On January 16, 2010, I posted an article on my blog, “Weekly Wilson” that detailed  my  firsthand experiences as a one-time candidate for 1^st Ward Alderman in East Moline, Illinois in 2005 who knew the vote totals announced in her race the next morning were false.  (*Read the first article to see how on Weekly Wilson to see why I was able to figure out that the sudden turn-around of an election night victory for Yours Truly to a neat “she lost by 10 votes” in the morning Quad City Times could not possibly be right.)

At the time, I promised my mother-in-law I would not write about the election. She feared it would come off  \as though I were a “sore loser,” which I was not. So, I did not write about it in 2005. I did not write about it until many years later, when a Letter to the Editor from Helen Heiland appeared, decrying the fact that she had been passed over to be Democratic County Chairman upon the retirement (and subsequent death) of John Gianulis.

Helen Heiland’s  Letter to the Editor about how she should be the Heir Apparent to the corrupt Democratic County Chairman throne  was the straw that broke the camel’s back, for me, in terms of sharing information. This was the same person who knew the truth about her own fraudulent election (went home in tears from her own victory party), even if nobody else did and even if it could not then be proven because of the corruption in the Good Old Boy network. Thanks to an informant who turned state’s evidence, it now can be proven.

Furthermore, Helen Heiland was a contemporary of Mr. Gianulis, which means that, if I was old at 50-something then, she was extremely old.  I realize that various Congressmen serve until they have to be carted off in an ambulance, but, really, is that desirable? If you are in good health and can at least walk under your own power  and are of sound mind and can stay awake at a Council meeting (or even be present in the first place) and, (hopefully), are  intelligent, shouldn’t those qualities count for something in picking a representative of  the people?

I did not run for office to become a perennial political candidate, as Mrs. Heiland has become. I ran because my former junior high school students at Silvis (IL) Junior High were present at an organizational meeting for then-Mayor Jose “Joe” Moreno  in 2005. They enthusiastically urged me to challenge long-time 1^st Ward Alderman Helen Heiland (who nearly always ran unopposed), as did then-Mayor Joe Moreno.  I was the only one in the room who lived in the 1^st Ward. Not exactly overwhelming qualifications for office, but, with a Master’s plus 30, good health, the time to spend, and a long history of being honest and outspoken (I was the Sylvan Learning Center founder, and I helped achieve recognition for the SEA in Silvis as four-term Co-Chairman of the group) . I had the time, my heart was in the right place, and I wasn’t planning on parking my elderly posterior in the seat until I was cremated.

Helen Heiland had been blocking many of the Mayor’s progressive ideas, supposedly at the urging of then-Democratic County Chairman John Gianulis, who dictated, from above, what would happen in Rock Island County. Later, I was told by a highly-placed Illinois politician when I was present at the DNC in Denver that I was merely “collateral damage” in an attempt to beat Joe Moreno.

The irony was that, unlike Helen Heiland, who allied herself with now-Mayor John Thodos and ran as a teammate, spending thousands of dollars (I heard $25,000), I spent $500, asked for no political contributions (although I got a few) and ran alone. Joe and I were not a political team. He was a friend. He knew the political ropes, but Joe ran on his own, and I ran on my own. He certainly offered advice about such things as poll watchers (too late, as it turned out; it was already the day of the election, and I had none. One election judge voted twice under 2 different names and 3 people entered a booth together in one precinct, I learned.)

Joe had (supposedly) somehow angered former Illinois State Representative Denny Jacobs and was to be “taken down a peg or two,” I was told. I never knew whether to believe that story or not, since Joe’s wife, Lorna, is a Jacobs herself, the daughter of Don Jacobs, Denny’s brother. Why would Joe’s wife’s uncle want him to lose his Mayoral bid, especially when Joe was such a good and popular Mayor who appealed to the large Hispanic population and frequently went to the police station to serve as a free translator, at all hours of the day and night? You couldn’t ask for a nicer or more popular guy or one with better ideas.  It made no sense to me then, and it makes no sense to me now, so it must be wrong. (“Yeah, sure, that’s the ticket,” to quote an old Saturday Night Live line).

The only reason I could come up with on my own—[and it is and was pure speculation]— was that Denny Jacobs might be afraid that the popular Democratic Mayor of East Moline would one day eclipse his own son in popularity and prove to be a threat to Mike Jacobs in future elections. But,— I repeat—that is pure speculation from a political rookie, so I’d ignore that, like everything else I have ever reported has been ignored.  Like the recount in a tiny room in Rock Island that showed that I finished ahead of Helen Heiland in actual ballot voting was ignored and never merited so much as a single line in either newspaper. Just go ahead and forgetaboutit. (I told my mother she should have named me Cassandra. In mythology, Cassandra always told the truth but was never believed, because of a curse that had been placed upon her.)

Elections in Rock Island County, Illinois were rigged, at least from 1988 on. I know this from my own firsthand experience. [I would venture to say that Al Gore knows this from his own firsthand experience in Florida.]

I didn’t care that I had not won the 1^st Ward Alderman’s seat. As Joe Moreno himself would tell you, I agreed to run once (and once only). I was not willing to serve more than one term. I had “promises to keep” to myself and others. My Bucket List included building a place in Chicago, spending more time with my twin grandchildren there, and writing many books, which I have been doing (8 since 2002). I was not going to become a career politician, and, quite frankly, it is too bad that more honest people don’t enter politics with the idea of serving their fellow citizens, without planning to become career politicians (“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”).

And certainly politicians should not be planning to gain office merely to line their own pockets through schemes like the Auto Poll scheme (Leibovitz’ company? American Elections Systems, Inc., incorporated May 9, 2009)  or by buying up primo land for development in sweetheart deals or any of a number of other questionable political pursuits.

But the American Elections Systems, Inc. scheme that former Democrat County Clerk Richard “Dick” Leibovitz was implicated in 14 months ago goes beyond self-serving and into criminal waters. That is why I wonder why nothing more has been said or written about those 14-month old charges against Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.

Until I did some more digging, that is.

Despite a  girlfriend’s defense of her former classmate Mr. Leibovitz (“Oh, it was just an accounting error!” —Right. And I have swampland for sale in Florida.), it seems fairly apparent from the newspaper stories of January, 2010, that there were many examples of malfeasance in office under Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.

According to the Quad City Times, state records list three officers and directors for American Election Systems, Inc.: Richard Leibovitz; his son Christopher of Lenox, Illinois (listed as director); and James Harmening of Orland Park, Illinois, company secretary.  Harmening is also president of a Chicago-based information technology company called Computer Bits, Inc., which has provided “consulting services” to the County Clerk’s office. Computer Bits, Mr. Harmening’s company, was paid $48,969 since 2008 by Rock Island County, including $35,280 in federal grant funds.

Is it a big stretch to imagine that the conspiracy within the Rock island County Office Building could reach further than Mr. Leibovitz?  Couldn’t others…perhaps even the District Attorney’s office…be involved? What other offices might be involved? (Make a list). Is it difficult to imagine that someone who might be guilty of the charges we already know about couldn’t see his way clear, (if asked by powerful others in authority), to sneak a few extra ballots into this or that ballot box, come election night, just to keep the status quo the way the Powers-That-Be wanted them to be kept and make sure an election came out “right” ? Isn’t this the American way? Stuff the absentee ballot box, fix the election, get rich on the public dollar, retain power any way you can, so that you can profit financially?

