Playing Video Games

I'm not a bad person; so what if I get a little obsessed now and then?

Since the onset of my computer life, I have obsessed over computer games. There have been so many wonderful ways to wile away the hours that it almost defies logic. I'm sure I will one day wish I could have all those hours back.

But for now, I don't consider this time spent as a waste. It is almost like therapy. It allows my mind to wander free from the stresses of the day. Then again, it often creates a kind of stress of its own, but it is one that disappears easily. Rarely do I stay awake thinking about computer games. Now that I think about it, I do recall dreaming about them though.

I recall when I was pregnant with my second child, it began as I spent hours playing Space Invaders on the old Atari 2600.

Since that time in the early 1980's, I cannot count all the different games I've enjoyed. They seem to come in phases. I am a loyal game player.

For a time I was a Sim City freak. As an opponent of urban sprawl and rampant development, playing this game gave me a sense of understanding of the other side. I also enjoyed playing Sim Farm with these two games being the yin and yang of my Sim life.

For a long time, I played a frenzied Mahjongg. I even began collecting different versions. Some had great graphics. Others played calming, zen-like music. The one I played the most, however, was an old version from Galaxy Games. It is so old, that it isn't even available anymore, although many other versions of Mahjongg abound.

That is a real source of aggravation - falling in love with a game only to have all support discontinued.

That happened to me with one of my current favorites, Mind Your Marbles. I was so enamored with this game that I bought it from Big Fish Games. I own the game, have the original documentation, and the original code to run it. But Big Fish changed its system. When I bought a laptop I contacted the company to see why my code didn't work on my new computer. They said they no longer supported that game, even though my license was for a lifetime. I refuse to buy it again.

I wrote to other companies that sell Mind Your Marbles, but they won't honor a game from Big Fish Games, even if it is the same game. They could care less about my feelings. So, I'll never buy another game again. So many are available online anyway.

I do have several games from Big Fish that work with no problem -- probably because they are more recent. My favorite is Upwards, a fun variant of Scrabble, which I also play regularly. As a writer, I cannot live without word games. I admit that I am a fast typist, so playing these keep my vocabulary and typing skills well-honed.

The latest obsession that keeps me more than occupied is a Facebook game --Bubble Spinner by Mind Jolt Games. These simple arcade-style games are my favorites. I am not a fan of the graphic killer games, although I did love Castle Wolfenstein. I had that game when it was first introduced for the Commodore 64. That was a very long time ago.

As obsessed as I am, I am probably even more competitive. I admit that I get a kick out of winning. Striving to be the best you can be is not a bad thing.

I believe my competitive nature is inherited, and it is undeniable. Ask my daughter who also got the gamesman gene. The two of us go head-to-head often. I whip her at Scrabble, but she beats me in our all-time Mahjongg challenge. She has me by a few seconds. She and I don't play the game as it was intended. We play it as a personal challenge to beat each others' times, clearing the board as quickly as we can. I believe her record is 1.21 minutes. Mine is 1.23. I chalk it up to the generation gap. I admit that she is just plain faster than me.

There are so many game sites available online now -- offering free game play if you have the patience to deal with the multitude of advertisements that appear.

If you have a favorite game, let me know. I'm always open to a good challenge.

Congressional Black Caucus

I was reading an article this morning in the Washington Post entitled, "Congressional Black Caucus Members Vote Support for Obama."

First off, Obama is everyone's president, no matter what color we are. Secondly, you would have to blind, deaf, and oblivious to the world around you if you are surprised by the black members of congress being supportive of our president. But as Obama so eloquently told David Letterman the other night, he has been black all his life. Therefore, why is it a news item that the black members of congress support him. This is no different than saying that Democrat members of congress support him.

But most importantly, why is there a black caucus anyway? I can see where at one time, this country faced issues that were solely 'black.' But we have moved past those horrible times. Must we now form a white congressional caucus to counter black separatism? Can white members of congress join the congressional black caucus? So how is a body within the United States Congress that has only black members, not racist? Doesn't congress have enough problems with partisanship without adding race to the mix?

I am not of the opinion that only white people can be racists.

