Quick Stops

Holy crap!  NBC is gutting the male cast of Smash.  It'll be very, very interesting to see how they 'splain all this away.
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Reminder:  Kodak Gallery is closing.  They're shifting all photos stored there onto Shutterfly.com, but any projects you have in process will not be moved.  You must complete your project and order before noon tomorrow.
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If you're a home owner in Cook County, you'll want to read this to get a great idea of just what your taxes are going for this year.
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I'm off to Ravinia to see this guy:



Sure wish my pal from the Northwoods hadn't missed his flight!  He's going to miss a wonderful show.  (And we're going to miss his company.)

Quick Stops

Karma kicks in:

A convicted felon chose the wrong victim when he tried to rob an MMA fighter Friday night on the Southwest Side and ended up with two black eyes and a gunshot wound to the ankle.

I laughed and laughed!
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On the other hand, this news is a big old bummer:

Longtime WGN-720 AM Radio overnight co-hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putman are ending their 26-year run.

Their final show will air Friday.

Now where am I going to find cool new music? Steve and Johnnie have been a constant source of good stuff (and have been big cheerleaders of my friend Lisa McClowrey's for a long, long time)!
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If I wasn't so darned happy with the way she's running Cook County, I'd be advocating for Toni Preckwinkle for President:

She’s publicly criticized Gov. Pat Quinn, battled with the sheriff over budget cuts and even taken a jab at President Barack Obama’s signature health-care plan.

Her critics, and even some of her fans, say the 64-year-old Toni Preckwinkle, president of Cook County Board, can be abrupt, even “autocratic” — a throwback to the iron-fist rule of the so-called machine Democrats that ruled the county for decades.

But feather-ruffling aside, Preckwinkle has managed to shepherd through two balanced budgets, advance a socially liberal agenda and even make a few power grabs — all with the support of the county board.

And she’s done it all in a year’s time, after taking office last Dec. 6 on a platform of reform and transparency following the ouster of past president Todd Stroger.

See what I mean?

Drive-Bys

Just how gullible can some women be?

An 81-year-old man who posed as a doctor so he could con his way into women's homes and perform fake breast examinations has struck a plea deal with prosecutors, narrowly escaping spending the rest of his lief in prison.

Phillip Winikoff, from Coconut Creek, Florida, was accused of carrying out the pretence with a black doctor's bag in April 2006 at an apartment complex in Fort Lauderdale.

Two women are said to have fallen for his ruse and allowed him into their apartment.

The first victim, a 36-year-old, said once Winikoff was inside her apartment, he 'touched her breast'. She realised something was wrong when he moved his hand down into her pants and fondled her.

By the time the victim called 911, Winikoff had already found a second victim, the sheriff's office said.

Seriously???
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Speaking of seriously, how has this managed to have gone unaddressed for so long?

Cook County Forest Preserve District workers soon will be getting e-mail addresses, performance reviews and clear descriptions of their jobs.

The lack of decent technology is bad enough, but the no performance reviews? No job descriptions? That's just plain nuts. (And that's government Chicago-style for you!)
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For those of you that think Hillary Clinton running for Veep alongside Obama is a good idea, keep in mind her "good" judgment:

"I do not think it's even in the realm of possibility, and in large measure because I think Vice President Biden has done an amazingly good job."

That ranks right up there with, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
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I've been beating the drum on this topic for years.

In the movies, you know the seemingly mismatched couple are really soulmates when they perform karaoke and both miraculously know the words to some obscure song. All their problems melt away, and confessions of undying love and marriage on the beach swiftly follow.

The inference is that once you find your soulmate, there are no rows and you will be unquestionably accepted for who you are. No wonder everyone wants one — particularly this generation, many of whom had a front-row seat for their parents’ divorce.

Obviously, we need to believe that something will save us from repeating our parents’ mistakes — so the idea that soulmates exist is very attractive. Sadly, it’s totally devoid of realism.

Did they listen to me? Noooooooooooooo. And nobody will pay any attention to this article, either.

Lest you think I lack a romantic soul, however, keep in mind that several of my close friends also thought I was nuts when I arranged for two crazy kids to meet back in 2007. In 2008, those same friends had to eat their words. And guess what?


(Click to embiggen, and check the left hand.)



Nanny-nanny boo-boo to you!
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Drive-Bys

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Monday moved to clean up a scandal at a forest preserve district pool involving theft and unethical employee behavior that took place on her predecessor's watch.

Calling the forest preserve district "an area of county government that has historically been overlooked," Preckwinkle said the new oversight includes additional security cameras, a new cash and credit card system, wireless access for supervision and a new employee-training program with ethics lessons.

"From my first day in office, I've made a pledge to hold my administration accountable to four key principals: fiscal responsibility, innovative leadership, transparency and accountability and improved services," she said. "These measures reflect our commitment to a new standard of oversight and accountability."

My girl-crush on her continues unabated. She promised and she's delivering.
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Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are investigating whether numerous smartphone applications illegally obtained or transmitted information about their users without proper disclosures, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The criminal investigation is examining whether the app makers fully described to users the types of data they collected and why they needed the information — such as a user’s location or a unique identifier for the phone — the person familiar with the matter said. Collecting information about a user without proper notice or authorization could violate a federal computer-fraud law.

Yikes! Maybe it's not so bad that I've hung on to my Luddite Nokia phone after all...
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Like to travel but short on the moo-la-la? Try these four tips for flying cheaper.
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From my own best pal, Mr. Bill, this funny joke:

Best friends graduated from medical school at the same time and decided that, in spite of two different specialties, they would open a practice together to share office space and personnel.