Oh, wait.

No, that isn’t the American way that I believe in. That isn’t why  I spent $8,000 trying to show the rest of Rock Island County (and Scott County) what was going on over here across the “Joined-by-a-River” Quad Cities. Nelson, Keys & Keys tried to help me expose the corruption  in Rock Island County, Illinois.  Unfortunately, when the chips were down and the recount was going on, reporter Jenny Lee (Dispatch representative) who was present in the room, didn’t write a single word. And the Quad City Times guy must have been stuck on the bridge, because we didn’t see him at all.  And so it goes…and went. As a line from the new TV drama “The Chicago Code” put it, “There is corruption and then there is just the way things get done, and you gotta’ know the difference.”

I sense corruption, and lots of it, about to be exposed.

And, yes, it seems to have been “the way that things got done” in Rock Island County (at least since 1988).

District Attorney Jeff Terronez

District Attorney Jeff Terronez, a Democrat, prosecuted a United Township High School teacher, Jason Van Houtte, who was having sex with his underage students. One particular underage student, Julie W***, testified against Van Houtte, and he received a prison sentence.

Not long after that, additional charges surfaced that the current District Attorney, Jeff Terronez, (a Democrat) had taken the girl—his star witness— and a friend on trips and allegedly supplied alcohol to the underage pair. One story has the “trip” as a harmless trip to visit colleges in Iowa City and Springfield. Supposedly an adult associated with the attractive blonde cheerleader was present and shot film of Mr. Terronez (who is 40-ish and married) with the girls. One story alleges that the current charges against Mr. Terronez are simply a vendetta on the part of the underage girl, who really “loved” her former teacher and now wishes to get revenge, with the help of the camera footage shot by her Aunt, vengeance against the prosecuting attorney who put her former teacher love away. (If this is beginning to sound too much like a soap opera, I merely would say that you can’t make this stuff up.) All these charges were first aired on WQAD, Channel 8, by Anchor Chris Minor.

I am wondering why a District Attorney of any party would be escorting underaged teen-aged girls who were not his children on college visits. It is difficult to wrap one’s mind around the adjective “innocent,” (as in “innocent trip,”_ vendetta or no vendetta. If the trip was just a college visit, why was Mr. Terronez involved at all? Does the “She just wants to get even with him” story  hold together, realistically?

Quad City Times Sues

So, we have had 2 big political corruption stories in Rock Island County, Illinois in the past 14 months that seem(ed) unrelated and also seem to have been swept under the rug:

1)  Richard “Dick” Leibovitz’s alleged misdeeds involving the office he held for 22 years have not (yet) been punished. He has not been tried or fined or even mentioned in recent months, and it has been 14 months since the post I am repeating below this one appeared.

2)  The guilt or innocence of Rock Island District Attorney Jeff Leibovitz is also up in the air. The Quad City Times has been trying to find out what is happening regarding Mr. Leibovitz for months.

This is a timeline of the “Times” attempts to get to the bottom of the Terronez charges:

October 22, 2010: Jim Bohnsack, Rock Island County Board Chairman reported a telephone conversation wih Mr. Terronez during which District Attorney Terronez admitted that he was the subject of a police investigation. Illinois State Police declined to comment.

October 28, 2010:  QC Times filed a Freedom of Information Act with the Illinois State Police, asking for information.

November 10, 2010:  QC Times received a request from the Illinois State Police for a 5-day extension.

November 29, 2010:  A request for a FOIA review was submitted to the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor, via e-mail.  The office was supposed to submit a response within 7 days and 30 days to answer the request.

January 21, 2011:  The Illinois State Police mailed a letter to the QC Times, denying the FOIA request of November 3. The request did acknowledge that there was an ongoing investigation involving Terronez. An attorney with the public access counselor’s office said he would contact Illinois State Police and ask for the documents the newspaper requested and for an explanation for why the request was denied.

February 18, 2011:  The QC Times received a letter from the Attorney General’s Office with a response from the Illinois State Police. It asked the public access counselor to uphold the original denial of the newspaper’s FOIA request.

March 8, 2011:  The QC times filed sit against the Illinois State Police, seeking the release of the information.

(*The timeline above appeared in the Quad City Times newspaper of March 9, 2011, on page A4. This is what is unofficially know as “the run-around.”)

So, what is going on here? We have two cases against two prominent elected Illinois officials, both Democrats. There is an acknowledgement that one case, at least (i.e., Terronez) is “ongoing.”

The other older case (i.e., Leibovitz) is a case where one might say the trail has gone cold. Or has it?

Are the authorities trying to sweep everything under the rug, or is there a concerted attempt to finally “out” the ballot-stuffing and rigged elections that I experienced, firsthand, and many others have suspected were the norm in Rock Island Country over the years. I know that the Quad City Times has had suspicions that something was “rotten in Denmark” for years, because I spoke with one of its editors who wanted me to cut down my Letter to the Editor to a ridiculously few words.

I said that what happened to me (and, I don’t doubt, to Joe Moreno and countless others) could not be explained in “ a few words” and my letter never appeared. I did not even write the letter after the election of 2005. I wrote  only after Helen Heiland, (still clinging to her 1^st Ward Alderperson position until the grave beckons) sent a letter to the Moline Dispatch whining about how she should have been given John Gianulis’ position as Chairman of the Democratic party in Rock Island County.

So, what gives with the above?

While we’re all waiting for the suit that Donald Craven, attorney for the Quad City Times has filed against Interim Director Patrick Keen of the Illinois State Police (filed in Sangamon County) to wend its way through the courts, how can the public can find out what is going on? It’s been over a year since the fact of Mr. Leibovitz’s wrongdoing was first revealed…and many months (6, at least) since Mr. Terronez’s endorsement was removed from the campaign literature of a fellow Democratic candidate for office, due to the potential embarrassment factor. And, during that time, Mr. Terronez has still been acting as the District Attorney for Rock Island County, Illinois, even though one fact that has been admitted by the Illinois State Police is that he was and is the ongoing subject of a police investigation.

True, the investigation seemed to be about whether or not Mr. Terronez supplied alcohol to underage girls but is that all that he might be charged with when the facts hit the fan?

Some say that the Terronez case and the Leibovitz case are not separate at all, but iner-related. The entire house of cards that is Rock Island County politics might be coming crashing down on the heads of those who have called the shots and stuffed the ballots (mostly the absentee ballots) and released the wrong vote counts for years and years. How could the officials discover this?
Well, one way might be to read www.WeeklyWilson.com on January 10, 2010, where I explained how I went door-to-door exposing the corruption that existed in what should be fair elections in this county. I did it not for me, but for anyone who might come after me. It cost me $8,000, and…trust me on this…a seat at the table as 1^st Ward Alderman is not worth $8,000, but preserving free and fair elections is, to me…[idealist and honest person that I am.]

