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Extra, Extra
"Speaking at McCormick Place, the Mayor said you don’t send your child to college to become an alcoholic; you send them to get an education." [WBBM]
Prepare for delays: Repair work on Lake Shore Drive begins today. [CBS 2]
For the first time in nearly a decade, new firefighters have joined the ranks of Chicago's bravest. [S-T]
Wait, you can learn CPR in a half-hour at home with a $20 kit? All those hours of Red Cross classes, down the shitter. [S-T]
The Art Institute has acquired "The Captive Slave," an painting from 1827, that hasn't been publicly displayed in 180 years. [WBBM]
"The University of MinnesotaSchool of Public Health sent actors who could convincingly mimic drunkenness to 16 unnamed professional sports stadiums around the country, and about three times out of four they could still buy beer at concession booths. It was even worse in the stands, where roaming vendors sold to the actors 9 times out of 10." [Trib]
The Amish population has doubled in the last 16 years. [AP]
Illinois Too Sooty for EPA
According to a letter the EPA sent Governor Blagojevich, air quality in 14 Illinois Counties—Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Kendall, Rock Island, Massac, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair and Randolph—does not meet federal pollution standards. Prepare ye wrists for slapping, Illinois! "The EPA said it intends to settle on its final soot nonattainment list by Dec. 18. Counties included on that list would face pressure to cut levels of microscopic soot produced by power plants, diesel-burning trucks, cars and factories." [AP, Trib]
The Longshots, A Movie Based on Joliet Girl's Life, Opens Friday
 Jasmine Plummer has the best excuse out of all her classmates for missing the first few days of school at Joliet West High School- she's in Los Angeles shopping, dining, riding in limos and attending the premiere of The Longshots, a movie based on her life. When Plummer was 11 years-old she made Pop Warner youth football history when she became the first girl quarterback to lead a Junior Pee Wee team to national competition as quarterback for the Harvey Colts. Keke Palmer (of Akeelah and the Bee fame) will play Jasmine and Ice Cube (of NWA fame) will play her uncle/coach based on Fred Johnson her uh, uncle and coach. The film is written by Nick Santora (Prison Break, Law & Order) and is directed by Fred Durst. Yep, Limp Bizkit Fred Durst. Awesome.
The Longshots opens Friday nationwide. Jasmine, our new local heroine, hopes the movie will give her a better look at colleges as she hopes to play basketball at a "good school." [S-T]
Are You A Jordan Head?
Are you a fan of the shoes Michael Jordan made famous? If so, you might want to join the hundreds (thousands?) of fans of MJ and his eponymous shoes who will converge at his statue outside the United Center at noon this Saturday to shoot the final scene of the documentary "Jordan Heads." Billed as "the most anticipated sneaker documentary ever," Saturday's shoot caps four years of production on the film.
The documentary looks at the phenomenon created by Air Jordans and look at the shoes' influence on pop culture as described by "world-renown collectors, Hollywood entertainers, NBA players, Hip-Hop stars, journalists, brand marketers and other famous sneaker addicts."
At Saturday's wrap, fans of the man and his Nikes will attempt to set the world record for the most people wearing Air Jordans at the same place at the same time. Chicagoist will be sad to see the current record fall... we're willing to bet that that our middle school set it circa 1990.
Tweet Tweet
WBEZ's experimental user-generated Vocalo station has a Twitter feed. And they want to hear from you! Badly!
If you pledged to WBEZ, your money's going to Vocalo.
More after the jump...
Art Sharing @ Salon
At a recent brunch we learned about a neat platform for visual and performing artists to share their works-in-progress. Salon at ROOMS gallery, occurring every third Thursday of the month, is similar to a poetry reading but is expanded to include “sound, performance, video, dance, sculpture, readings,” and the like. The monthly art exchange allows artists the opportunity to gain experience with presenting their work in an environment that nurtures feedback and discussion.
 If you have interest in performing at Salon, email ROOMS with the following information:
- Name and contact info
- Title of work or idea
- Brief description of piece
- Summary of intentions
- Time request – 10 min. max (no minimum)
Requests must be received by the Monday before the Salon you wish to participate in.
