Wisconsin Students Trumped The Rest With Their Pumpkin Decorating

Some students at Lance Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin decided to get hilariously topical during a pumpkin decorating contest this week. 

As with the ongoing national primaries, this school contest was undecided at the time of publishing. Regardless of that outcome though, you won the Internet today, kids.

 

Also on HuffPost:

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Five Scary Coal Industry Tricks This Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and as the mom of a five-year-old, it just keeps getting better. This year, the whole family is dressing up like rock stars, and I'm looking forward to a great night of fright here in our small West Virginia town.

But this Halloween, the coal industry is up to some genuinely scary tricks. With the release of the Clean Power Plan and the approach of international climate talks in Paris, the coal industry is doubling down on its attempts to stop the transition to clean energy in its tracks. As director of the Beyond Coal Campaign, I'm working with thousands of people to banish these ghouls and goblins, so that my daughter grows up in a world that isn't haunted by the specter of air pollution, water pollution, and climate chaos.

Here are five scary tricks from the coal industry to watch for this Halloween:

1. Trying to bewitch our progress on climate
In recent weeks, the coal industry has ramped up its full-out attack on the Clean Power Plan, which is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) roadmap to reduce climate-disrupting carbon pollution from the power sector. In Congress and in the courts, the coal industry and its political allies have introduced measures intended to block the Clean Power Plan.

They won't succeed though - a recent report found the U.S. is leading all industrialized nations of the world in the shift away from coal, and even here in West Virginia, power company executives are recognizing that coal isn't coming back. But the fight for the Clean Power Plan will be intense over the coming months, and we'll need help from everyone to get it safely over the finish line. You can attend a public hearing to support the Clean Power Plan this November in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver, or Washington, D.C. - sign up here!

2. Propping up zombie coal plants
From Ohio to New York and beyond, coal plant operators are seeking sweetheart deals to prop up zombie coal plants that can no longer compete on the open market. Fortunately, the Sierra Club and our allies are fighting back against these schemes, to ensure electricity customers aren't saddled with the bill for keeping these outdated coal plants on life support.

3. Releasing a witch's brew of toxic water pollution
Believe it or not, coal plants create the majority of toxic water pollution in this country - a witch's brew of nasty stuff like mercury and arsenic. Until recently there were no national standards for safely disposing of this waste.

Thankfully, that changed in September when the EPA released long-overdue safeguards for coal plant water toxics. The standards will eventually turn off the spigot of this pollution into our nation's streams, rivers, and lakes - a big victory for clean water and our families.

4. Ghostly haze in our national parks
Air pollution from Utah coal plants is threatening some of our nation's most treasured national parks. In recent days, over 100 outdoor retailers and 30,000 people have submitted comments to EPA calling on them to address this problem once and for all. Pro skier Angel Collinson wrote this great piece for Outside Magazine on what's at stake. Now we need EPA to do the right thing on #cleanair4utah. You can join in and send EPA a message here.

5. Monstrous attacks on clean air
At the state and federal level, big polluters have been working overtime to weaken or roll back common-sense clean air protections.

This month, for example, the EPA modestly strengthened safeguards against smog pollution, falling well short of what medical scientists said was needed to protect the health of our kids. Even after lobbying for such a weak update to the safeguards, polluters and their allies are still railing against the decision and recently decided to sued the agency in their effort to be able to pollute our air with impunity.

In Maryland, clean air advocates are fighting to have clean air safeguards reinstated that were yanked by Governor Hogan after he took office earlier this year. And in cities like Detroit and Baltimore, residents are still living every day in the shadow of highly dangerous coal plants that lack basic pollution controls, like scrubbers. It's a shame that in 2015 so many Americans still have to fight for their right to breathe, but it's a fact - and one more reason why we need your help.