I had Darren Leibovitz in school when he attended Silvis Junior High School, as I explained in the original article regarding the Leibovitz charges. I had nothing to do with the discovery of Mr. Leibovitz’ alleged misuse of federal funds to build a company that marketed voting software, which would, therefore, feather his own private nest. I did not cry a river at losing a 1^st Ward alderman position that I planned to hold for the minimum amount of time—possibly only for 2 years— despite the charges some will make that I am telling this story in a “sour grapes” fashion.  There have been elections since 2005, and I have not sought public office, political outsider that I was then and am now. As I told State Representative Mike Jacobs in Denver at the DNC, “I like politics as a spectator sport.” It is not nearly as much fun as a participant, especially when you can’t even expect the County Clerk’s office to fairly count the vote.

Darren Leibovitz, Richard “Dick” Leibovitz’s son, was brought in to be deputy clerk in his office by Mr. Leibovitz just before he retired, thereby placing him in a position over an employee with more seniority and more experience, Pat Randall. The rumor is that Randall has been granted immunity to tell where the skeletons are buried and how the ballot boxes got stuffed with absentee votes for whichever candidates the Powers-That-Be decreed should win this time around. Recently, an auditor (Diana Robinson) has announced she will not run for re-election. The rumor there is that she hopes, when the proverbial s*** hits the fan, that at least her pension will be secure.

What will the charges be? If the rumors turn out to be accurate, everything from vote fraud (which is what I told the Quad City Times back in 2005) to racketeering to RICO whatever. Who knows who all will be implicated and which powers on the throne will be toppled. Certainly not me. One source said, “Believe me…It’s gonna’ be far-reaching.”

Will any of the things I’ve said here turn out to be true? We’ll  have to wait and see. Just ignore me, as many did when I said Obama would carry Iowa. Just ignore me, as many did when I cried “Foul!” in a small election for 1^st Ward Alderman in Rock Island County in 2005. Just ignore me when I tell you that you should stay tuned for further developments, because, and I quote Quad City Times Executive Editor Jan Touney from March 9^th’s paper (front page):  “It is well past time that the public know what is happening with the investigation involving the Rock Island County State’s Attorney.”

To that, I say “Amen,” and I would like to add, “And it is also high time that the public know the disposition of the case against former Rock Island County Clerk Richard “Dick” Leibovitz.

Either there is a big s***-storm coming from on high, with charges that will make headlines, or there’s a large pile of dirty Democratic dealings that date back to at least 1988 piling up under the carpet in Springfield.

During the Chicago Film Festival (Oct. 7-21) I had the opportunity to meet and greet several famous folk.

One was Guillermo del Toro, who was very sweet and sincere. Another was Ron Perlman, in town to give Guillermo an award. Then there was Forest Whitaker, Cecile DeFrance (the Belgian star of “Hereafter”), David Schwimmer, Alan Cumming and the assorted stars of “Trust,” a David Schwimmer-directed film. There was also Danny Boyle, the director of “Slumdog Millionaire ” and “127 Hours.”

Ron Perlman in the background and Guillermo del Toro on the Red Carpet at the Chicago Film Festival.

Director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire," "Trainspotting") after the premiere of "127 Hours."

Cecile DeFrance, female star of "Hereafter" and me, after the Chicago premiere of Clint Eastwood's new film.

Chicago critic Richard Roper and Cecile DeFrance, star of Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter."

Ed Burns, Director of "Nice Guy Johnny" and "The Brothers McMullen," hits the Red Carpet at the Chicago Film Festival.

Ed Burns at the Chicago Film Festival.

Guillermo del Toro onstage.

Lianna Liberato, who won as Best Actress for her part in "Trust" at the Chicago Film Festival.

Alan Cumming on the Red Carpet at the Chicago Film Festival.

Alan Cumming, who plays Eli Gold on "The Good Wife," gave interviews only to television.

David Schwimmer directed "Trust" at the Chicago Film Festival; he's better-known from his "Friends" role of yesteryear.

Nashville's scale model Parthenon in Centennial Park.

We’re here in Nashville and have been visiting the Parthenon, a left-over from the Nashville Centennial Celebration and other points of interest.

There was a Friday night beer-tasting event in a park, similar to others held in 14 other cities. It was well-attended, and various beers could be sampled.

After the event in the park, we attended a concert by a group called “Westfolk.”  The band consists of lead singer Oscar Anthony of Chicago, who resembles Abbie Hoffman of the 60′s. On guitars and synthesizer is John Shaw. Brady Surface plays bass guitar, Ross Ridgeman helps with vocals and plays keyboards, Jared Ziemba and Houston Matthews on drums round out the group. We met Houston’s parents, who were in town from Little rock, Arkansas. Dad was frantically trying to Skype the concert “live” to Houston’s girlfriend in Los Angeles. Houston was definitely my favorite of the musicians and the last encore song was the best.

Tomorrow we plan to drive to a glass exhibit by the world renowned Dale Cihuly, whose last name I have probably just misspelled. Wish us luck!

It was a beautiful night, because the rain that had been threatening for much of the afternoon held off. The tickets said 7:00 p.m, but we meandered across the street to Soldier Field at quarter to 8:00 p.m. and Kid Rock, performing with Bon Jovi as the lead-in act, had not yet taken the stage.

When he did, all numbers were up-tempo and, later on, he joined Bon Jovi for a rousing rendition of “Old Time Rock ‘N Roll.”

There was an intermission after Kid Rock’s hour long set and then, at approximately 9:30, Bon Jovi took the stage and held court for 2 and 1/2 hours. They played all the songs they’ve made famous over the years, and some I didn’t know. Bon Jovi looked great in a black jacket and pants that were also black, but sparkled. Other band members mostly went with the black leather pants.
Richie Sambora, in particular, had lost weight. He wore a silver lame jacket to open the show, then switched to a sleeveless leather vest, and finished up with a hat and vest combo. The fans were appreciative at all points, and 60,000 of them turned out. Considering that the band has played in 50 countries and released 11 studio albums, 2 compilations (1 Great Hits in 1994), 1 live album and sold 130 million copies, worldwide, we got what we expected: a World Class show. While the bands were performing a variety of film clips were projected on the 3 large screens behind them.

Bon Jovi, as a group, has been rocking and rolling since 1983. Jon Bongiovani, whose surname provided the group with its name “Bon Jovi” has been married to his high school sweetheart Dorothea for 21 years and has 4 children aged 17, 15,  8 and 6. It’s no wonder that Jon told “E! Online” prior to the Chicago show, “My life’s pretty good.” If you saw the “Sixty Minutes” special filmed at the palatial French chateau that is home in New Jersey, you will agree. The 48-year-old rocker pulled a calf muscle early in this tour, but, unlike Kings of Leon who canceled their entire St. Louis concert because a couple of pigeons shat upon 2 of their band members while they were playing, this band takes a licking, but keeps on ticking.

