ODDS & ENDS & CHRISTMAS MEMORIES + NATIONAL & LOCAL

It's been a while and the year is coming to an end so let's get the desk cleared off so I have some room to wrap presents!

Michael Buble has a great voice for holiday songs. As does Thomas Rhett.

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When I was a kid, we had ONE string of Christmas lights on the front of the house and when I asked my Dad if we could get more, I got the standard answer he learned in Dad class 101........"Do you think I'm made of money? Are you going to pay the electric bill?" Ah, Christmas memories. FYI...Until I fell off the ladder a couple years ago, I had a thousand lights on the house every year and yes, I paid the electric bill.

I will admit that the old fat bulbs would definitely run up your bill but the new smaller lights hardly use any energy and I put 7 strings together with no problem. Back in the day, you were pressing your luck with the circuit breaker by putting 3 strings together.

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Convicted pedophile R. KELLY is complaining that "they" took away his money, his family, his kids and friends. THEY?? Enter my African-American friend Larry, who called me when that story broke and here is his direct quote: "That nigger violated his own people over and over and ruined the lives of God knows how many young black women. He screwed his own life up and he's lucky he's still alive. THEY??? Take a look in the mirror, nigger. YOU are they!"  (You'll hear from Larry again later in the column.)

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Chicago Mayor? I think it's time to put your money on JESUS 'CHUY' GARCIA.

I also bet that trump will not be the Republican nominee.

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As I wrote months ago, there's just something about imaginary money like cryptocurrency and bitcoin which makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I like my money in my hand and pocket and the first leak in the dam happened this week when FTX, the second largest crypto exchange went belly up and the CEO was arrested in the Bahamas on various fraud charges and will be soon extradited to the U.S.  

Losses to customers are at least 8 BILLION so the next time you see famous people like TOM BRADY, SETH CURRY and MATT DAMON touting the imaginary money, grab the remote and change the channel. FYI.... bitcoin has lost at least 50% of it's value this year.  If you don't like dollars, buy gold.

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GRANDMA HATFIELD'S on Christmas eve was the best. The biggest tree in the world was in her Chicago living room and I got to put an ornament on the tree while being lifted by an adult. Later in the evening, Santa would show up. And Grandma would sneak me a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  Didn't get any better than that.

My father bought an aluminum tree with a revolving color wheel and I would sit there for hours watching the tree change from red to yellow to green to blue and then back to red.

The only tree we never had was a flock tree.

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Is ELON MUSK as weird as I think he is?

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Drug Smuggler BRITTNEY GRINER was returned to the U.S. in a prisoner swap with Russia. "Unlawfully detained" was the battle cry here in the states but she was arrested and eventually pled guilty to bringing the drugs into the country. EVERY WNBA player knows about the zero tolerance law in Russia regarding drugs and they're reminded by the league EVERY year before they leave to play in the Russian leagues. She is very lucky but guilty as sin.

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4 blacks were arrested yesterday after a string of over two dozen armed robberies all over the city and enter my buddy Larry once again: "Punk-ass niggers who I guarantee dropped out of school at a very early age to run with the gangs. Maximum sentences should be on the table for all of them. There is no rehabilitation for them because they are ghetto rats and when they get out, they'll go right back to the same life. Don't believe that any of the rehab crap because those programs never work except for an occasional lightning bolt in a bottle." Thank you for your input Larry.

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HEATHER MACK was denied bail and custody of her daughter. Mack is a dirt bag who helped kill her socialite mother in 2014 and then stuffed her into a suitcase. She awaits trial here in the U.S. following 7 years of jail in Indonesia.  Screw you Heather. Rot in jail.

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Saw the MARIE OSMOND CHRISTAMS CONCERT last week at the Genesee in Waukegan. Save your money and buy one of her cd's instead. Slow moving, off key and way too slow in the middle but she did do a very nice three minute opera rendition.

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ZARI THE LION is pregnant and due in January at the Lincoln Park zoo.

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We've had a pretty mild November/December but the bottom falls out next week just in time for Santa's sleigh to make the rounds. Weather people are suggesting temps will be 20  degrees under the normal high of 38 degrees just in time for the holiday. THROW ANOTHER LOG ON THE FIRE!

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Hey! I just saw gas for $2.98 today on Rollins Road. It took a little while but the spike caused by the war in the Ukraine has finally started to settle down.

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When I was 8 years old, on Christmas morning my Dad asked me to go out the front door and get the morning Tribune and when I stepped out, there was a brand new bright red bike with my name on it. My Dad had to wait for the newspaper because I was riding down the sidewalk in my pajamas.  Great day!

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In closing, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays thru New Years and please remember to hug the people you care about and most important, stay out of Chicago. Don't become a statistic in that hellhole. I used to recommend seeing a matinee if you absolutely had to go to Chicago but now more than 40% of armed robberies are being committed by the ghetto rats during daylight hours. STAY AWAY AND STAY SAFE!!

        MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

IF I WERE KING

 IF I WERE KING....Political ads would be limited to talking about yourself and you wouldn't be allowed to beat down your opponent with negative rhetoric. Sends a very bad message to the kids.

Season ticket holders in any sport would receive partial refunds based on the team's won-loss record. You lose a lot or "tank"......it will cost you a bunch.

The MLB season would be shortened 10% to 146 regular season games and the season would open April 15th with the first ten days being played in warm weather cities and cities with domed stadiums. 

The AL would play in Toronto, Tampa, Miami, Texas, Anaheim, Houston and even Seattle and Oakland during the day.

The NL would play in Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona and San Francisco during the day.

This plan would eliminate snow-outs and playing in 30 degree temps, which is not fair to either the fans or the players. Doubleheaders would also be played every Sunday which would shorten the season by another 25 days.

IF I WERE KING.....  Semi drivers would not be allowed on the highways between 4 & 6 p.m.

All schools would have a police officer and EVERY door would remain locked from the outside with a panic bar inside and every door would have a metal detector. Cameras are a given and nobody gets buzzed in by an overworked member of the office. Only the officer can let someone in after vetting them and entry would only be allowed at a single door. 

Facial tattoos would be illegal.

Using a fully automatic weapon would result in the death penalty.

The DEATH PENALTY would be in effect nation wide.

IF I WERE KING....Major retail stores such as Walmart, etc. would be CLOSED on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. And they would all close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Christmas decorations would not be allowed in stores until the week of Thanksgiving.