These are scary tricks indeed, but don't be afraid. The Beyond Coal campaign is working hard to ensure all Americans enjoy the treats of clean air, clean water, and a safe climate. OK, I may be taking the Halloween theme a little too far here - these aren't treats, they're basic rights. And thanks to everyone out there working to move this country Beyond Coal, on this Halloween and every day of the year, the future looks brighter - and a lot less scary - for our kids.

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UCI bans French rider Lloyd Mondory for 4 years for doping

French cyclist Lloyd Mondory banned for 4 years by UCI tribunal for doping with EPO

      

 

 

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The Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Northern Illinois

With the City of Chicago at its eastern edge, Rockford in the middle, and the Quad Cities in the west, northern Illinois is the most populated and developed area of the state. Darkened corridors of abandoned factories, old farmhouses, and foreboding roads offer a stark contrast to this image of progress, however, and there is a lot more to this region than the bright lights of the city. As we at Mysterious Heartland can attest, northern Illinois is also rife with ghost stories and haunted places. Which will prove to be the scariest of them all?

10. Cigars & Stripes

Berwyn




Cigars & Stripes has been a long-time haunt for Berwyn beer and cigar aficionados, but its owner and his customers believe it may also be a haunt of a different kind. According to an article in the Berwyn/Cicero Gazette (available on the Cigars & Stripes website), several customers have seen a "shadowy figure" without arms or legs floating down the hallway toward the door leading to the beer garden. Ronn Vrhel, owner of Cigars & Stripes, has heard phantom footsteps on the basement stairs as well. Ronn's wife has also heard shouts and sounds of a party in the basement when no one was present. The ghost of Rose, a former owner of the establishment, is believed to linger in one spot at the bar and play "match maker." She is even credited for bringing together at least one pair of newlyweds. Typical poltergeist activity, such as glasses tipping over and lights turning on and off, has been experienced as well. The paranormal research team Supernatural Occurrence Studies recently investigated the location and walked away convinced that the reported hauntings were real.

9. Colonial Palmer House

Crystal Lake

Built in 1858 by Colonel Gustavus Palmer and his wife Henrietta, two generations of Palmers lived in this stately home. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer died within a few days of each other in 1884, and their son lived there another two decades before following them to the grave. The home was rented for the next few decades, until it was purchased by the city and became home to the Crystal Lake Historical Society. Oddly, the ghost stories associated with this home do not involve the Palmer family. According to legend, the house once served as an orphanage. The supervisor there was very cruel and abused the children. He punished them by locking them in the basement, where some allegedly died. To this day, it is said, the sound of children crying can be heard coming from the basement. The sound of children stomping on the floor or scratching on doors has also been heard. Some visitors have seen sad, cherubic faces peering through the basement windows.

8. Fox Run Subdivision

Geneva



Shortly after construction was completed on the Fox Run Subdivision, some residents began to report eerie encounters. Most of these encounters centered on the tiny cemetery at the southwest end of the subdivision, but some -- notably ethereal singing, knocking, and a physically aggressive phantom wearing an old-fashioned suit -- were experienced by at least one resident in her home. The Fox Run Subdivision had been built over the former site of the Illinois State Training School for Girls, which operated between 1893 and 1978. The purpose of the "school" was to rehabilitate juvenile girls who had been convicted of a crime in the Illinois court system.

Inevitably, deaths from illness and suicide occurred at the facility over the course of its 85 years in operation. Girls without families, or who had been disowned, were buried in a cemetery on the property. Several infants were buried there as well, and today the cemetery contains 51 graves. Since the 1940s, visitors have reported seeing red eyes in the woods around the cemetery, as well as the specter of a woman in a white gown or flowing dress in the cemetery itself. Others have heard a crying infant. The developers of Fox Run agreed to maintain the cemetery in perpetuity, so it will always remain as a reminder of what was once there.

Find out where the rest of northern Illinois' most haunted places are at Reboot Illinois.

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Actor Michael Shannon on Chicago Theater

Ever wonder what your life might have been like if you dropped out of high school? Well, for actor Michael Shannon, it put him on the path to being nominated for an Academy Award by the age of 34.