Jon Bon Jovi revealed that 2  countries they have yet to play, but would like to are Israel and Greece. Considering that they’ve played 2,600 dates in 50 countries, I’d say it’s a good bet they’ll eventually add both of those countries to their tour list. This tour, The Circle Tour, comes on the heels of the November, 2009 release of their latest album, “The Circle” and will wind down the North American leg after Saturday, July 31′s show. Then, one month off (August) and back to tour Latin America, Australia and Japan beginning in September.

A great show with plenty for everyone.

Fifty-nine year old Jim Ridings has self-published a new book (342 pp.) about a corrupt governor of Illinois, which includes statements like these:

• “He is so unscrupulous that his lack of principle gives him the appearance of audacity.”
• “Insufferable”
• “Small-minded”
• “Unprincipled”
• “Maybe his bad record is a help to him…It is so bad, it is unbelievable.  When the truth is told, people say it cannot be so, and that there must be a vicious reason behind the telling of it.” (Chicago Tribune editorial about this governor.)
• “The great game of politics is played everywhere, but nowhere with greater zest than in the state of Illinois.” (“Time” magazine article about this governor).
• First Governor of Illinois to be arrested while in office.
• “Is the worst governor the state ever had.  We believe he is the worst governor any state ever had.  He has contaminated everything with which he has come in contact in politics.” (Editorial from the Chicago Tribune)

So, who are we talking about here?

The question is valid, because, at this point, the book begins to outline how the governor of Jim Ridings’ book “did wickedly, willfully, unlawfully and feloniously embezzle and fraudulently convert to his own use” more than a million dollars in state money when he was Illinois treasurer in 1904, prior to becoming Governor of Illinois, a post he held from 1921 to 1929.

When arrested, this Governor refused to surrender to authorities for nearly 3 weeks, claiming that the doctrine of separation of powers protected him from arrest. He threatened to use the National Guard to place Springfield under martial law to protect him.

Prosecutors said the accused Governor had deposited millions into a fictitious bank to defraud the state out of interest payments, and that he had operated a money-laundering scheme. The defense maintained that the governor didn’t really know what was being done in his name and was the victim of his mean-spirited political foes. This Governor considered the Chicago Tribune to be chief among his “political foes,” as a current website about the governor and his family says, “The Chicago Tribune championed a cause against the Governor which impressed upon him the importance of hometown newspaper(s).”

I know you have all been reading this and thinking that the scoundrel’s name was Rod Blagojevich.

In reality, Rod Blagojevich was the second Governor of Illinois to be arrested while in office. The first was Lennington Small, a Republican from Kankakee whose offspring went on to found the Small Newspaper Group, and the SNG website says, “He established the integrity of the business through personal example.”

[After the list of charges above, I’m almost afraid to consider what that might have meant.]

Lennington Small, when brought to trial, was acquitted, but a juror and two Chicago mobsters were later indicted on charges that the jury had been bribed. Small, upon his acquittal and subsequent re-election bid (!), commuted the sentences of two other mobsters who had been jailed for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury investigating the circumstances of Lennington Small’s acquittal. It should be noted that Lennington Small lost a civil lawsuit and was forced to repay the state of Illinois $650,000. But he wasn’t impeached and—will wonders never cease—even won that second term in office.

Lennington Small died in 1936. His name was largely forgotten until his great grandson, Stephen Small, then 40, died after being buried alive in a botched kidnapping attempt in 1987.

The Small Newspaper Group began in 1913 with “The Daily Republican” in Kankakee (one of three newspapers in the town) and went on to acquire The Daily Times in Ottawa (1955); the LaPorte Herald-Argus (LaPorte, Indiana, 1964); the Daily Dispatch in Moline (1969); The Leader (Iowa Quad Cities) in 1978, (which has now ceased operations, although the SMG website does not note this); Star Publication weeklies in the south Chicago suburbs (1975-1995); SNG group prints 80,000 to 105,000 copies of “USA Today” in Kankakee (1983 to the present); “Family Weekly” magazine, which later became “USA Weekend”,  was sold to CBS in 1980; Rochester “Post-Bulletin” (1977), the largest afternoon daily in the state of Minnesota; “Times-Press” in Streator, IL (1980; current Daily Dispatch publisher Roger Ruthhart came to Moline from Streator); Palisadian Post in California (1981); The Rock Island Argus from the Potter family, “one of the state’s oldest continuously published newspapers” in Rock Island, IL (1995), which also ceased operations in the recent past; and, in 1969, brothers Len and Burrell divided the family’s holdings in print and broadcast properties, with Len taking the newspapers and Burrell inheriting such properties as WKAN,  in existence since 1947.

The SNG (Small Newspaper Group) website says of Governor Lennington Small, “The Governor is best-known for the 7,000 miles of hard roads he built in Illinois and for his support of the State Fair.”

Perhaps author Jim Ridings, who has written Len Small- Governors and Gangsters, a 342-page book about the “worst governor ever” would suggest other things for which Governor Small might be remembered, such as setting the bar so low that it took 90 years for someone (Rod Blagojevich) to lower it further.

SOURCES:  SNG (Small Newspaper Group) official website; “The Worst Illinois Governor?” by Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune, Wed., July 21, p. 21; “Len Small: Governors and Gangsters,” self-published by Jim Ridings (342 pp., 2009).

It’s raining in Tennessee and the severe weather and storms hadn’t let up as of 5 p.m. CDT. Local papers in Nashville said it was the worst flooding since 1974.

According to the Channel 5 news in Nashville (my5@newschannel5.com0 and the newspaper the Tennessean, there is a tornado watch for most of southwest Tennessee until 6 p.m. Six inches of rain fell Saturday night, and another 4 inches is expected by late Saturday. At 4:45 p.m., rain was still falling.

All high school proms were being canceled. There were 88 reports of road accidents and 30 people reported being stranded in their homes or cars. I40 in southwest Tennessee was shut down and I40 was shut down at the 59-mile marker on Saturday morning.

In the photo to the left, the black car belonged to a friend of my daughter’s and was parked in the Belmont University parking lot in Nashville. It was totaled.

In Memphis, the Interstate was closed. Franklin, where many rich and powerful stars reside (Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, et. al.) was flooded. The Nashville Sounds baseball game was canceled.

This photo was taken by a friend from his window.

Tornado warnings had been issued for southeast Davidson County, eastern Williamson county, northern Rutherford, and western Wilson County. The Tennessee Department of Transportation canceled all roadwork on I440.

Another friend sent the picture below of her Nashville front yard under water. (Good thing the daughter lives on the third floor; many of her friends have 3 inches of water in their basements!)

Message: My front yard! Totally freaked out.

President Barack Obama traveled to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida today (April 15, 2010) and addressed the scientists, engineers, astronauts and others gathered at NASA about his goals for the space program of the future.

Noted Obama,”It was here that NASA lunched Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the Hubbell Telescope.” Obama, reminisced about being held on his grandfather’s shoulders in 1961 in Hawaii to observe the return of astronauts from space. He said, “I have been part of that generation inspired by the space program…As president, I believe that space exploration is an essential part of our nation.  So, today, I’d like to talk about a new chapter in space exploration.”

