Drive-Bys

The only downside of having a grandson, instead of a granddaughter, is that he'd have no appreciation for Nana buying him this adorable set:


Then again, only two figures from the whole set are female so...

Nah. I just can't do that to Mr. Monkey Toes.
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You know how I love me some dealios, and this article has several for the Chicago area for the month of February. (I've proposed to my Sainted SIL that we go to Macellos either before or after Disney on Ice, and I'll be sure to visit the Halsted Street Deli several times for that breakfast deal!)

Also, Goggles4u is having another big sale on spex. When you can get a complete pair or single-vision glasses with coated lenses (lots of cool styles and colors) delivered for $8.99 + $4.99 shipping, you're nuts if you pass up this deal! There are also deals on progressive lenses and designer frames. What are you waiting for?
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Want to see me go weak in the knees? Whisper sweet nothings like:

Also great: the kimchi burger ($6), a glorious glorp that renders both hands a mess with orange chili oil and clear beef juices, its components falling onto the table at first bite. Song's mother makes the kimchi — the cabbage is not overly aggressive, an appropriate 4 on a 1-to-10 pungency scale. Most of the tingle comes from the gochujang mayo, the sweet fermented soybean-chili paste found in every Korean pantry.

For me, the burger's success lies in the buns, a sesame brioche with a gentle crispness surrounding a buttery, airy interior.

Or...

The Philly cheesesteak egg roll ($2) is the unholy confluence of Song's dual-cultural upbringings. I don't apologize about my feelings on this: I would cry foul if the local T.J. McGamer's sports bar served this, but because this comes from an Asian chef, it's as if he — speaking for his race — is giving tacit permission to bastardize the egg roll.

So bastardize on, young man. The deep-fried egg roll, stuffed with chopped rib-eye, grilled onions, white American cheese, and an artful squiggle of ketchup and ranch, is unapologetic bar grub you shake your head while eating, all remorse and grease, but there's no stopping till it's gone.

Be still, my beating heart!
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@MayorEmanuel kicked over the ol' giggle box. I love me some fine political humor!

The Trib's take on this hilarious Twitter feed? "I would look at the @MayorEmanuel account as the social media equivalent of a newspaper cartoon. It gives people a virtual caricature of Rahm."

Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing.
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Heresy!

Bacon has not merely jumped the shark. Bacon has taken all the sharks, stuffed them with cupcakes, ice cream, sausage, lipstick, alarm clocks, and mayonnaise, wrapped them in bacon, deep-fried them, then jumped that. Using a ramp made of bacon.

It's lies, all lies, I tell you!

(A tip of the cap to my green-thumbed pal!)
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Drive-Bys

My Magic Cheezburger and I have awesome predictive powers when I comes to Carol Mosley Braun's chances of landing her butt in the Mayor's chair here in the Windy City.

I'm giving her style points for her latest blooper:

At a debate on Sunday at Trinity United Church of Christ, Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins said Braun was returning to Chicago politics after having been “missing in action and lost somewhere” — and Braun responded by saying, “Patricia, the reason you didn’t know who I was for the last 20 years is because you were strung out on crack. I was not strung out on crack. I don’t have a record.”

Watkins, who has acknowledged using pot and coke as a teenager, says she’s been sober for 25 years and has demanded an apology.More comments from around the town on Braun's

“This says a lot about her character,” Watkins said.

Or lack thereof.

More comments from around the town on Mosely Braun and her big mouth:

• Approximately 20 percent of Chicago voters say they’re planning to vote for Braun. She’s still a huge long shot to upset Rahm Emanuel, but the fact that one of five of my fellow voting citizens believe she’s the best person for the job is more daunting than the Storm of the Century looming over us.
  
• The question, you said Jan. 14, is one of temperament. Thanks for displaying yours now, when voters see it implode.
  
• [T]here was nothing to be gained for Braun by responding with an attack on Van Pelt-Watkins, a minor candidate in all the polling so far. Braun's dwindling hopes depend on softening up and prying away Van Pelt-Watkins supporters, and are further eroded by antagonizing them.
  