Shannon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Revolutionary Road in 2008. He played Nelson Van Alden in the HBO period drama series Boardwalk Empire from 2010-2014. His performance in the 2011 film Take Shelter led to further praise, gaining him the Saturn Award for Best Actor. He also played a riveting Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman (2012), and General Zod in Man of Steel.

Michael Shannon is a co-founding member of Chicago's A Red Orchid Theatre and continues to play there as he will this Fall in the play Pilgrim's Process, opposite Kirsten Fitzgerald. In addition, he will appear in four movies this Fall: 99 Homes and Freeheld-both of which are out in theaters now- and The Night Before, a holiday comedy with Seth Rogen out this November. The film Elivs and Nixon with Kevin Spacey should be out before January. A fifth movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Michael again plays General Zod, will be out in 2016.

Below, over cumin salmon and some bourbon, Shannon talks about the early days of Chicago theater, the Red Orchid Theatre Gala November 14 and working with Leonardo Di Caprio, Martin Scorsese and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Enjoy this latest episode of The Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano podcast on WGNPlus.com.

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How Chicago and Illinois Are Trying To Keep Up With Explosive Growth In Ride-Sharing, Fantasy Sports

This week Illinois saw some examples of technology moving faster than government's ability to define and regulate it.

In Chicago, the city budget added fees to ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft amid protests from traditional cab drivers, who say ride-share drivers are unfairly being allowed to put them out of business.

Also, two state lawmakers introduced a bill to define and regulate daily fantasy sports operations like DraftKings and FanDuel. If not for smartphones, neither of these industries would exist.

"The focus on the legislation is not to tax fantasy sports. It's such a new technology that we don't really know how to do it. Frankly I think it's a loser politically to tell people we're going to tax your fantasy sports. Everybody likes it, it's popular," said Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, said in a press conference announcing the fantasy sports bill. "So my goal is to get the law on the books, make it a fair law, make it a comprehensive law and make sure that we protect players while making sure that people get to enjoy the games."

We discuss how Chicago and Illinois state government are trying to keep up with popular technology on this week's "Only in Illinois."

Here's the full video.




NEXT ARTICLE: Adding up Chicago's fuzzy math is a challenge and not just at city hall

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Disturbing Schools

So South Carolina has a special crime category called "disturbing schools," which seems to be creating just that: disturbing schools. Very disturbing schools.

Not that I need to single out South Carolina. In my brief stint teaching writing as an outside consultant in several Chicago high schools, some 20 years ago, I was smacked broadside with the observation that the city's educational system exhibited the behavior of an occupying army, at least in its low-income neighborhoods. Education was something imposed from above and force-fed to the students like bad-tasting medicine. It didn't honor the students' own culture.

What the kids needed was a generosity of understanding that the education system had no interest in giving them, preferring to help them along on their journey to adulthood with zero tolerance and metal detectors.

What has happened to our national intelligence, not to mention our national values? In the era of cellphone accountability, our lack thereof has a new poster boy: Officer Slam. Throw the insolent kid across the floor, break her arm if necessary, slap her in cuffs.

This is how we teach respect. This is how we teach math.

"I was screaming 'What the f, what the f, is this really happening?'" These are the words of Niya Kenny, the brave young woman who stood up to Officer Ben Fields as he manhandled her classmate this past Monday at Spring Valley High School, in Columbia, S.C. "I was praying out loud for the girl. I just couldn't believe this was happening."

The girl's infraction: staying glued to her cellphone and refusing to surrender it to the teacher.

Yeah, I know, that's insolent. But it's not a justification for "whatever it takes, just get the kid out of here." In an educational system where compassionate sanity holds sway, schools have counselors. In some schools (including a growing number in Chicago), innovative programs like restorative justice change the whole teenager-adult dynamic. They hold peace circles. All parties in a misunderstanding have a chance to talk -- and listen -- to one another as equals. Misunderstandings get resolved, not prosecuted.