645 W 18th Street, 8/21 or the third Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m., $3 for both artists and audience members
Image via ROOMS gallery website
Wednesday Afternoon Diversion: Mike Adamle Gets Tongue-Tied
NBC 5 sportscaster Mike Adamle has led a charmed life in front of the camera. His good looks and Northwestern pedigree have granted him the opportunity to work at ABC 7, CBS 2 and NBC 5 as lead sportscaster. For a generation, he's also known as the host of the original "American Gladiators." Give Adamle a script and time to prepare, he's a solid broadcaster.
Give Adamle a microphone and a script on short notice and ask him to ad-lib? He makes Mayor Daley sound like James Lipton. Time Out Chicago's recent interview with local wrestler (and WWE World Heavyweight Champion) CM Punk reminded us that Adamle's been moonlighting for World Wrestling Entertainment in recent months, first as play-by-play announcer for WWE's "ECW" brand. No, we aren't ashamed of being fans of pro rasslin'.
The WWE announcers often work with Vince McMahon screaming ad-libs into their earpieces. Here are some gems from Adamle's shell-shocked ECW debut.
Since then, Adamle has been shifted over to RAW, WWE's flagship show, in the on-air role of General Manager. More script, less improvisation.
Fake Lake: The Neo-futurists Get Wet
 Trying to make sense of "a life so easy if feels hard," playwright and performer Sharon Greene heads camping with a group of people she barely knows. What could have been the hook of a teen horror movie is instead the basis for the Neo-futurists' new site-specific production Fake Lake, performed in the Welles Park swimming pool on Lincoln and Sunnyside. Even though the facility has all the markings of an artificial environment—the weird humidity, the stinging chlorine smell, hell, even a Park District lifeguard—the play and the staging are fantastically evocative of the wilderness: bare, hypnotic, foreign and a little exhilarating.
Greene, who stars as herself, was between jobs at outdoor sporting good stores, and when a guy from her gym—"I called him 'Towel Guy'"—invites her camping with his friends, she accepts because she doesn't want to be the kind of person who declines. The play weaves together the narrative of the weekend and a history of Utah's Lake Powell, the "fake lake" of the title, a man-made reservoir turned recreational boating/camping area. Lake, with varying degrees of nuance and success, explores the discord between the natural beauty of the wilderness and the fact that that natural beauty isn't actually natural.
But about that pool thing.
I expected cheap or gimmicky uses of the water, but the staging is actually really evocative and lovely. For a scene at night on the water, the lights are off and the performers, sprawled on an inflatable raft, are illuminated only by floating LED lights; it's stunningly beautiful. The show could only be performed in this setting—minus the pool, Lake wouldn't make sense. Lake would be worth seeing just for the gee whiz factor, but luckily, there's a really solid story in there too. Unfortunately, the show opens with a goofy water ballet sequence which misrepresents where the play winds up going—it's definitely not ironic or cheesy. If anything, it veers dangerously close to too sincere and tidy. The pacing is off, and some of the character epiphanies a little trite, but none of the negatives come anywhere close to outweighing how absorbing and different the Fake Lake is.
Fake Lake runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through September 19. The show starts at 8pm, and tickets are $15.
Rockin' Our Turntable: Lykke Li
 We're beginning to wonder what they feed babies in Sweden since they all seem to grow up into pop producing monster machines. From ABBA to The Hives to Peter Bjorn and John and now to Lykke Li. Li is a 22-year-old overachiever eager to gain popularity and capable of crafting the sort of vehicle primed to vault her into the spotlight. Her debut Youth Novels, largely produced by Björn Yttling of the aforementioned Peter Bjorn and John, is an impressive collection of rhythmically driven pop tunes.
The opener, "Melodies & Desires," is built on slinky tendrils of gently overlapping tones, plinks, and plonks over which Li lays simple repeated phrases before the song makes way for the deceptively simple and winningly bare "Dance, Dance, Dance." At this point you'd be forgiven for expecting the entire album to be a fairly laidback Sunday afternoon-listening sort of affair, but that's right when Li launches the explosively danceable "I'm Good, I'm Gone" on you.
From that point on the album dabbles in a number of genres -- the gospel of "My Love," the orch-folk of "This Trumpet in My Head," the stripped down Phil Spector girl-group of "Everybody But Me" -- but the one thing holding it all together in Li's breathy and winsome voice. It's a powerful instrument capable of conveying both wide dew-eyed innocence and slyly winking sexual confidence. This combination, blended with the smart arrangements of her songs, serve to create an album that lays out a clear path to winning over listeners with wit, intelligence, and sweet smarts.