Exterior Christmas lights at your residence can't be turned on until the night after Thanksgiving and all exterior decorations must be gone by January 15th.

IF I WERE KING......It would be against the law to use ANY electronic device while inside a restaurant. If the call is that important, go stand in the parking lot so you don't disturb MY dinner.

Kids under 10 would not be allowed in restaurants. Babies included. Especially included because YES, his crying does bother me. Go to Burger King for their night out. They like that better anyway.

Same rule applies to kids at sporting events but I think we can lower the age to 7.

IF I WERE KING...... every man and woman would get to drive a classic muscle car for at least a year. Mustang, Camaro, GTO, 442, Roadrunner, Charger, you name it. no charge.

Oatmeal raisin cookies would be mandatory at EVERY celebration. Weddings, birthdays, holidays. There is no better cookie fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk. Nirvana. 

IF I WERE KING.....The Cubs and White Sox would face off in the World Series and it would go to the 7th game. Imagine the fun with that!!!!

EVERY school bus would be electric.

Every political commercial would CLEARLY INDICATE to which party the person belongs and then we could eliminate the bullshit of putting red & blue colors together in the background so they can mislead the voters.

Convicts released from prison would have to wear a monitoring device for five years.

IF I WERE KING......every person struggling to pay their 30 year mortgage payments would automatically have it re-written to 40 years which would lower their payment drastically. Yes, they would pay more interest but they'd get to keep their house.

Renters, however, would have just a one month grace period for non-payment and on the 31st day, they would be evicted. Landlords have mortgage payments too and need the units rented to paying tenants.

IF I WERE KING....ALL medical procedures would be free but not cosmetic surgery. Wheel chairs, glasses, hearing aids, crutches, braces..............all free. 

Dental work would be free but MANDATORY. No reason to be walking around with pitted, yellow, broken or missing teeth.

We would have a 10% flat tax on your income. Make $20,000, pay 2,000. Make a million? pay $100,000. Fair for everyone.

If you had an idea for a business, you would receive start-up money for free to get your business up and running but then it would be up to you.

Villages that are too poor to provide services to the residents would be dissolved and absorbed by the county unless a neighboring city wants to annex them. Cities like Dolton, Chicago Heights, Harvey, Alton and East St. Louis have been ignoring and cheating their citizens out of basic services for decades. Time for that to stop.

IF I WERE KING.... Everyone's birthday would be a paid holiday from work.

The first Monday of every month would be a paid day off.

People who don't bring in their garbage cans within 24 hours pay a $500 fine. You may want to live like a hillbilly but I don't. Same thing applies to mowing the lawn on a regular basis.

There would be no more open or closed casket funerals. Only celebrations of life, held a minimum of two weeks after the death and cremation.

That's it for now. Be safe & warm and STAY OUT OF CHICAGO. Geez, have you been reading the newspaper over the last two weeks? Bodies & victims EVERYWHERE & EVERY DAY. 

Bye for now.

ALL SORTS OF STUFF

 So it's Halloween, a favorite time for both kids and adults but as usual, evil lurks and is disguised in many ways. SKITTLES, in the name of Christ, are in the area with the candy actually being FETANYL, a class I narcotic that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine but here's the key: when taken in large doses, it is fatal. And who among us has not tipped the entire box of skittles and taken numerous candies into our mouth? 7, 10, 12 skittles at a time.

 It was bad enough as a kid when you heard of some trick or treater finding a razor blade in an apple (no one ever actually knew the kid) so that eliminated fresh fruit forever and the perennial pop corn ball which was made by the old couple down the street but at least the danger was recognizable and everything went into the trash. But fentanyl disguised as candy is tragedy in a box. So when does trick or treating get outlawed?

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I was Googling the other day and this thought popped into my head. ALL information is available on the internet so why do we still have libraries? They normally have very nice bathrooms but I don't think that's enough to justify the expense.

And why do we have mail delivery on Fridays & Saturdays? What a waste of money for an organization that's drowning in debt.

Speaking of saving money, the Troy school district in Joliet has started a ten year plan to switch at least half of their 65 buses to electric with the first two in operation in November. The cost for a new electric bus is about $350,000 but the daily runs will cost pennies instead of dollars and obviously pay for itself in time with the current cost of diesel being $5.45 per gallon. Good for them.

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Can't wait for the end of political commercials. My ears are bleeding and the biggest problem is they can basically say anything they want without penalty. Both sides suck at this.

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Most popular new classes in area colleges? Anything to do with cannabis, which includes classes on the best way to cultivate your crop, tax laws, marketing, media and store location. Most classes fill up in a matter of hours. Ah, the world in which we live.

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Bridget & Tom are no more. I'm heartbroken.

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Super birds? The National Audubon Society just released travel information on the bay-breasted warbler, who weighs the same as 4 pennies but flies 4,000 miles TWICE A YEAR, first from Canada to South America for the winter and then returning in the spring. If you're interested in more information, google the society.

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Just like the rotary phone, the circus exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry is no more. The curator explained that circuses don't have the same appeal they once had and the space will be used for  brighter, more up to date and popular displays that are more in keeping with the times.

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LEE BOYD MALVO. Ring a bell? Well, he was the 17 year old kid who hid in the trunk of a car and shot and killed 10 people over a three week period in 2002 and was initially sentenced to death but his sentence was changed so he could apply for parole in just 20 years. Application made..........and denied, citing he is still a threat. More than one way to skin a cat.

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Russia is buying ammunition from North Korea. It's the same ammo that Russia sold to them ten years ago and now they're buying it back. Supply chain problems?? Hmmmmmmmm

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You GOTTA LOVE THIS WEATHER!! High 50's, 60's and even 70's as we enter November. We'll take it. It's only about 140 days until spring of 2023.

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OK, that's enough for now. Enjoy Halloween and stay safe. And make sure you stay out of the city.

 

A CHILDHOOD STORY OF CHASING A KILLER ELEPHANT

I heard a story about the zoo today and it jogged my memory so I thought I would share this story with you.

 When I was a kid and being held prisoner at a catholic grade school, the DVIT (darth vaders in training.... a.k.a. nuns)  saw fit to let us take a field trip to Brookfield Zoo, which in my day was quite a treat because it gave us a full day to be loose from the stares of the evil empire because the DVIT let us run free among the acreage without supervision, as long as we all gathered for noon lunch at concession area #3 and then made the 2:00 p.m. bus back to the jail.  

