That is one big Hole!

Scale of Chicago Spire In case any of you were thinking that hole in the ground looked like a big foundation (which is in actuality ONLY the core foundation), check out this composite from the past two weeks of work at the site. They're excavating the tops of the double 12-foot caissons that will be under each leg of the building in order to tie them together into "supercaissons." Look at the size of this thing's overall footprint now ...http://www.thechicagospire.com/

Jack in the Box in Chicago

Do you remember when ordering your fast food involved talking to the "Jack in the Box"?


In this country, where each day, independent businesses loose ground to chains and franchises, it is surprising when you find a regional fast food franchise. While I hate the idea of dining in an up-scale seafood restaurant only to find they have 60 of them around the country each indistinguishable from the next. I'm upset when I find myself a thousand miles from home, exploring that city's "Hot" shopping district, and find that it has the same list of stores I can find in a 15 minute walk from my home.


But Fast Food franchises are exempt from my scorn. Just as I expect each city will carry the network's feeds, and my cell phone will work, my expectation is that the streets will be filled with a uniform list of fast-food joints. The fact is that simply is not true. Sure McDonald's and Burger King spots will be found, I think P.E.T.A. even found a method to franchise protesters to Stand in front of KFC restaurants, but In & Out burgers, are not to be found in Chicago.


Truth be told, I don't care about In & Out Burgers, comming from Chicago, the only thing I know about them is the Paris Hilton eat there one of the nights she got caught driving drunk. But Jack in the Box is a different story.

I grew up with "Jack in the Box" There were so many late nights, in a car filled too-full with friends, spent speaking to "Jack". Jack was my friend, he fed me those wonderful tacos. He got me hooked, I looked forward to those golden-brown, deep-fried, tasty treats. Then all at once, they were gone. Jack fled west of of the Mississippi, leaving me and so many like me, stranded, left with a craving we were unable to fill.



The other day, after a disappointing Y12 Epee contest, I brought my son over to a Jack in the Box, two blocks from the San Jose Convention Center, desperate to bring some happiness to an otherwise "Dark day". I put in my order for 6 tasty tacos, and from the first bite I was transported back to a happy memory-filled time of youth and grease, it was wonderful! O.K., I would have traded the taco for my son bringing home a medal, but that was not a choice offered.

Yes the tacos were just as I remembered them to be. Each time I find my self in a town that is lucky enough to still have Jack in the Box, I make a point of eating as many of these tacos as I can stuff down my throat. Jack never lets me down; though I am still mad at him for moving away.

Larry Lubell

Lebanon gives Hezbollah Veto Power

If Hezbollah has veto power over the Lebanese government, then aren't they the true power in the country?

So we have a Terrorist group in control of another country in the Mid-East.
From the inception of Hezbollah the elimination of the State of Israel has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals.
"If they go from Shebaa, we won't stop fighting them. ... Our goal is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine, ... The Jews who survive this war of liberation can go back to Germany or wherever they came from.
Hezbollah is a force behind the Palestinians suicide bomber's and scud missiles landing in Israel. The once beautiful Lebanon has been torn apart by years of war.

Afghanistan has seen its stability fall from increased Taliban power.

We have been unable to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy al-Qaeda. Over the past 5 years, their power has once again grown.

Iran's Ahmadinejad, who has stated his desire to wipe Israel off the map, is now warning it's enemies, that "Our finger will always be on the trigger and our missiles will always be ready to launch.“
With The price of gas in 2008 toping over $4.75 / gallon, and the world teetering on the sharp edge of a world recession, we are unable to challenge Ahmadinejad, and his threat to close the Strait of Hormuz

For some reason I'm not feeling all that "Safe" yet