BACKGROUND OF SPACE RACE
Recapping history and the space race we ran with Russia back in the day, Obama tried to explain that we are no longer in the position that our cold war with Russia put us in back in 1957 and beyond.  He did not, however, repudiate the space program, but, instead, repeated his commitment to NASA, pointing out that it was Bush the younger, 8 years ago, who decreed that the next 3 launches of the Challenger will be its last, due to cost constraints. That was not Obama’s decision, but George W. Bush’s.

Obama said, “I am 100% committed to the mission of NASA and its future. Because, if we fail to press forward we are ceding our imperative to press forward, and that’s part of our national character.”

Obama also went on to say, “People, for years, have neglected NASA’s mission.” He cited a reluctance to set objectives and to allocate funds and said, “All that has to change.” Therefore, Obama announced that, at a time when budgetary constraints are causing most programs to be cut or frozen, the budget for space exploration would increase by $6 billion dollars over the next 5 years. He went on to say, “NASA’s budget has risen and fallen with the political winds,” a practice which he decried.

NEW INITIATIVES

Some of the initiatives that Obama announced for NASA included ramping up robotic exploration of space, going to Mars, launching a successor to the Hubbell Telescope and extending the life of the International Space Station.  The president announced that, at a time of freezes, NASA must work hand-in-hand with an array of private sector corporations and said, “NASA has always worked well with the private sector.” Obama said that, with new companies competing, the pace could be accelerated and that “we must build on the good work already done on the Orion endeavor.  Orion will be readied for flight right here in this room.”

Another pledge was $3 billion for research to develop a new vehicle to reach deep space.  He announced the plan to “finalize a rocket design no later than 2015 and then begin to build it.” This is at least 2 years earlier than previous plans, Obama noted. He announced that research should be made into ways to live and work in space for longer periods of time.

Said the president, “These are the questions that we can and will answer. We will not just continue on the same path, but leap into the future.”  He referred to these goals as “transformative strategies.” Noting that the Constellation program was not fulfilling its goals, he declared that the administration would take a look at it and try to improve it, but repeated, “Nobody is more committed to manned space flight, to human exploration of space, than I am.” He pledged, “We will actually reach space sooner and more often,” with the partnership between NASA and the private sector. “We will send many more astronauts into space over the next decade.”

Obama pledged to invest in groundbreaking research, to set a course with achievable milestones.  “By 2025, the first ever missions beyond the moon and into deep space” will take place. He mentioned potentially visiting an asteroid.  By the mid 2030’s he said that the United States will journey to Mars and back and noted, “And I expect to be around to see it.”

Been There/Done That:

Obama downplayed the idea of going back to the moon, saying, “Some say, moon first. We’ve been there before.” He pledged, instead, that the development of deep-space propulsion systems would be critical to the space program he supports. In poo-poohing a return to the moon, he said, “I believe it’s much more important to ramp up, and that’s how we’ll insure that our exploration will be much more in the next century than it was in the last.”

Jobs Creation for Space Exploration:

Obama pledged, 2,500 jobs along the space coast, more than under his predecessor, George W. Bush. He furthermore pledged to modernize the Kennedy Space Center. Third on his list was the promise of (potentially) 10,000 more jobs in the private sector that would be allied with the government’s space program. He did note, “Some will see their jobs end (a decision made 8 years ago) when the Constellation program comes to an end, but I have directed a $40 million initiative to develop a plan for regular job growth to be on my desk by August 15^th of this year.”

THE NEXT CHAPTER IN SPACE EXPLORATION

Said Obama, “So this is the next chapter that we can reach together, right here at NASA.” He encouraged a “step-by-step push of the boundaries.” He urged a push for ways for people to live in space, calling it “humanity’s role in space.”

To the rhetorical question, “Why spend money on NASA, on space exploration, at all?” Obama answered:  “You and I know this is a false choice.  For pennies on the dollar, space exploration has inspired generations of Americans, creating jobs, etc….I want to say clearly that is exactly why it is important that we push limits,” but he urged “clear aims” and “a larger purpose.”

Obama called the moon landing achieved under President John F. Kennedy in 1969 “one of the greatest achievements in human history.”

BEGINNING OR ENDING?

He added, “Is this a beginning or an ending of the space program? I choose to believe that this is the beginning of something, not the end of something.” He repeated that the race into space helped define the United States and  that the decision to retire the space shuttle after 3 more missions was made by “W” some time ago.

I watched the live speech on the Fox news channel, and I expected to hear derision and nay saying after the inspiring speech. The paid talking head was remarkably positive towards the president’s message. However, the  “expert” that Fox hired to be interviewed (Homer Hickam, supposedly a former NASA engineer),  upheld Fox’s anti-Obama bias almost to the point of being ludicrous and laughable. Hickam said, “If you want to talk about dinosaur bones, I’m your man” as the segment wound down, which had little or nothing to do with the issue of Obama’s speech on space exploration.

Hickam’s comments included these: “I just hope the people in charge don’t mess it up so bad that we can’t fix it.” (Oh. You mean like Bush did for 8 years? We’re all familiar with that strategy.)

He claimed that Obama has “a bad team” in John Holderin, his space expert. (I was tempted to ask, “There are worse team than those assembled by “W” when in office, including Brownie and Rumsfeld?) Hickam added, “They don’t have the ability to organize a Boy Scouts’ Jamboree,” which seemed, even for Fox, to be  hyperbole. After the additional comment that, “I think the people he’s got in charge don’t have a clue,” the Hickam person held up his handheld GPS, his cell phone ( he would have held up a microwave and a flat screen televison, if he had been given more time and ones that were small enough), claiming that all of these developments came to us courtesy of NASA.

Hickam  said, “That GPS saved my life when I was out there in the desert looking for dinosaur bones” (?) and went off on a conversational tangent about dinosaur bones. I am unsure where this so-called “expert” came from or under what conditions he left NASA, but the Obama speech was really inspiring and, in direct contradiction of Hickam’s later accusation that it was “so vague,” the speech set actual deadlines for many of these space initiatives, which is something I do not remember hearing from any president since JFK. Four of them are mentioned in the paragraphs above. The speech was interrupted  by spontaneous applause by the NASA scientists and engineers on several occasions.

I spent 3 weeks in Florida in January and February. NASA workers there were understandably concerned about their futures.  This speech went a long way towards reassuring top-notch current NASA workers (Homer Hickam is not among that group).  After this speech, they should feel more reassured that their jobs are not going away. This will help prevent a brain drain of our top researchers.  Obama’s commitment to the cause of space exploration, just as his commitment to passing a health care bill, seemed real and genuine during today’s speech.

I’ve already posted an article that describes how Didi Benami was eliminated on Wednesday night’s “American Idol” but now, following in the steps of other news sources, most notably the April 2 issue of  “Entertainment Weekly,” I’m going to sound off on the ejection of Didi (et. al.) and what’s happening to drag “American Idol” down the tubes in this, the worst season it has ever experienced.

The show premiered in June of 2002. It has been a rating blockbuster every year since. However, this year, the ratings have plummeted, dropping from 25.8 and 25.5 million to 22.9 and 20.5 million (www.entertainmentweekly.com, p. 38, “Why Can’t the New Idols Sing” by Michael Slezak). At first, I thought the low number of hits on Associated Content for “American Idol” articles could be blamed on competition from the winter Olympics. Then, the winter Olympics ended and the truth emerged.