Granted, such programs are complex and bring change over time. To the bureaucratic mind, discipline may seem better achieved by having "resource officers" -- policemen -- on permanent duty at the school. Arresting a kid is quick and to the point and presumably teaches everyone a lesson. Someone else can worry about the long-term consequences.

Except, zero tolerance and the like have been going on since the '80s. The long-term consequences are now. It's called the school-to-prison pipeline. It's called 2.3 million people in U.S. prisons in 2015, compared to less than 200,000 in 1968. And two more African-American teenage girls were welcomed into the American justice system on Monday: the girl with the cellphone and the girl who stood up in her defense. They were charged with "disturbing schools."

But the school had reacted to their behavior with the emotional intelligence of a 4-year-old: pushing, fighting, walloping a smaller kid into submission. What educational message is contained in this official behavior? Kids are either good or bad and there's nothing in between. Considering the possibility that some of the students at Spring Valley High might have troubled home lives and ache for guidance and support, how can Officer Slam be the guy that's called when there's an insolence issue in a classroom?

Maybe the school bureaucrats should try to learn something from Niya Kenny.

"I know this girl don't got nobody and I couldn't believe this was happening," Kenny said, voicing compassion for her classmate. "I had never seen nothing like that in my life, a man use that much force on a little girl. A big man, like 300 pounds of full muscle. I was like 'no way, no way.' You can't do nothing like that to a little girl."

She added: "I was just crying and he said, 'Since you have so much to say you are coming too.' I just put my hands behind my back."

And she's rewarded for her courage and compassion by being slapped in handcuffs. God bless America.

Yes, Officer Fields was fired two days later. His cellphone-video performance absolutely could not be justified. His boss, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, told reporters that when he watched the video he "wanted to throw up." This is, indeed, a new era of police accountability that we have entered, with de facto citizen review boards composed of millions of people watching police behavior on YouTube. Thumbs down on this one. We have our scapegoat. Now let's get back to that math lesson, shall we?

What disturbs me the most about this event is that it's obviously not just another "isolated incident." The officer, known as Officer Slam to many of the students, had been throwing kids around for quite a while at the school and was facing a number of lawsuits accusing him of racial profiling. But he was just doing his job! His MO, and his racism, were tolerated until the video went viral. He worked in a context that dispensed education in an atmosphere of zero tolerance, and this context is what needs desperately to be addressed.

Ironically, law enforcement officials and politicians across the country, including, just the other day, FBI Director James B. Comey, have complained that what they call the "Ferguson Effect" -- the videotaping of police officers doing their jobs -- has been causing officers across the country to respond to problem situations with less aggression than they used to, and as a result, crime has been spiking.

This is not an evidence-based assertion, but my primary problem with it is its implicit assumption that the USA -- oh exceptional nation! -- is a Hobbesian hellhole. As Thomas Hobbes opined three and a half centuries ago: "The condition of man is a condition of war of everyone against everyone." Evil and violence are lurking everywhere, prevented from leaping out at us only by armed counter-aggression on the part of police or the military (who are blessed and good, so please don't trouble them with accountability).

Changing and strengthening people's relationships with one another doesn't enter into this way of thinking, but it's the only real foundation on which to create peace.

- - -
Robert Koehler is an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist and nationally syndicated writer. His book, Courage Grows Strong at the Wound (Xenos Press), is still available. Contact him at koehlercw@gmail.com or visit his website at commonwonders.com.

© 2015 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, INC.

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The Best National Parks for Fall Foliage

Scenes From Life: Cuba!

Orbert Davis reprises his symphonic jazz work, first performed at the Havana International Jazz Festival in December 2014, in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre on November 13, 2015. Featured guest artists will include student musicians from Cuba's national conservatory of the arts, the Universidad de las Artes (ISA), who will join Chicago Jazz Philharmonic (CJP) for the occasion. Orbert and members of CJP were rehearsing with the students of ISA in Cuba during the historic announcement of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, thrusting Davis and company into the spotlight of national news on "60 Minutes."


