Archive for August, 2008
August 18th, 2008
 I was out of town on Friday and Saturday and didn’t make it to the big wrestling show at the MetroCentre Friday night. An editor for our sister paper, Espejo, took pictures and they ran at rrstar.com on Saturday. 
But we didn’t have a story.
Which brings me to this invitation to you: If you went to an event in the Rockford area that we did or didn’t cover, and you want to tell everybody about your take on it, I invite you to do so via my blog. Just post your short “story” here or e-mail me at gbraun@rrstar.com.
Here’s a write-up about the WWE show from Matt Mohr, the marketing and sales director at the MetroCentre in Rockford:
“The WWE Supershow Friday night was a huge success. We had over 6500 in attendance and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. This was probably the best card we have ever had with the heavy weight champion CM Punk and WWE Champion Triple H and most of the stars on the WWE power 25 list. The last fight of the night with Triple H, CM Punk and John Cena vs William Regal, JBL and the 7′3″ 420 lb Great Kahli had the crowd on their feet. I think the fans will be talking about this WWE appearance for a long time to come.”
August 14th, 2008
In a case of mistaken identity, a 14-year-old hunter mistakes a woman hiker for a black bear and shoots her dead in Washington state, according to this L.A. Times story.
Makes me worry about the possible terrible consequences of mistaken identity — not mistaking people for bears — if the proposed concealed carry law allows people in Winnebago County to carry concealed guns.
Maybe Mr. I-don’t-wear-my-glasses-all-the-time thinks that Mr. I-wasn’t-going-for-a-gun-but-only-my-pack-o’-chewin’-tobacco-when-I-was-talking-smack-about your stupid-dog-while-we-was-walking-on-the-bike-path really thought he was going for his gun.
August 13th, 2008
Starting with the Oct. 30 issue, the iconic rock magazine will be smaller, as in standard size, according to the New York Times
August 12th, 2008
Michelle Williams 
of Rockford, and formerly of Destiny’s Child, has a new CD out. Read this interview at cbsnews.com and check out the video. (Photo by Susan Moran.)
August 12th, 2008
A 7-year-old Chinese girl apparently wasn’t pretty enough to sing a song in the Olympic’s opening ceremonies, so another little girl lip-synched her song. It’s a hot topic in China and the blogosphere there, according to this Associated Press story. 
Imaginechina, AFP
Lin Miaoke, left, is shown during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Friday. An official ordered her to lip-synch ‘Ode to the Motherland’ because seven-year-old singer Yang Peiyi, right, wasn’t deemed cute enough.
A Chinese official said the move was appropriate to combine the “perfect voice and the perfect performance.” But others say it was unfair to both girls.
Was it fair to both girls?
August 11th, 2008
Went with the family to the rodeo at the Boone County Fair Saturday night.
Mostly, I was disappointed at the seemingly slower pace that the rodeo moved this year. 
But then, the moment came that we were all hoping for, though that’s not something we really want to admit to: One bull-rider couldn’t get out of the bull’s way, and in came the clown to the rescue to distract the animal. And within a second, the clown was tossed into the air at least 10 feet.
He looked like a rag doll flying through the air. And then, plop, he landed on the ground. As he hit the ground, the announcer called for the paramedics. But within a minute or so, as everyone who hadn’t looked away to tend to one kid or another continued to gasp, the clown was up and at ‘em again. Amazing. Worth the $10 admission price, for sure.
Tell about a time when you almost missed the big moment at a event, but were glad you didn’t.
August 8th, 2008
Americans spend double what people in other industrialized countries do on health care, but often have more trouble seeing doctors, are the victims of more errors and go without treatment more often, according to this Reuters story.
The story also says that a survey released Thursday shows that more than 80 percent of Americans think the U.S. health system needs either fundamental change or a complete overhaul.
Have your health-care costs put you in a big bind lately? Do you like any of the answers politicians are suggesting? Do tell.
As for me, more than a tenth of my income goes for medicine, insurance premiums and co-pays for a visit to my doctor quarterly. That’s a lot more than it cost me even five years ago. And that’s if I don’t get sick.
August 8th, 2008
Chicago Police Officer Barbara Nevers demanded free coffee 
and pastries from a half-dozen Starbucks stores over the years, until she was banned from one of the java joints and a memo was sent to other stores, according to this story in the Chicago Tribune. She says she never “demanded” free food and drink.
She was suspended for 18 months and recommended for counseling after showing her gun and badge to intimidate employees into giving her free coffee, according to documents released Thursday.
Other coffee shops say they offer free discounts or free java to police.
Makes me wonder what the practice is in Rockford and around the Rock River Valley. Do coffee shops around here offer a free cup of joe to police?
August 7th, 2008
Vanessa Hudgens 
may be the 10th richest Hollywood kid, according to a recent Forbes story.
But it’ll be a bargain to see Hudgens, a star of the “High School Musical” Disney channel hit series, perform at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at Davis Park for the 25th On the Waterfront Labor Day weekend festival.
The cheapest ticket for the show is $14.50, and includes the day’s admission to the festival, which costs $15 at the gate. You also can buy higher-priced tickets at the Waterfront Web site for $74.50 and $28.50, which also include gate admission that day.
August 5th, 2008
Renowned mountain climber Ed Viesturs, 
a Rockford native who now lives in the Seattle area, comments in this story about the ice avalanche last weekend that killed nine climbers atop K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain in Pakistan. (goworldtravel.com photo)
Viesturs, who has conquered K2 and recently concluded a successful quest to scale all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, said that K2 is considered “the holy grail of mountains.”
A mountain-climbing drama that partly featured Viesturs, “Into Thin Air,” was the featured book in the 2003 One Book, One Rockford program that encourages everyone to read the same book at the same time and talk about it.
This year’s One Book selection is “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time”
co-authored by Greg Mortenson. The book chronicles his failed attempt to scale K2, his stumbling upon a village of people who helped him and his spearheading the building of schools in remote Pakistan and Afghanistan mostly to educate girls.
Mortenson will be in Rockford in September. Mountain-climbers sure are driven, and it’s that kind of mind-set that propelled Mortenson’s school-building efforts. Can’t wait to hear him speak in person.
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