A collection of assorted thoughts to clean out the 'in' basket before i head south for a couple of months:
RAHM EMANUEL, who has just short of a gazillion dollars in his campaign war chest, will CRUSH his four opponents in the upcoming primary.
broadway star JOEL GREY has admitted that he's gay. REALLY?
think people in the southwest have problems with drought? brazil is 80% under the normal rainfall amount and turns the water on for residents just TWICE A WEEK. yes, that's the same brazil which is hosting the summer olympics next year. what a picture. maybe BOSTON can sell them some snow.
how about the cat in tampa that rose from the dead? gets hit by a car and the owner is so distraught that the neighbor has to dig the grave and deposits BART, hereby known as BART THE WONDER CAT into the hole. five days later, bart digs himself out of the shallow grave.
Just when i thought that cuba would be in my travel plans, PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO grinds everything to a halt by DEMANDING the return of guantanamo bay and financial compensation for damages from the united states. raul needs to learn that hotels, tourists and a more lenient trade agreement would revive his country. don't kill hte goose.
want some good tv? watch "EMPIRE" on wednesday night. most of the characters are black and they take you into the realm of black music, street slang, bad fashion, worse makeup and excessive alcohol and drug fueled behavior. not to mention a whole bunch of gold jewelry. it's well written and is episodic in nature so try to catch the first three episodes. COOKIE is my absolute favorite.
former governor PAT QUINN dropped the ball when at the last minute, he decided to not issue medical marijuana licenses to a list of approved companies because he felt the issue was 'too hot' and instead left it on incoming governor BRUCE RAUNER'S desk. "a stunning change of heart" by quinn, said one of his cronies.
the official snow measurement out of CHICAGO O'HARE is about 15 inches for the winter but LAKE VILLA has only recorded half of that. a far cry from last year.
DRONES have created a whole new set of problems for security teams protecting world leaders. one was found on the lawn of the white house this week and it's only a matter of time until drones lose their innocence with some type of explosive attack.
UBER, the world wide company offering on-demand taxi service is in more hot water. a woman in INDIA has filed suit alledging she was raped in an uber cab. she joins other victims in LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO & SAN FRANCISCO.
MEASLES!!!!! i thought that disease was long gone but apparently not. a thousand reported cases with the majority in ARIZONA & CALIFORNIA.
it looks like MITT ROMNEY has finally run out of gas. it seems former supporters are now throwing their weight towards JEB BUSH.
finally, it's time to make your pick for the SUPER BOWL. WHOYAGOT??????
adios for now and we'll talk in the spring!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
the recent death of ERNIE BANKS brought back some memories and here's a couple:
when i was a kid, the one thing that always caused a ruckus was when my brother and i started to "discuss" the relative merits of the two shortstops in town, LUIS APARICIO of the white sox and ERNIE BANKS of the cubs. my guy with the sox was fast, led the league in stolen bases and was a premier defensive player. banks was mr. personality, a prodigious home run hitter and also good defensively. after about 5 minutes of "is so" and "is not," the discussion normally deteriorated into a wrestling match in the living room and if dad was home, we both got tossed outside to finish in the back yard. (yes, my brother always won the match)
ERNIE BANKS was one of a kind. i had the pleasure of talking with him on numerous occasions at baseball card shows and i never saw him in a bad mood and he ALWAYS had time for the fans. he even remembered that i was a police officer and he would stage whisper "five-oh, five-oh" when i approached his table, all with a big grin on his face.
sometimes he would pretend like he dropped his pen under the autograph table and disappear just so he could untie somebody's gym shoe. when they knelt down to fix it, ernie would pop up and repeatedly say "who's next? who's next?" and then just crack up at his own joke.
sometime around 2002, bruce bartosz & i were at a show in rosemont to collect some items for his green bay packer collection. i was walking with a cane and when we went to leave and it was pouring so bartosz went across the street to get the car. while i was waiting, ernie walked out and we talked for a minute until bartosz pulled up in the circle drive. i asked ernie if he wanted a ride to the restaurant across the street so he could stay dry and he accepted.
he got in and i introduced him to bruce, who shook hands and started to exit the circle drive. ernie says "oh, i forgot my briefcase. can you go back to the front door?" so bartosz navigates the ONE WAY circle drive at the convention center and when he reaches the front door, ernie suddenly remembers that he gave the briefcase to his agent. "sorry about that, we can go."
bruce heads out again and ernie now declares that he forgot his umbrella. bartosz exhales not-so-quietly and fights the congestion back to the front door. ernie is right next to bartosz in the front seat and he's holding his hands over his mouth to stifle his laughter as bruce concentrated on the city-like traffic. when we reach the door to get the 'forgotten' umbrella, ernie declares that "the rain looks like it's letting up and what's a few raindrops anyway?"
as we depart for the third time, ernie suddenly says "stop!" and bruce damn near sends both of us thru the windshield when he slams the brakes. "what's wrong?" ernie pats bruce on the shoulder and says, "if you don't mind, i'll walk because all you do is drive in circles!" ernie then belly laughed and exited the truck. i laughed all the way home and after a few minutes, even bruce laughed.
he loved the game, the fans, the competition and life in general. godspeed, ERNIE.