I understand that the black experience has been uniquely different than my white experience, but that doesn't mean I can't empathize with my black brothers and sisters. And likewise, they have not experienced issues from my past, so they should empathize with me. That is what understanding and tolerance, for which we all strive, is about. Our past experiences do not define us if we do not let them. We must rise above whatever occurred in our past and move forward.

So I ask, is a black caucus really necessary? What is it that black members of congress can discuss among themselves that they can't discuss with other members of congress? Isn't this the very same kind of separatist thinking that people of color have complained about from non-color folks? Isn't it time to do away with this black and white racial divide in the body that makes laws that affect all of us?

This same concept applies to all other caucuses in the congress:

• Blue Dog Coalition
  
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)
  
• Congressional Black Caucus
  
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
  
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
  
• New Democrat Coalition

Read the constitution - we are all equal.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. his latest woes

Headlines are filled with allegations of ethics violations and potential wrongdoing by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. in connection with the vacated U.S. Senate Seat formerly held by President Barack Obama. The congressional ethics probe was placed on the back burner upon request from federal prosecutors who are investigating former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

By all accounts, Jackson appears to be in some hot water. Perhaps that would explain his uncharacteristic silence of late.

Coincidentally, Jackson and Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed to fill the vacant Senate seat from Illinois, are named two of the 15 most corrupt congressmen in Washington. Coincidentally, Illinois has just escaped from the scrutiny of a similar allegation. Another Illinois Congressman, Jerry Weller, who decided not to run for re-election in 2008 was also labeled one the most corrupt congressman.

But why should Illinois' congressional delegation be the only offices mentioned. Illinois governors are not immune to prosecution, accusation, or going to the slammer. Take Blagojevich, who was impeached as governor and now awaits a 2010 trial in federal court for allegations of wrongoing. Then there is his predecessor, George Ryan whose home address is a federal penetentiary.

Ryan follows in a long line of corrupt governors. In the last 35 years, two other Illinois governors have served time -- Otto Kerner and Dan Walker.

So, is it any wonder that Jackson has been silent of late?

A story published last December addresses this very topic. Perhaps it is time to revisit it here.

* * *

Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Is he a hero or is he scrambling to save his political life?

originally published in Dec. 2008 at http://chblog.ozarkattitude.com

Last December news reports indicated that Jesse Jackson, Jr. had long been cooperating with federal prosecutors’ investigation of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged “pay-to-play” schemes.

Jackson was identified as ‘Senate Candidate 5’ soon after the criminal complaint in accordance with Blagojevich’s arrest was released last week. The complaint alleged that ‘Senate Candidate 5’ was implicated in Blagojevich’s alleged plot to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Jackson denies allegations


But Jackson has vehemently denied he was involved in trying to buy the position, despite his immodest efforts to win the appointment.

Jackson’s aides intimate that Jackson is not only innocent of trying to trade campaign cash for the senate seat, but that he has long been an informant to federal prosecutors about Blagojevich’s behavior. Jackson has claimed that Blagojevich refused to appoint Jackson’s wife Sandi as Illinois State Lottery Director because Jackson would not donate $25,000 to the governor’s campaign fund.

The reports paint Jackson as almost heroic.

Questions remain

While the facts of this situation will become clearer with time, there are things already known about the tenuous relationship between Jackson and Blagojevich. Much of it has to do with Jackson’s obsession over building an airport near Peotone. Jackson has tried to coerce Blagojevich into supporting Jackson’s plan which includes turning over state-owned land to Jackson’s self-prescribed airport authority.

Jackson, Blagojevich and the Peotone Airport


Blagojevich never gave Jackson what he wanted. The problem began days after Blagojevich was elected in 2002. That was a very active time in eastern Will County.

Blagojevich reportedly considered calling a halt to land banking near Peotone because of the state’s budget crisis. Blagojevich inherited the questionabe undertaking from his predecessor, ex-Gov. George Ryan and Ryan’s transportation Secretary Kirk Brown.

A little airport history

During Blagojevich’s first year in office, the U.S. Congress was set to approve the O’Hare Modernization Plan. Jackson was furious when language was removed from legislation that would have provided an iron-clad guarantee that if O’Hare is expanded, Peotone would also be built.

When legislation was signed with a cursory mention of Peotone, Jackson went into a tirade claiming, “If O’Hare gets expanded, there is no need for Peotone.” But that didn’t slow his efforts to push the project.

