through criminal justice politicking is not likely to change anytime soon.

When one in every one hundred adults is imprisoned, it is not only those inmates who lose. Our families lose. Our communities lose. Our country loses. We lose the right to call ourselves the home of the free. The Statue of Liberty no longer cries to the rest of the world to "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." We can no longer declare "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Hope. Vote.

Donna Brazile on Colbert

"I'm a woman, so I like Clinton, I'm black, so I like Obama, but I'm also grumpy, so I like McCain."

That is one Super Delegate.

She said other presumably hilarious stuff, including heavy flirting with Stephen, but I could only sorta hear it over my guffaw.

Donna Brazile, you rock!

War good for Obama; Economy good for Clinton

I feel like this is the sort of superficial argument I would expect pundits to be making, so maybe they're making it, or maybe I'm more superficial than they are.

Does it seem like pure coincidence (or blatant revisionism) that Obama's campaign really took off when the issue of the day was Iraq? In the Clinton-Edwards-Obama competition, Obama had the best position on Iraq -- he was against it from the start. And lately, the issue of the day is the economy -- Iraq's still out there, but after the surge the press seems to cover it a lot less. Meanwhile, high oil price, high food prices, foreclosures and economic stimulus packages dominate the headlines. And Clinton's holding on.

I'm the best kind of pundit -- I haven't bothered to look at any polls, and I'm staunchly ignoring that electoral politics is probably all about local demographics. But still -- Clinton's got good name association with fixing the economy. I can see how she might appeal more to the voters that put that at the top of their priority list.

Maybe if Edwards were still in the race, he'd have the strongest rhetoric of the three on the economy and taking care of the little guy. But when he was running, Iraq was the big story, which he had neutralized as a deficit, but didn't have as an asset.

If the focus turns back to Iraq, I would expect Clinton's fortunes to wane faster.

I guess I'm saying this whole foreclosure/credit crisis/oil thing is a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy plot to damage the Democrats by injecting some life into the Clinton campaign. Bush is political poison -- his support can't help McCain -- but the Democratic primary (and possibly, Democratic performance in the general election) is still affected by what the most talked about aspect of how awful Bush is.

Whether one should blame the media, or the neocons, or just random chance, is up to the viewer, although of course random chance is the most likely and therefore the least fun.

Random semi-edu-comment

Sometimes I see a bulleted list, and when I realize the speaker is going to read through each one, I cringe.

Do students do this -- even when they don't know what the bullets are?

Do students react to unknown words as mysteries or disempowering gobbledygook?

I ask these questions, but of course I "secretly" just want validation of the obvious answers.

Follow the link for references to the tyrant king porn dragon

So, anyone near Indiana, is this a real person? Is this getting a lot of Indiana press, or is he an ultrafringe loon who is mostly ignored?

I'm not kidding about the tyrant king porn dragon. Apparently it's pulling Jews into sex slavery, according to Zirkle. (See, now you HAVE to follow the link, don't you?)

clipped from thinkprogress.org Tony Zirkle, a GOP congressional candidate in Indiana, recently came under heavy criticism for speaking to the American National Socialist Workers Party (ANSWP) on the 119th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birth. At the event, Zirkle “stood in front of a painting of Hitler, next to people wearing swastika armbands and with a swastika flag in the background.” On his website, Zirkle has responded to the criticisms by railing against Jews and prostitution:

Hello, World!

The maiden photographic voyage of my shiny new Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph. Together, Augie and I shall be an unstoppable force of cuteness!

At least 3 people care about prisons

This is for Sarah, who is one of the above 3. Some interesting posts in the comments (if you ignore mine), but no direct discussion of _why_ prison reform is a political third rail.

I suppose indirectly there's some evidence however: many people say our massive imprisonment gets results, and the fact that the rest of the world isn't as unique as us explains why we need to imprison 1 out of every hundred adults. So what's to reform?

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com Yikes: "The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners." Needless to say, we lead the world in imprisonment. This seems like a serious problem, especially when you consider Tyler Cowen's point that our prisoners face unusually dire circumstances by developed world standards.

Bike lanes

True other places too. I'm not a big biker, but I'd be far more tempted if it didn't involve chicken contests with cars.

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com For example, the city fathers of Washington, DC should consider that though it's nice that they've established some bike lanes, the key thing would be for the lanes to connect with one another and go into the downtown area so they'd be helpful for people trying to get from where they live to where the bulk of the stuff is. It's like how the roads for cars don't just stop arbitrarily.

You Say It's Your Earth Day . . .

