There's this supposed monster rummage sale starting today in Antioch. It's at St. Peter's Church in the village and is the 48th annual such sale. It follows on the heels of several others in west Lake County, including the giant Prince of Peace sale. The Antioch sale is the second-biggest in the county, after the annual rummage sale at Lake Forest's First Presbyterian Church. One question: What's with all these rummage sales?
Is there that much stuff floating around Lake County or are we importing it from Kentucky or Tennessee? How do these rummage sales compete with all the yard and garage and estate sales going on every weekend in various neighborhoods? How about Salvation Army and Goodwill stores? Are we merely rotating this stuff from sale to sale?
The Hound has hit a few rummage and yard sales, including some which appeared to be happening at least every other week during the summer, which is why municipalities clamped down on how many a homeowner can hold during the season.
But unlike the bazaar in Marrakesh, most of these sale holders don't want to bargain. Can you imagine, they want full price for used stuff! The Hound always thought the idea of yard sales was to get rid of stuff and make a little spending money. Wrong again!
There's real money to be made in selling somebody else's treasures and trash. Four years ago, sales at the St. Peter's rummage topped $134,000. Not bad for a few days work selling other people's donated stuff.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has taken a few pokes from Republicans who contend his diplomatic naivete was showing when he said he'd sit down with Iran's ruling clerics. If the Illinois senator does, he should bring along a few Barbie dolls.
Authorities in the Islamic nation went on a rampage recently, contending young Iranians must be protected from Western cultural toys such as Barbie and Ken, along with Harry Potter books, compact discs and videogames. Despite their best attempts to ban them, Iran's toy market apparently is being inundated with Barbies. The Hound is unsure if Skipper is a big seller in Tehran.
According to the Agence France Presse report The Hound stumbled upon, the Iranian prosecutor general was quoted as saying the toys "do not respect the required norms" and "present dangers" to the nation's youth.
Two years ago, AFP said, police raided toy shops and put black stickers on Barbie doll packaging to hide their bodies, as required by Iran's strict Islamic laws. Sara and Dara, Iran's answer to Barbie and Ken, are sold in toy stores and show respect for Islamic rules., AFP said.
But, Iranian girls still want Barbie dolls. And which little girls don't? Well, the ones that prefer Bratz. Wonder what Iranians think of those obnoxious little imps?
The Hound always gets a kick out of people from the big city coming into Lake County, telling us how to do things and protesting law-abiding businesses. Such was the case June 14 when the Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, along with his followers marched into Lake Barrington for a prayer vigil to appeal to residents to vote the village "gun dry." Fat chance, reverend.
Perhaps Jackson was taking target practice for bigger game, like marching in the neighborhoods of Chicago, where the Coalition's national headquarters is located on East 50th Street. That's where most of the gun deaths are happening among young people and not in Lake Barrington. Odd that gun deaths occur in Chicago when guns are banned in the city, as are gun shops, and gun makers.
Until Jackson's protest, The Hound didn't even know Lake County had a weapons merchant --- D.S. Arms --- making and selling military-style assault rifles, along with handguns. With Rainbow Push on hand, Lake County sheriff's deputies had to protect the D.S. Arms facility.
That, in turn, ticked off Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran who pointed out the obvious to Rev. Jackson: There surely are a lot more alternatives to curbing random acts of violence involving guns than marching on a legitimate business. In fact, Curran pointed out it costs Lake County taxpayers about $5,000 each time Rev. Jackson decides to pray at the altar of the gun maker in Lake Barrington.
The Hound thinks that's $5,000 too much. The sheriff should pull the trigger and send Rainbow Push the bill for bringing out deputies to patrol the area. That might keep gun protests where they belong: Where people are getting shot.
The Hound was shocked when Lake County Circuit Court Judge David Hall allowed a man from Zion to legally change his name last week to "In God We Trust". Guess being the national motto of the United States since 1956 and being on coin of the realm since the 1830s didn't protect it from being used for commercial purposes.
Wonder if Florida, which adopted "In God We Trust" as its state motto, knows about this. This could get ugly if they get mad. Any more of these type rulings and Judge Hall might be ready for the monicker of "Judge Goofy" around the courthouse. How many judges can claim they named a deity? It's not like changing a guy's name to Santa Claus.
A 57-year-old artist and bus driver (now there's a combination), Steve Kreuscher took his $600 economic stimulus rebate check and filed to legally change his name. Did President Bush know that's one use the money would go toward?
Kreuscher is now legally known as "In God" as his first name and "We Trust" as his surname. Will be interesting to see what happens to Mr. We Trust when he applies for a U.S. passport. Does this mean his children become something similar, like trustees?
While the newly annointed We Trust says changing his name represents devotion to God, it sounds to The Hound the real reason he did it was to have a name that stood out so he could sell his art for commercial purposes. In The News-Sun account on June 14, We Trust said he's already starting signing his name to canvas. "There are billions of artists out there. If you don't do something to stand out in the crowd, the world won't recognize you," he said. Don't stand too close to this guy --- there might be lightning bolts aplenty.
Isn't using the motto of the U.S. for commercial purposes against federal law. Where's the U.S. attorney's office on this matter? Or is this merely a free speech issue? And how do we know there isn't another "In God We Trust" living in Lake County. If there is, how do we differentiate them? Middle initials?
This is one of the loopiest judgments The Hound has heard coming out of a Lake County courtroom. For all you folks who want to change your name to something odd, you should obviously head here.
The Hound understands "E Pluribus Unum" is still available, but you better move fast. And ask for Judge Hall to be assigned the case.