About the same time, the FAA approved a Tier 1 Draft Environmental Airport study for the Peotone project. Jackson wanted approval on a fast track. To date, no progress has been made on the project.

In 2003, Jackson was deeply involved with DuPage County officials – O’Hare expansion opponents -- who have bankrolled the effort to build a new airport at Peotone. The Suburban O’Hare Commission as they were known believed a new airport at Peotone was preferable to an expanded O’Hare. It was this organization that had bankrolled Jackson's efforts and lined up funding. (Incidentally, due to the last election cycle SOC boss Bensenville Village President John Geils was voted out of office.)

Jackson misrepresents Peotone location

Jackson has long ignored the distance between the south suburbs and the proposed airport. Peotone is listed alphabetically on Jackson’s website between Park Forest and Phoenix, which are in his district. After numerous complaints, a disclaimer identifying Peotone as located in Will County was added, though it does nothing to clarify that Peotone is located outside Jackson’s second congressional district.

Jackson also ignored the distance between the south suburbs and his pet project when he deceived his colleagues about the Peotone project’s location. In the summer of 2007 he stood on the floor of the House of Representatives claiming, “Peotone abuts Ford Heights.”

Jackson’s remarks were part of his sales pitch to get a $231,000 earmark attached to a spending bill for his airport authority.

Latest predictions on the 40-year old project fail again

At that time, Jackson predicted the airport would be built and operational by 2008 with five gates and one runway. He expected the State of Illinois to provide land it owned to his airport authority. The state owned roughly a third of what would have been needed to build an airport.

In 2005, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a 37-page unfavorable opinion about Jackson’s airport authority.

Madigan said the state transportation department did not have the authority to convey state-owned land, for less than market value to Jackson’s airport commission.

Madigan also said the deal brokered by Jackson between his Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission (ALNAC) and airport developers to design, build, and operate the airport was not legal under Illinois law as the authority was currently structured.

She also issued the opinion that for Jackson’s authority to develop an airport, it has to be recommended by the Governor in the airport’s Master Plan.

When ex-Congressman Jerry Weller added an amendment to the defense bill stating that a Peotone airport should be controlled locally, Jackson was furious. He called the bill a “Peotone killer,” and took the opportunity to lash out at all his critics, including Blagojevich.

Jackson used the very communities he purported to help

In 2006, Jackson was furious with Blagojevich. He wanted ALNAC members, some of those poor south suburban communities that he claimed would benefit by an airport, to cough up $300,000 to mount a media blitz and to pressure Blagojevich into turning over eastern Will County land to Jackson’s airport authority.

More than $200,000 was ultimately raised by Jackson’s advocates, including $25,000 from the City of Harvey, a city whose economic woes remain at the forefront of the media. Jackson’s efforts came under fire from several who questioned the use of municipal funds for a public relations blitz. Many felt it was wrong to use tax dollars for a project touted as a no-taxpayer supported airport. Jackson’s plea for phone calls to the governors’ office resulted in only a small number of them.

When Jackson coerced local governments into donating funds to his campaign to lobby Gov. Blagojevich to turn over state-owned land to his airport authority, Paul Lohmann, the mayor of a town adjacent to the proposed airport took Jackson to task that summer. In a letter to Jackson, Lohmann asked if that money would be better spent as a donation to Robbins or Harvey, two of the poor communities in Jackson’s district.

Jackson has claimed a new airport at Peotone would be an economic benefit to Robbins, Harvey, and the poorest of the south suburban communities – Ford Heights. There has, however, been no evidence that a runway 20 miles away from those communities would have any effect on the economies of those towns.

Blagojevich remained on the fence

Blagojevich stayed clear of the battle for control of the proposed airport by ALNAC or Will County. He said they would have to work it out or risk losing the development.

Jackson ally, State Sen. James Meeks, considered running for governor in 2006. Jackson made it known that if he didn’t get what he wanted from Blagojevich, he would rally support for Meeks in the black community, even though it was unlikely Meeks would win. Jackson’s support could, however, have taken enough votes from Blagojevich to put Republican Judy Baar Topinka into the governor’s mansion.