In honor of Earth Day I thought I'd share the websites I squirrel away in a folder labeled "Green."

Re-Nest - The consumer-centric (though with a dash of self-loathing) website formerly known as Apartment Therapy - Green. "Oh wait, remember how we told you dryer balls are good for the planet because they reduce the length of time you run your dryer? They're made of something totally evil for the environment. Ooopsy! Now let's open the comments for a discussion of how best to dispose of those evil dryer balls." I think the reason I check it every day as opposed to the following sites is that reading Re-Nest I every so often get the opportunity to feel righteous indignation that I am in some way greener than them. Not so much with the rest of these bad boys.

Grist - It's like the environmental CNN.

Treehugger - Where Re-Nest gets its best info from.

Common Ground Magazine and Conscious Choice are apparently one and the same these days.

I must have been delusional when I bookmarked all these green building websites. Like I'm going to be in the position to do any building or remodeling anytime soon. Maybe that's why I bookmarked them, so that ten to twenty years from now when I am, I'll have a bunch of handy out of date bookmarks to refer to. Bitter, party of one? Your table is ready.

The U.S. Green Building Council - Ever hear of LEEDS certification for green buildings? This is the non-profit organization responsible for it. And they're a great resource for green building information.

Modern Green Living - I ache with envy. That's green, right?

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency - So in my fantasy world, I have a Craftsman bungalow and decide to install solar panels and a wind turbine and the state that I'm in rewards me for this decision through tax incentives. Already own a Craftsman? This site is where your tax preparer's dreams can come true!

This begins the food politics segment of my Earth Day link list, brought to you by In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Just finished it. Love it. More how to and less new journalism than Omnivore's Dilemma. I recommend reading OD then IDoF. Then subscribe to a CSA and never buy processed food again. Oh, but tofu is OK because it's an ancient Chinese secret.

Ag Observatory - Run by The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, this site covers U.S. and World agricultural policy, which has a humongous impact on the planet and your dinner plate.

Food News - Run by the Environmental Working Group.

Dr. Greene's Organic Prescription - I can't think of anything but Dr. Funke's 100 Percent Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution.

Pesticide Action Network of North America - No smiling doctors with babies here. Death is at your door! Well, if your door opens onto a wetland.

Organic Consumers Association - News about organic food.


Simple In Season - I believe this the the partner website to a book about seasonal eating, which is all the rage with locavores.

Did I say local?

Indiana Recycling Commission - Are you a Hoosier who doesn't know what to do with something you don't want anymore? This is the site for you!

Monroe County's Environmental Information & Education Resources - A way longer list than this of fabulous green websites and not just for Hoosiers.

Stir It Up: Test Drive for California?

This morning at about 5:40 a.m. it sounded like a train rolled quietly through our house. I was having a restless night reading on the couch under the big picture window in the living room. I wasn't sure what it was until I heard David, half asleep, say from the bedroom, "Get away from the windows." He thought it was a tornado, we are in the Midwest after all. The dogs didn't make a peep. I guess they're preparing to be jaded SoCal pups. They don't get out of bed for a measly 5.2. No harm done, though my sleep was then interrupted by the garbage truck, which I mistook for an aftershock.
For the official stats check out the U.S. Geological Survey.

Why Matt Yglesias is my blogdude

This is the kind of sarcasm I look for in my daily reading. Sadly, I wish he had fewer soft targets to aim his righteous biting wit at...

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com Michael O'Hanlon gets a Washington Post op-ed to lay out his surprising view that the surge is awesome and, indeed, is working so well that we can expect to start taking troops out of Iraq in early 2010 if everything continues to be so awesome. In essence, thanks to the super-duper success of the surge, all we need now is several years of additional war and for all of Iraq's problems to solve themselves. Mission accomplished!

Bob's Innumeracy watch

Apologies to Ms. Beard for posting the whole article, but hey, if your math wasn't deceptive I wouldn't be forced to do this.

clipped from www.azcentral.com Betty Beard The Arizona Republic Apr. 6, 2008 09:05 PM The recent rise in Phoenix's housing prices means that in some cases the cost of owning a house grew too high compared with the cost of renting one, says a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington, D.C. Based on 2006 housing costs, the cost of renting in the Phoenix area averages $862 while the average cost of owning can range from $1,343 to $1,804, depending on interest rates, the report said. That means that Phoenix rental costs can range from 47 to 64 percent of ownership costs. The report says that when ownership costs exceed 50 percent, it indicates a bubble. Some "extraordinary" gaps include New York City, where it costs 109 percent more to own a home than to rent; San Diego, 133 percent; San Francisco, 161 percent; and Los Angeles, 168 percent.