The big adventure of the day for me was to see ZIGGY THE KILLER ELEPHANT, the beast who had killed several dozen trainers, according to prison rumors and gossip. Now Ziggy had actually never killed anyone but he was 6 tons of ornery who had attacked ONE trainer in 1941 which resulted in him being chained in his stall for over 30 years and never allowed to go outside but I didn't know those facts and I desperately wanted to see this huge rogue with a bad attitude.

A handful of us made our way to the elephant house and made our way to Ziggy's stall which had very high walls which made it tough for a ten year old to see him but my class mate named Gary owed me a nickel from lunch and I told him we would be even-steven if I could get on his shoulders. Mission accomplished and debt cancelled for Gary.

But the damn elephant had turned his back to the visitors about five years earlier and all I could see was his huge rear end but(t) (see what I did there?) I wanted to look this homicidal maniac right in the eye. 

Never one to be unprepared, I ignored the "DO NOT FEED THE ELEPHANT" sign and reached into the pockets of my spring jacket and while wavering on Gary's shoulders pitched a peanut to Ziggy's front side and it landed just to the left of his trunk. Nothing. So I tried the other side and it hit him on the trunk. No response. 

Now Gary starts to shake and complain so I had no choice but to go for broke and throw my remaining 3 peanuts all at once and guess what? Ziggy actually noticed the peanuts and started feeding himself in that regal way that elephants do, trunk to mouth. I was delighted to the point I was floating on air but it was actually the zoo keeper who was lifting me off Gary's shoulders and taking me into custody.

"You stupid, kid? Can't you read? What group are you here with?" To save myself from the zoo electric chair, I immediately shifted into LIAR MODE and told him "The Lutheran church, sir" figuring he would let me go because the nuns had convinced all of us that all non-Catholics were future convicts and going to hell and I figured with that information, it would be useless to prosecute me because damnation was already in my future. WRONG. 

I get dragged to a small office and eventually I break under the hot lights and confess my affiliation and how does this mutt handle it? Does he let me walk away with a stern warning or a kick in the ass? OH NO............. OVER THE P.A. SYSTEM, he announces "would the supervisor of the St. John's group come to the security office?" 

I avoided the gas chamber but my sentence was....stay after school for a week and wash all the chalk boards and 4 Saturdays cleaning the school. Gary? He escaped like Butch Cassidy and I told the nun that the shoulders belonged to a Jewish kid that I just met that day. Her eyes rolled back into her head and despite her anger with me, she began praying for me for associating with a Jew..

Why am I telling you all this? While researching Ziggy, I found he was finally released to an outside enclosure in 1971 and died just a few years later. Where did they bury him? Nowhere! He is stored at the Field Museum IN PIECES in a closet because they don't have room to display him. It was bad enough that he was in solitary for 30 years but now he is forever stored in a dark closet. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

Hell, if they would ship him up to Grayslake in one piece, I'd put him under a canopy in my back yard. No charge.

OK, that's all I have for now but I hope you enjoyed my little adventure at the zoo, Stay safe and stay out of Chicago.

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

 Can anyone explain the NFL to me?

Last night, the hapless and hopeless Bears go into New England and tear up the Patriots, who are a pretty fair defensive team. Is this an example of 'a blind squirrel finding a nut?' I think we'll find out next Sunday in Dallas where the Bears are 10 point underdogs.

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And now HAPPY TIME as the Green Bay Slackers dropped their third in a row and travel to Buffalo next Sunday where they will face off against one of the best teams in the league. I wonder who that smarmy, greasy haired, drug drinking, family hating, mirror loving 'I'm smarter than everyone in the room' jerk will blame if they go belly up again? No chance it will be him.

I wonder if the financial management team in Green Bay has learned a lesson about fiscal responsibility. They emptied the coffers to give the narcissist 40 million a year and had nothing left to give to the best receiver in the league so Davante Adams went to the Raiders and the deep threat left with him. P.S. It warmed my heart to see him face planted at the end of the game against the Commanders. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. And I didn't see that famous smirk at the end of the game and, as a matter of fact, haven't seen it all season.

A real winner: On at least three occasions, Tom Brady went to New England management and had them re-write his contract FOR A LESSER AMOUNT so they could go get the players they needed. And that's why Brady has a gazillion super bowl rings. Think jerk face will do that? We all know the answer to that. 

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The White Sox cancelled their winter fan convention but gave no definitive reasons as to why. Scuttlebutt has it that GM Rick Hahn & VP Kenny Williams don't want to take the heat for not improving the team over the last two years which they would at the Q & A session that happens every convention and I wouldn't blame the fans one bit for roasting their non-activity in the off season. Not to mention that they were THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL which also might generate a few questions....or a few hundred

And while the LaRussa fiasco was absolutely not their fault, you know that they don't want to be in a position to point fingers at the owner, who orchestrated that entire pathetic hiring.

The new manager should have a minimum of bench coach experience but if he doesn't speak Spanish, then HIS bench coach better be fluent in the language. And. oh yeah, it would be nice if the new guy knows the rules of baseball. My neck still hurts from shaking my head after so many of LaRussa's stupid managerial decisions.

Remember this name: OSCAR COLAS. He should join the club at some time during the 23 season. Google him. Played overseas and finally played last year in the states and tore up every level in which he played. And left handed.

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And now to the north side where they had better make some moves to generate some offense because the output this year was abysmal. The leading hitter was .281 and the leader in runs scored and rbi had the same number........72. Not exactly scaring the opposition. If you eliminate Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, this team would have been far worse than 16 games under .500.

Patrick Wisdom is a waste of time for a rebuilding team because 25 home runs does not offset his .207 average, limited mobility and 31 years of age. They did the right thing in dumping Frank Schwindel but what's the difference between Frank the Tank and Wisdom? NONE. They need to dump him and get a prospect in trade and let a kid try third base.

Is David Ross the guy? Managing a bad team is much easier than a contending one. If he can handle all the losses over the next three years, then we'll see how he does under pressure.

Finally, at least the Cubs are having a fan convention and in keeping with the cub tradition of screwing their fans...... two people can have a room for two nights and a pass for two days for the low, low price of  $836.00. Ah, Chicago in January. Add food and drink at downtown prices and you're at at least $1200.00 for the weekend.