That was the tactic Jackson used successfully in the 1998 gubernatorial election against fellow Democrat Glenn Poshard. Poshard openly opposed the Peotone airport. Jackson was livid. He used his influence in the black community to support George Ryan for governor, a feat for which he still claims credit.

Jackson and Halvorson at odds

Last summer, Jackson accused State Senate Majority Leader and Congressman-elect Debbie Halvorson of designing an airport authority bill with elements of a “pay to play” scheme hatched by Antoin “Tony” Rezko, Blagojevich’s convicted former fundraising pal. Halvorson sponsored and pushed the bill – SB2063 – through the Illinois Senate in the spring.

Jackson’s accusation took the form of a letter to the editor, first appearing in the Village of Park Forest online newsletter. It was written by Jackson aide Rick Bryant who is also ALNAC chairman. Bryant wrote that Halvorson gave into Rezko on a plan that two years earlier Jackson flatly rejected. Halvorson countered by saying she has never met with Rezko, and she has never even met him.

Bryant admitted that Rezko stood in for Blagojevich in the Jackson meeting.

Perhaps only time will tell if Jackson is a hero responsible for helping to bring a corrupt governor to justice, or if he is a political scoundrel deserving of a similar reward as other pay-to-play politicians.

We Remember

Of course we remember. How could anyone forget that morning eight years ago?

Almost 3,000 people died at the hand of terrorists. So many more have suffered. The world has changed since airplanes were purposely flown into New York City’s twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Shanksville, Pennsylvania countryside.

We were all affected. We all lost our innocence that day.

For many of us, it was the birth of national terror -- something we had never felt before and never want to feel again.

The only solace is that we were not alone -- we were startled just as our neighbors were. It was the same feeling experienced
by countless others in and around cities across the land.

Our own feelings of horror were punctuated by empathy for innocent victims and their families, uncertainty surrounding what was happening, and the worst of all, being unable to imagine what, if anything, would happen next. We all remember where we were.

My husband and I were watching television when we saw what we thought was coverage of a high rise fire in New York City.

Sept. 11, 2001 was a beautiful late summer day that started just like any other. But as we watched our television set, the familiar device that delivers entertainment, laughter, and enjoyment, it was now the instrument of live, unedited horror.

It was surreal to hear the familiar voices of Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer as they brought us information just as it was beginning to unfold.

I recall being riveted in the moment, as another plane was visible in the sky. I remember thinking it was a mistake. My brain couldn’t grasp what my eyes were seeing. That second plane hit the second tower. It was unsettling, odd, didn’t make sense. My thoughts scrambled like the rapidly moving images on a slot machine just before it settles on a display.

Finally, it began to sink in, that someone did this on purpose; someone actually planned for this to happen. As the images in my mind slowed to a focus and understanding crept through me, I watched with shock trying to imagine how anyone could do such a thing -- to purposely cause mass destruction, mass casualties, and mass hysteria. At that instant, the scene we saw defied anything we knew to be true. I wondered how such fires could ever be extinguished.

Still shaken by the events, my husband and I both left for work. I was a reporter in a small newspaper office. On my ten-minute drive, I listened to the radio. When I heard the Pentagon was on fire, apparently another plane slammed into it, I heard a sound -- a kind of a high-pitched gasp -- that came from me, though I did not consciously make it. Tears poured from my eyes before I could even comprehend what I heard.

When I got to my destination, my co-workers were huddled around the television set. I joined them, unable to tear myself away. It was a Tuesday, so it was the day of the deadline for our weekly paper. We had to get the paper out. Last minute tasks were nearly impossible that day. And as each one was completed, I hurried to a back room to watch.

I spoke to a representative of the Red Cross, a friend of mine. The agency was suggesting that stores stock additional water and medical supplies. No one knew what to expect. A disaster plan, which had been devised for a perceived Y2K, the predicted chaotic event that never materialized at the turn of the twentieth century, was being implemented in small towns and cities all across the country. She urged everyone not to panic, but to stay informed.

I have no idea how the paper got printed that week. I’m not sure how anything got done in the weeks that followed. But it did. Life did go on.

The country was united in its grief. You could feel it. And you could see it. I remember the impressive images of American flags on display everywhere you looked -- on front porches and in yards, along streets, and in nearly every view.