The percentages cited for other cities use a middle-cost scenario, while the Phoenix range of costs for owning is the low-cost and high-cost scenarios. So even if you knew better, you'd need to read the article to find the apples-to-apples comparison, which is this: the cost of ownership in Phoenix exceeds the cost of renting by 78%.

That's what those percentages mean, by the way: the article drops some critical words -- it should be "...when ownership costs exceed rental costs by 50 percent or more, it indicates a bubble."

Oh, and that "47 to 64 percent"? That's dividing the cost of renting by the (low and high scenario) cost of owning, which isn't directly comparable to any of the other results. Also, since that result isn't particularly meaningful, it's NOT in the original report, as opposed to all the other numbers in the article.

McCain: The Other White Meat

In the Sunday New York Times Magazine Michael Sokolove's article Change Makes a Call on Levittown looks at the Obama campaign there through the eyes of a former resident. Most interestingly a few folks interviewed in the article mentioned that they'd vote for Obama in the primary and yet consider voting for McCain in the general election. In moments of irrational anger, I have thought, "If Clinton wins the democratic nomination, I might as well vote for McCain."

As if responding to that negative thought, MoveOn.org sent out an email today: 10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't). It is well-supported with zippy sources and zesty links, and we've recently figured out how to link footnotes, so I thought I'd share. Though I will re-title it:

Even if Clinton Wins the Nomination Here are 10 Reasons You Still Should Not Vote for McCain

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10


Sources:

1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
(back)
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
(back)
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
(back)
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007(back)
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
(back)
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
(back)
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
(back)
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
(back)
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
(back)
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
(back)

The Only Sensible Strategy in Iraq: Rapid Withdrawal

Nieman Watchdog (my new favorite blog thanks to Joel Berg, a regular contributor to Neiman Watchdog and a one-time commenter here) reported that Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army (Ret.) testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the U.S. should withdraw from Iraq post haste. If you're looking to take a stand at your next dinner party (or in your next letter to your elected representative), he artfully addresses many of the arguments against withdrawal.

Cake Rock Beach

If you're a hipster craftster then you already know all about Purl Soho. And you are probably so cool that you already know that Purl Soho cofounder Joelle Hoverson, author of the exquisitely photographed Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, has just released her first fabric collection Cake Rock Beach manufactured by Moda. The image in this post is the Flora print in the Water color way in which the images range between four and fourteen inches and the pattern repeats every twenty-three inches. The Purl Bee has posted more luscious pictures of the collection and a project using the large scale Flora print.

Vote Local

‘Tis the season for Bloomington, Indiana’s Herald-Times Readers' Choice Awards.
When we were in the process of moving to our fair city, I looked all over for a Best of Bloomington list. I’ve moved a lot and find this sort of thing invaluable when settling in to an unknown place. Unfortunately, what I found was that national chains won in a lot of the categories. This is no help to the new Bloomingtonian. I know about national chains already. What I don’t know is what the local alternatives are. So don’t vote for Old Navy in every clothing category, or worse, Wal-Mart in pretty much every category. Even if it’s not where you always go, pick the local store that you wish you could always go to. Are you a Bloomingtonian who needs a little local refresher before voting? Check out Downtown Bloomington’s Directory. It doesn’t cover everything, but it’s a start.

And if you still don’t know who to vote for, here’s a list of who I voted for and occasionally a reason why.

