I updated the look of the blog yesterday, with the biggest change being the addition of a link to the family’s photo gallery. I’ve been working hard to find a gallery I liked, finally switching from Coppermine to Gallery2.0. Gallery2.0 is much easier to use than Coppermine, at least in my opinion, and I like the look a lot more as well. I’m pleased with the outcome, and I hope everyone out there reading (all three of you) enjoy the photos.
I’m proud to have been born and raised in Milwaukee, and though I no longer live there, I always take pride in where I came from. I love Milwaukee, and that’s why it pains me to see how rotten things have gotten in large swaths of the city. Milwaukee had its fifty first homicide of the year last night, and while that might pale in comparison to the number of homicides larger cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Chicago have had this year, it’s a number that still seems entirely too large. And while the number of murders at this point in 2007 is lower than the number of murders at the same point last year in Milwaukee, things just don’t seem to be getting much better. The Milwaukee Police Department is understaffed (and has been for some years), and violent crime isn’t actually on the decline; it’s actually on the rise.
Thankfully, Milwaukee’s city leaders have recognized that there’s a problem, and just today they called for new ideas to fight crime in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the article didn’t offer any mention of any concrete proposals by the members of Milwaukee’s Common Council in order to more effectively fight crime in the city, and I’m willing to bet the Common Council’s “new ideas” for fighting crime are going to consist of filling more vacant police officer positions to help cut down on the amount of overtime.
“I think there is a shift (going on),” said Ald. Michael Murphy, chairman of the council’s Finance and Personnel Committee. “I think this council and other councils will be demanding a lot more for the money we give you.”
I think that pretty much sums up the “new ideas” the Common Council is going to be offering, but for the sake of the City of Milwaukee, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the Common Council, the Mayor, and the new Chief of Police (whoever it ends up being) will be able to come up with some new and truly innovative ideas to deal with the issue of crime - especially violent crime - in Milwaukee, because the folks living there deserve more than the same tired rhetoric and band-aid solutions to this issue.
At the risk of offending folks who are trying to increase awareness of the effects of climate change on our planet, I think the Live Earth concerts, while certainly a great tool for increasing awareness, are also just a bit hypocritical. After all, on one hand you’ve got folks putting on a series of concerts to promote awareness of climate change, all the while conveniently forgetting to mention that the concerts themselves are in all likelihood only serving to contribute to global warming. I’ve heard reports about the massive tailgating and that folks used their cars to power portable sound systems. I can only assume there were massive amounts of litter and trash generated from the tailgating, and it’s safe to assume the concert stage used enough electrical power to power a small village for each concert.
So it just seems to me that there had to be a better method for raising awareness of the problem of climate change - a method that didn’t involve contributing to the problem on such a large scale - and I say that as someone who supports the efforts of folks who are trying to bring about a heightened sense of awareness about the issue of global warming.
Just wanted to say Happy Independence Day to all three of you out there who happen to read this.
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July!
So last night Patti and I were awoken to the sound of Nick screaming in his room. At first blush, it seemed like just another bad dream, but then I noticed Nick had some blood on his face. A quick check showed he must have fallen out of bed and bumped his head on something (maybe the bed frame?), because he had a cut on his eyelid, as well as a bump and bruise on his forehead. Thankfully the cut wasn’t bad enough to require stitches, though after looking at it today it looks borderline. I’m not even sure if doctors would have been able to stitch the cut up even if it was more serious, because it’s in the fleshy part of his eyelid area.
Thankfully there doesn’t seem to be any lasting effect to Nick’s fall, because he seems happy as a clam today.
In other news, Patti’s having herself a good old time at Summerfest tonight, so it’s just a boys night here at the Wisniewski household. I’ve also committed myself to getting back into shape, because I’m a little bit heavier than I’d like to be. I’ve committed to eating better and working out more, and I’m hoping to drop twenty pounds and tone up in the process. I feel awful all the time, and I have a sneaking suspicion it has a lot to do with my weight.
Have I ever mentioned that I’m a huge Chuck Norris fan?
I am.
I know it’s probably a really cheesy guy thing, but they don’t get more bad-ass than Chuck Norris.
…but I’m doing my best to figure things out. This blog has been a long time coming, but I’m hopeful that I’m on the right track. If only I could figure out an easy way to customize this to my liking - then I’d be a happy man.