Dr. Smith was the psychiatrist, and Dr. Jones was the proctologist.

They put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors." The town council was livid, and insisted they change it.

So, the docs changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids." This was also not acceptable.

Again they changed the sign. "Catatonics and High Colonics"...... No go.

Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives".... Thumbs down again.

Then came "Minds and Behinds".... Still no good.

Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes".... Unacceptable again!

So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts".... Not a chance.

"Nuts and Butts".... No way.

"Freaks and Cheeks".... No good.

"Loons and Moons".... Forget it.

Almost at their wit's end, the docs finally came up with:

"Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones--Odds and Ends"

Everyone loved it.

[Including me!]
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Giggle of the Day:


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Spit-Take of the Day:


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Drive-Bys

I admit it -- I have a girl-crush:

"We have to make county government more efficient. We have to figure out how to provide good service to people with fewer resources," Preckwinkle said. "We're clearly going to have to consolidate services. We're going to have to do more shared purchases and be more intelligent about our purchasing."

Of the 37 initiatives Preckwinkle outlined after being sworn into office, 11 already have been completed, including the final rollback of predecessor Todd Stroger's unpopular sales tax increase, her office said. The county sales tax will drop by a quarter-cent in January 2012 and go down by another quarter-cent in January 2013.

Preckwinkle also has suspended all nonessential construction projects and purchasing, consolidated offices, and reduced payroll.

I heart her.
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The city of Chicago has finally allowed food trucks to do more than deliver more than pizza, coffee and danish pastries. Today I tried the empanadas from 5411 and they really rocked.

Next on the list? Meatyballs, Mac & Cheese, Tamales and Naan-wiches. Yum!
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Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

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Aaarrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Of course I find this and this when I can't have any bacon, dammit!
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Lest you think that I think that all Democrats are profligate wasters... I luuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrvvvve me some Toni Preckwinkle:

"[I]f we don’t impose some discipline on the county now it just gets harder and harder going forward. We need to make our plans and figure out how we’re going to provide services in an environment in which resources are less. That’s just how it is."

Let her run for President and she'll have my vote. That woman's got balls of titanium and she ain't afraid to whip 'em out!
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Quote of the Day:

“Older people are not just wrinkly adults. They have totally different needs.”

Ain't that the truth?
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In honor of St. Paddy's Day, here's a little Irish earworm for you:

Saturday Ramblings

Okay, I lied. Blame it on my Barstool Blog Son, but you've got to go here for a little "Cooking with Peeps." And, whatever you do, do not miss this link to the biggest sugar bomb of all time -- the Easter Turducken.

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If you live in Cook County, IL, I think this is great news:

Forrest Claypool is about to take the biggest risk of his political career. On Tuesday, this columnist has learned, he will declare war on his own Democratic Party and announce that he is running — as an independent — for assessor of Cook County in November against Joseph Berrios.

It takes a lot of guts to buck the Democratic party in this state. I, for one, will be voting for Claypool. He's always been a stand-up guy.

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Ear Worm of the Day:

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Speaking of good news, I let out a hearty "HUZZAH!" when I saw this news:

The co-founder of the Studio 54 nightclub in New York has purchased the Ambassador East hotel and its famous Pump Room restaurant.

Hotel investor Ian Schrager closed on the approximately $25 million deal Thursday, sources said. It amounted to a short sale -- a lender taking less for the property than it was owed.

The 285-room hotel at 1301 N. State Parkway has seen business slip the last few years. Schrager has promised to renovate the property and to restore the Pump Room to prominence.

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What ever happened to creativity? Originality? Certainly it's lacking in Hollywood if this summer's lineup is any indication. (Excepting for Dreamworks and Pixar animated movies, that is. Those are worth seeing.)

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Drive-Bys

Quote of the Day:

It's hooey. But it's fairly well done hooey.

Heh.
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I saw some pretty cool ideas for "repurposing" (hip-speak for reusing) stuff you already have here. While I'm in no way, shape or form a green nut, I'm enough of a true Yankee cheapskate to hate to see useful things go to waste.
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Speaking of waste, if this reporter hadn't gone from school to school for this story, how much more good food would have gone straight into the garbage?

On a cool fall morning in a North Side lunchroom, tiny Chicago Public Schools students lined up for breakfast.

Once in their seats, they fiddled with milk cartons, tore open cereal containers and sipped from their juice cups. But most never got to the waxy apples or unpeeled oranges on their trays.

About 10 minutes later, a lunchroom worker commanded them to toss the rest of their food and get to class.

"If you take any food out of this room," she threatened, "they will stop the whole breakfast program."

I gasped and urged a little girl to keep her untouched orange.

"Just put it in your backpack," I whispered. She looked at me like I was nuts.

Dutifully, the children dumped piles of untouched fruit into plastic bins and walked to class.

That's just nuts, and I'm glad the school district did something positive to stop the waste and feed hungry kids.
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This is a fascinating story, and it will be interesting to see if the Cook County Forest Preserve did indeed have presidential permission to take tribal land. Given that at the time of the taking government frequently played fast and loose with Native American rights, I don't doubt that the family may well be in the legal right here.

Stay tuned!
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Giggle of the Day:


see more dog and puppy pictures

Spell check. I haz it.
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When they straighten out the glitches, I want one of these.