RETAIL
Bookstore: Howard’s Bookstore
Craft Supply Store: Shiisa Quilts
In the text box at the end of the online ballot I also asked if I could write Shiisa Quilts in for the following non-existent categories: “Sewing Machine Dealer,” “Quilt Shop,” and “Fabric Shop.” In all fairness, Shiisa Quilts is truly the only Quilt Shop in town. There is one other local sewing machine dealer and, well, JoAnn’s fabrics is here, but it’s not like there’s a lot of competition. But, if Netflix can win for best video rental store, then all the local stores are in competition with online options, which as far as fabric goes are considerable. And as an avid online fabric shopper, I think Shiisa Quilts compares quite favorably both in terms of price and selection, not to mention the beautiful natural light in which to hold up your fabric and check the color.
Gift Shop: By Hand Gallery
I’ve never bought anything there, but I love the idea of it. So this is an example of me practicing what I preached when I said, “Even if it’s not where you always go, pick the local store that you wish you could always go to.” In all honestly I bought the vast majority of the gifts I gave last year at the IU Bookstore with David’s faculty discount, but if I weren’t buying IU sweatshirts for every person in my family, I imagine I would buy them something at By Hand Gallery.
Grocery Store, Health Food Store, and Place to buy Produce: Bloomingfoods Near West Side
I love Bloomingfoods. Even when the checkout elves bark at me for having an insufficient number of reusable bags, even when the deli trolls cower by the sandwich counter to avoid weighing out my pound of smoked turkey, even when they don’t have the vegetarian chili at the hot bar, I love them so. And not just any Bloomingfoods. The Near West Side Bloomingfoods. David has a crush on the Downtown Bloomingfoods, but that’s only because he picks up his coffee there on his walk home from school, like the Pusherman. Me, I’m a Near West Side girl.
Hardware Store (name & location): Bloomington Hardware Covenanter Drive
That’s a shout out to our landlord, the owner of said hardware store. And technically it is a TrueValue franchise these days. But it’s been in Bloomington since the 1880s. Can Lowes say that? I didn’t think so. Also, this is where we bought our reel lawn mower, which we love and is helping us save the planet.
Home Decor/Accessories Shop: Relish
Again, like By Hand Gallery, I’ve never bought anything at Relish. And David gets cranky every time he sees the sign because he thinks it’s going to be a cool restaurant and then it isn’t. But they sell Denise Schmidt quilts, so they must be good people.
Kid's Clothing Store: O’Child
See above re: By Hand Gallery and Relish. These folks just opened this year and that can be a tough time for a new local store. So even if you can’t afford to buy your kids clothes here, go ahead and buy at Old Navy (or Goodwill), but vote for O’Child. Tell rich parents where to spend their disposable income.
Optical Store: Optiks
These folks fixed David’s glasses and treated him like a prince, which was even more impressive because he was pretty fussy about having to get his glasses fixed.
Pet Store and Pet Grooming: Delilah’s
Augie and Izzy love Delilah’s. They have the best, most affordable, speediest, friendliest grooming we have ever experienced anywhere. We seriously brought in Augie covered in sticky little seed pods (he looked like a poppyseed muffin) and olive oil (at the same time . . . do not ask) and they had him looking like a prized show dog in under two hours.
Place to buy Liquor, Beer & Wine: Sahara Mart
OK, OK, we don’t drink, but if we did, we’d buy all our fancy wines and microbrews from Sahara Mart. David does buy coffee and tea there with some regularity. And I hear they have a great cheese selection too, not that I eat that either.
Shoe Store: Sole Sensations
They sell all sorts of shoes that are good for your feet. David got two pairs of Obays for an insanely good price. And the service is fantastic.
SERVICE
Auto Repair: Mission Auto Shop
Our formerly local source for all B-town knowledge (aka Gentle Reader, aka Thalia), recommended Mission and they’ve lived up to the high standards we expect from anyone she recommended.
Bank/Credit Union: IU Credit Union
Dental Office: Allen Linnemeier DDS
See above re: Mission Auto. Dr. Linnemeier was the most reasonable dentist ever, both in terms of cost (we don't have dental insurance) and in terms of dealing with people who haven't been to the dentist in awhile. Though I have not gotten over the fact he gave David's dental hygiene an A- and mine a B+. I will floss my way to greatness!
Dry Cleaners: Crosstown Cleaners
Health Club/Gym: YMCA
Veterinarian Office: College Mall Veterinary Hospital
See above re: Mission Auto and Dr. Linnemeier. Dr. Kraus at the CMVH has been a superstar with Augie and Izzy. Just recently they had to go in on short notice and we saw another doctor who was equally awesome, so Dr. K isn’t the exception.
PLACES/ENTERTAINMENT
Park/Playground: Bryan Park
Radio Station: WFHB
OK, OK, so technically I probably clock more hours on WFIU but that’s only because of NPR and the fact I can’t easily switch between stations on the iHome. I love the midday talk programming on WFHB and when they do play music the deejays are very eclectic in an interesting way.
FOOD
Monroe County Restaurant and Fine Dining: Farm
We went here for New Years Eve and it rocked our gustatory world. Technically, we’ve been to Tallent more frequently and Tallent is pretty awesome, but every time we go there something is just a little off. Like one time the side dish was super yummy, but the main dish was nothing to write home about. And for that amount of money, everything should be write-home-about material. But I’m not a hater, I’m a congratulator. Congratulations on your relatively recent grand opening, Farm!
Bagels: Bloomington Bagel Company
These are the best bagels anywhere on the planet. And they have this smores bar that we’ve been trying to reverse engineer for months. I think it’s a graham flour shortbread base, but I don’t understand how they prevent the melted marshmallows from melting the chocolate chips. But I'll keep trying to perfect these at home, even if I have to get diabetes in the process.
Bakery and Lunch Spot: Scholars Inn Bakehouse Downtown
Breakfast: Runcible Spoon
This was one of the first restaurants we ate at in Bloomington and my impression of it only improved after I took a cooking class at the Bloomington Cooking School with the Runcible's executive chef William Neal.
Chinese Food: Chow Bar
We suffered through many other Chinese food restaurants until we found Chow Bar. The sesame chicken is to die for.
Deli/Subs and Fast Food: The Village Deli
Their motto is “Eat and Get Out.” Doesn’t get any faster than that.
Desserts: BLUBoy
They made my birthday cake and it was AWESOME! Their cupcakes also rock if you can’t justify ordering a whole cake, or you need an instant fix. And their cupcake boxes are a wonder in package engineering.
French Fries and Hamburger: Upland Brewing Company
Italian Food: Grazie
Mexican Food: Casa Brava
We have suffered through every other Mexican restaurant in town and only recently found this place. It is in fact the best Mexican restaurant we have ever been to.
Other Ethnic Cuisine: Esan Thai
Pizza: Mother Bears
Romantic Restaurant: Trulli Flatbread
P.S. You know you live one of the top ten places to retire to when “Hearing Aid Store” and “Retirement Community” are categories in the Reader’s Choice Awards.