Now I want you to listen to me. You know that Ricketts, et al. are going to lie thru their teeth about free agents, making the club better and how poor they are SOOOOOOO take the 1200 and go buy a very nice big screen tv and the Cubs world series video and then take your significant other to either Gibson's or Perrys via limo and have a spectacular meal and get dropped off safely at your front door AND YOU'LL STILL HAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED IN YOUR POCKET to bet on the super bowl.

Don't give that prick any more money until he improves the team. He's been sucking you dry since 2016 and you can make it stop just like you did last year when many fans were disguised as empty seats from July on. Have a night you'll remember for a long time and let Ricketts spend some of his Ameritrade money instead of yours.

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And now please explain the Chicago Bulls to me. All summer long, all I heard was how healthy Zack LaVine was and his knee was perfect but then he bails out of their first two games with the same sore knee and is now limited with regards to practicing. WTF?? 

Add that to the Lonzo Ball mystery knee and the Bullies are back to being the same old team. DeRozan scores a million but has no help and the Bulls win close early in the season until he gets worn down and then they are similar to the Titanic. I feel sorry for coach Billy Donovan who never knows player availability until he gets to the stadium.

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Now the Blackhawks. If you're totally rebuilding and you've been very open about it, why haven't you traded Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews??? They are both 31 and Kane will bring more in trade but pick up the phone now before they get hurt.

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Dusty Baker is still an idiot. Not getting off his dead ass in 2003 to calm his rookie pitcher after the Steve Bartman incident convinced me he is a moron. Plus he wears rubber gloves because of the virus but doesn't wear a mask and still wears wristbands and chews that idiotic toothpick. You can't have it both ways, stupid.

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Can the Phillies upset the cheating Astros? Probably not but it would be sweet. The Astros are almost 2-1 to win the series and they have game 7 at home.    

MLB was playing with fire by not starting the series today but the weather in Philadelphia is going to get BETTER between now and next Monday. High 60's during the day and mid-50's at night. PLAY BALL!                                                               

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Much more to write about but I'm going to wait until the weekend games have been played.

Stay safe and stay out of Chicago. And yes, we need the rain.

 

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

 An addition to the list of 5 people I want to punch in the face: Republican gubernatorial candidate DARREN BAILEY. Sometimes you just meet people who need a punch in the face. The commercial where he's asked about whether he would allow abortion for victims of rape and incest and he answers in that low brow twang, "as of right now, I'd say noooo." Ok, Mr. Bailey, your answer indicates that there is some wiggle room for the future and we both know that's a lie. Your answer should have been 'hell NO!!'  Liar, plain & simple. And that's the reason no one will contribute to his campaign. Two faced prick.  My election bet in this particular race is that Pritzker will win by more than 7%. I made that bet 4 months ago and I know I'm right.

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And speaking of wagers, I took a large position on this one: donald trump WILL NOT be the republican candidate for president and I made those bets back in January of 2021 after collecting major money from the trumpty-dumptys . Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

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Good for JOE BIDEN for issuing pardons to people convicted of simple possession of marijuana. Now if the individual states would just follow suit.

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Chicago is attacking the crime problem! With little kids dying in the streets, car jackings up, robberies elevated, metra crimes out of control up and many neighborhoods still like the wild, wild west, the answer is,,,,,,,,,,,,,WRITE MORE PARKING TICKETS! Seriously, citations are up 25%  but drive-by shootings are up. And you wonder why I tell you to avoid Chicago like the plague? And one more thing: you don't want your family members to get a parking ticket while they're claiming your body at the morgue. No bueno, amigos.

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Just got back from upstate New York and while it wasn't the purpose of our visit, the fall colors are SPECTACULAR so if you like the changing leaves, the locals told me to book the 2nd week of October for maximum viewing pleasure. I have to admit that it was pretty cool and the roads are very hilly so you get excellent panoramic views.

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I don't know how they get the numbers but apparently Chicago is ranked 23rd in the nation in using cuss words with a daily average of 17 while COLUMBUS, OHIO took the crown with 36 nasty words per day. In typical Chicago fashion, many city dwellers were offended that Chicago finished that low. 😖😠 

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Just a reminder that early voting is open if you like doing the in-person thing. I chose to use the mail-in ballot which, by the way, is postage free. Sign up once and they mail you ballots forever unless you cancel.

                                                                         *******

I love creative commercials and the Geico ad where the guy goes up to the attic of his new house and pulls the string to the light bulb and finds all sorts of mannequins in various stages of disrepair and the lizard says "Well, enjoy your new home" and the guy responds by slowing backing away saying "Nope. No thank you." The look on his face is classic.

                                                                      *******

DUH award of the week goes to the Maywood man who walked into the lobby of a west side police station with a BB gun in a plastic bag with just the barrel sticking out. When he raised the weapon, the officers responded as trained and he was shot in the arm. The moron told the bond court that he was just trying to get the officer's attention, Well, he got it.

                                                                   *******

If you like shooting stars/meteors and don't mind missing a little sleep, then Friday morning starting around 3 a.m., 15-20 meteors per hour will be in the night sky. The moon will be just a sliver so these bits of Halley's Comet should be very visible. Enjoy!

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DANGER! DANGER! A New York City man was arrested for smuggling three BURMESE PYTHONS in his pants as he crossed the border from Canada into the United States. I'm still trying to figure this out because this type of python is one of the world's largest snakes and is listed as being 'extremely injurious to human beings' and this Einstein had three dancing by his pee-pee. To quote the guy in the attic commercial, "Nope. No thank you." 

                                                               *******

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Starting October 1, GOODWILL now offers over 100,000 donated items online and they hope to have that number over one million in a couple of years. I wonder if that will mean the eventual end of the brick & mortar stores?

                                                                  *******

OK, it's time for lunch. ENJOY THIS WEEKEND WITH FORECAST TEMPS IN THE 70'S Friday thru Monday! I'll take it even if there 5 degrees off. Stay safe and out of the city.

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

It's been awhile so this may take two editions to empty my desk so let's start with baseball. HOLY CRAPOLA, BATMAN! What a two weeks of playoff baseball that started with the highly rated NEW YORK METS heading south for the winter, losing in 3 to a revitalized PHILADELPHIA team, who then went on to eliminate the defending world champion ATLANTA BRAVES in 4 games, despite the Braves winning 101 regular season games.