Lykke Li's debut Youth Novels is out now and she'll be appearing in Chicago at The Empty Bottle on October 25, but we recommend getting your tickets now
Photo from Lykke Li's MySpace page by Marcus Palmqvist
Simple Cooking – Coconut/Lime Chicken
 We’re always looking for interesting chicken recipes, but we find most are either incredibly bland or mouth-numbingly dry. We prefer whole roast or rotisserie chickens, but often boneless skinless chicken breasts are the only convenient option on a weekday night. This is an easy dish with a nice Thai twist and you can finish it in less than thirty minutes. It’s also got a nice spicy, citrus flavor for a summer dinner out on the balcony.
Coconut-Lime Chicken
Adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into 4 pieces
2 Limes
1 cup canned Coconut milk
1 large pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tsp Nam Pla Fish Sauce (optional)
2 minced scallions
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Zest and juice the limes. Marinate the chicken with ½ the lime juice for 10 minutes. Combine coconut milk, shallots, cayenne and lime zest in a saucepan and warm over low heat. Either broil or grill the chicken until cooked through. Add the rest of the lime juice and the Nam Pla to the coconut milk and stir to combine.
If you don’t like the flavor of fish sauce, feel free to simply use salt. If you want to try out Nam Pla, it can be found at any Asian grocery store or the Asian food section of any well-stocked market.
When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a serving platter. Top the chicken with the sauce, garnish with the scallions and cilantro and serve.
This Just In: Developers More Powerful, Connected Than Average Residents
 The 50th Ward is corrupt, Alderman Bernie Stone may or may not be in the pockets of developers rather than representing the wants of his constituents, according to a longass article in the Trib today. Zoning rules are widely flouted, with developers not notifying residents of new plans or putting up required signs.
The Tribune has found that zoning rules have been ignored or changed to make it easier for developers and harder for residents to have a meaningful say in what gets built on their streets.
Sadface. The story focuses on a proposed senior housing facility in West Rogers Park. The developer's lawyer? James Banks and Samuel Banks, nephew and brother of Alderman William Banks, who is the head of the zoning committee. Some "neighborhood activists" oppose the construction, saying the building will be far taller than everything around it and will lead to increased an unwanted traffic, and they went to the zoning committee meeting to have their complaints heard. Which...didn't work out like that.
[50th Ward resident Hugh Devlin]...told the committee that he wanted to note the multiple political donations to his alderman from the Banks law firm and from the project architect's. State records show more than $3,000 in donations to Stone from Samuel Banks.
[Alderman Gene] Schulter cut off Devlin: "That's totally, totally out of line. Totally out of line. We are talking about the project before the committee at this time . . . This is totally irrelevant."
The committee unanimously approved the construction. [Trib, photo by bowl rider]
Trib Tower = Col. McCormick's Condos?
 As more and more ink-stained wretches flee the Tribune Tower like rats from the proverbial sinking ship, the Sun-Times tells us that the building itself might be up for grabs. And if you've ever gazed up at the Tower and thought of its architectural marvelousness (and consider what might have been!), maybe you'd be interested in dropping the estimated $250 million that Sam Zell might charge for it.
But can you imagine someone turning it into a bunch of condominiums? It's happened to so many other buildings around the city, but the Tribune Tower? For serious? Maybe. When Zell announced he was putting the tower up for sale, conventional wisdom said that they'd retain the right to sign a long-term lease in the building. But scuttlebutt has it that Zell is considering just getting rid of the place entirely...for the right price.
Although a third of the building is apparently empty (can we move the Chicagoist offices there?), the remaining half-dozen staffers would have to move somewhere else in the event of this kind of deal going through. S-T says they'd most likely move to the printing facility in River North, but our suggestion? See if you can't grab a few floors in the old Chicago Daily News building, aka Riverside Plaza. There would be a sweet sort of irony in moving the Trib to where a long-dead paper used to thrive.
Photo from asten.
Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" Brewery Ommegang Abbey Ale
We're on record stating Unibroue to be the best brewery in North America, for their amazing recreations of Belgian-style ales. There are a few other breweries of note that pray to the Belgian shrine. One of them is Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. Oh, God, oh, God the poetic we could wax about their Hennepin, Three Philosophers or Rare Vos brews! Then we went through previous posts and realized that we've never featured an Ommegang beer.