To be anywhere near trumpeter and composer Orbert Davis these past couple of years is to hear the word "Cuba" over and over again. It is the verbal thread that weaves from conversation to conversation, rehearsal to rehearsal, performance to performance.

That one word, Cuba, turns into many words. Those many words turn into stories, and those stories into musical notes, notes that I have performed over and over again as violist with my beloved CJP and now have running through my brain on a near-constant loop. You don't just learn Orbert's music; you absorb it and then it absorbs you in return.

That one word, Cuba, also turns into people I now know on a first-name basis. People like Orlando and his "walk" that is a key part of Havana Blue, the suite Orbert composed after his first trip to Cuba in 2012.

I've not actually met Orlando in person because I haven't been to Cuba--yet. (Somehow, Orbert forgot the part about violists being natural ambassadors of the musical and geopolitical world--strange, I know; under the duress of my heavy viola case, he now understands.) When I finally do get to meet Orlando in person, it will seem like just a formality since Orbert has already introduced us all to him in his compositions.

So I also know all about El Malecon, the seawall promenade along Cuba's coast. I know what it looks like, how it feels and how it sounds: all because Orbert was there on the Malecon, internalized his experience and put it onto paper for me and the rest of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic to perform as part of his Havana Blue. Playing the gorgeous solo viola line in that piece took me right to Cuba, where I stood on the promenade next to Orbert, if only in my mind.

To know Orbert is to trust him, to love him and to love his music; there is no separation between the man and his music. Hearing and loving his music gives you a glimpse into his mind and his heart. His music bridges gaps between instrumentalists, making us classical musicians swing and the jazz musicians straighten up and fly right.

His music also bridges gaps between genres, using both classical and jazz forms to produce the most amazing, new musical mode that I've ever heard or played, called Third Stream. And now, Orbert and his orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, are bridging gaps between once feuding nations. Orbert's music gives audiences a backstage pass to musical history in the making.

When Orbert and my colleagues left for Cuba (without me, are you getting this yet?), I watched and pined away back in Chicago. I followed on Facebook, email and text, chewing my viola fingertips in jealousy (always the rhythm section! Those guys get everything!) as I watched from afar. When President Obama made his announcement on December 17, 2014 about ending our embargo with Cuba, it somehow made perfect sense that Orbert and the CJP would be right there in the thick of things while history unfolded before the world.

Of course he would be there when the 60 Minutes crew arrived in Havana. Of course this is how it would happen. I don't know how to explain it other than somehow, on a deep cellular level, it just makes sense that Orbert, his music and the CJP are in the vicinity when walls come crumbling down, when barriers are broken, when peace is being brokered.

To be in the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and near Orbert is to see a beautiful thread up close, its color and texture unlike anything you've ever seen before. And you know, you completely understand, that this thread is a part of a much bigger tapestry. You witness this thread spanning continents, the globe, musical genres, audiences and musicians alike and you are in awe. Orbert sees (and more obviously, hears) the Big Picture; he's playing a game of musical chess and is several moves ahead of everyone else. He comprehends the long game and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic's place in it.

To hear Orbert's compositions about Cuba, being performed by the CJP and musicians from Cuba playing together, is to fully understand how music is used as a universal language. A language that somehow needs no translation between cultures or countries.

Do you hear how big this music is? It's bigger than me, than you, than us. It's bigger than Chicago or Havana. It's bigger than embargos, bigger than politics, bigger than politicians. It's the sound of humanity evolving and moving forward, and I feel like the luckiest violist in the whole world to have a front row seat. Sit back with me, relax and enjoy the ride.


History will be made again as Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic performs the U.S. Premier of Scenes From Life: Cuba! on November 13, 2015 at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

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What Is the "Cloud" and How Can it Help My Business?

