Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader just learned that there is trouble in the fair city of Springfield. That’s with a capital “T” and that rhymes with “D” and that stands for Dough/Dineros/Dinares/Cash…

Alarming news from the set of the Simpsons. (Your Maximum Leader’s favourite TV show. And the only one he makes it a point to watch every week.) According to the news wires, Simpsons Stars Strike for More D’oh. They are making $360,000 an episode… Humm… Your Maximum Leader says pay them $360,025 and settle this before it gets out of hand. That should keep up with the the ever escalating price of Hot Pockets and gas.

Carry on.

Update from your Maximum Leader: Your Maximum Leader just got a nice message from loyal minion Kilgore Trout. He writes:

To The Maximum Leader,

I felt a special connection to today’s post for two reasons:

1. I grew up in Mason City, Iowa, hometown of Meredith Willson, who wrote The Music Man.

2. Just ten miles down the road from Mason City is Clear Lake, where Buddy Holly played his last show. Clear Lake holds a very popular Buddy Holly Festival every year.

Both towns take immense pride in their accidental musical heritage. Mason City has restored Meredith Willson’s boyhood home, and the town’s symbol is Mr. Toot, a silhouette of a man playing a trombone. Many businesses in Mason City use “River City” in their names (as in “River City Auto Body”). And a few years ago Mason City built Music Man Square downtown in a probably misguided attempt to lure tourism dollars to the town. Meanwhile, Clear Lake holds a very popular Buddy Holly Festival every year.

I know you were dying for that information. I just thought it odd that even the most passig references mean a lot to somebody, somewhere.

The new website looks great, by the way

Take it easy,

Kilgore Trout

Your Maximum Leader thanks Kilgore and doffs his (bejeweled) floppy hat to him for catching the “Music Man” reference. Your Maximum Leader once saw Tony Randall in that play. But he also fondly remembers the film with Robert Preston. One day he will have to travel to Iowa and see these things for himself.

And by the way…. Read Kilgore’s site. Visit it every day! It is good.

Carry on.