There were many mistakes made this year, from letting Paula go as a judge, (when audiences apparently loved her particular brand of ditz), to letting it be known that this is Simon’s Swan Song Season. I’m not sure that “American Idol” audiences have ever really taken to Kara. She seemed like “the fifth wheel” last year, and that feeling continues. On top of which, as one critic put it, her constant game of “touchy feely” with Simon becomes distracting to the judging of the contestants and doesn’t seem very mature or professional to be showcased, week after week, on a major television show.

For whatever reason, this year’s crop of  “American Idol” contestants is just not that good. There are perhaps 2 to 4 contestants left singing at the end of March with major star potential (Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Lee DeWyze and Casey James), but there are more still singing that are just plain pitiful.

Point Number One:

The refrain heard over and over again (said to the contestants by the judges) is, “You picked the wrong song.” I would like to offer this comment: why don’t the Powers That Be help the contestants pick the song(s) a bit more? If you were planning a party…say a wedding…the DJ would have the songs picked and would mix them up: some slow, some fast. There seems to be no one telling the current crop of lesser talents that it is probably not a good idea to have 10 very gloomy acoustic songs in a row. Why not help the singers out a bit? Require that ½ of the contestants sing something upbeat one week (while the other half can sing slow things) and then switch it around the next week? There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the gloomy, slow ballads that we are subjected to, week after week, song after song. If the show drags, it is because the song selections are admittedly not that great, but they could be, with a little help from the brass at the top. Who’s in that control booth, anyway, and why don’t they step in and give the poor kids some guidance here?

Point Number 2

So many of the songs being sung have been done to death over the years. It is rumored that Katie Stevens wants to sing “Over the Rainbow.” The pitch-challenged contestant, a perennial cellar dweller in the bottom three for the past several weeks, would only be about the umpteenth person to do this song. It was suggested in the “E.W.” article that perhaps a song could be “banned” from the competition once it has been sung by another artist in another year. I mean, come on: Kimberley Locke, Katharine McPhee, Jason Castro sang “Over the Rainbow” in seasons 2, 5 and 7. Do we really want to hear the pitch-challenged Katie sing it this year, too? As Michael Slezak put it, “Ask yourself if you really want to hear Rendition Number 147 of ‘Feeling Good.’” Other “Idol” contestants have already covered twenty-four of the sixty songs performed during the season 9 semi-finals on live shows. That’s a lot of hearing the same song(s) over and over and over.

Point Number Three:

Simon is always hugely critical of “cheesy” treatments of songs on the show, so what’s with the cheesy “group” numbers? Tonight’s (3/31) was “Kung Fu Fighting” and it wasn’t pretty. Why not eliminate the group singing, as the contestants often seem to be struggling with the choreography and nobody likes a bunch of amateurs bumping into one another doing lip-synched poorly chosen songs. As Slezak referred to them in his article in “E.W.”, the “never enjoyable for the audience or the contestants group numbers. So which sadist insists on keeping this cheeseball tradition alive?”

Point Number Four:

This year, the judges seem particularly indifferent. Randy takes forever to mumble an opinion and, tonight, Kara made a particularly catty remark about Simon right to his face (“I know who Simon’s in love with: himself.”) At times, the arrangement of the 4 has changed, with Ellen starting out near Simon and then removing herself to the far right, near Randy. Makes you wonder.  Ellen always tries to say something pleasant, but telling one contestant that it’s nice she didn’t fall down is, for sure, the lamest of compliments after a particularly horrific vocal performance (Paige Miles’). My favorite night to illustrate this was March 30^th, when Simon actually said, to Tim Urban, the least-gifted of all the contestants vocally:  “I don’t think it makes any difference what we say…You’re not gonna’ win. You’re gonna’ smile. The audience is gonna’ vote for you. Nobody cares. You’re gonna’ be here next week. So, well done.” That’s about as indifferent and desperate a statement of the show’s situation as we’ve heard. And the show’s Number One Judge and one of the originators of the program articulated it.

Point Number Five:

This year’s Mentors. What is the deal this year with the inability to find any really talented and noteworthy mentors? Has everyone heard that the show is going down the tubes, so the Celine Dions and the veterans like Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart have said, “Don’t call me; I’ll call you”? Tonight’s musical mentor was Usher. Last week, the show was reduced to using Miley Cyrus, all of 17, to mentor the likes of a really talented singer of 28 (Crystal Bowersox). I remember the year that a hologram of Elvis sang with Celine Dion, which was a spectacular special effect. Why nothing of that caliber this year? And, as another writer suggested, why not get a REAL mentor who is a producer of today’s music and would come in and work with the contestants for the entire week, rather than just someone who drops by, hugs each of them, and then sits in the audience beaming and/or plugging his or her new release.

Point Number Six:

Idol Gives Back. What happened to the idea of “American Idol” being a force for good in a troubled world?  We’re more troubled now than the years when the show used its clout to try to relieve suffering around the world, and yet the show has done less of this philanthropic humanitarian sort of thing than ever before. It’s a shadow of its former self in every sense of the word. Oh, yes, there were some token moments, but nothing like the year the show dedicated itself to really making a difference in a world of disasters, natural and other. And this year, the word is suffering perhaps more than ever and the show is doing less than ever to address noble causes.

Point Number Seven:

I’ve written about this before, so please don’t think it’s a new theme for me. I think my first article was called “Some Ideas for Songs That Don’t Suck on ‘American Idol.’” The well has gone dry for theme nights like Country & Western or Rhythm & Blues. There was Beatles night this year, and that was okay, but perhaps the show needs to dig into the catalogues of some other artists of that caliber, in order to avoid the boring offerings we’ve been presented with this year. It seems as though, most nights, there is one ballad after another, usually from someone clutching a guitar, many of them off-key. It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. When it comes down to reggae versions of “Under My Thumb” by Tim Urban and Judge Kara Dio Guardi says, “I’ve got to applaud you for doing something so incredibly different with the song,” there are those, like Michael Slezak and me who say, “No, you don’t have to applaud mediocrity.” I think my comment after that night, in the subtitle was, “Reggae, Tim…Really?”

