Events

It's time for the semi-annual update of the Chicago sunrise chart. (You can get one for your own location at http://www.wx-now.com/Sunrise/SunriseChart.aspx.) Date Significance Sunrise Sunset Daylight 2008 2 Jul 8:30pm sunset 05:20 20:30 15:09 16 Jul 5:30am sunrise 05:30 20:24 14:55 8 Aug 8pm sunset 05:52 20:00 14:08 16 Aug 6am sunrise 06:00 19:49 13:48 28 Aug 7:30pm sunset 06:13 19:30 13:17 15 Sep 6:30am sunrise; 7pm sunset 06:30 19:00 12:29 22 Sep Equinox, 10:44 CDT 06:39 18:48 12:08 25 Sep 12-hour...

Shows you how much I keep up with the news. It turns out, this is Shea Stadium's final season. I first went to Shea when I started school in New York in 1988, but I haven't been back since 1990. I hate Shea. It's uncomfortable, ugly, and the Mutts play there. Only, I just found out they're tearing it down after this season, so next season the Mets will play in their brand-new Citi Field next door. Now, I already knew about the new Yankee Stadium, and I'd decided that visiting the old one would count for...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in conjunction with national aviation authorities like our FAA, maintains the master list of three-letter airport designations throughout the world. (Another group, the International Civil Aviation Organization, maintains a parallel set of four-letter codes that pilots use. For example, the IATA code for London's Heathrow is LHR, but the ICAO code is EGLL.) The Chicago Tribune has a story today about unexpected and unusual IATA codes: The good people...

Just jiggled the 30-Park Geas schedule a little. After discussing with my cousing the pros and cons of visiting Miami in August, we decided to hit two Cubs games in Atlanta, whereupon I'll pop out to San Francisco to see Dad and catch the A's-White Sucks series. (Sox. White Sox. My mistake. Sorry, I live north of Madison.) So, with eight parks down, and seven scheduled, we go into the bottom of 2008. National League 9, American 6.

Our best friend (nationally speaking) is 141 years old today.

And the latter half of my trip: Four Courts Lord Edward Street, near Temple Bar Anyone seen Once? This is from the opening scene, on Grafton Street: Finally, something you don't see in the U.S. much:

As promised, some photos from last week. Nieuwmarkt: Oude Kirk: Spuistraat: And this guy, obviously late of a coffeeshop:

Her Majesty the Queen has punished the unspeakably foul dictator who has ruined Zimbabwe and thrown millions into starving poverty, by stripping him of his knighthood. This, on top of her government's ongoing finger-wagging and tut-tutting, will no doubt shame Robert Mugabe into better behaviour. Morgan Tsvangerai, you can go home now. Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama have finally spoken up, though. They are probably the two most influential people in the world on this matter, so perhaps—just...

In Chicago, we have an annual vehicle tax of $75. Many neighborhoods also have restricted parking zones; permits are $25. Both vehicle stickers and parking permits expire on June 30th. I mention this because I went to renew these things in person this afternoon down at City Hall. Yes, three business days before their expiration, I stood in line. How long? you wonder. This is city government, after all. Seven minutes. Chicago really is the city that works. I even had time to go to the County Assessor's...

I have returned from my latest travels, patted Parker, had a good night of sleep, and am offloading several hundred photos from two digital cameras. This, plus restocking my fridge, will take a little bit, so in the meantime: Paul Krguman explains why speculators have nothing to do with oil prices right now: Imagine that Joe Shmoe and Harriet Who, neither of whom has any direct involvement in the production of oil, make a bet: Joe says oil is going to $150, Harriet says it won't. What direct effect does...