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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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the list? Ok, here is the current list.

GREG ABBOTT

DONALD TRUMP

JAVY BAEZ

MATT NAGY

ALEC BALDWIN

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.😟  

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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.😄

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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???

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

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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!! 😁

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS

My heart filled with joy when JOEY GASBAG got whacked by the California Angels last week. A tremendous underachiever his entire managerial career, players get real tired of his circus act with dancing monkeys and dressing like nerds and other little league stunts like that. 

And before you cub fans start beating the drum about 2016, The Cubs won the world series DESPITE Joey Gasbag's mis-management. Just check out KYLE HENDRICKS being removed despite only giving up one hit, AROLDIS CHAPMAN being pitched in a 9-2 blowout, JAVY BAEZ being told to bunt with two strikes...........It just goes on and on and on..................Good riddance to bad rubbish.

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Have you watched any of the NBA FINALS? I think the Warriors will win it but I think it's pretty obvious that DRAYMOND GREEN would be in prison if not playing in the league. What a thug. He would have fit right in with the old BAD BOY DETROIT PISTONS.

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The NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS begin this week and if you like to see goals scored, this should be the series for you. COLORADO & TAMPA can definitely light it up. I'll take the ROCKIES to beat the two time defending champion LIGHTNING.

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Anybody else smell problems in the Bears' camp? Sackmaster ROBERT QUINN is MIA for the mandatory three day camp and no one is talking. Makes you wonder if Quinn senses the upcoming disaster of a season and would rather be elsewhere................

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TONY LARUSSA needs to gently awakened, taken by the hand and walked to the nearest retirement home then tucked into a rocking chair with a nice warm blanket. 😴 INTENTIONALLY WALKING A GUY WHO HAS TWO STRIKES???!!???😵😫 

Sox fans have put up with this crap long enough and Tony has to go even if he is a good friend of the owner. I'm so tired of his mumbling explanations and copping an attitude when a reporter asks a question. Go home Tony

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Having said that, the WHITE SOX are without a doubt the most disappointing team in MLB and they have two weeks to prove they've shaken the cobwebs and are ready to compete. They play HOUSTON, TORONTO, BALTIMORE and the CALIFORNIA ANGELS starting this Friday. Thirteen games in 13 days and we'll all know their future when they roll into San Francisco on July 1st. Don't hold your breath.

Ok, it's too hot outside to think. more later.