• Is it too late to coin the terms "crackusation?"

P.S. -- I asked my Magic Cheezburger what were Mosley Braun's chances of beating out Emanuel and Chico in the mayoral race. Cheezburger sez, "SRY. I EATED IT." (I'll bet you the leaders of the black community that pushed so hard for her to be the "unity" candidate wish they had a Magic Cheezburger of their own and had consulted it a long time ago.)

Update: Ms. Mosley Braun offers up an apology to everyone but the one person she owes it to."

I want to apologize to her, to the congregations and members of Trinity United Church and of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist church and all of the families and friends of those who are or who have been caught up in the tragedy of drug use. I meant no disrespect of the sanctuaries in which campaign tensions spilled over.

She gives the word "ungracious" a whole new face.
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One hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction of black women in Illinois politics is Toni Preckwinkle, on whom I am developing a tremendous girl crush:

“The proposed budget represents the first step of a restructuring of county finances for a long-term plan that will address the structural deficit and lay the groundwork for the rollback of the sales-tax increase,” Preckwinkle said. “We must break the habits that got us here. We must build a new foundation to stabilize our finances.”

You go, girl! (Can we clone her a couple of times and send one to Springfield and the other to the White House???)
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While this news is not good, it does not in the least take away from the fact that a toddler would not be dead if his mother hadn't left him alone to play in the hallway of a hotel while she fooled around with her boyfriend:

A switch used by a 2-year-old boy to open an elevator door before he fell down the shaft last week should have been locked up, Joliet’s chief building inspector said Monday.

David Mackley said the exposed switch in the Plaza Hotel elevator car was a code violation. He told a city council committee that the switch either should have been in a shielded case or the device should have required a key to operate.

This whole mess saddens and enrages me in equal parts.
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Cool Quotes of the Day:

• Roethlisberger is to role model what Snooki Polizzi is to classy.
  
• Sheriff’s Police are ruling out a phone malfunction for the disconnection.
  
• They’ve even narrowed down names for their twins. “They won’t be crazy names like Carburetor or something,” he says. “But they’re definitely unique.”
  
• What the hell is Whoopi wearing? It looks like a Snuggie.

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The last living WWI veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles, turns 110 today. God bless him!
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In the middle of the biggest recession in a long time, Caterpillar's workers take this brilliant step:

Union members at Caterpillar Inc. facilities in Illinois and three other states have authorized the United Auto Workers to strike if necessary.

This is why it took my father-in-law 30 years to get fully vested in a 20 year pension/retirement benefit.
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I'm heading home. Wish me luck.

More later!
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Update: Strike that heading home thingie. I'm on the reception desk until 5:30 p.m. Yahoo.
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Anyone who thinks having the Muslim Brotherhood in charge in Egypt seriously needs to rearrange their thinking:

A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt told the Arabic-language Iranian news network Al-Alam on Monday that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel, according to the Hebrew-language business newspaper Calcalist.

There's your religion of peace for you.

And, by the way...

If Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday.

This is unbelievably awful foreign policy on the part of the U.S.
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Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

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Facebook once again is rolling out something you should know about... and probably don't.

Check your settings, m'kay?
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You mean the glaciers aren't shrinking after all??? (Global warming. It's a beautiful thing.)
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Chocolate-Peanut Spread that not only looks delicious, but is incredibly easy to make.
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What complete idiocy is this?

Moviegoers planning to see “The King’s Speech” after the Oscars might see a different version than what has already been released.

Executive producer Harvey Weinstein is mulling an idea to re-edit the R-rated movie — which received 12 Oscar nominations Tuesday, more than any other film — to get a different rating, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Weinstein, who said he is discussing the idea with director Tom Hooper, is aiming for a PG-13 or even a PG. The move would be part of a marketing strategy intended to up the film’s appeal to a broader swath of moviegoers.

Puh-leeze! Go to the "R" rated version or you'll miss half the fun. (Just ask the Mad Minnesotan.)
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The most sensible (and conservative) article ever to grace the pages of the Chicago Tribune can be found here.

6. We can’t be dependent on the government.

Remember the immortal words of President Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you ... ” Plan for independence, because there is no way our country can take care of all of us as we age. Of course, America has always taken care of the neediest among us, and will always try to do so. But will we have the resources and the growth to provide for everyone? Or will we resort to debt and money printing? And how long will that work?

These past few years should have taught us that government, under both political parties, can’t solve all our problems or fix all our economic suffering. It can only provide the framework for growth that comes from people at every level of our society.

Who knew?
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When even a regular union guy doesn't back the Chicago Teachers Union, you know the public school system is broken:

Bryant Coulter is a firefighter who considers himself a pro-union guy, but prefers non-union charters schools. “I saw five fights while waiting to talk to an assistant principal at the CPS high school my son went to,” said Coulter. The difference was “night and day” after switching to charter schools, he said.

The current head of the teachers union is an asshat, BTW:

Charter schools are just a marketing scheme trying to sell a product that doesn’t work — just like a weight loss gimmick she once fell for. “Guess what?” said Lewis. “I’m still a fat girl.”

Guess what, Karen? Apparently you're half wrong -- you're still fat, I agree.
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The Rahm Emanuel Hokey Pokey is finally over: The Illinois Supreme Court says he can put is left foot in.

Ear Worm of the Day?



That's what it's all about!

Yippee, Skippy!

Rahm's back on the ballot for now:

This is a strong indication that the court will accept the case and, perhaps, of which way the justices are leaning.

Chicago politics -- there's never a dull moment. And I'll bet neither Mr. Chico nor Ms. Mosely-Braun are happy about this news.

Whoa, Nelly!

Breaking News:

The Illinois appellate court has ruled that the Chicago election board's decision that Rahm Emanuel is eligible to be on the ballot should be “reversed,” according to the court.

How much do you want to bet this gets appealed to a higher court?
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Update: More details here.
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Update 2: It's not looking good for Emanuel, even if he files an appeal.

Later, Langdon D. Neal, the elections board chairman, issued a statement: "We're going to press with one less candidate for mayor."

Elections board spokesman Jim Allen said ballots are being printed tonight.

“We’ve basically hit the go button,” Allen said. “We needed to do this on the 18th, we were waiting for this decision. We going to press now, we have to.”

“A candidate who is removed from the ballots by the court’s has until Feb. 15 to file as a write-in,” Allen said.

Ouch!

Drive-Bys

My girl Carol continues to give Chicago voters no reason to vote for her:

Now that former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun has changed her mind and released her federal income tax returns Tuesday, we not only have a clearer understanding of why she wanted to put it off until after the mayoral election but also what may have motivated her to come out of political retirement in the first place.

Simply put, it looks like she needs a job, and these tax returns aren’t going to help her get one on the 5th Floor of City Hall.

Following in the footsteps of Bill Brady and Alexi Giannoulias, Braun neither paid nor owed any federal income taxes for either 2008 or 2009, her returns show.

Business losses wiped out what little income she reported during those years. Unlike either of those other two non-tax-paying candidates, though, there’s not much evidence to suggest Braun has any underlying wealth.

It doesn't indicate any underlying sense of good judgment, either. In fact,

Braun’s tax returns, coupled with the fact she lives in a house encumbered with about $2 million in mortgages (which she has on the market for $1.9 million), would suggest an individual facing serious financial distress.

What does my Magic Cheezburger have to say to Ms. Mosely Braun about these revelations?

"UR DOIN IT WRONG"

This leads me to two questions:

First, when is Jesse Jackson going to figure out she's not likely to be elected and withdraw his support?

According to the trusty Magic Cheezburger: "SOOOON"

Alas, poor Jesse! Once again deprived of the position of Chief Behind-the-Scenes String-Puller of Chicago. And he was just... so... damned... close this time, too.

Second, how much campaign cash has Girlfriend raised already and what does she intend doing with any funds left over if she loses or withdraws from the race? Well, as she's said in the past:

"With this fund-raising being as successful as it is, as God is my witness, I will not go hungry again." -- Moseley-Braun

Oh, Carol! You are the gift that keeps on giving!

