Tony's Kansas City

Countdown To Kansas City Love Day!!!

2010-02-08T19:16:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite time of year. Forget all of the ice, snow and gray weather and hard feelings.

IT'S ALMOST VALENTINE'S DAY IN KANSAS CITY!!!

Sadly, no one loves or cares about me and I live in my mom's basement . . . But I'm an optimist by nature and therefore I want to celebrate the romance of two of Kansas City's favorite hipsters.

While Nadia Pflaum is down to writing only a few things for The Pitch every now and then, she is every place that's trendy in Kansas City and doesn't seem desperate at all to hold on to her late 20s. Often times, KC's premiere fashion designer Sike is accompanying his lady friend.

So, because I really want to turn the corner and lift people up in this cowtown during this drab time of year . . . I'm celebrating the love of two local hipsters who are much better, brighter and happier than TKC.

See, I'm not afraid to mend fences and show some love. Natch.

Moving Beyond The PTA

2010-02-08T19:08:00.005-06:00

KC Currents: Parental Involvement in Urban School Districts

KC Black Churches Respond To HIV/AIDS

2010-02-08T19:08:00.004-06:00

An important story from KCUR: "African Americans make up about 13% of the area's population but account for almost half of newly diagnosed HIV cases, according to the local health department." The story details a grassroots effort to stop the spread of the virus.

The TKC Monday Evening Link Serving

2010-02-08T18:44:00.002-06:00

Just a few links I was thinking about this evening . . .

Local movie chain moves ahead: AMC Entertainment swings to profit on 3-D, IMAX demand

JoCo IDs: Merriam police ID hit-and-run victim, suspect

Nick Sloan High Art news: KCK Downtown Artwalk this Friday

Help wanted in the suburbs: Meals On Wheels Needs Volunteers In Liberty

High Rolling across The State Line Almost here: KCK Casino Expecting a Go-Ahead

Neighborhood streets still ignored: Road Crews May Have Busy Night

WDAF: Five-Year-Old Killed In Fire After Playing With Candle

Highway tragedy: One Dead In Crossover Accident on 152 Highway

JoCo Education Problems Too: Shawnee Mission Schools Face Budget Cuts

MTV reality "star" is on The Plaza Right NOW!!! I'm still not going but it's a fun fact.

Padma Lakshmi pics for dinner, or something.

Catholic Key Calls Google Ad "Pro Life"

2010-02-08T18:31:00.002-06:00

The local Catholic Key blog has an interesting take on a search engine ad during The Superbowl that falls in line with their world view and ignores all of the funny and pervy stuff in the Google recommended searches terms.

The Best Tag In JoCo

2010-02-08T18:29:00.003-06:00

Happy in Bag captures all of the contradictions in Jackson County incredibly summed up in one awesome license plate.

TKC Confirmed!!! Chamber Backs E-Tax!!!

2010-02-08T17:41:00.003-06:00

Sometimes, I amaze myself . . . In early January KICKASS TKC TIPSTERS noted that the E-Tax was going to be endorsed by The Chamber of Commerce In opposition to Mayor Funky.

"AWESOME TKC TIPSTERS ADVISE READERS OF THIS BLOG THAT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WILL WEIGH IN WITH ANOTHER OPINION ON THE E-TAX SOME TIME SOON!!!

I'm guessing that Mayor Funky won't like what they have to say . . . Then again, the Mayor is so totally focused on re-election . . . And critics say he's using his office to than end . . . That I doubt he has time to notice what anyone else in this cowtown is thinking."

Today that endorsement of the E-Tax by the Chamber has come to pass according to some awesome reporting by Dave Helling.

It's a good step forward for a progressive tax and against the JoCo vampires who are content to feed off of K.C. proper. Also, it's yet another indication that Mayor Funky has absolutely no support from the business community in Kansas City along with the fact that the move is a slap in the face to the Mayor who offered his endorsement of the Sinquefield effort.

Another Slick Funkhouser Street Fail

2010-02-08T17:32:00.002-06:00

So, I thought they were making a big deal about preparing for the snowfall?

With shovels ready . . . It looks like Kansas City was once again slow to prepare for the ice and sleet. Downtown and midtown are awash in minor fender benders and in the late, late afternoon I notice that salt trucks are finally making a first round through Kansas City streets . . . Once again, neighborhood roads are being left to fend for themselves.

Important fact . . . Politicos who spin this as an attack against people who work the salt trucks and plows are being purposefully misleading . . . There is NOBODY who is saying the guys on the street aren't doing a good job, but the planning COMING FROM CITY HALL is suspect when people are sliding all over the place and it's much less then Kansas City was expecting from a Mayor who promised "A City That Works."

Presenting Federation Of Horsepower

2010-02-08T17:19:00.000-06:00

For once, Present Magazine has a photoset that's interesting to me. Rock on.

Outside Missie B's Rape Allegation

2010-02-08T17:18:00.000-06:00

Plog: A 35-year-old man claims he was raped outside of Missie B's nightclub at 39th and Southwest Trafficway Saturday evening.

TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! NORTHLAND TROY SCHULTE FANS WANT TO KEEP THE SMELL OF GLORIA SQUITIRO'S FEET AWAY FROM THE ACTING CITY MANAGER!!!

2010-02-08T08:23:00.003-06:00

There's an internal struggle going on right now in the Kansas City political scene that not many people want to acknowledge but it may determine the course of the next mayoral election.

KANSAS CITY NORTHLAND POLITICOS WANT TO DISTANCE ACTING CITY MANAGER TROY SCHULTE FROM THE FAILED ADMINISTRATION OF CO-MAYORS FUNKY AND SQUITIRO!!!

By all accounts, Troy Schulte is a skilled City Hall worker with a solid rep. Even Former City Manager Wayne Cauthen's supporters expressed a bit of relief that Schulte was taking over the job.

City Hall insiders know that Schulte's role had to be secured by The Council in order to garner enough "YES" votes to oust Cathen . . . Which included the Mayor's voice at the last minute.

But now as Mayor Funky desperately reaches for re-election there's an interesting divide between The Northland and The Mayor that has heretofore gone untold.

GLORIA SQUITIRO IS DOING HER BEST TO CLAIM SCHULTE'S REPUTATION IN SERVICE OF THE MAYOR'S REELECTION CAMPAIGN!!! AND NOW SHE'S GETTING SOME PUSHBACK!!!

In the pivotal Darla Jaye Interview Gloria Squitiro called Schulte "The Mayor's City Manager."

In a recent newsletter Squitiro seemingly referred to Schulte as part of the Mayor's "new team" and touted the Mayor's pathetic tag-a-long role on a bond rating tour in order to duck tragic KC statistical data that revealed his complete lack of leadership.

A chat with a Northland politico revealed the strategy to me as the Co-Mayor effort to ride "on the coattails of competence."

From what I hear Schulte lives in the Northland and the contingent that put him in office definitely makes their home across the river . . . So it's interesting that the group who put this power play together now no longer sees the Mayor as necessary to their success. More importantly, among Kansas City politicos the word is out: Schulte isn't the Mayor's homeboy.

Look for astute Mayoral Candidates to ingratiate themselves to goodwill Schulte has going for him in the Northland as the Mayor and his shoeless wife desperately cling to any semblance of credibility they can find.

The Downfall of Journalism, Advertorials And The Kansas City Free Press Operation

2010-02-08T07:52:00.002-06:00

Last week a great many of you d-bags doubted me when I offered evidence of a connection between hipster website The Kansas City Free Press and a local advertising agency.

Unfortunately, most of you bags didn't even do a Google Search before attempting to stand up for some all-white web page that seems to be dedicated to substituting advertisements for news. Remember, I provided Whois Data for KCFP dude Jeff Henry and so many anony Internet nitwits said it was just a coincidence . . . But in an effort to stand up for middle-class white people you bags didn't even check the dude's online profile on the site in question.

"Jeff Henry moved to Kansas City in 1995 to finish his English degree, and study art and design, at Avila college. While attending Avila he worked at The Pitch, where he first became interested in the weekly alternative news format. In 1999 Henry founded BIGSHOT™ Interactive, which has grown from a one-man design shop in the back of a West Plaza rental to a full-service digital agency situated in the heart of Kansas City's Rivermarket. Ten years later, with the marketing and technology support of BIGSHOT™, he found himself in perfect position to get back to the alternative news format and launched KCFreePress.com — an online only, hyper-local news portal — with Executive Editor Jay Senter and Editor-in-Chief Lucas Wetzel. Henry lives in Brookside with his wife, Paula, his son, Hubert, their dog, Stella, and their cat, Peaches."

So there it is . . .

IN MY OPINION, KANSAS CITY FREE PRESS IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ADVERTISING AGENCY IN DISGUISE!!!

Are they hurting anybody? Nope. Lame advertorial-like content has been around for years.

Are they breaking the law? Not at all. Here's a hint: The FTC has no idea what rules they will settle on when it comes to blogger sponsorship schemes.

I'm simply the messenger of a fact that wasn't very highly publicized by Kansas City Free Press fanboys . . . The online "experiment" is yet another ad scheme in my opinion and if the connections to ad companies are going to be noted in the correct context.

Now, I realize the fact that it took some serious Latino/Westside investigative reporting to uncover this bit of corporate subterfuge might but unsettling to some . . . But it represents the real freedom of the Internet.

While my opinions and photos of hotass bikini models chase away advertisers and sponsors . . . More enterprising party-goers are looking toward merging entertainment news and advertising. It's a viable profit model and I don't really have a really have problem with it . . . It's just a shame that so many people ignore the inevitable combination of editorial content and advertising in the midst of the decline of dead tree media.

"The Glorioso Emails"

2010-02-08T07:33:00.001-06:00

Joe Miller catches a veteran political consultant doing all thing things we assume veteran political consultants do i.e. gossiping with elected officials. Still, the way Miller writes it up and makes it seem even more sinister is definitely worth a read.

