Democrats Are Loving High Gas Prices, Say "No" To Off-shore Oil Drilling

I just don't get it. What is so bad about low gas prices. You know, those prices we used to have. I would love to see $3.00 per gallon again. And, I thought that was expensive. Now we have gotten as high as $4.25 per gallon in north central Indiana. Thankfully it has dropped to $4.06 per gallon now, but for how long?

We now have airlines such as US Airways flying with unsafe amounts of gasoline on flights to save money.

What can be done? What can we do, I don't know, how about now? Obama, Pelosi and Reid have talked about alternative energies. These are great ideas. But, what about now! Each of them say it would take about ten years for these new off-shore drills to become effective (by the way, we would need new refineries too). But, they say this is too far away from now, so it can't work. Lets use this analogy: What's the point on going to school if it takes 13 years to graduate, or why college, it takes at least four years to earn a diploma. This logic the Democrats are talking about doesn't make any sense.

What is this alternative energy? They haven't said what it is. They just say that it is out there. But where? Where are the answers? And, if we would end our use of oil it would take at least 10 years to update the service stations. So, we are back at square one. What is the logical answer to the problem? Drill for oil!!


Nancy Pelosi interviewed by Wolf Blitzer


Harry Reid's plan on what to do...nothing...well, opening up the strategic oil reserve is a start, but this isn't an emergency.

Bonus Video

A look at who Obama is. We think. He is all about change, after all.

McCain Praises Obama at NAACP Convention

Ok, first off, what is with John McCain? He seems to say about anything lately. Oh wait, that's what he normally does.

Last week, McCain threw his economic adviser Phil Gramm (fmr. Texas senator) under the bus.

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," Gramm said. "We may have a recession; we haven't had one yet."

"We have sort of become a nation of whiners. You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today. We have benefited greatly"

He later went on.

"Misery sells newspapers. Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day."

Shortly after these quotes were said, Barack Obama went on attack mode, and why shouldn't he? It is just fresh meat. But what is troublesome is that McCain practically did the same thing by renouncing these comments.

This brings me to the present. John McCain practically endorsed Obama at the NAACP Convention in Cincinnati on Wednesday.

"Don't tell him I said this, but he (Obama) is an impressive fellow in many ways. He has inspired a great many Americans, some of whom had wrongly believed that a political campaign could hold no purpose or meaning for them," McCain said. "His success should make Americans, all Americans, proud. Of course, I would prefer his success not to continue quite as long as he hopes, but it does make you and me proud to know the country I've loved and served all my life is still a work in progress and always improving. Senator Obama talks about making history, and he's made quite a bit of it already. Whatever the outcome in November, Senator Obama has achieved a great thing -- for himself and for his country -- and I thank him for it."

It's to bad Obama doesn't hand out the same praise. All he says about McCain is that if McCain wins it would be "Bush's third term."

Please, tell me more. And, something I don't already know.

It is nice that McCain is a nice guy. And, he did pick a great place to praise Obama. But what is with him in the great scheme of things. Who is John McCain? And as I am asking questions, who is Barack Obama? Will we find out in time for election day? Probably not. Come November, these may be the worst choices for President of the United States, ever.

A Look Back On A LA Times Column

Obama the 'Magic Negro'

The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man.

By David Ehrenstein, L.A.-based DAVID EHRENSTEIN writes about Hollywood and politics.

March 19, 2007 (Link to LA Times site)

AS EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president. Since making his announcement, there has been no end of commentary about him in all quarters — musing over his charisma and the prospect he offers of being the first African American to be elected to the White House.

But it's clear that Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the "Magic Negro."

The Magic Negro is a figure of postmodern folk culture, coined by snarky 20th century sociologists, to explain a cultural figure who emerged in the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education. "He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist," reads the description on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro .

He's there to assuage white "guilt" (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history, while replacing stereotypes of a dangerous, highly sexualized black man with a benign figure for whom interracial sexual congress holds no interest.

As might be expected, this figure is chiefly cinematic — embodied by such noted performers as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Scatman Crothers, Michael Clarke Duncan, Will Smith and, most recently, Don Cheadle. And that's not to mention a certain basketball player whose very nickname is "Magic."

Poitier really poured on the "magic" in "Lilies of the Field" (for which he won a best actor Oscar) and "To Sir, With Love" (which, along with "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," made him a No. 1 box-office attraction). In these films, Poitier triumphs through yeoman service to his white benefactors. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is particularly striking in this regard, as it posits miscegenation without evoking sex. (Talk about magic!)

The same can't quite be said of Freeman in "Driving Miss Daisy," "Seven" and the seemingly endless series of films in which he plays ersatz paterfamilias to a white woman bedeviled by a serial killer. But at least he survives, unlike Crothers in "The Shining," in which psychic premonitions inspire him to rescue a white family he barely knows and get killed for his trouble. This heart-tug trope is parodied in Gus Van Sant's "Elephant." The film's sole black student at a Columbine-like high school arrives in the midst of a slaughter, helps a girl escape and is immediately gunned down. See what helping the white man gets you?

And what does the white man get out of the bargain? That's a question asked by John Guare in "Six Degrees of Separation," his brilliant retelling of the true saga of David Hampton — a young, personable gay con man who in the 1980s passed himself off as the son of none other than the real Sidney Poitier. Though he started small, using the ruse to get into Studio 54, Hampton discovered that countless gullible, well-heeled New Yorkers, vulnerable to the Magic Negro myth, were only too eager to believe in his baroque fantasy. (One of the few who wasn't fooled was Andy Warhol, who was astonished his underlings believed Hampton's whoppers. Clearly Warhol had no need for the accouterment of interracial "goodwill.")

But the same can't be said of most white Americans, whose desire for a noble, healing Negro hasn't faded. That's where Obama comes in: as Poitier's "real" fake son.

The senator's famously stem-winding stump speeches have been drawing huge crowds to hear him talk of uniting rather than dividing. A praiseworthy goal. Consequently, even the mild criticisms thrown his way have been waved away, "magically." He used to smoke, but now he doesn't; he racked up a bunch of delinquent parking tickets, but he paid them all back with an apology. And hey, is looking good in a bathing suit a bad thing?

The only mud that momentarily stuck was criticism (white and black alike) concerning Obama's alleged "inauthenticty," as compared to such sterling examples of "genuine" blackness as Al Sharpton and Snoop Dogg. Speaking as an African American whose last name has led to his racial "credentials" being challenged — often several times a day — I know how pesky this sort of thing can be.

Obama's fame right now has little to do with his political record or what he's written in his two (count 'em) books, or even what he's actually said in those stem-winders. It's the way he's said it that counts the most. It's his manner, which, as presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden ham-fistedly reminded us, is "articulate." His tone is always genial, his voice warm and unthreatening, and he hasn't called his opponents names (despite being baited by the media).

Like a comic-book superhero, Obama is there to help, out of the sheer goodness of a heart we need not know or understand. For as with all Magic Negroes, the less real he seems, the more desirable he becomes. If he were real, white America couldn't project all its fantasies of curative black benevolence on him.

Barack The Magic Negro song by Paul Shanklin

How A Liberal Brain May Look

A satirical look at a liberal brain. Nothing more, nothing less.

Remembering Tony Snow

(From: Fox News)

Tony Snow Funeral Held in Washington
Thursday, July 17, 2008

WASHINGTON — President Bush and the first lady were among a throng of dignitaries, media members and other mourners who gathered Thursday for the funeral of former White House press secretary and FOX News anchor Tony Snow, who died Saturday after a long, public bout with cancer.

Speaking at the funeral, Bush said Snow had "amassed a rare record of accomplishment."

"He knew the job of a reporter was vigorous. He understood the profession and always treated it with respect," Bush said, adding that Snow's was a life that was "far too brief."

The services were being held on the campus of Catholic University at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Bush also remarked on Snow's "wry sense of humor and abundant goodness. We will also remember he was lots of fun."

And, speaking directly to Snow's children -- Kendall, Robbie and Krisiti -- he said he regularly called on Snow over weekends seeking advice to learn that he was spending time with them.

"He loved you a lot," Bush said. "I hope you know we loved him a lot, too."

The service, open to the public, was being held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception near Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

An enlarged photo of Snow was displayed, showing him smiling at the press secretary's podium in the White House press room.

"The measure of this man's life can be found in his character, in his optimism, in his joy and humor, in his courage, in his passion for what was good and right, and in his love for God and family and neighbor and country," the Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of Catholic University, said in his homily.

"Tony Snow did not need a long life for us to measure. It was, rather, we who needed his life to be longer."

Row after row at the shrine was packed with people, including White House correspondents who knew Snow.

Bush was accompanied by some familiar faces from earlier in his presidency, including former top adviser Karl Rove and one-time chief of staff Andrew Card.

White House press secretary Dana Perino, who succeeded Snow, said Monday that Snow touched everyone's lives at the White House.

"Welcome back from what was a very sad weekend for all of us in the room," she said at the start of her daily off-air briefing with reporters.

"We greatly appreciate your support and the prayers and for Jill and the entire Snow family. She does really appreciate it. There's a lot of love in this room for him and for the family, so we thank you. As the president said yesterday, Tony Snow was a great friend to everybody at the White House," Perino said.

Bush and his wife, Laura, visited on Monday with Snow's family. Snow is survived by his wife, Jill, and their three children. The Bushes went to Snow's home in Alexandria, Va., and hugged family members on the porch before going inside.

Cancer survivor and multiple Tour de France victor Lance Armstrong, who had befriended Snow during his illness, also weighed in Monday.

"Tony died of colon cancer, his second bout with the disease. He was a courageous soul, a true fighter and a very warm, decent guy. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and colleagues who face the world without him now.

"As many of us rode and ran the San Jose Challenge this past weekend, we kept them and Tony in our minds, and remembered all the more clearly why elevating the fight against cancer must be a national priority," he said in a note released by The Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Snow was remembered over the weekend by the president, Vice President Dick Cheney, members of the White House press corps and others who described him as a happy warrior who woke up each day excited about life, enjoyed engaging the media and most of all loved his family.

"Laura and I are really saddened by his death," Bush said Sunday with his wife by his side. Bush described Snow as "a smart and capable man," "an honest guy" with a "wonderful sense of humor."

Bush said he and the first lady went to church Sunday and prayed for Snow's family.

"I just hope they understand that Tony was loved here in the White House," Bush said.

A syndicated columnist, editor, TV anchor, radio show host and musician, Snow worked in nearly every medium in a career that spanned over 30 years. And he was remembered for being great at every job he did.

"I've known or worked with a lot of press secretaries, White House press secretaries, in my 40 years in Washington, and I'd have to say that Tony's the best," Cheney said on "FOX News Sunday," the show first hosted by Snow.

"He had this rare combination of intelligence, of commitment and loyalty to the president that he was working for, but also this great love of going out behind that podium and doing battle with what in effect were his former colleagues.

"And it was this capacity that he had to be unfailingly polite, to maintain good humor under the most trying of circumstances and do it, I thought, better and more effectively than anybody I've ever seen in that post," Cheney said.

Snow died at 2 a.m. Saturday at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"It's a tremendous loss for us who knew him, but it's also a loss for the country," Roger Ailes, chairman of FOX News, said Saturday morning about Snow, calling him a "renaissance man."

Snow, besides being the original anchor of "FOX News Sunday" in 1996, hosting each week from historic homes in Washington, D.C., because the burgeoning network had no studio, also hosted FOX News' "Weekend Live" and a radio program, "The Tony Snow Show," before departing for the White House in 2006.

As a TV pundit and commentator for FOX News, Snow often was critical of Bush before he became the president's third press secretary, following Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan. He was an instant study in the job, mastering the position — and the White House press corps — with apparent ease.

"One of the reasons I took this job is not only to work with the president but, believe it or not, to work with all of you," Snow told reporters when he stepped into the post in 2006. "These are times that are going to be very challenging."

During a tenure marked by friendly jousting with journalists, Snow often danced around the press corps, occasionally correcting their grammar and speech even as he responded to their questions.

"He would unfailingly challenge the premise of many of the questions. I'd never seen this before in a press secretary," said conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. "He challenged the premise and told them that they were wrong in the narrative or the storyline that they were tacking, and this caused the president's supporters, those who had seen it, to stand up and cheer."

"Tony did his job with more flair than almost any press secretary before him," said William McGurn, Bush's former chief speechwriter. "He loved the give-and-take. But that was possible only because Tony was a man of substance who had real beliefs and principles that he was more than able to defend."

As he announced Snow as his press secretary in May 2006, Bush praised him as "a man of courage [and] a man of integrity." Snow presided over some of the toughest fights of Bush's presidency, defending the administration during the Iraq war and the CIA leak investigation.

"I felt comfortable enough to interrupt him when he was 'BS'ing, and he kind of knew it, and he'd shut up and move on," Snow said.

His tenure at the White House lasted 17 months and was interrupted by his second bout with cancer.

Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005. In 2007 he announced his cancer had recurred and spread to his liver, and he had a malignant growth removed from his abdominal area.

He resigned from the White House six months later, in September 2007, citing not his health but a need to earn more than the $168,000 a year he was paid in the government post. He was replaced by his deputy, Perino.

After taking time off to recuperate, Snow joined CNN as a political commentator early this year.

"The White House has lost a great friend and a great colleague," Perino said in a statement released to the media. "We all loved watching him at the podium, but most of all we learned how to love our families and treat each other."

Critics suggested Snow was turning the traditionally informational daily briefing into a personality-driven media event short on facts and long on confrontation. He was the first press secretary, by his own accounting, to travel the country raising money for Republican candidates.

As a commentator, he had not always been on the president's side. He once called Bush "something of an embarrassment" in conservative circles and criticized what he called Bush's "lackluster" domestic policy.

A sometime fill-in host for Rush Limbaugh, Snow said he loved the intimacy of his radio audience.

"I don't think you ever arrive," he said. "I think anybody who thinks they've arrived or made it, anywhere in the media — they're nuts."

Robert Anthony Snow was born June 1, 1955, in Berea, Ky., the son of a teacher and nurse. He graduated from Davidson College in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy, and he taught briefly in Kenya before embarking on his journalism career.

Because of his love for writing, Snow took a job as an editorial writer for the Greensboro Record in North Carolina and went on to run the editorial pages at the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Detroit News and Washington Times. He became a nationally syndicated columnist, and in 1991 he became director of speechwriting for President George H.W. Bush.

"He served people, and we can learn from that. He was kind, and we can learn from that. He was just a good person," the senior Bush told FOX News.

Snow played six instruments — saxophone, trombone, flute, piccolo, accordion and guitar — and was in a D.C. cover band called Beats Workin'. He also was a film buff.

"He was a great musician," Ailes said. "And he loved movies."

More than anything, said Snow's colleagues, he was a joy to work with.

FOX News Chief Washington correspondent Jim Angle called Snow a "gentleman."

"He was a lot of fun," his former FOX News producer Griff Jenkins said. "This is a loss of a family member."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Obama Wants To Rid World Of Nuclear

(picture by Paul E Nunn)

Obama says time to rid world of nuclear weapons

From Alexander Mooney, CNN
Wed July 16, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday said he wants to rid the world of nuclear weapons and pledged to fight emerging threats posed by biological and cyber-terrorism.

Sen. Barack Obama joins in a roundtable discussion on national security Wednesday at Purdue University.

"It's time to send a clear message to the world: America seeks a world with no nuclear weapons," the White House hopeful said.

"As long as nuclear weapons exist, we'll retain a strong deterrent. But we'll make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy."

The remarks, delivered at Purdue University in Indiana before a roundtable discussion with foreign policy experts, come as the senator from Illinois is preparing for a trip abroad. Obama also is seeking to gain traction on national security issues.

In a fact sheet distributed to reporters, Obama's campaign said he will work to eliminate all nuclear weapons, but will not commit the United States to giving them up while other states retain them.

Going after one of John McCain's signature issues, the war in Iraq, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said invading the country after the September 11, 2001, attacks has allowed other emerging threats to develop.

"Instead of taking aggressive steps to secure the world's most dangerous technology, we have spent almost a trillion dollars to occupy a country in the heart of the Middle East that no longer had any weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"It's time to update our national security strategy to stay one step ahead of the terrorists -- to see clearly the emerging threats of our young century and to take action to make the American people more safe and secure.

"It's time to look ahead -- at the dangers of today and tomorrow rather than those of yesterday. America cannot afford another president who doesn't understand the threats that confront us now and in the future," he said.

Obama, who plans to visit Europe and the Middle East this month, said nuclear terrorism is "the gravest danger we face," and said he would seek to rally international support to place increased pressure on Iran and North Korea over their apparent nuclear ambitions.

"Both of these nations have a history of support for terror," he said. "Both should face strong and increasing sanctions if they refuse to verifiably abandon their illicit nuclear programs. And both demand sustained, aggressive and direct diplomatic attention from the United States, and that's what I'll provide as president."

The presidential candidate also pledged to protect the country from the threat of biological and cyber attacks.

"We know that the successful deployment of a biological weapon -- whether it is sprayed into our cities or spread through our food supply -- could kill tens of thousands of Americans and deal a crushing blow to our economy," he said.

The campaign also said Obama will seek to secure all nuclear weapons materials in four years and to increase funding by $1 billion a year to make sure nuclear weapons are removed from vulnerable sites around the world.

The scene of Obama's remarks was no accident -- Indiana is a state that has long voted Republican in presidential elections but one the Democrat's campaign is hoping to make competitive this cycle. Taking part in the roundtable discussion with Obama was Indiana's Democratic U.S. senator, Evan Bayh, a popular figure from a powerful political family.

Obama also went out of his way to praise Indiana's other senator, Republican Dick Lugar. The two teamed up in the Senate on legislation seeking to curb the threat of loose nuclear weapons.

Former Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia also joined Obama in the discussion. Nunn is considered one of the most respected Democratic voices on national security issues and, along with Bayh, is said to be on Obama's short list for vice president.

Shortly after Obama concluded his remarks, the McCain campaign released a letter signed by 10 retired admirals and generals touting the senator from Arizona's national security credentials.

"This country has learned the peril of treating terrorists and their state sponsors as little more than a law enforcement problem," the letter said. "We are unanimous in our view that the failures of the past should not be repeated, and we believe that John McCain's long record of national service, and his demonstrated judgment on matters of national security, make clear who can best defend this country abroad, and assure peace and prosperity at home."

The retired military officials who signed the letter were Navy Adm. Ronald J. Hays, Navy Adm. James L. Holloway, Navy Adm. Jerome L. Johnson, Marine Corps. Gen. P.X. Kelley, Army Gen. James J. Lindsay, Air Force Gen. John Michael Loh, Navy Adm. Leighton W. Smith, Army Gen. Carl Stiner, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Donald C. "Deese" Thompson and Coast Guard Vice Adm. Howard B. Thorsen.

Obama Heading To Iraq with Media

Good coverage, biased coverage, too much coverage? All three broadcast news anchors will be heading with Barack Obama when he goes to Iraq.

On each occasion when John McCain went to Iraq, there was no American media presence.

Charles Gibson of ABC, Katie Couric of CBS, Brian Williams of NBC are all going to the safe country of Iraq.

Want a Pair of These?

Who wouldn't want a pair of these Barack Obama Nike Jordan Air Force Ones? Vans, a follower of Lord Obama painted these shoes to be sold to fellow followers of the great one.

A Glimpse at Obama's Energy Policy

(Source: BarackObama.com)

In 2000, countries like Germany made a major commitment to increase the use of renewable energy and begin to get off oil. We elected George Bush and Dick Cheney -- who gave us a secret energy task force, a war in Iraq and the same old energy policies.

Eight years later, gas prices are soaring above $4 a gallon and the nation stands at a crossroads.

We can either “go big” and follow Barack Obama’s 2007 blueprint to create a new energy economy -- or we can rely on John McCain’s sudden 2008 urge to drill for offshore oil -- a distracting idea which won’t reduce gas prices but will boost oil company profits.

The facts are clear. Only one candidate has a detailed plan that is at Apollo moon-mission scale, using technologies that work right now -- Barack Obama. Clean energy isn’t pie in the sky -- the Germans created 250,000 jobs in less time than it will take for John McCain and Big Oil to drill for oil offshore -- and bring it to market. Failing to invest in new energy means we will continue to fall behind in the competitive race for new jobs and manufacturing. That’s not the road to smart energy independence; it’s a backwards formula for more Exxon dependence.

The Choice Is Clear
CHALLENGE Obama McCAIN
Immediate Financial Relief for Families This Summer

$300 per family in rebate checks from a second round of stimulus to help families offset the cost of $4.00 gas this summer.

(Obama Second Stimulus Plan)


No credible plan for immediate financial relief.

Proposed a gas tax gimmick that would provide at most 30 cents a day for the typical workers while increasing oil company profits and depriving our under-funded national highway trust fund of $10 billion.

(Tax Policy Center)

Making America’s Economy Vibrant and Competitive in the Long Haul Apollo-scale investment of $150 billion investment over 10 years to jumpstart renewable energy technology development and deployment.

No comprehensive plan for clean energy investments. Has repeatedly opposed any new investments and incentives in for renewable energy.

He rejects 99.8% of the Obama ideas for investing in our energy future – the advanced battery prize represents 0.2% of the overall investment in the Obama plan.
The Next 10 Years of Oil

3 million barrels of oil savings.

Plan will reduce U.S. oil consumption by about 3 million barrels of oil per day by 2018.

Supports new development on existing leases, which could nearly double total U.S. oil production, and increase natural gas production by 75 percent.

((PDF)Obama Energy Plan)


Not a drop more.

McCain plan to open up our coastlines to drilling would not bring meaningful new production on-line for ten years.

(U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil

Plan to reduce oil consumption by 10 million barrels, or at least 35%, by 2030. That is enough to totally offset our imports from OPEC countries.


Says No to this goal, and has no plan to reduce our long-term dependence on oil.
Green Collar Jobs

Plan for renewables, fuel economy and energy efficiency will help create 5 million new green collar jobs.


No green jobs plan.
Ending Excessive Speculation in Oil Markets

Supports fully closing the Enron Loophole and eliminating offshore loopholes that encourage excessive speculation. Plan will ease the impact of rising prices.


No plan.

Sen. Phil Gramm – one of Senator McCain’s chief economic advisors – was responsible for sneaking the Enron Loophole into law.
Fuel Economy v Offshore Drilling

Supports doubling the fuel efficiency of autos within 18 years, saving American consumers from purchasing a half trillion gallons of gas.

Taking this one step will achieve more than three times the oil savings than could be produced under even the most optimist scenarios of drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

(Obama Energy Plan; Department of Energy)


No plan to increase fuel efficiency standards.

Repeatedly opposed legislative efforts to increase CAFE standards. Now supports simply enforcing existing standards.
Energy Efficiency

Plan will reduce the energy intensity of our economy 50% by 2030, through improvements in building efficiency, smart grid, and giving utilities an incentive to invest in efficiency rather than new production.
No energy efficiency plan.
Windfall Profits Tax

Supports implementing a well-designed windfall profits tax on profits made over $80 per barrel to help families pay energy bills.


No windfall profits tax plan.

Supports $4 billion per year in new tax breaks for major U.S. oil companies, including $1.2 billion per year for Exxon-Mobil – the most profitable company in the history of the world.

((PDF)Center for American Progress)

What is America's New Largest Independent Brewery?

By now, you know it is not Anheuser-Busch, Miller or Coors, so what could it be?

Think back to the state that is known for its beer. The state that produced such beers as: Schlitz, Pabst, Miller, Blatz and Old Milwaukee.

The new largest independent brewery is City Brewery of LaCrosse, Wisc.


The Top 10 Largest Breweries in the United States:
# Name City Owner
1. Anheuser-Busch Inc. St. Louis, Mo. InBev
2. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisc. SAB-Miller
3. Coors Brewing Co. Golden, Colo. SAB-Miller
4. Pabst Brewing Co. Chicago, Ill. (fmr. Milwaukee)SAB-Miller
5. City Brewing Co. LaCrosse, Wisc. City Brewing
6. D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc. Pottsville, Penn. Yuengling
7. High Falls Brewing Co. Rochester, N.Y. High Falls
8. Boston Beer Co. Boston, Mass. Boston Beer
9. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, Calif. Sierra Nevada
10. Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. Chippewa Falls, Wisc. SAB-Miller

(Source: BeerChurch and by knowing history of each brewery that closed)

Great American Beer Sold for $52 Billion

The time of large American breweries is over. Anheuser-Busch agreed today to be sold to InBev SA of Belgium. Years ago Miller Brewing Co. was sold to SAB Miller, and just this last year, SAB Miller acquired Molson-Coors Brewing Company and renamed the United States operations to MillerCoors.

At this moment, Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors are all owned by foreign companies. Who would have thought?

Below is the Associated Press story about Anheuser-Busch from Yahoo! News:
---------------------------------

Anheuser-Busch being sold to InBev for $52B

By AOIFE WHITE and CHRISTOPHER LEONARD, AP Business Writers 33 minutes ago

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The maker of the King of Beers has agreed to go to work for the Belgian brewer InBev SA.

Anheuser Busch Cos. said early Monday it had agreed to a sweetened $52 billion takeover bid from InBev, creating the world's largest brewer and heading off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight for the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light beers.

The deal, which would also create the third-largest consumer product company, will be called Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The Anheuser-Busch board accepted the higher takeover offer Sunday night from Belgian-based brewer InBev SA, according to a joint press release.

"I think we're going to bring the best of both companies into one company, our footprint with their amazing brands," InBev CEO Carlos Brito said in a video posted on InBev's Web site.

For InBev, the maker of Stella Artois and Beck's, the deal gives an aggressive company an iconic beer brand — Budweiser — to sell into emerging markets such as China and Brazil where it has already established a firm footprint.

InBev is currently the world's second-largest beer-maker, just behind SABMiller. Swallowing Anheuser-Busch sees it leap ahead, capturing half of the U.S. beer market and a fifth of China and Russia.

Brito will be chief executive officer of the combined company. Shareholders will receive $70 a share, a $5 increase over the offer Anheuser-Busch rejected in June.

Anheuser-Busch shares rose 79 cents to $67.29 in morning trading.

It wasn't immediately clear how long approval might take. Several Missouri politicians have expressed concerns about the merger — especially how it would affect the approximate 6,000 people employed by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.

It also drew the attention of Mexico's Grupo Modelo. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, which said in a statement Monday that its relationship with Anheuser-Busch gives it consent rights to the deal.

"Our agreement with Anheuser-Busch was carefully constructed to ensure we have a definitive say in who our partner is. We are confident that our agreement, which is governed by Mexican law, gives us the right to decide whether or not to consent to the potential acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev," Grupo Modelo said in a statement.

InBev said it plans to use St. Louis as its North American headquarters, and that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch's North American breweries.

It has not said whether it will cut more jobs on top of the 1,185 positions Anheuser-Busch already said it wants to shed — mostly by offering early retirement.

It will, however, sell off "noncore assets" from both companies to raise some $7 billion to finance the deal. It will also borrow $45 billion and may sell shares to raise another $9.8 billion.

Shareholders won't see much joy in the short-term. InBev warned of lower dividends and no benefit to earnings per share until 2010.

But it is promising longer-term rewards in a stalling market. Beer sales in North America and Europe are flat as drinkers turn to wine and spirits. InBev has compensated by finding new drinkers in Latin America, eastern Europe and Asia that will now be handed a cold Bud.

InBev cost synergies of at least $1.5 billion a year by 2011 over three years. Most of that will come from managing the supply chain better. InBev's sharp eye on costs — which forces managers to justify every cent spent — will also play a major part.

Monday's kiss-and-make-up announcement from both companies came after several weeks of guns blazing. InBev said on June 11 it wanted to buy Anheuser-Busch, which distributes its beers in the U.S.

Anheuser-Busch shrugged off the first offer as two low, prompting InBev to seek the removal of all Anheuser's board members. Anheuser counterattacked, calling InBev's bid an "illegal scheme" because the company failed to mention that it owned a brewery in Cuba.

Few products are associated with America as much as Budweiser, which its owner calls the King of Beers. Its Clydesdale horses are fixtures of Super Bowl ads, and even the label is red, white and blue, with an eagle swooping through the "A."

To some in St. Louis, losing Anheuser-Busch to a foreign buyer meant losing a little bit of history. From college buildings to theme parks to offices to the stadium where the Cardinals play baseball, the Busch name is virtually everywhere in the Gateway City.

Despite more than 600 years of brewing beer in Belgium, InBev is more rootless. Although based in Leuven, Belgium, it is run by a Brazilian management team and sells most of its beer outside Europe.

It owns a massive portfolio of local brands from Siberia to Argentina that rarely travel. InBev has only recently started to push its two best-known brands — Stella Artois and Beck's — more widely.

___

AP Business Writer Christopher Leonard wrote from St. Louis, and Associated Press writer Jim Salter in St. Louis contributed to this report.

(Link to Yahoo! News article)

Operation Chaos: Phase II has caught on

Yesterday (July 9) Rush Limbaugh announced on his program his intentions on phase two of "Operation Chaos." If you are an avid listener, you know exactly what this is. But if you are not, here is a brief explanation: Barack Obama has sent out an open invitation to take part in the campaign’s effort to democratize the party platform. Check out RushLimbaugh.com for more details.

Below is from ABC News
---------------------------------------

Limbaugh Begins Second Phase of 'Chaos'

July 09, 2008 3:19 PM

ABC News' Steven Portnoy Reports: Rush Limbaugh, opening the second phase of his “Operation Chaos” campaign to make mischief within the Democratic Party, called on his millions of listeners Wednesday to take part in the Sen. Barack Obama campaign’s effort to democratize the party platform.

In announcing his latest “orders from headquarters,” Limbaugh called “all forward position troops in the 50 states – make that 57 states” to alert. (During the primary campaign, Obama mistakenly said that he had visited “57 states.”)

Limbaugh, who is now referring to the presumptive Democratic nominee as “the Most Merciful Messiah, Lord Obama,” urged his audience to attend open meetings at which the Democratic platform will be discussed.

“This year, with the blessings of the Messiah, Lord Obama, the process of writing the Democrat party platform will be open to the public. Do you see where we’re headed here?” the nation’s number-one commercial talk radio host suggestively asked.

This week, the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee announced plans to hold meetings in all 50 states to get voters involved in planning the document which details the principles, philosophies and goals of the party.

“You will be allowed to sit in the same room as elitist Democrat operatives to craft the Democrat party platform,” Limbaugh told his audience – estimated by industry trade magazine "Talkers" to exceed 14 million listeners a week.

“In coming days, we will tell you exactly how you can participate in writing the Democrat party platform, at the request of the Most Merciful Lord Barack Obama.”

During the first phase of the talk host’s “Operation Chaos,” Limbaugh called on fans to vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in open Democratic primaries, to belabor the process and leave both Clinton and Obama bloodied.

While no empirical evidence exists to back up his claims, Limbaugh maintains the effort was a success.

On his program Wednesday, Limbaugh also called on his listeners to enter themselves into the Obama campaign’s lottery of donors who will be chosen to meet Obama backstage before his nomination acceptance speech at INVESCO Field at Mile High in Denver.

Link to website

How Obama Campaign, Supporters View History

If this doesn't say everything about Barack Obama, I don't know what does.

Found on the official Barack Obama website:


Website: http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/bev/gG5hZm

Jesse Jackson Caught with Obama Remarks

Rev. Jesse Jackson in an interview on Sunday had some things to say during a commercial break and it was caught on the microphone. This may be what he truly believes. Watch the videos and you be the judge.
(Videos courtesy of YouTube and are from CNN and Fox News)

Iran shoots off missiles, causes increase in gas prices

What will the messiah Barack Obama do when Iran eliminates Israel? Obama is not pro-Israel so it could happen.

Below is the AP story from today (7-9) from Yahoo! News:

------------------------------------------

By Andy Sullivan Wed Jul 9, 9:13 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called Iran a threat that should be contained with diplomacy and tighter sanctions on Wednesday, and Republican John McCain said Tehran's missile test proved the need for a missile defense shield in Europe.

Iran launched nine medium- and long-range missiles to warn the United States and Israel it was ready to retaliate if they attacked over its disputed nuclear projects. Oil prices climbed on the news.

The candidates, who will face off in the November election, used the event to underline their contrasting approaches to the Middle East, which has been supplanted as U.S. voters' No. 1 issue by the struggling economy.

"I think what this underscores is the need for us to create a kind of policy that is putting the burden on Iran to change behavior, and frankly we just have not been able to do that over the last several years," the Illinois senator said on CBS television's "Early Show."

Obama, who called Iran a "great threat" on ABC's "Good Morning America, said President George W. Bush has not backed up confrontational rhetoric with economic sanctions. Obama cited reports indicating that U.S. exports to Iran have increased during Bush's years in office.

McCain, who has called Obama's willingness to meet with U.S. foes such as Iran naive, said the Iranian tests proved the need for a missile-defense shield in Europe.

"Working with our European and regional allies is the best way to meet the threat posed by Iran, not unilateral concessions that undermine multilateral diplomacy," McCain said in a prepared statement.

The United States on Tuesday signed a pact to build part of the missile shield in the Czech Republic. The Bush administration also wants to install facilities in Poland, although talks have stalled.

These efforts have angered Russia, which has said it will respond militarily if a shield is deployed near its borders.

Obama wants our kids to learn Spanish

The messiah, the lord of all that is, Barack Obama says Americans need to learn Spanish to help out the illegal Mexicans who cross the border by fence or desert or by water.

Obama is ashamed that "we" as he said describing all Americans don't know a second language when "we" go to Europe.

Obama says our children should learn Spanish so they can communicate with Mexicans.
We, as Americans, are having to bend backwards for Mexicans so they feel at home in the United States. Just look at the aisle signs at your neighborhood Lowe's store or in your cabinet at you Proctor & Gamble product.

If we start speaking many different languages in the United States and it becomes large enough to split America in regions, we will no longer be the "united" states anymore. It is already happening in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida.

Below are the words of the great messiah Barack Obama. Listen how he talks about Spanish and he then says a French phrase, what's with that? Does he know what Spanish is?

Obama To Have Open Convention at "Mile High"

Barack Obama is letting people see the messiah in person, and for free, at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High on Thursday Aug. 28.

He is inviting people, through pay of over $5, to see him, so it's not exactly "free" but don't tell the messiah that.

And, there is a chance that the 10 people selected will have some say in what Obama says to the thousands in attendance and I'm sure millions across the country through television.

The messiah is sounding more and more like some other people who have ran for political office. You know, those people who people thought could be the anti-christ, such as Adolf Hitler. Hitler went to large venues to speak before he became ruler of Germany.

I don't want to compare Obama to Hitler, but there are some coincidences. I'm sure Obama is a good man, but he is in love with himself a little too much and why does he need more money if he is so wealthy from the prior money-grabbing campaigns.

Keep in mind that Obama has not even been in the United States Senate for a full term. He was elected in 2004 and it takes six years to complete a full term. So what does he know? But afterall, he is the messiah and he can do no wrong.

---------------------------------------------------

From BarackObama.com website:

Support the Open Convention

At the Democratic National Convention next month, Barack will deliver his acceptance speech in front of 75,000 people at a free, open event in Denver, Colorado.

Make a donation of $5 or more between now and midnight on July 31st, and you could be one of 10 supporters chosen to meet Barack backstage and watch his acceptance speech in person.

Each of the 10 selected supporters can bring a guest, and will be flown to Denver to spend two days at the convention, culminating in Barack's speech on Thursday, August 28th.

Make a donation now and you could have a front row seat to history:

Here's the screen shot-

Link

Obama Frustrates Me, G-8 Summit

Obama, Obama, Obama. What more can I say? This guy gets away with anything. He is perfect. I have to admit that now. Nothing can tarnish him. He is only changing many of his stances on what he plans to do once he is sworn in. But who cares, apparently CNN and MSNBC don't. Fox News tries, but they can't do it all.

Obama is only friends with terrorists, but no worries. He is the messiah. He is going to fix everything. But nobody knows how except that he is all about "change" and "hope." A rabbit can do the same, maybe a rabbit should run for president.

A True Plan of Obama's is to eliminate global warming by having no cars on the road because nobody will be able to afford gas. This is true.

And in other news, the Group of Eight Summit in Japan is going swimmingly. Soon we will all be swimming in water from the polar ice caps because that's all they seem to worry about. Al Gore phenomena has caught on worldwide and now the world believes that global warming is our certain doom.

In reality, it is the sun that heats the Earth, but don't tell that to the liberals of the world. It is the United States that heats the world according to them.

So, the G-8 Summit will be a waste of time this year since they'll be talking about something that is not even real. But who cares, this is the world we now live in.

Prediction: The United States will lose its Super Power status during the Obama Administration. With no oil drilling, no new nuclear power plants, decreased military spending and eliminating our nuclear arsenal, we are doomed. We will go the way of the Roman Empire and a new Communist Regime will take our place, China. Nobody would have thought that in the 1960s. And, look out, Russia will follow. Just wait and see.

Flip-flopping Versus "A Slight Change"

This is hard to believe, but this is true. Have you been watching CNN lately? It is almost unreal.

With John McCain's campaign moving towards the Right, CNN is calling this "flip-flopping." McCain is trying to get the conservative voters who may end up voting for Libertarian Bob Barr. He is trying to get the conservative base of the party. This may be "flip-flopping," but if a Democrat does the same thing it is now called "a slight change."

Barack Obama is moving his campaign towards the middle far away from where he was a month ago when he was all about being as far left from Hillary Clinton as he could be. Now with the Clinton campaign now defunct, he has taken many of her tactics and this is not "flip-flopping."

Double standard? Is this news or opinion, CNN?

"Flip-flopping" and "swift boating" have now become bad phrases. And if people think back to four years ago, the swift boaters who were against John Kerry stated the truth and now they have now been drowned into the ocean. Anybody who states anything bad about a Democrat must be a bad guy. That's how CNN sees it.

"CNN: We Know Politics." Really, it sounds like they make things up. Oh, wait, that is politics. They are doing quite well. Make up history and spin it to make it the truth, that's what politicians do.

Empty Seats for Messiah Speech

Is the honeymoon over? What happened to the standing-room-only raucous crowds that are in front and behind Barack Obama? Is the flame finally burning out?

Well, maybe in Missouri.

If you still have hope. You are fine. If you still want change. Good for you. Do you know what this hope and change is? Nope. Not even Obama knows. So, join the club.

Here's the truth from a report from KSHB-TV in Kansas City as heard on the Rush Limbaugh Program.

-----------------------------------
From The Rush Limbaugh Program
(July 1, 2008)

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: This is Chris Hernandez who is NBC Action News, Kansas City. When we played sound bites of Obama's political speech yesterday on patriotism in Independence, we listened to it, and it sounded like there was the usual Obama throng, correct? Thousands and thousands of people fainting, shrieking, throwing their underwear up there, going wacko. Not the case. Here's the report from Kansas City's NBC affiliate last night.

HERNANDEZ: There were a couple of hundred empty seats even though Obama's staff says all 1,000 tickets were given out in just two hours Saturday, and this was a much quieter crowd than at previous Obama events.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE OBAMA SUPPORTER: It was very quiet in there at one point. I felt like I was at church, almost, right before he came out.

HERNANDEZ: A member of Obama's staff tells me they didn't want to overbook and then have to turn people away, but apparently some people who got tickets Saturday didn't show up today. The quieter atmosphere may have also been because this was considered a more serious speech, and no political leaders came out to whip up the crowd before Obama started speaking.

RUSH: I didn't know that that was necessary. Political leaders whip up the crowd? Political leaders usually put 'em to sleep. I thought it was Obama that whipped up the crowd. I thought it was Obama that was The Messiah. I thought it was Obama who caused people to shriek and lose sense of their dignity and go nuts. Two hundred empty seats. They were giving them away all morning long. In a place that holds 1,000 people. So we would have never known this, we would have never known it, and outside of Kansas City nobody did know it until you just heard the Kansas City NBC report just now. That is another example of this program providing a much-needed public service, doing the job the Drive-By Media used to do but won't, i.e., tell you the truth.

END TRANSCRIPT

Economy is too poor for Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee announced today that the company will close 600 underperforming stores which would be the elimination of about 12,000 jobs.

Did Starbucks expand too quickly across the nation or is the economy at fault? It is probably a combination of the two, but each certainly did not help the other.

As Starbucks is closing many stores, other companies are feeling the same crunch.

I'm sure the prices at Starbucks did not help in this poor economy. People have to think, gas or coffee, the obvious answer is gas and go somewhere else for a cheaper cup of coffee.

American Auto Sales Drop Big

What happens when gas prices hover atop $3.50 per gallon for June? Hmmm, good question.

Answer: American auto sales suffer.

What can be done? The obvious answer is to drill and build new refineries in the United States.

Will that happen? Heck no.

Below is the month of June's stats:


Source: Detroit Free-Press (freep.com)

All-India Congress Committee to Have 11-day Prayer for Obama

From: The Hindu

11-day prayer for Obama’s success

Staff Reporter

Congress leader invokes blessings of Hanuman

15 kg, 21-inch brass idol will reach Obama by August 24

NEW DELHI: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can now expect help from an unexpected quarter — Lord Hanuman.

All-India Congress Committee member Brij Mohan Bhama has organised a 11-day religious ceremony at Karol Bagh here for his success in the U.S. elections.

The idea of sending an idol of Hanuman dawned on him after friends in the United States mentioned a “prominent American politician who carried a miniature Hanuman idol in his pocket for luck,” Mr. Bhama said speaking on the first day of the ceremony on Tuesday.

“After hearing that, I decided to gift Mr. Obama a larger, gold-plated version along with the wishes of thousands of his supporters in this country,” said the leader struggling to lift the 15 kg, 21-inch brass idol.

The first-day ceremony, pranapratishta, or infusion of divine life into an idol, was performed by a dozen priests reciting mantras in tandem. It was attended by Democrats Abroad India chairperson Carolyn Sauvage, who spent over an hour at the venue.

The idol was later kept in the sanctum sanctorum of the Sankat Mochan Dham, where it will be kept for 10 more days. Mr. Bhama said several temples in New Delhi had already expressed an interest in keeping the idol for worship on their premises before it begins its journey across the Atlantic.

Along with the idol, a copy of Hanuman Chalisa, a compilation of hymns in praise of the Lord, would be sent.

“We will ensure that Mr. Obama receives the idol by August 24, a day before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado,” said Mr. Bhama.

DNC Says "NO" Coors Brewing at Convention

At this year's Democratic Convention in Denver, Colo. it will be the healthiest and greenest convention ever.

Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colo., wants to donate biofuel made from beer waste to power the convention's fleet of flex-fuel vehicles. But, the Democratic Party says No. Why you ask? Because Coors has backed the Republican Party and has conservative ideals. Coors wants to help out the local convention, but the convention says no. Is this trying to move the country forward?

Here are some of the plans at the Convention--
* banners be made of canvas or corn-based bio-plastics -- and recycle them into handbags after the convention
* Hundreds of free bikes will be available
* The stage inside Denver's Pepsi Center will be built with salvaged plywood and other recycled or reused material, and the podium will be finished with eco-friendly paints and soy-based sealants
* All the signs and placards will be made from post-consumer recycled or biodegradable materials. It will all be recycled after the event
* Light bulbs at convention venues have been replaced with energy-efficient models and faucets retrofitted with water-saving spigots

News from the June 25th edition of The Wall Street Journal

Madison Proposing Banning Drive-Throughs

A member of the Madison Plan Commission wants to ban restaurant drive-throughs because as the car idles it sends harmful emissions into the Earth's atmosphere that causes global warming. This is just the beginning.

Below is Mike Ivey's column from The Capital Times:

-------------------------------
Mike Ivey: Should Madison ban the drive-through?

Mike Ivey — 6/25/2008 11:37 am

First it was a proposed ban on plastic bags.

Now, a member of the influential Madison Plan Commission wants to ban the restaurant drive-through -- or at least restrict the ubiquitous symbol of America's auto-centric lifestyle.

"Given the concern about all the carbon going into the atmosphere, I'm not sure we should be building more places for people to sit idling in their cars," says Eric Sundquist, who was appointed to the citizen panel by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz this spring.

A former newspaper reporter in Atlanta now working as a researcher at the UW-Madison's Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Sundquist notes that several cities in Canada have recently moved to ban the drive-through coffee shop or stand-alone fast food restaurant (www.ecospace.cc/culture/drive-thru-ban.htm).

"Bans haven't gotten as far in the U.S., although I know San Luis Obispo, Calif., has one," he says.

The issue came up last week during discussions over a conditional use permit for a new Starbucks coffee shop along a congested frontage road across from East Towne Mall.

The site at 4302 E. Washington Ave., in front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, formerly housed the Frame Workshop retail store but has been vacant for more than a year. Property owner Tim Neitzel now wants to lease half of the 3,300 square foot retail building for a Starbucks that will also feature indoor and outdoor seating.

To facilitate the drive-through, developers are using a portion of the Crowne Plaza parking lot. Drivers picking up their morning coffee will have to make a circle route through the property to avoid potential traffic backups.

But nearby business owners are concerned about bringing more cars through the already congested intersection of East Washington and Continental Lane. The owner of a gas station on the frontage road said it's not uncommon for cars to wait through three traffic signal cycles to get across East Washington.

East Towne area Ald. Joe Clausius admitted the intersection is a problem and said with the Starbucks it "could get very backed up." Still, he said the corridor is badly in need of some redevelopment.

"I'm constantly getting peppered with questions from people about what is happening there and when will it happen," he says.

City officials have given their lukewarm support to the Starbucks, which is scheduled for a November opening. They say it could help create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere near the Crowne Plaza.

"While many future customers will likely be driving automobiles, hotel guests and residents to the north represent a potential walking customer," says city planner Heather Stouder.

Sundquist is planning to bring the issue up before the city's Long Range Transportation Planning Commission on which he also serves.

"I know a ban might be difficult so a better approach might be to restrict them," he says, noting an ordinance in Davis, Calif., puts a number of restrictions on drive-throughs, including one relating to air pollution.

Middleton hotel

There are no signs of economic distress in Middleton, where developers continue to pursue major projects.

The latest is from Central Place Real Estate, which is proposing an ambitious redevelopment of the 3.9-acre former Prefinished Millwork site at the southwest corner of University Avenue and the Beltline.

A concept plan submitted to the city of Middleton earlier this month calls for demolishing the existing buildings and replacing them with a six-story, 125-room hotel built over 32,000 square feet of retail space. A three-story office building would anchor the other end of the project.

Parking would be provided in 130 underground spaces and 150 surface stalls.

Given the poor soil and water table conditions, developers have been talking with the city about TIF assistance, according to Central Place president Rob Zache.

Northgate update

The Madison-based Alexander Company is currently finalizing purchase of the venerable Northgate Shopping Center on North Sherman Avenue, home of Dorn Hardware and the Frugal Muse Bookstore, in addition to 19 other tenants.

Currently owned by the Northgate Partnership, the property is assessed at $4.1 million.

The purchase would be the first foray into Madison's north side for the Alexander Company, which has specialized in urban infill redevelopment projects.

Detailed plans for the center haven't been released but could include building and site improvements, Randall Alexander told the Northside News recently.