Point Number Eight:

The contestants who either didn’t make it on when they should have (Angela Martin, Jermaine Purefoy) or made it, but were kicked off when others who are far, far less talented remain are epidemic this year. Lilly Scott, Kristen Epperly, Todrick Hall are, unfortunately, in the majority this year of contestants gone too soon who could sing rings around Tim Urban on his best day. Contestant Crystal Bowersox was even quoted as saying of Epperly and Scott, “I really did not expect them to go home at all.” Supposedly 18,000 fans of Alex Lambert have been collecting petition signatures to put him back on the show. I suspect that Angela Martin was not allowed to advance because of her brush with the law, and I have an issue with putting contestants on the air in the first place, (like the young man who held up a bank with a b. b gun and served time for it), and then making them disappear because it would be a bad thing to have a felon as an “idol” to American youth. Why let the poor guy even think he was going to get a fair shake? Not to mention the fact (although I will) that the people who put this show on need to get their standards for “amateur versus professional” straight. I heard that the curly-haired young man (Chris Golightly) who was cut (thereby allowing Tim Urban to be called back) was cut because he did not reveal a previous recording contract. There was also a talented Irish contestant in Chicago who was not allowed through because of a fear of visa problems, yet, in other years, we had the tattooed lady of Ireland, as some of you may remember, and she had had a previous recording contract. The rules seem to be very flexible, as indicated by the fact that Michael Lynche is still on the show and in the top ten, even though his mother, who worked for the Orlando “Sentinel” somehow let it slip that he was going to be a finalist in the top twelve, and then his father confirmed it. Both were big “no nos”, but the “rules” that are in place seem to be only selectively enforced. To this viewer at home, recording contracts aside, I fail to see how you are an “amateur” if you have been performing on Broadway in “The Color Purple” (Todrick Hall) or, as with Adam Lambert last year, in a number of other Broadway shows. Mind you: I’m not saying keep the Adam Lamberts OFF. Far from it. I truly miss the caliber of an Adam Lambert or a David Cook or a David Archuleta. I’m just saying that the standards are very strange, not well explained, and very selectively enforced. The rules don’t seem to apply to all contestants. It reminds me of the novel Animal Farm where all animals are equal, but “some animals are more equal than other animals.” All contestants are equal, but some contestants seem to be more equal than other contestants. That just seems unfair.

Point Number Nine:

Too much style over substance.  The worst offender, this year, was Tyler Grady, the Lizard King wannabe, who, thankfully, was gone early. His posing as Jim Morrison was hopelessly jejeune, but, to be fair, he was given a lot of mixed signals from judges like Kara DioGuardia early on. You can’t encourage a guy to become a clone of seventies singers like Morrison and tell him how “cool” he is and then turn around the next week and severely criticize him for doing what you just praised in him the week before. The film of Tyler showing up to sing in a bathrobe and cowboy boots shows what happens when you tell an amateur that he is so “cool” and he starts to believe his own press, when it’s premature.

Point Number Ten:

Don’t make the losers sing again. I’ve always found this hideously cruel. Where is the humanity in saying, “You’re gone. We don’t want you. You’re a loser. Now go out there and smile and sing well.” Come on, Folks. Let’s show a little compassion here. Just go with the clips and performances from happier days and let the poor reject slip out a side door and drown his or her sorrows. This year’s Lambert boy was in tears. Katelyn Epperly didn’t hold up that well, either. Only Todrick Hall, the Broadway veteran, seemed to have the attitude, “I know I’m good, and it’s too bad you couch potatoes out there can’t empathize with my obvious talent. Screw you!” And Todrick left us with a great performance, while most have not.

This year, I feel like the entire “American Idol” season is being decided by teeny-boppers who are twelve and wouldn’t know whether the boy they swoon over and vote for, is flat or sharp and could care less about anything more than the extremely superficial issue of his “cuteness.

But, then, given the fact that the professional singers who performed this night (3/31), P. Diddy Sean Combs and Usher gave us  “style over substance” performances, what did I expect?

Crystal Bowersox keeps emerging as the clear front-runner, with Lee Dewyze and Siobhan Magnus still coming on strong, as well, on “American Idol.” Also good this night were Michael Lynche (split decision), Aaron Kelly (recuperating from laryngitis) and Casey James (another split decision). Before I give you some of the judges’ comments, let me give you some of my own comments.

I have a dear friend who has watched “American Idol” almost as religiously as I have watched over these past several seasons, and we both are so horribly disappointed in the level of talent and the injustice of the voting public (the Inmates have seized the Asylum) that she (out in Denver) told me that the only one she can discuss the show with is her 13-year-old niece, as everyone else who is an adult of any age has already quit watching the show, and she will be next.

Why? Because, this year, most of the talent is not that talented, with a few notable exceptions (thank God.) We both bemoaned the loss of Denver’s own Lilly Scott, who was far better than either Paige Miles or Katie Stevens.

Here’s another thought: Why would “American Idol” feel that a 17-year-old legacy entertainer (Miley Cyrus), who is arguably only marginally more talented than the contestants and simply has inherited this opportunity for fame from her famous father (Billy Ray Cyrus) and his show biz connections, be called in to “mentor” the contestants? Is the adult talent pool really so sparse that “American Idol” has to rely on a girl who is (literally) at least 11 years younger (and much less talented in every way) than someone like Crystal Bowersox?  What conversation brought her name to the fore, over veterans like Barbra (Streisand) or Cher or, if you want more current names, Pink, Colbie Callet and/or Norah Jones. Why Miley Cyrus? It was ludicrous, and, watching her “critique” the likes of Crystal (and, really, anyone over the age of 17), while wearing the shortest shorts I have seen on television in a long time, I had the feeling I was watching television in some other country…probably some Latino version of “A.I.”

The night opened with Simon commenting that this was the worst possible night to get cut, because, if you make it into the Top Ten, you go on tour, and that means some money. The songs this night were to have been Billboard Top of the Chart songs, and Billboard has been around since August of 1958. As Simon said, “This is probably the worst night to go.”

So, who is going to go?

If there is any justice, it will be Paige Miles, who was, quite simply, awful. She looked nice (as Ellen said) but she sounded horrible. She couldn’t find the key in rehearsal and that “lost-in-the-jungle” world of flat in rehearsal just returned with a vengeance as she sang the Phil Collins song “Against All Odds.” Here were the judges’ comments: Randy – “That was honestly terrible. Nothing came together at all.” Ellen: “You didn’t fall down and that’s a good thing.” “Kara: “It was the worst vocal that I’ve ever heard from you, and probably the worst of the season.” Simon: “It was as though there were five of you singing that song, and it got progressively worse. That song, I think, has just killed you.” When asked, afterwards, by Ryan Seacrest, her reaction, Paige said, “I’ve been trying to find that song that I can sink my teeth into.” Well, Paige, this ain’t it! Pack your bags.

The next really bad vocal was Didi Benami rendering “You’re No Good” which Simon rather callously called an ironic thing for her to be singing. Having said that, Randy said, “I loved it.” Ellen said, “You’re just so good. I love you,” and Kara lauded her greater expression. Me? I thought she was bad and I agree with Simon.

Then there was “Glee-boy,” also known as Tim Urban, who came out attired in a Charlie Brown-like horizontal-striped polo shirt with a lavender jacket, jeans and white sneakers and proceeded to do a flashy little slide across the stage as he sang “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Randy called his vocals “boring” and Ellen said it reminded her of an “audition for a high school musical. Corny.” After saying that, she then remarked that, “There’s a large group that will love that and then there’s me.” You AND me, Ellen.  Kara said, “You took the song and acted like you’ve already made it and you haven’t.  You have a lot of work to do.” Simon, weighing in with the cruelest words of all, said it was “completely and utterly pointless and silly. You have zero chance of wining right now.