Every couple of years in the technology industry, a new buzz word comes along. Soon enough, the buzz word gets thrown around and even misused to such an extent that it becomes almost meaningless. In the past, terms like "dotcom", "interactive", "smart" (as in smart phone), and "web 2.0″ were unavoidable. This time around, it is "the cloud" that is everywhere. But as much as the term cloud gets thrown around, not many people take the time to define exactly what the cloud is, and why business owners should care about it.

What the Cloud Is--& What It Isn't!

Before I explain the cloud, let's clear up a couple of things. First, the cloud is not the same as the internet, although some companies throw the term around so loosely one might get that impression. Second, some seem to believe that moving a server away from your company headquarters into a datacenter means that you have put your server in the cloud. If it is a single server, this is not the case, and even if you move multiple servers into a remote datacenter, it still does not constitute a "cloud" except under specific circumstances which I will explain below.

So what is "the cloud?" Essentially, a cloud setup has two requirements: a group of connected servers, and virtualization software that connects those servers. The virtualization software is the key piece that turns a regular group of computers into a cloud computing setup. With virtualization software, you get a bunch of machine "instances" that can be controlled as if they were independent computers. That means that each instance can run a different operating system and have a different setup, even on the same machine. The ability to run these different instances can reduce IT costs and allow hardware to be used more efficiently.

Increasing System Availability and Stability through Cloud Computing

Now that I've defined what cloud computing is, I want to mention why it's important. As mentioned above, cloud setups can achieve more efficient use of hardware resources. But even more important for businesses, an end result of this efficiency is that it is possible to ensure high availability of resources in situations where traditional setups might get bogged down. Cloud computing can also improve stability by increasing network "redundancy"; while you might think of redundancy as negative, in this case it's a great thing, as it means that if a problem occurs with one virtual instance, another is there to seamlessly take offer so that no gap in service occurs.

The Private Cloud & the Public Cloud

One key distinction to make when speaking about the cloud, is to differentiate between the public cloud and the private cloud. The "public cloud" typically refers to offerings made by large companies, where you share the use of cloud resources with many tenants. While the public cloud has its uses, and can be cheap to get started on, it also has downsides. First of all, getting the setup right can be difficult, and may offset potential cost savings that the technology appears to offer. Furthermore, you share resources with neighbors whose identity you don't know, and it's possible that their actions could impact the performance of your cloud instances. You are also at the mercy of whatever policies the provider implements, which may or may not be to your benefit. Finally, the public cloud is provided by very large companies, and these are precisely the kinds of companies that hackers love to go after.

The "private cloud", unlike the public cloud, offers a client much more precise control over the technology setup. Unlike the shared public cloud, a private cloud is walled off from the world like its own little castle. Each private cloud can be built to solve a specific problem and address precise business requirements. This gives businesses a higher degree of control and flexibility, while allowing them to take advantage of the same virtualization technologies that are used in the public cloud.

Solutions for Your Business

CPURX offers private solutions for Data Protection, Backup & Recovery, Website Hosting and Business VoIP, to give our client peace-of-mind their systems are stored in a secure and isolated environment.

Can't get enough of the "Cloud"? Stay tuned for my next article about the benefits of Hybrid-Cloud solutions.

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Ever Wonder What Illinois' Most Powerful Politicians Would Look Like as Zombies?

If you're a fan of AMC's hit show "The Walking Dead," you know living in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with decaying, flesh-hungry zombies -- or walkers -- ain't easy. The challenges facing the show's protagonist Rick Grimes and his group seem insurmountable, but they're willing to do whatever it takes to survive and make a life for themselves.

Now imagine if there were a political edition of the show. There'd probably be no better state to have the show set in than Illinois. After all, Illinoisans face daunting challenges of their own that seem too big to overcome, like agreeing on a state budget, the pension crisis and an ever-expanding lineup of corrupt public officials.

Basically what I'm getting at is that while it can be pretty hard and disheartening to live in Illinois right now, it isn't impossible to improve our state and the lives of all Illinoisans -- as long as we keep fighting for a better home.