Win over 100 games in the regular season? Who cares? Want the recipe for "heading home for the winter" chili? Start with one cup of Atlanta followed by a teaspoon of NEW YORK MET and then follow that with a heavy dose of LOS ANGELES DODGER and a sprinkling of division winning CARDINALS but stir quickly because they disappear quickly in October. Other than the division winning Cardinals. they all won over 100 games.

So we're left with the cheating HOUSTON ASTROS, SAN DIEGO PADRES, the PHILLIES and the winner of tonight's game between the NEW YORK YANKEES and the CLEVELAND INDIANS. No matter what, we'll have a new world champ and that's always good for the sport.

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JOSE ABREU to the CUBS? I hear rumblings......the WHITE SOX have far too many young players that can play 1st base and Abreu's numbers are down, especially his power numbers but those would definitely climb playing at Wrigley. Jose is 35 or 38 or 42, depending on who you talk to at the Havana city hall but the cubs would also be buying his leadership which is sorely needed in their clubhouse. Think about it..........

                                                                        *******

DON'T FORGET THE NEW CHANGES IN BASEBALL FOR NEXT YEAR!! Bigger bases, only 2 throws over the first base by the pitcher, the defensive shift/overload goes bye-bye, no stepping out of the box unless you've swung at the prior pitch and free beer at the ball parks! (just wanted to see if you were reading closely)

                                                                     *******

I cannot tell you how happy I am that TONY LARUSSA is adios. Hiring a manager who has been out of the game for ten years was simply STUPID and JERRY REINSDORF should be giving serious thought to handing over the reins of the organization to someone much younger who is not hung up on blind loyalty. And as far as a new manager....PLEASE.....anyone but JOEY GASBAG aka joe maddon. We don't need dancing monkeys on the south side or nerd night or hippie buses or any of that other crap he brings with him. PUH-LEEZE no joey gasbag.

If I was the GM.......... ABREU, MICHAEL KOPECH & YASMANI GRANDAHL would be heading to new locations. 

                                                                       *******

Remember the outrage from cub fans when they traded 'the core' last July? JAVY BAEZ hit .238 with half the home runs he hit last year. KRIS BRYANT signed a monster contract with the COLORADO ROCKIES and then was injured most of the year.....hit .306 in just 62 games and 5 home runs but NOT 1 HOME RUN IN COLORADO. Your mom could hit one out in that thin air. 

CRAIG KIMBREL SUCKED with the WHITE SOX and then sucked so bad with the DODGERS that they left him off the post season roster. This bum is 34 and hasn't been an elite pitcher the last 4 years. Even ANTHONY RIZZO is struggling by hitting .224 with the YANKEES but the short right field fence got him 32 dingers and he's affordable at 16 million so the yankees may keep him around.

The Cubs made the absolutely correct decision by taking out the trash before they lost all value on the trade market.

                                                        *******

Ok, that's it for now. more to come.

ODDS & ENDS

This Friday would have been my father's 100th birthday and recently, i spoke with my childhood friend Patti and we laughed about her dad & mine (Ray & Bill were buddies) and how they would have handled computers, cell phones, texting, bottled water and the language on cable tv channels. Not to mention the current salaries in the sports world plus the hairdos and tattoos of the ball players along with wondering why there were no more phone booths or hard wire home phones. And this list goes on & on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

     *******  

The Queen is dead and millions of loyal subjects mourned her as she made her final trip through the streets of England. Although mostly ceremonial, she was revered in most of the world for 70 years and no matter how you cut it, that's a long time to be in power . R.I.P.

                                                                             *******

Another trump supporter from Illinois has pleaded guilty to a felony related to the attempted overthrow of the government so he's looking at 5 years plus fines. Over 800 have been charged and almost 400 have either pled guilty or been found guilty at trial. NO ONE has been acquitted. Gotta love it especially when they're stupid enough to post their illegal activities on video and various social media outlets which makes it a slam dunk in court.

                                                                             *******

How do you feel about prisoners getting their college degrees including masters, at Northwestern University? They benefit from a grant not available to you or me so a hard working law abiding student can only go part-time because that's all he can afford but murderers, armed robbers and major drug dealers get a free ride to that diploma. And exactly what are they going to do with it upon release? Discuss.

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R KELLY?   BOOM!   GUILTY AGAIN.

                                                                             *******

Jay Halstead leaving Chicago P.D.?? Say it ain't so. This is his tenth and final year on the highly rated police drama and actor Jesse Lee Soffer says that it's been an honor but it's time to try something else. Good for him and safe travels.

                                                                             *******

Traffic fatalities in Illinois are up 24% and distracted driving appears to be the main cause. "One eye on the road and the other on their phone is a recipe for disaster and when you combine this with impaired driving, it's no wonder that deaths are spiking," according to the Urban Transportation Center. 

                                                                               *******

Are the Bears going to screw up the new stadium in Arlington Heights? I certainly hope not but there's an awful lot of negative comments coming from different meetings and organizations. This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNIY for long suffering Bears fans to be elevated from that current hell hole situated on the lake. And no, Mayor Lightfoot, a coat of paint won't make everything all better at Soldier Field.

                                                                              *******

What to do with homeless people? Discuss.

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Texas Governor Abbott has now been elevated to the '5 people I want to punch in the face' list. You made your point by sending the first bus of immigrants to Chicago but now stop. Using these people as political pawns is disgusting.

                                                                               *******

the list? Ok, here is the current list.

GREG ABBOTT

DONALD TRUMP

JAVY BAEZ

MATT NAGY

ALEC BALDWIN

                                                                             *******

I thought I saw the top of my desk but maybe not. More later. Have a great week!

 

NOTHING BUT GOOD NEWS

 Hey, it's been awhile so let's clear up the pile of news collecting on my desk and give you something to think about and discuss.

This is NOT the sports blog but how can you not feel good when both the Packers AND Notre Dame lose on the same weekend?    😃

Ok, now real stuff that makes you feel good. R. Kelly's Chicago trial will go to the jury soon as the defense has rested it's case. Kelly already has 30 years to serve in New York and that might be matched in Illinois courts but then it's on to Minnesota for more charges. Perfect.