QR Code Generator

When my geek fell out last month about Random.org's random bitmap generator I had no idea this juicy nugget of procrastination was out there: a free QR Code Generator. If you scanned the image in this post it would say, "So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens. - William Carlos Williams" Today's New York Times Magazine has an article about the QR generator and the creativity it has spawned. About a year ago the Technology section of the New York Times did an article about the rise of this type of code.

The vicious cycle of making a living

(4:15:54 PM) Sarah: I think my quilt shop hates me.
(4:16:19 PM) me (Goog): :( Why? Do you give them fake money?
(4:16:31 PM) Sarah: No, I give them lots of real money.
(4:17:29 PM) Sarah: But I ask for stuff they don't have and I think I was sort of in the middle of a dispute between an employee and the owner in that I think the employee thinks they ought to stock everything people ask for and I think the owner is worried about not moving the inventory left over when one person finishes their project.
(4:18:00 PM) Sarah: Which is totally legit, but don't get cranky at me because your employee disagrees with you.
(4:18:25 PM) me (Goog): Right on. So you're saying your quilt shop owner is irrationally mean to you.
(4:18:32 PM) me (Goog): Because you've asked for things.
(4:18:36 PM) Sarah: Yes.
(4:19:07 PM) Sarah: And I totally understand why she doesn't want to stock these things I've asked for, and I'm totally cool with that.
(4:19:44 PM) me (Goog): Ah. Well, probably true. One spring day, however, they'll get over it. In a moment of happy clarity, it will occur to them that they have no good reason to be jerky to you, and so they will try not being jerky as a change of pace, and find that the flavor of that is rather refreshing after all.
(4:20:30 PM) Sarah: And I kinda wonder if the owner is just not much of a people person, which is a bit of a problem, what with quilters being people.
(4:22:13 PM) me (Goog): Probably so. Quilting, bees aside, is not innately an interactive experience. One could easily get into the business without being a people person. The same is true of most niches -- comic shop owners are famously stereotyped this way.
(4:23:03 PM) Sarah: Totally right on and valid comparison to comic shop owners.
(4:24:26 PM) me (Goog): It's an interesting dynamic. People actually often get into a business like coffee or comics or quilts because they like the THINGS, not because they love the idea of serving the needs of other PEOPLE who like the THINGS. (If you were _actually_ a people person, you'd be successful in more mainstream customer service like restaurants, sales, etc.)
(4:24:48 PM) Sarah: Totally.
(4:25:22 PM) Sarah: And this is why I am not in a customer service job.
(4:26:10 PM) me (Goog): EXACTLY the same thing can be said of mathematics professors. All disciplines, really, although not necessarily ALL professors. Just the overwhelming majority.
And actually being in the business tends to make you LESS of a people person, since customers are famously the worst sort of relationships.
(4:26:45 PM) me (Goog): As a wise Alphan said about moving on from tech support, "you have to learn to stop hating the users."
(4:26:56 PM) Sarah: Right on!
(4:27:07 PM) Sarah: You should write a post about this.
(4:27:21 PM) me (Goog): True.
(4:27:26 PM) Sarah: You have much knowledge to share with Thalia and Joel Berg.
(4:28:29 PM) me (Goog): LOL