I've been ripping on the Chicago 2016 efforts since they first started and although I've shared my views with some, why not post it for the world to see?
What you need to understand about my views on this are that if "we" win or lose, it really won't change my personal life one bit. I'm not actively campaigning against the bid, and won't be crestfallen if we win OR lose. But I believe this shows, once again, that the public can be goaded into supporting even the most idiotic ideas if they are packaged up in slick marketing and salesmanship.
What I can't stand is that everyone keeps talking about "we" with respect to these efforts and the bid. Who really are the "we" that benefit from winning the games?
As has been said thousands of times both from the group making the pitch as well as in the press, they are planning on not spending $1 of tax money on the Olympics. It's a private enterprise.
Now, it's interesting that in order to even stay in competition, the IOC forces host cities/countries to sign a pledge that has massive back-up plans for financing including dipping into public monies. This is because the IOC has to have a guarantee at profit for themselves in order for this to happen. This is why there was a huge uproar when Mayor Daley had to sign it when he was last in front of the IOC when Chicago made the final four. He signed it without getting the backing of the City Council or the Cook County Board FIRST which ultimately is against all of those taxing bodies rules. Checks & Balances be damned, we need this, right?
So let me get back to the elephant in the room. It's a private enterprise. Whether claiming to be a non-profit or not, this means that if awarded, the private company can hire/employee/contract with whomever it wants. Frankly, if I ran a business, I'd want the same and I do not fault the 2016 group one bit, as it's their money they are putting forward.
But as a private enterprise, who then gets the economic benefit? Won't all profits that come in from the Olympics go back into the private enterprise to cover expenses?
There's lots of talk when these bids take place about the economic benefit to the host city/nation. I've been to Barcelona and still see the buildings from 1992 standing, some being used, some not. I'm sure for a small country or one who needs infrastructure, being awarded the games because it's the government pitching for it DOES mean that there will be benefit to the hosts.
Supporters will claim that there will be construction and improvements but the physical changes are not many in the case of Chicago. We have current venues for most activities and the main venue that would be used for the opening and closing ceremonies has been said to be a temporary one and will be taken down after the games. I question whether the much needed improvements to transportation will truly happen and if they do, why did we need the games to justify them? Ridership is down, bus and train lines are being cut left and right and the El trains are horribly old and dangerous. If they haven't been important enough for the City to raise capital to repair for the 6 million plus natural inhabitants, why would they be for the games? The Olympic village for the athletes isn't really as big as people think and will be turned into housing which will be sold for a profit, it will be of no public use after that.
But lets get to the mythical huge influx of money that is always bandied about along with massive increases in tourism to the city both before and after the games. As Rick Bayless said the other day on Twitter, "I worked the LA games and it killed business. Locals left, visitors actually eat and spend money at event sites". He's seen it first hand and later predicts the same will happen here in Chicago.
So once again, even food and beverage spend go back into the private enterprise which hands out contracts to only the closely guarded few. The only benefit I can realistically see is the sales tax and luxury tax that is collected (or should be) on hotel rooms and whatever else is sold. Given we have the highest sales & luxury taxes in the nation this will be somewhat significant, but I challenge anyone to quantify or even be able to parse out this impact on a City or County budget sheet for 2016.
As for the increases in tourism, BAH! Chicago has been a destination city for YEARS thanks to the improvements and changes already made over the years. In spite of losing some conventions due to the high taxes and fees for McCormick Place, people still come to this city and have lots of fun. We don't need the Olympics to change this or stimulate it, it's already happening in the third largest city of the United States.
So for all the ham-and-eggers who on the streets tomorrow at Daley Plaza for the anticipated celebration, ask yourself what benefit you truly will get if we win this? The benefits are for the well-connected and few (as they tend to be in Chicago since the 1800's!!). Tickets to events are always difficult to get and will be scalped on StubHub like nobody's business but for the weak dollar, visitors will happily pay whatever it costs. T-shirts & trinkets will be marked up to a ridiculous level and you personally really won't benefit from this other than saying you live in the City that is hosting the games.
In the end, there is nothing different between this Olympic Bid and our professional sports teams. Sure, they love you wearing their merchandise, spending money on their team, eating and drinking in their venues, and painting your faces to show your support, but in the end, it's a business and one that has to make money for those who "own" it. They count on your passion and in fact have kept priming you for it to make you think you actually will benefit but you are merely a passenger. If you're super-excited to be that, then good on ya' and enjoy, but don't call me a hater if I don't join the crowd.
01 October 2009
30 September 2009
The Middle (on ABC)
So the "remake fever" that has totally infected the Hollywood Big Screen (isn't almost everything a remake lately? Creativity has pretty much died) has now H1N1'd its way onto the small screen.
