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

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: