Congratulation La Crosse

La Crosse has been named the sixth best Oktoberfest destination in the United States. Pretty impressive for a place that lately has only been in the news because some lunatic parents blamed guys drowning in the river at bar time on a serial killer, and not on the most likely cause, guys falling into a river while taking a leak on their way home from the bars. I've been to La Crosse, I've gotten drunk in La Crosse and I can guaranty one of those scenarios is the correct one.

But I digress, here is what Askmen.com has to say about La Crosse's Oktoberfest Party:

The town of La Crosse began organizing Oktoberfest events in 1961, and over 40 years later, the festivities are better than ever. Famous for its numerous parades, La Crosse's version of Oktoberfest is a light-hearted, relaxing event where friendly people get together to eat the notoriously great bratwurst and down beer as if it were water. Yes, the people of Wisconsin know how to make Oktoberfest their own and 175,000 people gather to experience it with them.

To top it all off, a three-hour Maple Leaf Parade and a Miss La Crosse/Oktoberfest beauty pageant round out the festivities, proving that a visit to La Crosse is worth the trip.

Must-do: See the world's largest six-pack at the City Brewery.

Again, congratulations to all the good folks in the nort'west.

WI Librarians Naked for the Kids?

Seriously, I know sex sells, but northern Wisconsin librarians getting mostly naked for a calendar? That is definitely a new one on me.

The idea for the "Desperate Librarians" 2006 wall calendar came about because Craig Lahm is retiring after 32 years of running Kaukauna's library, and his colleagues in the Outagamie Waupaca Library System wanted to come up with a different kind of gift.

Twelve of them decided they would use photographs of themselves to make a simple calendar that they would print at a Walgreens. But after the librarians took their idea to Countryside Photographers in Seymour, they decided to professionally produce a calendar and sell it as a fund-raiser.

That's when six of the 12 librarians bailed out. But five middle-aged library directors and a 32-year-old assistant each put up $200 and posed provocatively, using oversize books to cover what their clothes usually do.

Proceeds benefit the public libraries in Weyauwega, Clintonville, Marion, Seymour and Manawa as well as Waupaca.

If you ask me, this should NOT have been done...

Porkbusters

I am terribly busy and so I am probably the last to post about this, but it is incredibly important. We all know what Mr. Delay had to say last week about there being "no fat" in the budget. Turns out the blogosphere has mobilized yet again, behind Instapundit and TTLB, to gather a comprehensive and ever expanding list of pork projects listed in searchable fashion here.

This is really fascinating to check out the various projects and how much they actually cost. It seems that so far, all Wisconsin really cares about are bike trails, odd?

Currently, Wisconsin is listed for $37 million in wasteful federal spending.

The site has helpful hints as to how to find pork, how to contact your senators and congressmen, and a list of every representative and their pork busting status; if they have commited to cutting spending or not.

This is the type of thing that bloggers can very successfully accomplish. By firing up enough people, and calling out representatives on individual projects with a loud enough voice, we can more than likely end, if not postpone to brighter days, this frivilous spending.

National Talk Like A Pirate Day

Just an FYI, today is national talk like a pirate day, so avast ye matey's and mind your wenches, many a swashbuckler will be roaming about using the Top Ten Pirate Pickup Lines...

0 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?

9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?

8. Come on up and see me urchins.

7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.

6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.

5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?

4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?

3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.

2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day is …

1. Prepare to be boarded.