Today, we remedy that. Ommegang's first appearance in the "BotW" canon is a selection that stunned even us upon tasting. Ommegang's Abbey Ale is a dubbel, the first beer the brewery produced. Abbey ales are trappist-style ales not made in a monastery. Dubbels are strong, bottle-conditioned brown ales with a smooth sweet flavor imparted largely from roasted malts.
Ommegang Abbey ale is rich in color, scent and flavor. We couldn't contain a smile drinking a bomber of this at Hopleaf ($12). We later purchased a bottle at Lush Wine and Spirits' University Village location for half the price. It's one of the most beautiful beers we've photographed. Deep brown with a mocha-colored head, it's also rich in esters on the nose, with sweet spices (cloves, anise), dark fruits and toffee coating your mouth. Bottle conditioning gives Ommegang's Abbey Ale a wonderful mouthfeel. This works well with grilled lamb and vegetables. Actually, Abbey Ale would work great with lamb, pork or duck.
We hope it doesn't take another two years to feature another Ommegang beer. For those of you who love their beers, rejoice in today's long-overdue selection of Ommegang Abbey Ale as
Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."
Rezko Sentencing Postponed
Ah, Tony Rezko, we almost forgot about you. A federal judge today delayed Rezko's sentencing from September 3 until October 28 after Rezko's lawyers asked for more time to prepare. In the meantime, Rezko remains at the Metropolitan Correction Center. [S-T]
Four-Eared Cat An Adorable Mutation
 Yoda the four-eared cat was adopted from "a pub on the South Side of Chicago" two years ago. His owners, Valerie and Ted Rock of Downers Grove, say he behaves just like other cats, and that his hearing is fine. The two extra ears make Yoda such a superstar that his owners worry someone may try to kidnap him, so he's under attentive watch. Ooow, my heart. [Telegraph, Metro, The Sun, Daily Mail]
MillerCoors Brings Back Classic Advertising Slogan to Sell Classic Bad Beer
The Tribune (via wire sources) reports today that MillerCoors is bringing back the "Tastes Great, Less Filling" tagline to its Miller Lite ads.
Not exactly certain if this item is newsworthy, or even correct. The article says that the tagline hasn't been used since 1991, but in Miller's horndog "catfight" commercial it was used as the impetus for two pneumatic bimbos to wrestle in water and cement. Can't say that Miller doesn't know its target audience.
This also gave us an excuse to browse You Tube looking for classic Miller Lite commercials, like the one above. [Tribune]
Chicago Olympians: Day 12
 Words cannot even express how much I am going to miss having Bela Karolyi in my life from now on. The man could make watching someone paint sound exciting. Where's the drama in my life now? How can I get excited about anything else after having Bela's exuberance in my life for the last nine days? Fortunately, there's still plenty of Olympics to go as we close in on team finals as well as some individual finals. Today's Chicago-area results after the jump.
Men's Basketball - Despite a slow start in the first quarter, Team USA pulled away from Australia for a 116-85 victory to advance to Thursday's semifinals. Dwyane Wade had 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in the victory. Next up for the U.S. is Argentina and the Chicago Bulls' Andres Nocioni, who had 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals in their victory over Greece.
Softball - Gasp! Is Team USA actually mortal? Well, no. They still won but did so in dramatic fashion. After being locked in a scoreless eight inning struggle with Japan, the Americans got a three-run walk-off homer in extra innings from Crystl Bustos for a 4-1 victory. Cat Osterman pitched a single inning of relief in the win.
Men's Indoor Volleyball - The U.S. Men's Team, featuring area athletes Tom Hoff and Sean Rooney, outlasted Serbia 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12) in an epic quarterfinal match. Up next is Russia in the semis on Thursday.
Bronzeville Children’s Museum Moves, Expands
 The Bronzeville Children’s Museum is growing so much it's relocated to a bigger space. The only children’s museum in the country devoted to African-American history, it has outgrown its former space in a shopping mall in Evergreen Park, re-opening yesterday at its new location at 9301 S. Stony Island Ave. in the far South Side. The new building has nearly ten times the space as the old museum, and room for three times as many exhibits, including a "Motherland to Chicago" tour, "African-Americans in the Food Industry," and "African-American Inventors." The museum is named after the Chicago Bronzeville neighborhood, a significant urban landmark in African American history. [Trib, abc7, WBEZ]
Kass System
The "powerful white Tribune columnist" who apparently shouted at a colleague and challenged him to a fight? Yeah, it was John Kass.