However, if you thought those words were tough, Simon told Katie Stevens, the hopelessly tone-deaf contestant who, week after mind-numbing week is off-key (Let’s just call it what it is and quit using the euphemism “pitchy,” shall we?), “You sucked the soul out of that song.” The song was “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and Randy added, “It wasn’t good, Man.” Simon (and all) did comment on Katie’s “new look” which featured a much more girlish sleek hairstyle. In Simon’s tactful words, she had abandoned the “pageant horror” look and the difference was as great as that between “chalk and cheese,” which is a British expression, methinks.

Lee Dewyze, who sang the Boxtops “The Letter” did a credible job, I felt. I enjoyed the fact that Lee wasn’t crouched behind his guitar wearing some horrible woodsman-fell-that-tree outfit or a knitted cap. He had on a nice suit and looked like a true Michael Buble artist and sang well. He was moving around on the stage (although he kept using the same left hand gesture over and over) and Ellen used the analogy of a favorite pen that has been running out of ink and said, “My favorite pen is back. That was fantastic!” Kara, too, enjoyed Lee’s “owning the stage. The progress is tremendous. Believe that you’re good.” Only Simon demurred, saying, “You’re doing something quite corny.” I beg to differ, Simon. Lee was good tonight.

Aaron Kelly, the extremely young (16) singer from Sonestown, PA, who suffered from laryngitis and tonsillitis during the week rose above his illness to sing “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing” and Simon pronounced him as “very brave,” saying,”You’re a little try-er, aren’t you? There is zero chance that you are gonna’ go home.” I think Simon is right in Aaron’s case, and Randy said, “Thank God you came on the stage” (as he followed “Glee” boy Tim Urban) and  “I’m a fan.” Ellen, too, said, “You were pitch perfect and you’re in 3^rd grade or something. You are so good.” Kara felt it was the “Best song of the night” and a “good attempt.” Aaron should be safe for another week.

Michael Lynche, the big man, did a falsetto, soul vibe-y version of “When A Man Loves A Woman” while attired in a velvet jacket, with string accompaniment. I liked it and so did Randy, who liked the R&B soul vibe and said, “I loved it.” Ellen felt it was “a safe choice, but said, “This woman loves this man.” Kara, however, pronounced it “boring and lounge-y, over-indulgent and too many riffs.” Simon, also, felt it was a song that one would hear 30 or 20 years ago, nothing current. While partially agreeing, Michael did sing it well. He should stay, although he should not win, ultimately. If he does, he’ll be the next Ruben Stoddard, and look where his career has gone.

Casey James sang Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love,” a song I love, and Randy said, “I believed it.” Ellen felt it was “the best vocal of the night.” Kara said, “We just saw another level. It is all there. Everything.” Simon, however, rained on all their parades, complaining, “That song was old-fashioned 25 years ago when it came out.” Yeah? And? Your point, Simon? Casey’s guitar prowess earned some kudos, with one comment being that he might well be the best guitar player the show has seen.

Saving the best for near last, Crystal Bowersox’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” was, quite simply, the best of the night. Randy said, “That’s the way you do it. This is what it’s about.” Ellen said, “Consistently great,” but begged for a little more connection with her audience and we all learned that she would probably perform without her guitar next week. Kara urged her to “let go completely” and Simon said, “I wouldn’t change anything. Up until now, we have listened to a karaoke competition. I’ve seen you progress all over the place.” He said her version of the song was actually better than one sung by Pink that he had heard.

I mustn’t forget to mention Siobhan Magnus, who looked totally different than her normal flat hair look tonight. She had teased hair and a much sexier vibe. The singing was still great, though he warned her about always ending on a screechy high note. Andrew Garcia was his usual not-very-good self, but he keeps hanging in there, for some reason I do not understand.

The competition staggers onward. Rather than have to listen to something as bad as Paige Miles’ version of “Against All Odds,” I’d like to pit the 6 best against one another right now, and that means: Crystal, Lee, Siobhan, Aaron, Michael and Casey. Just lose Didi, Paige, Tim, Katie and Andrew as quickly and painlessly (for the audience) as possible. Please. I beg of you. Don’t make me listen to that last quintet again.

On Saturday night, March 20, 2010, my husband and I attended the annual fund-raiser for the Midwest Writing Center, held at the Outing Club in Davenport, Iowa. There was a silent auction preceding the event, and we bid on several things, but were outbid. I had a lovely conversation with Diana Garman, a reading aide in the Moline (Illinois) schools, and we were sitting at a table with several professors from St. Ambrose University, including Nancy Hayes, who had many interesting stories about the years she lived in Germany.

The speaker was a Davenport native who specializes in “ghost writing” of books for celebrities, and his “90 Minutes in Heaven” book has been on the New York Times Best-Seller list for quite some time. (His table displayed many, many titles and I was given a copy of his latest book.) “Cece,” as those who introduced him referred to him, was an engaging speaker, and then the MWC began giving awards to various individuals.

There is always one “surprise” award given. Last time I attended, in fact, I paid for my collaborator’s ticket because I feared he would not be present, otherwise, and he was to be that year’s winner. I was contacted and asked to get hm to come, so I bought his ticket (although not that of his girlfriend Cindy, who is now Mrs. Mike McCarty). He was very pleased and surprised to receive the award and my husband and I (who were sitting with him and his girlfriend at his table) were happy for him.

This year, I was just settling in and enjoying the speeches and awards (especially the LeClaire writing award winner who had the unenviable task of awarding herself the honor from her club) when writer emeritus Julie Jensen began reading the credentials of this year’s “surprise” winner. At first, it sounded very normal and could have been anyone in the room, as many of us attended the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University, but when it mentioned Berkeley, running for office, starting 2 businesses (Sylvan Learning Center and Prometric Testing Center) and the names of the books I have written (Training the Teacher As A Champion; Hellfire & Damnation; Ghostly Tales of Route 66, Volumes I, II and III, Out of Time, Both Sides Now and my (just purchased for publication) nonfiction book Classic Cinema of the ’70s: It Came from the ’70s, I was suddenly aware that I might have to stand and receive this unexpected award….a beautiful clock in burled walnut with engraving…a really nice (and useful) award.

My mind raced: whom should I thank? What should I say?

I have always liked the quote, “If brevity is the soul of wit, I intend to be hilarious,” so I ripped that off and then said, “I’d thank my English teachers, but they’re all dead.” Afer that, of course, my husband needed thanking, especially since he hadn’t wanted to go at all, as his brother was in town from St. Louis with his wife and our son and wife and twin girls were in town, all to celebrate his birthday the next day (March 21). He really wanted to be watching March Madness with our family, but I had bought the tickets before we knew they were coming to town to help him celebrate a milestone birthday. I thanked Mike McCarty “for pushing me into fiction,” which was not my original metier, and I “plugged” the Quad City Book Fair, which is to be held May 8th, and for which I am handling Marketing and Fundraising duties.

Long story short: it was a lovely night, a lovely award, and one additional QCBF participant signed up, after I mentioned the event, which will be held the same weekend as the Beaux Arts Fair in downtown Davenport. We will be inside the River Music Experience and using the stage at Mojo’s for presentations throughout the day. I just hope that, between setting up tables, handling programming and marketing and fundraising and (also) having to give a presentation of my own,  I survive.

It was a memorable weekend.