We watched The Middle tonight on ABC. Wow, what a piece of cr@p.
But it's only that bad because its a direct rip-off of Malcolm in THE MIDDLE ("MitM") that ran on Fox from 2000-2006. In almost a hat-tip to Malcolm, the writers have the Mom's name on The Middle is named FRANKIE (Malcolm was played by actor Frankie Muniz).
Is the American viewing public that stupid? Oh, yeah, we are. Feel free to click on the links of the actors names that follow and even see how their headshots look alike to a point.
The youngest child on MitM was Dewey (nice name, wrong spelling) but awkward kid with big ears. The Middle has Rick, who they call Brick and who is an awkward kid with big ears.
Appearances by SNL alums Chris Kattan and Brian Doyle-Murray don't help save this show. There WERE funny moments, but I can't get MitM out of my head when watching this, its just too close that's pretty weak from ABC.
While I'm at it, Modern Family (also on Wednesday Night ABC) is looking like it's going down the Arrested Development (also showed on Fox) route already.
If I'm Rupert Murdoch (and thank god I'm not) I'd make sure the viewing public knows that these are just a tad too similar. Although even Rupert can figure out that these shows should be showing up in Seattle Grace's ER with barely a sign of life in the next 5 weeks.
We watched The Middle tonight on ABC. Wow, what a piece of cr@p.
But it's only that bad because its a direct rip-off of Malcolm in THE MIDDLE ("MitM") that ran on Fox from 2000-2006. In almost a hat-tip to Malcolm, the writers have the Mom's name on The Middle is named FRANKIE (Malcolm was played by actor Frankie Muniz).
Is the American viewing public that stupid? Oh, yeah, we are. Feel free to click on the links of the actors names that follow and even see how their headshots look alike to a point.
The youngest child on MitM was Dewey (nice name, wrong spelling) but awkward kid with big ears. The Middle has Rick, who they call Brick and who is an awkward kid with big ears.
- Mom Jane Kaczmarek is recreated by Patricia Heaton (almost to the hair style)
- Dad Bryan Cranston is now played by Neil Flynn (they could almost be twins and are both clueless self-absorbed dads) Neil was the Janitor on Scrubs
- Older brother Christopher Masterson who reigned terror on the younger boys is replaced by Charlie McDermott who is a clueless athlete who walks around in his underwear and is named Axl?
Appearances by SNL alums Chris Kattan and Brian Doyle-Murray don't help save this show. There WERE funny moments, but I can't get MitM out of my head when watching this, its just too close that's pretty weak from ABC.
While I'm at it, Modern Family (also on Wednesday Night ABC) is looking like it's going down the Arrested Development (also showed on Fox) route already.
If I'm Rupert Murdoch (and thank god I'm not) I'd make sure the viewing public knows that these are just a tad too similar. Although even Rupert can figure out that these shows should be showing up in Seattle Grace's ER with barely a sign of life in the next 5 weeks.
27 September 2009
What bad economy?
Gas prices dropped to $2.399 today near my house. To say it was a little "thick" with vehicles around the pumps today would be an understatement.
Because I participate in the Speedy Rewards program, I also had a coupon for $0.50 off per gallon PLUS, if you used your Speedy Rewards card, you got $0.05 off (only on weekends in September). So yes, I filled up for $1.849 today, and I was almost on fumes so 20 gallons to boot
Party like it's 2000, woo hoo!!!
The other week, the Federal Reserve was all but calling this "recession" to an end. Wow, I remember when economic swings lasted for years, not "months".
So I'm wondering if the economy is following some sort of reverse version of a Moore's Law trend. Do we continually recover from economic "dings" in double the amount of speed? (err, in half the time from the previous ding)
I'm still greatly concerned for our country. You can't just blame Obama. For the last 20 years we've slowly turned from a country that produced a huge portion of what we, and the world, consumed into one that mostly just consumes what other countries are providing.
No amount of bail-out, financial support, or printing of cash is going to change that tide. "Buy American" is a nice rally cry, but alas, what is there to buy anymore that IS American? Yes, I know there are some things (frankly big ticket items like cars, Real Estate, and US tourism), but the everyday consumption has slowly eroded.
No matter which political party you support (and wouldn't it be nice if there were more than two??), you cannot feel comfortable with the course we're on. Tax & Spend or Spend then Tax, they are both wrong.
Because I participate in the Speedy Rewards program, I also had a coupon for $0.50 off per gallon PLUS, if you used your Speedy Rewards card, you got $0.05 off (only on weekends in September). So yes, I filled up for $1.849 today, and I was almost on fumes so 20 gallons to boot
Party like it's 2000, woo hoo!!!
The other week, the Federal Reserve was all but calling this "recession" to an end. Wow, I remember when economic swings lasted for years, not "months".