                                                                  *******

The struggle over what statues to save and which to take down has re-kindled with the upcoming Columbus Day holiday. over Christopher Columbus. We all know the good stuff about Columbus but he also dealt in slavery and kidnapping. I understand the negative thought process but I just finished a book on General Grant and his wife's family had MANY slaves that waited on her and the kids hand and foot while the big guy was off fighting wars and Grant himself was a guest several times at the in-laws house and also received attention from the slaves also. Sooooooo, do we take down the statues in Grant Park???

And while we're on the topic, Mary Todd's family also had many slaves and her husband, Abe Lincoln stayed there 3 weeks in 1847 after his marriage to Ms. Todd and "was treated like a king" during his stay. I think the Lincoln Memorial is toast.

Let's not forget our first president George Washington bought his first slave at the age of ELEVEN and had dozens and dozens of slaves until he released all of them via his last will and testament but he enjoyed their services while he was alive. So I think that shoots Presidents Day all to hell.

My point is a simple one that I've made before. Keep the statues and LEARN from them. Teach students that Robert E Lee was a great general as was Grant but also teach them about how people had slaves to run the plantations and farms. Was slavery wrong? ABSOLUTELY. Is it a part of history? again, Absolutely. You can't erase what happened by throwing statues into the lake but you can learn from history to make sure it never happens again.

                                                                  *******

Do you understand the current craze of "drifting?" It's when young people block off streets and then high powered cars 'light them up' by doing wheelies at the intersection, resurrecting what we used to call 'burning rubber.' 

Now the city police and Mayor Lightfoot don't take these type of shenanigans lightly but initially, they would just arrive and send the 'yutes' on their way, no harm no foul BUT recently the moron faction has taken over the drifting and when the police arrived two weeks ago, bottles and rocks were thrown at the squad cars and one future convict jumped on the hood and kicked in the windshield of the squad. And then the nice police disappeared.

Enter new rules and regulations featuring 'zero tolerance' that saw the arrest of 3 drivers two weeks ago and the impounding of 5 cars at $300 per day plus $65 a day storage. Amazingly, I haven't read or heard of any more drifting events since then.

                                                                    *******

I don't have monkeypox or covid. Hooray for me.

                                                                        *******

R.I.P. to Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the former Soviet Union who was responsible for ending the cold war and tearing down the Berlin Wall, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. "Gorby" was 91.

                                                                         *******

Hard to believe but Sir Paul McCartney is 80 years old. So are Simon & Garfunkel, Carole King, Harrison Ford, Barbra Streisand, Brian Wilson (beach boys), Wayne Newton and Chubby Checker. Admit it. Reading that list made you stop and think for a second.

                                                                          *******

Average cost of yearly college tuition and mandatory fees? $17,000 but that doesn't include room & board. ouch.

                                                                           *******

600,000 electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. last year and California has announced that beginning in 13 more years, gas powered cars will not be allowed in the state. My nephew drives a Tesla and I absolutely love it. Quiet and powerful with plenty of leg room because there's no engine to take up space. 

Expensive? Initially, it took $70k to bring one home but now that other makers are involved, they're getting much cheaper. Chevy has an SUV coming out in 2023 for 30k, the Nissan Leaf is 27k and the Mazda MX-30 sells for 33k.

Now some of these models only have a range of 150 miles BUT your average car trip is just 15 miles so as long as you plug it in at the end of the day, you'll always be good to go.

                                                                 *******

The shortages of police officers in Chicago has reached emergency status. They are currently short 1,400 sworn vacancies and 1,000 retirements this year will be the most in history but the academy is only graduating about 600 new officers this year which means the deficit will continue to grow despite a starting salary of $54,000 that increases to $82,000 after your 18 month probation is over.

Not a bad paycheck but working in an understaffed department can be VERY hazardous to your health with forced overtime, cancelled days off and postponed vacations. The citizens should be screaming about this because it's their neighborhood that will be lacking in patrol with increased response time and nobody wants that.

                                                                        *******

Enough for now. Enjoy the fall weather and the FIRST PLACE CHICAGO BEARS. 😵

ODDS & ENDS

 Let's start off with news from the dirt bag department:

The 3 degenerate hillbillies who hunted down AHMAUD ARBERY will have their fates sealed today in federal court *****and as I'm typing this****** TRAVIS McMICHAEL was sentenced to life in prison PLUS ten years. The extra ten is to make sure he never gets out of prison because that sentence doesn't begin until the life sentence ends. See what the judge did there?😁 Although the federal time is largely symbolic, it slams the door permanently on the killers because all have been previously sentenced to life without parole in state court.

Now poor Mr. McMichael is concerned for his health if he goes to a state prison because he feels the local populace will kill him so he has petitioned the courts to serve his sentence in federal prison but his problem is the state of Georgia tried him first so they have "dibs" plus the administrator of the state prison has already stated that they are well equipped to handle a prisoner of such notoriety. Talk about hearing things that go bump in the night.....for the rest of your life.😟  

                                                            *******

Continuing in the dirt bag department, convicted pedophile R. KELLY gets his day in Chicago court starting on the 15th for numerous sexual offenses. After Chicago, he heads to Minnesota for even more charges. When is enough enough? Never if the prosecutors all want a pound of flesh to appease the victims and their families. At 55, Kelly is also doomed to a life behind bars. Good riddance.😄

                                                             *******

I know that I've been harping about your safety in Chicago but did you see the recent crime stats regarding the CTA and also carjackings? HIGHEST CTA VIOLENT CRIMES in 10 years!! In the past week, a rider was accosted by SIX ghetto thugs and stabbed several times before HE STABBED three of them and then another rider was shot to death on the red line and Friday, a passenger waiting for a train was pushed off the platform onto the tracks in what could have been a tragedy.

CTA CRIME UP 26%. CARJACKINGS UP 123%     Still want to visit Chicago?

Here's the best explanation yet from beleaguered Mayor LORI LIGHTFOOT: "Most of these carjackings are done by juveniles. We just need to find something for them to do to get their minds off street crime."   Arrrrgggggh. What an idiot.   Hey homey, wanna join the chess club?? These thugs are thugs and will stay that way until dead or in prison. My source says 98% of the jacks are done by blacks.

Both the Mayor and Police Boss Brown were thumping their chests the other day when they claim violent crime was down. ?????? I'm not sure how to react to something that is obviously watered down but read one more sentence below.

Here's your final stat regarding crime and this came from an active anonymous member of the police department. Of the last 88 shooting victims in our lovely city, 78 have been black, 7 brown, 1 Asian and 2 white. Feel free to discuss over dinner which neighborhoods need more enforcement.

