Drive-Bys

It's a trifecta of man vs. train within the past 24 hours:

• One guy on the Pink Line during rush hour (try 'splaining to St. Peter that you met your end on the pink line);
• One guy in San Antonio in the wee hours who traumatized an engineer, but at least didn't screw up rush hour; and,
• A stupid teen who might just get lucky and pull through despite his best efforts to the contrary.

I shudder to think what the totals for man v. train will be here in Chicago by year's end.
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The hippiest, dippiest joint in Chicago appears to be in financial trouble:

The Heartland's financial problems are varied. Some might blame the service or the food. (I like the food.) [I do, too -- especially the fried brown rice.] The bigger problem, James and Hogan say, is the recession. Paying bills with money they didn't have, they accumulated huge overdraft charges. Their bank won't give them credit. Big city license fees are due.

"It's the first time someone could say 'You're not living within your means,'" Hogan said. "It's taken us close to two years to ..."

"Get it," James said.

They get it now. They've made changes they hope will help. And they're hoping that the same trust and instincts that made them shake hands on a far-fetched deal 34 years ago will get them through again.

I hope they do learn the lesson, because that place is a gem. In fact, this song pretty much sums it up:


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Don't blame the mobile phone -- blame the inconsiderate assholes who think their time is more valuable than yours. (And if a friend does it to you more than once, they're not a very good friend.)
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The first in a series of laws designed to completely eradicate smoking and tobacco use in Finland came into effect Friday, including possible prison sentences for selling cigarettes to minors.

Finland is the first country in the world to write into its legislation that it intends not just to reduce smoking but to end all tobacco use through law.

Actually, my argument all along here has been that if it's not illegal to sell them or smoke them, it's pretty hard to say you can smoke them here but you can't smoke them there. Pretty smart, those Finns...
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Seeing "pink testicle" at first glance here, instead of "pink tentacle" means I should think about getting my eyes checked, right? (And not that my Freudian slip is hanging down a mile...)


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What are we heading for here? Oh... maybe this:

Most families who are due to lose their child benefit are worrying about how they'll make ends meet without it.

But for Kelly Marshall, who has five children by four different fathers, the handout has never been about paying for nappies, food and other everyday expenses.

She saved her benefit money to help pay for breast enhancement.

And as many parents envisage tightening their belts after the Tories announced plans to cut the benefit for higher-rate taxpayers, she plans to save more of hers for liposuction and a tummy tuck.

Fasten your seat belts. I predict that attitude will find it's way across "The Pond" soon, if it hasn't done so already.
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