OVERLAND PARK JOGGER WHIPPED!!!

2010-02-08T07:30:00.001-06:00

Crime Scene KC reports things are getting colder in JoCo: Jogger says he was literally whipped in Overland Park.

The Kansas Casino Background Check

2010-02-08T07:29:00.002-06:00

The Star: "The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled Friday to consider a background report on Kansas Entertainment LLC. It wants to build the casino at Kansas Speedway, a NASCAR track in the Kansas City area."

It's important to make sure the corporate interests that will most likely cause more bankruptcies in KCK have a clean record.

Just Another Manic Monday

2010-02-08T07:07:00.002-06:00

Okay, d-bags . . . In most of my photos my eyes are half closed and I look like I'm high . . . I'm really just bored.

Anyhoo, I actually think this is a good photo of Kansas City's Republican Machiavelli Jeff Roe. And c'mon most of the anony bags trolling the Internet wouldn't stand up to a second of scrutiny endured by a local public figure.

I'm running today's photo of Jeff Roe because it features the guy in a laid back pose that should remind us to take it easy this week and realize The White Man's Burden is nothing more than a racist myth.

To wit and once again, Manic Monday by the Bangles is my song for the morning.

From The K.C. Call: Family Of A Young Gunshot Victim Still Looks For Answers

2010-02-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Call: Family Questions Incidents Surrounding Death Of 16-Year-Old

Brownback Stands Up For Israel

2010-02-08T06:58:00.001-06:00

Sen. Sam Brownback will be honored with the Mordechai Award at the 13th Purim Gala Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Lodge at Ironwoods, 14701 Mission Road . . . For more details check the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.

Anti-Latino Sentiment Is Acceptable

2010-02-08T06:39:00.003-06:00

Here's one more reason to laugh when Joe-College goes under . . . He's apparently propagating ethnic stereotypes aimed at Latinos via one of his unfunny t-shirts.

The "slam directed at Kansas State head basketball coach Frank Martin.

Martin, who is of Latin (Cuban) descent, is highlighted in a T-shirt saying, "Frank Martin Mows My Lawn."

Bit of clarification here, it's not racist because Latinos aren't a race. Latinos can be Black, White, Mestizo, Native, Asian or whatever racial category officials devise to keep minorities and poor people out of college.

The point is that I used to feel sorry for this t-shirt selling d-bag profiting off of young people who don't know that money shouldn't be wasted on slogans . . . Now, I couldn't care less when he goes bankrupt.

A Just A Bit Of Local Business Speak: "Pursue the Goal Not the Method"

2010-02-08T06:30:00.002-06:00

Chris Brogan is a big time business speak, consultant dude . . . As he leaves Kansas City after a gig he writes a motivational blog post that's probably the most optimistic thing I've read since I ran out of toilet paper and had to use an old issue of Cosmo laying around a lady friend's bathroom. Anyhoo, somehow I have this guy's book and his big blog following has inspired me to read it right after I finish playing video games.

Derrick Thomas Chiefs Tribute

2010-02-08T06:25:00.000-06:00

Chiefs Blog: Today marks the 10-year anniversary of Derrick Thomas’ tragic passing at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.

Mary Sanchez and Strip Club Politics

2010-02-08T06:11:00.002-06:00

In yet another meandering missive Mary Sanchez opines on recent strip club legislation despite the fact that she probably hasn't frequented one of the establishments. On the bright side, I'm not aware of any other career opportunities for professional Latinas with a passion for nice clothes and propensity to serve as window dressing.

Kansas City Mini D-bag Wins Contest

2010-02-08T06:06:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to a local douche for enduring 555.5 hours with the top down in his Mini, winning a trip to Oxford, England, to visit the Mini plant and providing yet another reason to hate middle-class people in Kansas City.

Jackson County Promises A "New & Improved" Never-Ending Drug War!!!

2010-02-08T06:01:00.002-06:00

The Star: "COMBAT anti-drug program improving accountability, expanding its reach" Avoiding substance abuse simply to outsmart the Prison Industrial Complex is a different kind of subversion that minorities and po'folk might want to take to heart not only because it saves time and has ancillary health benefits.

The TKC Monday Link Warm Up

2010-02-08T05:26:00.002-06:00

No such thing as walkability in the KC area: Merriam Hit-and-Run Leaves Pedestrian Dead

Unsafe at any speed: A Clay County officer's gun accidentally discharged during a traffic stop late Saturday night.

Blue Springs can get downright belligerent: Armed robbers accost men on street

The Superbowl Ads won't be funny after seeing them a few thousand times.

KC Area In Line To Receive 4-8 Inches Of Snow . . . That completely misses Midtown.

Missouri Family Tragedy Follow up: Mo. Police Say Father Main Suspect In Baby’s Death

Victoria's Secret Model Anna Beatriz Barros in any context works for me.