                                                               *******

DUMB NEWS: HONOLULU HIGH SCHOOL changed it's name to William McKinley High School back in 1907 to honor the president who brought them in as citizens but now they want to change it back. Why? Did McKinley own slaves? No. Did he have illegals working in the yard at his home? No. Did he have an affair with an island girl? Still no.

Our 35th president was guilty of annexing Hawaii in 1898 and declaring that all citizens of the islands immediately became U.S. citizens with access to all benefits of every other citizen in the United States. HOW DARE HE?? In addition, the islanders were allowed to seat their own governor through the election process. HOW DARE HE AGAIN???

The islands were annexed during the Spanish-American War of 1898 as a strategic move to protect the waterways. But now there is a rush to return the school to it's original name.   P.S.  The same people are trying to change the name of PEARL HARBOR to PUULOA. How's that sit with you? Next, they'll want to tow the U.S. ARIZONA out of the bay

                                                           *******

Get ready to move your kids to the MARSHALL, NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICT for the upcoming school year because EVERY school will be equipped with AR-15 automatic rifles for the SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER to protect the students. Two or three particulars caught my eye.....The rifle will be locked in a safe but what happens if the SRO is unavailable? Will administrators ALSO have the key? and will they be trained with the weapon? Is the rifle loaded at all times?  I guarantee you the bad guy will head to the offices first to neutralize the threat of the principal because EVERYONE knows the school is armed and he probably has the key/combo.

I get the reaction after the Texas massacre but tread lightly, North Carolina.

                                                                         *******

Finally, MAJOR SCUM ALEX JONES, radio talk show host who said over and over again that the SANDY HOOK SCHOOL SHOOTINGS were "fake and a hoax and nobody died because it was all an act" was ordered to pay a total of 49.3 million dollars to the parents of one of the victims. Jones also faces numerous lawsuits from other parents and is also under subpoena to the house committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.

Sleep well, Alex

                                                                   *******

Ok, that was a lot of crappy news but I promise the next one will be much lighter. Stay Safe AND DON'T GO TO CHICAGO. Adios.

THE DOG DAYS HAVE ARRIVED

 MLB is suffering from runaway division races as three of them have been wrapped up since the 4th of July and the METS have recently opened up a 6 1/2 game lead in the NL EAST so that leaves just the Central Divisions of both leagues. 

In the AL, all three teams who are in the running, including the White Sox, basically SUCK and the first team that wins 6 or 7 in a row will ring the bell but I don't think that's happening anytime soon. The 1st place Twins are 27-28 since July 1.  UGH.

 Now the CARDINALS in the NL Central apparently heard what I said as they just finished sweeping the Yankees for their 7th win in a row which allowed them to erase a 4 game deficit and pass up the Brewers.

                                                                       *******

I so much want to punch MICHAEL KOPECH in the face. EVERY TIME the Sox have a chance to knock on the door, pony tail boy melts like a cheap candle. Struggles in the early innings and puts the Sox behind the 8-ball and rarely gets out of the 5th inning.

Also on my punch list is TONY LaRUSSA for a variety of reasons. How do you keep a third baseman in the starting lineup when he's hitting .198? I guess so you can bookend him with a catcher whose average is .193, which means you're giving up SIX automatic outs every game which means you're only batting 7 times instead of 9.

                                                                   *******

The San Diego Padres have the UGLIEST UNIFORMS, home & away, in all of baseball including little league and park district intramurals. What were they thinking? The best are simple: Yankees home, Dodgers home and the new White Sox 'southside' home black uniforms. No discussion needed.

                                                                   *******

No thanks, I'll pass on $450 million dollars. What? Just one injury............😧😧😵

                                                                *******

The Cubs are now in a Texas death match with the Reds and the Pirates for the worst team in the central and the 2nd worse in the national league. The north siders recently grabbed the top spot after spitting up 7 of their last 10.

 And please explain to me how you don't trade either Contreras or Happ for a handful of prospects when you're in line to lose 94 games? And now Contreras walks away at the end of the year and the Cubs get ONE draft choice. GM JED HOYER needs to travel with LaRussa when the season is over.

                                                            *******

Ok, props to the Chicago Sky who are poised to make another run at the WNBA title.

                                                         *******

And the BEARS are sailing along so smoothly at practice that it's hard to believe the Super Bowl is not within their reach 🙈🙉🙊!! 

                                                                *******

Nothing to report on the BLACKHAWKS other than they followed the Cubs in gutting their team but at least they admit they're rebuilding. The BULLS have gone underground for the summer.

                                                                  *******

See you in a few. Stay safe and out of Chicago.

HAPPY JULY!

After that terrible ruling by the high court last week, this has been a pretty good week for positive things to happen.

 First, R. KELLY got exactly what he deserved with a 30 year prison sentence for all those horrible things he did to underage girls. And now the scumbag faces more charges in both Chicago & Minnesota. Enjoy your vacation.

                                                   *******

In an unrelated BUT SIMILAR case, jet setting socialite GHISLAINE MAXWELL was sentenced to twenty years for sex trafficking, transporting a minor for sex acts and conspiracy. You might remember that maxwell was the confidante and co-defendant of JEFFREY EPSTEIN and helped groom the underage girls for epstein's pleasure. Epstein did everyone a favor by killing himself while awaiting trial.

                                                  *******

The guy that wore the clown mask while setting fire to a squad car in Chicago got a three year federal prison sentence. In a move that made me smile (AGAIN!), trump supporter and admitted arsonist TIMOTHY O'DONNELL was described by his attorneys as "thoughtful, creative and non-violent." The judge's immediate response was "he set a squad car on fire!!" which seemed to immediately negate the pleas for mercy. O'donnell has been in federal lock-up for two years so only has a few months left to serve but score one for the good guys. 

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 A short follow up to the Asian carp dilemma. They've changed the name to COPI in hopes that you'll order some from your local fish market. Let me know if the new name makes it taste any better.😝

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You knew RICHARD IRVIN was in trouble for the gubernatorial primary when a week before the election,  his main benefactor KEN GRIFFIN announced his was moving both his family and his business out of Illinois and down to the Miami area. Griffin gambled on Irvin to the tune of $53 million in donations but when the polls clearly indicated that Irvin was going to get crushed, Griffin said 'enough is enough' and pulled up stakes a week before the election. Ah, politics. BTW, Irvin got crushed and finished third.