With that said and in celebration of Halloween, we've turned our state's most notable politicians into zombies. We hope it provides you with some much-needed comic relief.

Here's a sneak peek of a few zombi-fied Illinois politicians:

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk



U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin



Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle



Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno



You can see the other zombi-fied politicians, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at Reboot Illinois.

NEXT ARTICLE: The 22 most affordable online colleges in Illinois

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Jimmy John's Loosens Its Dress Code For Workers After Criticism

For years, sandwich chain Jimmy John's has had an unusually strict dress code. The Huffington Post revealed in May that two pages' worth of guidelines stipulated all the rank-and-file do's and don't's, right down to how much stitching was permissible on blue jeans. One franchisee called the manual "insanely restrictive" for both franchisees and their employees.

Now, Jimmy John's has decided to loosen its collar a bit.

In an email sent out Tuesday to franchisees and viewed by HuffPost, the chain's director of marketing shared a new, more forgiving dress code. The email included a note attributed to company founder Jimmy John Liautaud, who said the updated manual would serve as "a reasonable way" to maintain the store look without burdening anyone:

My kids tell me I am getting old. I keep telling them not so old that I can’t evolve!!! With that in mind we are making a big change, by updating the look at JJ’s. 

 

Over the years I’ve learned from the best restaurateurs in the biz. Papa John the pizza titan, Kent Taylor the Texas Roadhouse founder, Dick Portillo, the only guy who makes a better sandwich than me, Howard Schultz the coffee king, and Fred DeLuca who paved the way for me in this industry.

 

I’ve learned from the best, and now I’m taking their lead and my team has updated the JJ's dress code. It’s time. It’s time to focus on perfect sandwiches and serving our customers.

The biggest problem with the older, stricter dress code was that some employees needed to buy new clothes in order to be in compliance. For someone earning the minimum wage or close to it, purchasing even an extra pair of blue jeans can be a lot to ask. Two franchisees told HuffPost they sometimes dipped into their own pockets to purchase clothes for employees in order to meet the stipulations. It was in their interest to do so: Spot inspections by corporate could lower their franchisee grade, in turn hurting their chances to open new Jimmy John's stores.

One franchisee described the difference between the new and old codes as "night and day." Pants no longer have to be blue jeans with minimal embroidery or "medium tan" khakis as before. "As long as they are plain, clean, and basic light or dark denim or other material, it is up to you," the guidelines state. High-top shoes are now allowed, too.

Workers can also have exposed tattoos, whereas tattoos had to be covered up before. "A little ink is OK, as long as it’s tasteful and not on the face or throat," the code says. "No sex, drugs, or profanity please." (Starbucks once had a ban on visible tattoos for employees as well. The coffee chain lifted the ban last year with the same caveat: No face or throat tats or profanity.)

"If you love the old dress code, great, keep it," Liautaud wrote to franchisees. "Our vision is that the updated dress code allows for more options & flexibility."

Jimmy John's has yet to comment on the new dress code.

Read the chain's new guidelines:

Jimmy John's new dress guidelines

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Meteoric Rise of DraftKings, FanDuel Poses Challenges to Lawmakers

In early October 1991, I joined a group of eight or so staffers of The State Journal-Register in the back conference room of the newsroom. Armed with notebooks and annotated copies of The Sporting News' 1991-1992 NHL season yearbook, we gathered around the big conference table to draft our teams for the upcoming season of the Hakan Loob Hockey League.

There was no entry fee or cost to draft players. Winnings/losses would be computed based on your players' performances throughout the season.

In the pre-Internet days, there was a big advantage to conducting a fantasy sports league at a newspaper. It meant that we had instant, electronic access to all NHL box scores, so the commissioner of our league, Larry Tate, could keep an accurate count of the goals, assists and goalie wins/shutouts. Every Monday, we HLHL team owners would find in our mail slots a photocopied packet, complete with hand-drawn grids of individual team stats and a witty "press release" from Commissioner Tate. Trades had to be conducted by phone with the commissioner.