RedBall Project Rolls Through Chicago
 The Olympic flame isn’t the only big red ball that gets to travel around the world. An installation art piece titled the RedBall Project that has been bouncing around the globe since 2001, adopting various urban landscapes on its seemingly unending world tour, will be kickin’ it around Chicago all next month.
The RedBall Project is the brainchild of Chicago-born artist Kurt Perschke, who has essentially bounced the globe himself creating public art in various international cities. (O.K., the project is also sponsored by Target, which may explain the piece’s bullseye-like appearance.) The 15-foot inflatable red ball has migrated through cities such as Barcelona, Syndey and St. Louis, and beginning September 1, Perschke brings the ball home to the Chicago where it will spend the month making stops at locales like Millennium Park, Chess Pavilion, and even Wishbone in the West Loop. The ball, which squishes and molds to adapt to its environment, will also been seen in various nooks and crannies throughout the city, as the artist prefers to celebrate not only architecture but general urban living.
We hope the Bean doesn’t feel threatened by the new blob in town.
For a list of all scheduled Red Ball appearances, continue reading after the jump.
RedBall Site Location Schedule
(As of August 12. Additional sites to be announced.)
September 1, 11 am - 6 pm Millennium Park (Michigan Ave. and Randolph St.)
September 3, 11 am - 6 pm Spertus Museum (610 S. Michigan Ave.)
September 5, 11 am - 6 pm Wishbone (1001 W Washington Blvd.)
September 6, 11 am - 4 pm Field Museum (1400 S. Lake Shore Drive)
September 7, 11 am - 6 pm Grant Park, Museum Campus pedestrian viaduct (under Lake Shore Drive at Roosevelt Rd.)
September 10, 11 am - 6 pm Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist (55 E. Wacker at Wabash Ave.)
September 13, 11 am - 6 pm Damen Ave. & North Ave.
September 14, 11 am - 6 pm Chess Pavilion, North Ave at the Lakefront
September 19, 11 am - 6 pm Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Ave.)
September 20, 10 am - 5 pm IIT s McCormick Tribune Campus Center (3201 South State St.)
September 23, 11 am - 6 pm 19 S. LaSalle St.
September 24, 11 am - 6 pm Federal Plaza (230 S. Dearborn St.)
September 25, 11 am - 6 pm Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington St.)
No Convention Love For G-Rod
While several of his rivals have been given speaking engagements at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, it seems there's no room for Governor Blagojevich on stage. We already know Mayor Mumbles is speaking and new speakers recently added to list include state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Comptroller Dan Hynes, and Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan. But is Balgo's exclusion that big of a surprise? Given that Obama's campaign gets final say-so in choosing speakers, it shouldn't come as a shock, in spite of Obama and G-Rod's former ties (coughRezkocough).
Chicagoist Food Pr0n: Marche
We recently had friends in town and decided to take advantage of Marche's fixed price menu on Monday and Wednesday nights ($28.95 for a three course meal). Photos taken by our much more talented photography friend, Chris Lynch, AKA "LynchSeattle".
Marche is located at 833 W Randolph.
There is an image gallery to this entry which you can view at Chicagoist
Morning Box Score
Cubs, Harden Shutdown Reds
Rich Harden did it all for the Cubs in their 5-0 victory over the Reds last night: he struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings and got his first career RBI when he sac-bunted in the first (and winning) run of the game. The Cubs bats tagged on four more runs in the eighth to secure the win for Harden, who moves to 8-2 on the year. Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez both knocked in runs in the eighth and Kosuke Fukudome (K-Fuk?) drove in two with a bases loaded single. For his part, Harden is modest about his success so far with the Cubs, giving a large part of the credit to his catcher: "[N.L. batters] haven't really seen me that much. I've got to give a lot of credit to Soto, also. He's got a really good idea of what he's doing out there. Every time we've worked together, we've really been on the same page." Ted Lilly takes the mound tonight for the Cubs, who are now six games up on the second-place Brewers.
Sox Spank Seattle
The South Siders beat the Mariners for a 5-0 victory of their own as rookie Clayton Richard threw six shutout innings for his first major league victory. Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, and Junior Griffey had an RBI each as the Sox got their first three runs without much flash but they were just as important, as A.J Pierzynski noted: "You're not always gonna hit home runs. It's nice to hit home runs, because it's a good feeling and people get to watch fireworks, but at the same time, you gotta find a way to build runs. And we did that a couple times today, moving guys over and getting guys in." Nick Swisher added a solo homer in the fourth and Jim Thome followed suit in the fifth to add the fireworks just for the heck of it. With the victory, the Sox maintain their slim one-game lead over the Twins in the A.L. Central. Gavin Floyd climbs the hill for the Sox, winners of four in a row, this afternoon to close out the series with the Mariners.
Extra, Extra
Photo by Brian Hagy
A new poll shows that McCain and Obama are in a dead heat. [Bloomberg]
Wait, wait, wait: Illinois politics is a family affair? Get outta town. Unsurprisingly, Emil Jones wants his son to take over his state senate seat. [Trib, S-T]
Celebrate your love of encased meats and delicious desserts with a Chicago-style hot dog cake. [Debbie Does Cakes]
After this weekend, this is plan we can heartily endorse: "Seriously, if I ever film a movie where there’s a nuclear explosion, I'm going to have a random extra in big sunglasses look around and ask: 'Is there an air show?' CUT TO WHITE!" [For When I Feel Like Sharing]
Please, oh please, let "lobster college" appear in Chicago next year, and please let it involve eating so, so much lobster. [Trib]
Lesley Gore wrote "Out Here On My Own" from Fame? Amazing! [IMDb]
"Noyes wanted them to move in with him, she said, and his intent was to have sex with the woman and her daughter and breed a family of female sex slaves, according to the affidavit." Uh...what? [AP]
Happy birthday to Patrick Swayze, who's in town filming. [Us Weekly]
If you always wanted to dress your American Girl doll as a Bears-loving, pajama-wearing pimp, your ship has finally come in. [KatisKreations]
"The graphical upgrades alone on the latest version make the one that came out six months ago look like a dump in a waffle iron," said George Washington to Abraham Lincoln. [Thinkin' Lincoln]
Ride Safe
The CPD and Chicago Department of Transportation are dispatching "bike ambassadors" tonight, Thursday and Friday to remind cyclists to follow the city's safety rules. Tonight, they'll be in Wicker Park reminding people to use headlamps when biking after dark. Thursday afternoon, they'll be in Lakeview reminding people to obey traffic laws, and Friday in Uptown, asking folks not to ride on the sidewalk. (Argh! Yes! I hate that.) No one will be getting tickets—just friendly reminders. [CDOT]
Daley Speaking in Denver
Mayor Daley, among other prominent Illinois politicos, is scheduled to give a speech at the Democratic convention next week. Daley will deliver his address on Wednesday on the theme "Securing America's Future." I saw Daley give a speech a few months ago, and for being such a powerful politician, he's a surprisingly uninspiring public speaker. [Crain's]
Ah, Simplicity
Local photographer Paul Octavious bought The Literature of the United States, published in 1947, for 50 cents at the Lincoln Park library.
There is an image gallery to this entry which you can view at Chicagoist
Obama Veepstakes Coming To A Close Soon
 With the Democratic National Convention less than a week away, those whispers about Obama picking a running mate have turned into a buzz and will soon turn into a roar. Reports are stating that Obama has picked his running mate and will announce it as soon as tomorrow. Earlier this summer, Obama's campaign rolled out an option for those on the Obama email list to register so that could receive first notice of the Veep decision. Speculation has focused on Delaware Senator Joe Biden and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh as the lead candidates.
On top of this, it's now been confirmed that Obama and his running mate will hold a rally at the Old State Capitol in Springfield on Saturday to warm up for next week's convention. The Capitol is, of course, the site of Obama's February 2007 announcement of his candidacy. Full circle, people. Not to be outdone, John McCain is also expected to name his running mate soon: next Friday, August 29, to be exact, which is also the senior Senator's 72nd birthday. McCain is scheduled to be in Ohio, a key swing state in the upcoming election.
We're kind of hoping one of the candidates wises up and picks the only truly worthy running mate: Yoda, the four-eared cat.
Photo from Barack Obama's Flickr stream
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