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• The winner in the above race was downstate right wing radical DARREN BAILEY whose beliefs include: 

the right to bear arms includes assault weapons 

anti-abortion laws are absolute including rape and incest

masks 'were ridiculous for clean living people'

I think you get the picture. Oh, by the way, he is not going to release his tax returns. What in hell does a farmer have to hide?

                                                   *******

One of the most attention getting quotes I've read in a long time was from a grieving father whose son was gunned down recently in the cesspool. "LIVING IN CHICAGO SHOULD NOT COME WITH A DEATH SENTENCE" but the truth of the matter is that you are simply out of your mind if you think YOUR family members are exempt from the everyday violence. GET OUT of Chicago.

                                                      *******

My most recent survey showed that 19 of 24 businesses along Rollins Road had "help wanted" signs in the window. Where are all the workers? $14, 15, 16 and even $19 per hour are waiting for the next person to walk in the door. Food servers getting nine bucks an hour PLUS all their tips???!!!!??? 

I spoke with one of the managers and he said that " Millenials are not interested in ANY type of physical labor but if you put them in front of a keyboard, they might consider the job.....if you start them at a salary of sixty thousand."

But how are these people living???

                                                     *******

Hey, STARTING TODAY.......no more tax on groceries for the next year!!! It figures that I went shopping yesterday.

                                                    *******

Finally, it's supposed to be a beautiful holiday weekend for a change so be safe and leave the fireworks to the guys who get paid to do it. AND STAY OUT OF CHICAGO!!

  

JUST ODDS & ENDS

Ok, let's start with something nice. I saw my first lightning bug tonight and it was exactly that.....one. I'm sure many of you remember back when you were kids, it was quite different. Growing up in west suburban Northlake, it was a rite of summer to run around with a mason jar and capture as many as you could before your parents told you it was time to go in the house. Each jar had a screw-on cover which was punctured with many air holes (normally done by your dad with an ice pick because it was too dangerous for kids) and in the morning you would check the jar to see if any survived the night. Not many but we did it again the next night. Where have they all gone??

By the way, what ever happened to ice picks?

Helicopters to pursue car jackers? I'm confused because the ghetto rats normally point a gun at you when you're stopped at the intersection and then they take your money and cell phone before driving off. How & when do the copters get involved? This rivals in stupidity Mayor Lightfoot's idea to seize the property of gang members ............who never put anything in their name. Duh.

Congratulations to the city for recognizing that suicide is a growing problem with first responders and they are changing the insurance package to assist the survivors. Now the family will receive one year's salary plus extended family insurance. Leading cause of police officers deaths the last four years? covid-19. Second leading cause? suicide.

The city of Chicago is once again tying the hands of police officers regarding foot pursuits of the ghetto rats. Before....you pull your squad over to talk to the maggots and they take off running....you chase them and find out why they ran. New policy? You can't chase them. Just let them disappear into the night. WTF?? I guarantee you that 'field stops' will become a thing of the past because nobody wants to be dis-respected like that.  Stupid.

The Democrats will get absolutely destroyed in the mid-term elections.

Our good buddy R. KELLY gets sentenced in New York on June 29th. Can't wait. I'm guessing 27 years which will be the same as a death sentence. And he still has serious charges pending in Chicago.

ANOTHER grocery store located in a ghetto neighborhood closed it's doors on June 12th, citing declining sales and 'repeated' burglaries. 'Nuff said.  Aldi's closing follows Bank of America, CVS, Save a Lot, Chase Band and Whole Foods folding their tents and escaping the west and south sides. Gee, I wonder why they're all leaving?

Ever eaten carp? I did about 5 years ago and while the taste is best described as 'interesting' and 'different', I did not go back for seconds. Asian carp is a problem in the Illinois River and the DNR is spending $600,000 in publicity to get people to try it and hopefully like it. Have you ever looked at a carp? UGLY. 

I still don't understand crypto cash and want nothing to do with it. I like dollars in my hand and I just can't invest in some imaginary money that I can't see or hold and have no idea how it gains and loses value. I just read that a single bit coin went from $69,000 down to $20,000 in a very short time. I would rather sit down at a poker table.

Uvalde, Texas is a mess and has been from start to present. Every day, more information is released that makes the police look like cowards and also unprepared for an emergency. The Chief was put on leave today and look for more reckoning down the road.

My friend Tony and I disagreed on the Ukraine situation from the start. Tony felt they were being very brave in standing up to the Russians but I felt that they should surrender immediately and save their country. Have you seen pictures of their country lately? Total devastation. 140 million ALWAYS beats 40 million and recently, armament sent by the U.S. was destroyed by missiles because it was just sitting unused because they don't have enough soldiers versed in how to operate the cannons. I feel sorry for the people of that country but enough is enough.

Did you see Joe Biden fall off his bicycle the other day? Looked just like me when I bought my brother's Yamaha 650. Laid it down the second day I had it. Ah, memories.

My new car? Coming along just fine but I just found out it can park itself just like commercials on tv. I have zero idea how it works so a trip to the dealership is in my near future. 22.5 MPG which beats the Explorer's 14.8 and at $6 a gallon, I'll take it.

Did you read about the lady in northern California who is charging $10 a gallon? Her excuse is that she is an independent who only sells gas so that price is justified. I'm just wondering if she'll be receiving a visit from the feds to explain her price gouging. What a jerk.

Amazon music for $4.99 a month is a super bargain and beats the hell out of Sirius by about 9 bucks a month. I think you have to be a Prime member. Enjoy.

I get Juneteenth but I still don't understand reparations for something that happened 150 years ago, which is 5 generations. EXACTLY how does slavery back then qualify someone today for a cash payout? How were they affected by something that happened 5 generations ago? It makes absolutely no sense to me.  Kind of like wiping out student loans. Why? 

Summer is officially here and I want to wish EVERYONE a safe and happy season. Enjoy the weather and the 4th of July and remember to AVOID CHICAGO. Violence is part of everyday life in Chicago so don't become part of it.

I'm in the gazebo almost every night listening to music and looking for lightning bugs but if you want to stop, I welcome your visit. Just phone first.

That's it for now. MANTENTE A SALVO Y DISFRUTA DEL VERANO!! 😁