I was a last-minute recruit to the HLHL; a hastily added expansion team -- the Therapeutic Mineral Frogs -- brought in solely to expand league membership. With minimal research on draft day and even less skill in pronouncing NHL names other than Gretzky, Hull or Lemieux, I won roughly $3 that season. To me, it was quite a victory. As I remember it, the winner that year took home on the order of $30 and the last-place finisher lost roughly the same amount.

It was fun and made it fun to follow the entire NHL, not just the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.

And that, kids, is how fantasy sports existed in ye olden days. Fantasy sports leagues back then were the domain of sports nerds who lived for the agate pages in the back of newspaper sports sections.

It's hard to believe, but the humble HLHL and thousands of other tiny leagues back then were the progenitors of what has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. If you've watched any sports on television this year, you're undoubtedly familiar with DraftKings and FanDuel, the two-headed fantasy sports monster that spent $150 million on TV and Web ads in the third quarter of this year and has committed to spending much more in the years to come...

You can read the rest here at Reboot Illinois.

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Watch: Illinois Budget Crisis Ruins 'Daily Show' Correspondent's Happy Ending

"Daily Show" correspondent Jordan Klepper gets super depressed after learning more about the Illinois budget crisis

The Illinois state budget stalemate has garnered so much national attention that Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last week aired a segment about the crisis.

As Illinois entered its fourth month without a budget, the satirical news talk show sent correspondent Jordan Klepper to interview Danny Chasteen and Susan Rick, an Oglesby couple who won $250,000 on a scratch off ticket in July. Klepper's intent is to find a story with a happy ending, but Chasteen and Rick haven't received any of their winnings because there's no state budget in place. Now they're suing the Illinois State Lottery for not paying.

After failing to get Gov. Bruce Rauner to sign a giant check, Klepper speaks with Chasteen's attorney, Tom Zimmerman, in the hopes of finding his "feel-good story." Let's just say it didn't work out too well.

Here's the video:



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Reggie Miller Says This Man Had A Faster Release Than Steph Curry

 

NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was known as a fierce trash talker to go along with his sensational shooting and scoring ability during a brilliant 18-year career. The 50-year-old Miller -- who currently works as an analyst for the NBA on TNT -- joined me on HuffPost Live to discuss LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors and the one player who had a quicker release than Stephen Curry. It might not be who you think either. 

Click below to watch.

 

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Senator Kirk: If climate is too big to ignore around the world, it is too big to ignore here too

In July, Illinois Senator Mark Kirk sent out a constituent email noting that climate change is "too big to ignore" while touting a vote to support international efforts to raise awareness and cut greenhouse gas emissions. As I noted at the time, fighting climate change isn't something done elsewhere on the planet--if we are going to stop the worst impacts of climate, we need to deal with domestic carbon pollution and show leadership to bring other countries along.

In the coming weeks, Senator Kirk has an opportunity to put his money where his mouth is.

A pair of Congressional Review Act bills have emerged with the clear intention of gumming up implementation of the Clean Power Plan, our nation's historic effort to slash carbon pollution from power plants. By cleaning up our power plants, the largest single source of CO2 pollution, America is leading by example on climate action. Because after all, if we aren't going to cut our emissions why should other countries?

Senator Kirk needs to choose whether he will look out for polluters or people. The vast majority of Illinoisans (and Americans) want climate action. So do figures within his own party, like his colleague Senator Ayotte of New Hampshire who has spoken out this week in support of the Clean Power Plan.

So, Senator Kirk--if climate change is too big to ignore, it is time to stand up against the climate CRA in DC. If climate is too big to ignore around the world, it is too big to ignore here too. Encouraging other countries to deal with climate change while ignoring carbon emissions here is not really dealing with the problem at all.

Dealing with climate starts by dealing with carbon pollution here at home.

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