Opinion
Daily Dirt for Sept. 28, 2021 I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of the Eagles, but personal bias will never stand in the way of sharing news. Welcome to Vo. 81 of the Daily Dirt. 1. The Recording Industry Association of America has updated its list of the top-selling albums of all-time.…
Read Full Article It’s that time again, to reopen the loveline for the lovelorn. Stevie Love, the real-life Doctor of Love and potentate of passion is here to help. As always, real answers for real issues.Let’s get right to today’s mailbag: Dear Stevie Love,I’m always amazed at how you can cut right to the heart of the matter,…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 27, 2021 Granted, I spend a lot of time watching television. But it comes in hand at times like this — Vol. 80 of the Daily Dirt: 1. Here’s my picks for the most memorable TV characters we have seen in the first couple of decades-plus in the 21st century: Bronze medal:…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 25-26, 2021 My three favorite times of the year are the opening of baseball season, the start of the new television season and anytime the pizza guy arrives at the front door. Vol. 78 of the Daily Dirt begins with the TV part of that statement. Welcome to today’s three thoughts: 1.…
Read Full Article Growing pension costs for retired educators and administrators are quickly crowding the classroom out of Illinois budgets. Pension costs are crowding out direct education spending throughout Illinois school districts. In the coming school year, 39% of the money the state allocates to education will be diverted away from teachers and students to meet required pension…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 24, 2021 Vol. 77 of the Daily Dirt is nothing short of a treasure trove of information. Sit back, relax, grab the Froot Loops and enjoy today’s three thoughts: 1. Any day you can learn something is a good day, right? You can thank me later for the following information: A. There is…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 23, 2021 Choosing the proper toilet paper can — and should — be a serious issue. It only takes one purchase of those “four rolls for a dollar” at the neighborhood discount palace to ruin a trip to the bathroom. Vol. 76 of the Daily Dirt begins today’s three thoughts regarding that…
Read Full Article Musicians make money from royalties, advances, playing live, selling merchandise and licensing fees for their music.Some just make more than others. A lot more. Here are the richest rock musicians, according to wealthygorilla.com, a website that used figures from sites such as Forbes, Celebrity Net Worth and The Richest to build this top 10. Any surprises…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 22, 2021 Ahh … lunchtime as a school kid. Vol. 75 of the Daily Dirt should rekindle some memories during the first of today’s three thoughts: 1. This is for those whose moms packed their lunches as grade-school kids. How many of these items did you hope to find when you opened…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 21, 2021 A little Mayhem, a little Lily … and a lot of Louie DePalma in Vol. 74 of the Daily Dirt, which, as always, provides you with three thoughts of the day — and all free of charge. Is this a great country or what? 1. I’ve mentioned before how much…
Read Full Article PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The speakers regarding the proposed changes to the police and fire commissioners’ duties in hiring chiefs for the respective departments were tabled along with the resolution. The Quincy Police and Fire Commission sent new remarks to Muddy River News. JRG We appreciate the opportunity to present our perspective on the proposed ordinance change. …
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 20, 2021 There’s something special about a well-crafted black-and-white movie, be it from the 1940s or last week. The atmosphere, tone and visual concepts available in that format can be equally subtle or breathtaking. Vol. 73 offers Stevie Cinema’s all-time black-and-white faves in today’s three thoughts that could change the world. 1.…
Read Full Article It’s been a rough year for sports fans, and I’m not talking about where your favorite teams may be in the standings. I can never remember a year for losing such a large number of iconic sports personalities like we have in 2021. And the calendar still has more than three months remaining. Add the…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 18-19, 2021 We’re going to be missing familiar faces when the 2021-22 TV season unfolds. Here are the biggest losses. Welcome to Vol. 71 of the Daily Dirt. 1. It’s just not going to be the same in another month or so. When I sit back in my favorite recliner, a glass…
Read Full Article Deals get done in many forms and in many places. Lunches … golf … beers … board rooms … back rooms … They don’t get done when little work is done on the front end, and most of the people involved are blindsided. The idea of giving the mayor the sole power to hire the…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 17, 2021 When it comes to songs, one-hit wonders have always fascinated me. How did a particular singer or group manage to put all the pieces together for that one gargantuan smash — and then never be heard from again? Vol. 70 of the Daily Dirt examines some of the best examples…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 16, 2021 Imagine turning on your television set and seeing nothing but westerns most nights on every channel. Vol. 69 of the Daily Dirt provides some insight with the first of today’s three thoughts. 1. We love westerns at the Daily Dirt, and spend considerable time thinking and talking about them. Here…
Read Full Article In a recent contribution to Muddy River News. I mentioned such delicacies from around the world as jellied moose nose, Mongolian boodogs and mice wine. The jellied moose nose was pretty much self-explanatory, the boodog specialty involved large rodents and the mice wine was just that (with small bodies at the bottom of the bottle).…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 15, 2021 Any conversation involving Clint Eastwood is guaranteed to be a good conversation. In Vol. 68 of the Daily Dirt we first look at some of Clint the Squint’s best-known quotes. 1. I’m always glad to see when a new Clint Eastwood film is released, but I realize this can’t go on forever. Clint is now…
Read Full Article I am a sports fan and probably place a little too much importance on sports…maybe. That said, there are often many valuable lessons to be learned from sports. One that comes to mind as we reflect on the current challenges in our community and country is a speech by a famous football coach Bo Schembechler.…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 14, 2021 Among the subjects that Vol. 67 of the Daily Dirt touches on are lukewarm tater tots, James Bond and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” Sit back and enjoy today’s three observations: 1. The best way to serve potatoes? Here are your six best choices: A. Potato chips: Ah-hah!! You weren’t expecting this…
Read Full Article The members of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, Quincy, IL were officially informed of a proposed change to the Fire and Police ordinance at 2:40 pm on (September 7, the date of the first reading before the City Council). Prior to today, there have been no discussions with the Commission about a proposed…
Read Full Article Just in case anyone was wondering where my byline was last week… I have spent the last few days confined to quarters, having guards who snapped when I tried to escape and wouldn’t let me have a sip of whiskey. But seriously…I tested positive with COVID-19 last Sunday. So here’s how the timeline proceeded… I…
Read Full Article On the average, more than 500 new words are added each year to the English language. “Like it nor not, language is constantly evolving,” writes Richard Evans for bestoflife.com. “New words get added to the dictionary every year, often long after they’ve become part of the daily lexicon.” Some dictionaries are looking to stay on…
Read Full Article Daily Dirt for Sept. 13, 2021 Vol. 66 of our daily visit touches on three subjects close to my heart — cookies, TV theme songs and Errol Flynn’s portrayal of Gen. George Armstrong Custer. Here are three thoughts: 1. For my money, here are the best store-bought cookies on the market: A. Pepperidge Farm Milano: Just about…
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