ratings

So you've stayed at places like Motel 6, The Red Roof Inn, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, and/or any similar lodging with the words "motel" or "inn" attached. Feel like an upgrade?

It's pothole season in the Rockford area and all throughout the state--and Illinois motorists really don't like it one bit.

My wife Amy and I really never considered geography when it came to bringing our children into this world. Well, maybe a little. I was born at Rockford Memorial (now Mercyhealth), Amy was born at SwedishAmerican, so there were 30 seconds or so of debate about which hospital we'd go with for our first child. Who won the debate? OSF St. Anthony.

Anytime someone puts together a list of the "best of _______," or the "worst of ________," you are guaranteed an argument. The biggest reason, or course, is that so many best/worst of lists are entirely subjective.

If you tuned into the Super Bowl last night, you were one of approximately 118,000,000 people. If you tuned into the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet at any time yesterday, you were one of approximately 7,000,000 people. Not even close, in terms of viewers--but enough to make the Puppy Bowl the #1 rated cable show of the night.

I read once that the surest way to provoke an argument is to open a discussion of politics or religion. There's no doubt that those topics can produce some serious disagreements, but I think an even quicker way to get an argument going is to produce a "best _____" list.