when i was a kid, the one thing that always caused a ruckus was when my brother and i started to "discuss" the relative merits of the two shortstops in town, LUIS APARICIO of the white sox and ERNIE BANKS of the cubs. my guy with the sox was fast, led the league in stolen bases and was a premier defensive player. banks was mr. personality, a prodigious home run hitter and also good defensively. after about 5 minutes of "is so" and "is not," the discussion normally deteriorated into a wrestling match in the living room and if dad was home, we both got tossed outside to finish in the back yard. (yes, my brother always won the match)
ERNIE BANKS was one of a kind. i had the pleasure of talking with him on numerous occasions at baseball card shows and i never saw him in a bad mood and he ALWAYS had time for the fans. he even remembered that i was a police officer and he would stage whisper "five-oh, five-oh" when i approached his table, all with a big grin on his face.
sometimes he would pretend like he dropped his pen under the autograph table and disappear just so he could untie somebody's gym shoe. when they knelt down to fix it, ernie would pop up and repeatedly say "who's next? who's next?" and then just crack up at his own joke.
sometime around 2002, bruce bartosz & i were at a show in rosemont to collect some items for his green bay packer collection. i was walking with a cane and when we went to leave and it was pouring so bartosz went across the street to get the car. while i was waiting, ernie walked out and we talked for a minute until bartosz pulled up in the circle drive. i asked ernie if he wanted a ride to the restaurant across the street so he could stay dry and he accepted.
he got in and i introduced him to bruce, who shook hands and started to exit the circle drive. ernie says "oh, i forgot my briefcase. can you go back to the front door?" so bartosz navigates the ONE WAY circle drive at the convention center and when he reaches the front door, ernie suddenly remembers that he gave the briefcase to his agent. "sorry about that, we can go."
bruce heads out again and ernie now declares that he forgot his umbrella. bartosz exhales not-so-quietly and fights the congestion back to the front door. ernie is right next to bartosz in the front seat and he's holding his hands over his mouth to stifle his laughter as bruce concentrated on the city-like traffic. when we reach the door to get the 'forgotten' umbrella, ernie declares that "the rain looks like it's letting up and what's a few raindrops anyway?"
as we depart for the third time, ernie suddenly says "stop!" and bruce damn near sends both of us thru the windshield when he slams the brakes. "what's wrong?" ernie pats bruce on the shoulder and says, "if you don't mind, i'll walk because all you do is drive in circles!" ernie then belly laughed and exited the truck. i laughed all the way home and after a few minutes, even bruce laughed.
he loved the game, the fans, the competition and life in general. godspeed, ERNIE.
Friday, January 2, 2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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i'm a little curious about terminally ill FRANCIS GEORGE, the homophobic cardinal of the catholic church. for years, he's turned his back on the gay community and publicly made them feel unwelcome in the church. what if the doctors came to him and said his cancer could be cured but only with a blood transfusion.............from a gay man. whaddya think the cardinal would do?
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UBER, the company which provides cheap taxi-like rides is under fire after two well publicized sexual assault incidents in chicago & boston. look for the city to implement much stricter hiring guidelines to protect the riders.
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under a new illinois law, children under the age of 18 who have seizures will be able to qualify for medical marijuana. watch for a major breakout of students flopping on the floor during english class and promptly asking for a doobie when the 'seizure' is over.
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PERSON OF THE YEAR
does the name CRYSTAL MANGUM ring a bell? she was the fine upstanding exotic dancer who in 2006 accused the DUKE UNIVERSITY lacrosse team of gang raping her at a team party, an accusation that later proved to be totally false but caused untold damage to the individuals named in her complaint as they either quit school or transferred and the lacrosse program was terminated and all related scholarships revoked.
after the accusations, a background check on this fine young lady revealed a rich history: she had at least two other allegations of rape (both eventually dismissed as 'unfounded'), was dishonorably discharged from the navy after becoming pregnant by a man other than her husband, was involved in a high speed chase with police after she stole a taxi and was indicted for attempted murder when she tried to burn down her boyfriend's apartment.
but crystal finally climbed the mountain in 2011 when she stabbed her boyfriend to death with a pair of scissors and was sent to prison for 18 years. well, crystal is now filing an appeal of her conviction, accusing almost everyone involved in the case with some type of sexual misconduct and her conviction was politically motivated.
best of luck crystal.
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the flu epidemic has now spread to 36 states. do you get a flu shot? me neither.
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do you drive a newer volkswagen? a recall is in progress because the fuel line spurts gas onto the hot engine and pipes and sets the car on fire.........while you're driving! talk about testing your reflexes.
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i am really ticked at actor SEAN PENN. he just announced his engagement to CHARLIZE THERON. i can't believe she didn't wait for me.
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beginning of the end? movie theatre ticket sales were down five billion dollars this year. eventually, no one (except me) will attend a theatre because of all the at-home apps available.
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and finally, if you needed a bloody mary on new year's morning or any other morning, just stop in at the SUNDA RESTAURANT in downtown chicago and here's what they offer: 32 ounces served in a hurricane type glass garnished with (get ready) braised pork belly, roasted duck, snow crab, roasted potatoes, egg roll, broccoli, bacon slices and a radish. ALL ON TOP. with a very long straw.
AND TOPPED WITH A GRILLED CHEESE AND SUSHI!!!
for the low, low price of just forty bucks. but think about it.....$40 buys you the drink AND a meal. yowsa.
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HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!
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