So I'm wondering if the economy is following some sort of reverse version of a Moore's Law trend. Do we continually recover from economic "dings" in double the amount of speed? (err, in half the time from the previous ding)
I'm still greatly concerned for our country. You can't just blame Obama. For the last 20 years we've slowly turned from a country that produced a huge portion of what we, and the world, consumed into one that mostly just consumes what other countries are providing.
No amount of bail-out, financial support, or printing of cash is going to change that tide. "Buy American" is a nice rally cry, but alas, what is there to buy anymore that IS American? Yes, I know there are some things (frankly big ticket items like cars, Real Estate, and US tourism), but the everyday consumption has slowly eroded.
No matter which political party you support (and wouldn't it be nice if there were more than two??), you cannot feel comfortable with the course we're on. Tax & Spend or Spend then Tax, they are both wrong.
13 September 2009
Passing on Tradition
I'm sure everyone has this sort of story, but I'll share mine.
There is something visceral when sharing certain experiences with your offspring. Usually the ones that hit you right in the gut are those that you probably shared with your parents or grandparents and involve deep emotional feelings.
On Saturday, we brought Aidan to his first Cubs game and although this is at an age MUCH younger than I attended MY first game (he's 21 mos, I was 6) the emotions I felt at times had me on the edge of tears. I'm sure that when we take him to more games as he gets older some of these feeling will resurface as he'll be talking more, understanding more, asking more and enjoying more.
We have the typical shot of us in front of the big Wrigley sign and something that no one could have shared back in the day, a picture of him on his official Wrigley brick!
Although many things have changed at Wrigley, the basics still remain. You don't walk through turnstiles anymore and your ticket doesn't get ripped, but with him in my arms walking through the main entrance at Clark and Addison, I did flash back to walking through that same gate with my Grandfather throughout the early 70's.
Getting there early enough to watch some part of batting practice never gets old. Once we settled in and found our seats (we weren't in our normal season tickets as we only have two seats and we needed more), I grabbed him and walked down, as close as we could get, to behind the Cubs dugout. The Reds were taking batting practice.
As we weaved our way down we did come upon a very elderly lady who was an usher (they were Andy Frain's back in the day) who saw Aidan and pulled a Cubs sticker out of her kit and gave it to us. Totally nice effort and since he loves stickers, well, made him all excited, and kudos to Mary Kay for getting the pictures of this from a distance!
We couldn't get all the way down to the wall, but we stood there for about 10 minutes and watched. I pointed out the ball coming off the bat and could see Aidan following it after he sort of figured out what was going on. One of the Fanfoto people came by and asked to take our picture. These people didn't exist back in the day and frankly, after looking at their prices, I'm amazed that they exist now. Talk about highway robbery, jeesh.
Holding him, I did flash back to about 1972 when I have a picture of me standing down on the wall, with Ernie Banks behind me. With the autograph hounds of today, those pictures are pretty difficult to arrange, plus, now that most all games are sellouts, well, you just fight a bigger number of people to get there. 1972 wasn't a bad year for the Cubs (finished 2nd in the East but 11 games back!!), however, after the disaster of '69, the average attendances were down overall and you could move pretty freely around the park.
It'll be fun at some point watching Aidan stand against the wall (or fight his way in) to get a look at whomever is in the Cubbie blue at that time.
Well, Aidan's experience had to be relatively typical so he had a little bit of hot dog, some cotton candy and some ice cream in a helmet-bowl. It was the first time he ever had cotton candy and the expressions on his face and his reactions were once in a lifetime types of things. He squealed with excitement as it liquefied on his tongue and he found out that everything sort of turns blue when eating it, from hands to mouth to drool.
We took a trip down to the gift shop where he got his first mini-bat and official ball. He really wanted to play with them however we knew it wouldn't be long before he threw the ball or hit someone with the bat, so we had to stifle that until later.
He did hit a wall though by about the 6th inning. He was very tired and as the Cubs mounted their comeback from five runs down, as the crowd yelled, he got a little scared. I just looked at him and told him that it was "happy happy" and he seemed to process that pretty well although he was scared a little bit.
We stood and sang the 7th inning stretch, which was performed that day by The Fray. It didn't matter who was singing, just holding Aidan and singing it while he sort of swayed back and forth in my arms was worth a million on its own. The singing must have worked a little bit as the Cubs got two more runs to tie it up in the bottom of the 7th.
Unfortunately, Aidan faded as fast as any of the arms in the bullpen and we were outta there in flash during the 8th inning. Thankfully too, as Carlos Marmol blew it with 2 outs in the top of the 9th letting in the deciding two runs from the Reds. Aidan probably would have heard bad words from Daddy at that point. But isn't that sort of the true Cubs experience? Of course only followed by the phrase "We'll get 'em tomorrow".