Apparently there's a whole bunch of people who don't like this new summer replacement TV show on CBS, "Swingtown." The Hound knows this because the suits here have been getting lots of nasty letters on the order of this one from a person in Winthrop Harbor:
"I am offended by the content of the CBS program 'Swingtown.' The offensive content clearly violates our local community standards and does not reflect your license obligation 'to serve the public interest.'
"I urge you to refuse to air future episodes of 'Swingtown.' Stop polluting the air waves with such blatant trash!!
"I also ask you to place a copy of my complaint in your files according to FCC regulations."
If The Hound or The News-Sun owned a television station which happened to be a CBS affliate, we certainly would. However, this is a newspaper and unlike some multimedia giants, the closest we get to a television is the two here at the word factory.
So all you folks out there that think we own a CBS affiliate, lighten up. Send your hate mail to CBS in New York.
As for "Swingtown", if the blue noses don't like it, The Hound, who has heard it is about "swingers" --- the sexual variety --- in the 1970s, surely must. Although it airs past The Hound's bedtime, allegedly it is based upon a town in suburban Chicago.
The Hound first thought it might be about a Lake County town, but was told it is based on fictionalized events in Wilmette, on Cook County's North Shore. Even so, The Hound has been told of "swingers' parties" back in the '70s, where keys were tossed in suburban estate pools or dropped in fishbowls as guests arrived. Then they would discover whose keys belong to who and would hook up later.
The Hound is glad we have advanced past that stage in getting to know the opposite sex and your neighbors' husbands. Instead you can now use on-line dating services --- and swinging services.
Another weekend and another bunch of bicyclists traversing Lake County roadways. A lot of people don't like 'em. As in the following missive The Hound received. A warning: The Hound is only the messenger here, so don't go ballistic. This probably represents what a lot of people think. Then again, it may not.
"This is aimed at a group that would be chagrined to see themselves in this unfavorable mirror, or to know the joke that they have become.
"Just who are these obnoxious self-centered twits who have for years ridden their bicycles on Hunt Club Road on Sunday mornings? I have ridden my bicycle for decades and I am embarrassed to even be associated with their clueless and boorish behavior.
"Two-wheel riders (I am both a bicyclist and motorcyclist) have long had a program of 'share the road' aimed at automobiles. But share the road is a two-way street requiring courtesy and common sense from both drivers and riders.
"It means you obey the traffic laws and display common courtesy. Just because you have a large number of riders does not allow you to blow through stop signs and run red lights. It is also stupid and dangerous to use your huge pack to block the entire lane and pile up autos behind you.
"I am a high-level executive. These parties exhibit a long list of clues for the exact people I try to keep out of my organization: Rude, obnoxious, self-centered and clueless is just a start.
"Their need to act like a pack means they will be the same in the workplace. Self-serving group think is not how we maintain a highly profitable, world-leading company (and thriving as an American manufacturer). And to be a little impish myself, paying absurdly high prices for clown outfits with someone else's ads emblazoned all over does not indicate these are people to whom I would like to give budget authority.
"Our area has some wonderful bike trails. If you can't use reasonable behavior on the highway, move to the bike trails.
"My name is withheld as I doubt these people have much of a sense of humor and I would feel bad if I accidentally offended a customer, vendor or (heaven forbid) a local authority."
The Hound thinks the writer feels better and it might be cheaper than analysis.
The Hound turned around the other day and noticed a lot of things about 2008 and the late 1970s --- like stagflation for one. For another high gas prices.
Every day, it seems, more parallels are popping up between now and then. All we need is another bout of disco fever. Wait, diva Donna Summer, who turns 60 in December, recently released her first studio album in 17 years. Yowsa! Wait, and didn't John Travolta dance up a storm in "Hair Spray"? Double yowsa!
Of course, high gas prices in the 1970s meant 50 cents to 75 cents a gallon, or so The Hound has been told by those who still dream of those halcyon days. These are same folks who remember another unpopular misadventure, Vietnam; a president with low poll ratings; the darkened Las Vegas skyline to save energy; red dye No. 2; and first hearing the word, "malaise." The Hound thought they said "mayonaise" in quoting President Carter.
Back then, wasn't Iran a threat, too? Didn't Carter also suggest turning down our thermostats in winter and wearing sweaters to save energy?
Most memorable parallel for these folks, though, was Ford's announcement last month that the automaker is bringing back the Fiesta, which originally came off the assembly line 30-plus years ago after gas lines began forming.
Can the Chevy Vega be far behind? Or that spinning disco fever sparkling ball? Triple yowsa!
Looks like Secretary of State Jesse White has hit on the ultimate way to rake in cash from parents who fail to pay child support: Threaten to take their driver's licenses away unless they cough up the cash.
That threat so far has prompted more than 3,000 Illinois parents to pay about
$1.3 million in child support since January, White's office said Tuesday. Under the new program, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services sends warning notices to parents who owe at least $2,500 in child support and have an Illinois driver's license. If the parent does not reply, their names are sent to the secretary of state, who suspends the license 60 days later.
Illinois at one time was ranked as one of the worst states when it came to collecting child-support payments because officials dismissed the simple theory that if it's one's kids, the parent should support them and not the taxpayers. Seven years ago, Illinois collected $726 million from deadbeat parents, mostly dads. Last year, that figure topped more than $1.2 billion.
Actually, this program makes more sense than throwing the deadbeats in jail for failing to pay for their kids, especially if they need that license to get back and forth to work. Once and a while government actually does do something for taxpayers.
