Year: 2006
The Post-Apocalyptic Desolation of Christmas Day at the Mall
After enduring a full month of insane shopping frenzy at the malls, I usually find that Christmas Day itself feels like the end-of-the-world. I’m not a big fan of black and white photos from a digital camera because it seems like faking—the digital sensor always captures a color image—but I think it works for this… Read more
XMAS in the TIF
Pesche’s Flowers at Christmas This is Pesche’s Flowers, one of the many businesses in Des Plaines, Illinois, that the city claims is “blighted” so they can abuse their eminent domain power to replace it with something they like better. The city’s materials justifying the TIF show some of the worst views of some of the… Read more
Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!
I think Miss Claus here would like you to have a Merry Christmas. The site I got this from describes it as “a sexy Mrs. Claus.” Unless Santa likes ’em really young, however, I think this must be one of his daughters, thus the “Miss” above. Careful guys, he knows when you’ve been bad. (Why… Read more
Breathtaking Stupidity in the War On Drugs
Amy Barrilleaux of WQAD reports: “(I was) made to feel like a criminal — Made to feel low, dirty. Just totally degraded,” recalled Tim Naveau, who says he’ll never forget the hours he spent in Rock Island County Jail — he says all because of his allergies. Naturally, this degradation is part of the War… Read more
An Anti-TIF PAC in Des Plaines
Cal Skinner just sent me an email pointing out a PAC called Des Plaines Residents for Responsible Taxation. Its officers are Scott Olson and Barbara VanSlambrouck, co-owners respectively of Geiser-Berner and Chromatech, both of which are threatened by the Five-Corners TIF in Des Plaines. I spoke to another Geiser-Berner co-owner, Robert Janczak, a while back… Read more