The whole day went by so fast and as he crashed in his carseat and fell fast asleep on the way home, my insides felt all warm and gooey. It was fun, but admittedly this first time was more for Mommy and Daddy to bring him.
Until he's a bit older and can truly understand it, it probably will continue to be for "us", but I firmly believe that you are shaped by the experiences you have in your life. For this not-yet two-year old, well, he's had a hell of a year of experiences and this just rounded out that list for now.
There is something visceral when sharing certain experiences with your offspring. Usually the ones that hit you right in the gut are those that you probably shared with your parents or grandparents and involve deep emotional feelings.
On Saturday, we brought Aidan to his first Cubs game and although this is at an age MUCH younger than I attended MY first game (he's 21 mos, I was 6) the emotions I felt at times had me on the edge of tears. I'm sure that when we take him to more games as he gets older some of these feeling will resurface as he'll be talking more, understanding more, asking more and enjoying more.
We have the typical shot of us in front of the big Wrigley sign and something that no one could have shared back in the day, a picture of him on his official Wrigley brick!
Although many things have changed at Wrigley, the basics still remain. You don't walk through turnstiles anymore and your ticket doesn't get ripped, but with him in my arms walking through the main entrance at Clark and Addison, I did flash back to walking through that same gate with my Grandfather throughout the early 70's.
Getting there early enough to watch some part of batting practice never gets old. Once we settled in and found our seats (we weren't in our normal season tickets as we only have two seats and we needed more), I grabbed him and walked down, as close as we could get, to behind the Cubs dugout. The Reds were taking batting practice.
As we weaved our way down we did come upon a very elderly lady who was an usher (they were Andy Frain's back in the day) who saw Aidan and pulled a Cubs sticker out of her kit and gave it to us. Totally nice effort and since he loves stickers, well, made him all excited, and kudos to Mary Kay for getting the pictures of this from a distance!
We couldn't get all the way down to the wall, but we stood there for about 10 minutes and watched. I pointed out the ball coming off the bat and could see Aidan following it after he sort of figured out what was going on. One of the Fanfoto people came by and asked to take our picture. These people didn't exist back in the day and frankly, after looking at their prices, I'm amazed that they exist now. Talk about highway robbery, jeesh.
Holding him, I did flash back to about 1972 when I have a picture of me standing down on the wall, with Ernie Banks behind me. With the autograph hounds of today, those pictures are pretty difficult to arrange, plus, now that most all games are sellouts, well, you just fight a bigger number of people to get there. 1972 wasn't a bad year for the Cubs (finished 2nd in the East but 11 games back!!), however, after the disaster of '69, the average attendances were down overall and you could move pretty freely around the park.
It'll be fun at some point watching Aidan stand against the wall (or fight his way in) to get a look at whomever is in the Cubbie blue at that time.
Well, Aidan's experience had to be relatively typical so he had a little bit of hot dog, some cotton candy and some ice cream in a helmet-bowl. It was the first time he ever had cotton candy and the expressions on his face and his reactions were once in a lifetime types of things. He squealed with excitement as it liquefied on his tongue and he found out that everything sort of turns blue when eating it, from hands to mouth to drool.
We took a trip down to the gift shop where he got his first mini-bat and official ball. He really wanted to play with them however we knew it wouldn't be long before he threw the ball or hit someone with the bat, so we had to stifle that until later.
He did hit a wall though by about the 6th inning. He was very tired and as the Cubs mounted their comeback from five runs down, as the crowd yelled, he got a little scared. I just looked at him and told him that it was "happy happy" and he seemed to process that pretty well although he was scared a little bit.
We stood and sang the 7th inning stretch, which was performed that day by The Fray. It didn't matter who was singing, just holding Aidan and singing it while he sort of swayed back and forth in my arms was worth a million on its own. The singing must have worked a little bit as the Cubs got two more runs to tie it up in the bottom of the 7th.
Unfortunately, Aidan faded as fast as any of the arms in the bullpen and we were outta there in flash during the 8th inning. Thankfully too, as Carlos Marmol blew it with 2 outs in the top of the 9th letting in the deciding two runs from the Reds. Aidan probably would have heard bad words from Daddy at that point. But isn't that sort of the true Cubs experience? Of course only followed by the phrase "We'll get 'em tomorrow".
The whole day went by so fast and as he crashed in his carseat and fell fast asleep on the way home, my insides felt all warm and gooey. It was fun, but admittedly this first time was more for Mommy and Daddy to bring him.
Until he's a bit older and can truly understand it, it probably will continue to be for "us", but I firmly believe that you are shaped by the experiences you have in your life. For this not-yet two-year old, well, he's had a hell of a year of experiences and this just rounded out that list for now.
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