But, nervousness gave way to resolve. People were nicer to each other. We all seemed to feel as though we shared the horror but weathered the storm. Hugs became the greeting of choice.

But, it didn’t last long. The commonality that brought us together was as delicate as a thread; it was frayed once again by actions that followed this tragedy.

In many ways we are all victims of Sept. 11, but we who survived, have an opportunity that nearly 3,000 of our brothers and sisters lost that day. We must use that opportunity to heal the wounds we suffered as a nation.

On this eighth anniversary of this horror, let us remember that out of this tragedy a kind of goodness emerged. We should embrace the good feelings that emerged, rather than dwell on the pain and loss. Life’s ironic lessons help us cope. And those lessons make us stronger. They encourge us to go on. It is called hope.

Worshipping False Gods

I could hardly believe my ears when I heard there were actually real people in this country outraged that the President of the United States planned to communicate to young students.

At first I thought criticizing our President's intention to address the youngest among us, was a joke. But then I realized it is no joke; it is just a sad reality.

Another sad reality is that there are actually people in this country that refuse to think for themselves. They aren't what they say they are: followers of the Ten Commandments, the Constitution, and the teachings of the Bible.

Instead, they are worshippers of False Gods. They have been preached to for so long about blindly following that they have given up thinking for themselves. After all, ignorance is bliss. They've been taught that anyone who claims to be a Christian is good and therefore are given a pass to follow them.

If your religion teaches you to be a good and kind human being and to help others, you have received the right message. God is not telling anyone to be hateful and ignorant. Yet that is what is happening. Blind faith has led many to follow False Gods -- the God of the Almighty Dollar, the Gods of Hate and Discontent. Lest we forget the God of the Republican Party and the God of Fox News.

Just because these simpletons on radio and television claim to be Christians, doesn't mean they are, nor does their Christian proclamation give license for leadership.

Why would you relinquish your precious human right to think for yourself in favor of blindly following the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter and all the others who make their living trying to influence others? I thought worshipping false idols was against your Christian faith?

These false idols were the same people that defended the former occupant of our White House, who is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of human beings in this country and beyond, for which George W. Bush sacrificed innocent American youths while lying to all of us. George Bush cast off the lives of thousands of our young sons and daughters; and you had no problem with that? But you don't want Barack Obama to speak to the youth about what is good and logical -- staying in school, and being a good student and citizen? Are you nuts?

Erik Sherman's WriterBiz: Writer Mills Making Big $: Demand Studios

Erik Sherman's WriterBiz: Writer Mills Making Big $: Demand Studios

My thanks to Erik Sherman for adding his writer's perspective to the thoughts already swirling inside my own head.

Writer mills -- a perfect descriptive phrase

Let's get on with Health Care

I couldn't tear myself away from the television during the Sen. Edward Kennedy memorial and funeral service -- start to finish.

To me, this represents the best of television -- why we have one. My husband didn't watch. He gets antsy when he sits that long. He's not crazy about anything political or emotional for that matter. I am just the opposite. I love politics and love to feel something when I watch television. Whatever I watch, or do, I immerse myself in it. Otherwise, it just isn't worth doing in my view.

I got a new sense of understanding from Orrin Hatch after hearing him Friday night as he spoke about his relationship with Ted. And the emotion from John Kerry was the kind of emotion that could have won the White House.

The magnitude of information that streamed over the airwaves was nothing short of miraculous in the lengthy coverage.

I have an enormous respect for Vicky Kennedy and her composure, especially in light of how well she coped with that long Catholic funeral, a bit much in my view.

Speaking of Vicky, perhaps she will reconsider filling her husband's vacant Senate seat. It would be a comfort to have his soul mate fill his chair, even though there can never be another Ted Kennedy. His life was shaped in part by the losses he endured -- losses so immense that it is hard to imagine what it would be like to walk in his shoes. A lesser man would have succumbed to the pressure. Ted conquered it. He really was a lion.

President Barack Obama provided a beautiful eulogy to his friend. It is now time for the President to take the Kennedy torch he was given and run with it, right up the steps of Congress, and right into the Senate and House chambers. It is time for the kind of leadership on health care that Kennedy would have provided, had he been able.

It is time for the members of Congress to honor him with the kind of health care for all Americans for which he devoted his life to providing. Let's get on with it.