(And Danny Davis must either feel like a first class idiot for giving it up for this twit, or like a first class sugar daddy who's managed to pay off her bills with the black community's campaign cash.)

Update: If the Chicago mayoral candidates were cats. Heh.
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This kick board...

... must be an official product of the...

Just saying...
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Doesn't everybody want a super suit?


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I've got to admire a guy who'll tell you the unvarnished truth, even when it's painful:

The faster foreclosures happen, the better it might be for the real estate market, a study from Old Dominion University suggests.

Two researchers used modeling and simulation to examine the lingering impact of foreclosures.

Really?

"The neighbor who is paying the mortgage finds out about their neighbor who isn't, and it creates something called the moral hazard problem," Seiler said. "The paying neighbor asks himself why he should continue paying his mortgage when his neighbor stopped paying a year ago and nothing bad has happened to him. It creates an incentive for people to do a bad behavior, one that's harmful to others in the market. This problem is quickly getting out of control and someone needs to step in."

Seiler likened it to taking off a Band-Aid. It hurts to pull it off quickly, but then it's over. Pulling it off slowly lengthens the pain.

This flies in the face of government programs to slow or stop the foreclosure process and keep people in their homes.

Ouch, indeed.
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Giggle of the Day or Ear Worm of the Day? -- You tell me:


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If you've got to go to the dentist (and I did), this view is a small compensation:

The Jay Pritzger Pavilion, the Bean and the McCormick Tribune Plaza and ice rink, the Lurie Garden and Lake Michigan, all in one shot. Sweet!
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Drive-Bys

Just how smart am I?

Given Braun's history of demonstrably bad judgment, and the fact that Jesse Jackson's filthy fingerprints are all over this turn of events, I'm confident she'll do or say something -- and probably a lot of things -- to get herself blown right out of the race.

And it took less than 24 hours for her to serve up this juicy gem:

Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun today said she won't make her tax returns public before next month's election.

"Because I don't want to," Braun said when asked why she wouldn't be releasing them in the time before the Feb. 22 election.

Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha!!! Keep 'em coming, Carol! Show us how much you really don't want to win the primary, let alone the mayoral race.

(A tip of the cap to Marathon Pundit... and the predictive powers of my Magic Cheezburger.)
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In the interest of making it easy to shop for me for Christmas 2011, I really, really want one of these:


Yes, I throw like a girl. But with one of these, I'd throw like an awesome girl.
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This parody of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" gave me fits of the giggles. Behold just one verse of the whole beautiful thing:

We're numb, we're numb, Emanuel.
Does Carol Moseley Braun still ring a bell?
So Danny's name's the first that will appear
It's him and Gery Chico at the rear.
Your voice, your choice, Emanuel
Stop using words much worse than damn or hell

That's just fabulous!
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New Jersey is going after "unused" gift cards? What's next -- going after your savings accounts because you haven't "used" the money in them?
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Sunday Schedule

Two of my childhood favorites in one!

Fabulous and equally as campy and preposterous as the originals!

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Apparently my recap of my 2010 reading list inspired my pal Mike to do the same. Oddly, there's not a romance or chick lit book in the bunch... (heh).

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I'm starting my 2011 Christmas list early. I want one of these...

... because it's true.

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There are two camera give-aways going on over at photofocus -- first, one for a Mamiya RZ67 Pro IID ProValue Pak film camera; second, for a Canon 5DMKII DSLR camera. The only hitch is you've got to Tweet to win.

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Finally, an alternative to simply warehousing Alzheimers sufferers:

Disregarding typical nursing-home rules, Beatitudes allowed Ms. Nance, 96 and afflicted with Alzheimer’s, to sleep, be bathed and dine whenever she wanted, even at 2 a.m. She could eat anything, too, no matter how unhealthy, including unlimited chocolate.

And she was given a baby doll, a move that seemed so jarring that a supervisor initially objected until she saw how calm Ms. Nance became when she rocked, caressed and fed her “baby,” often agreeing to eat herself after the doll “ate” several spoonfuls.

Dementia patients at Beatitudes are allowed practically anything that brings comfort, even an alcoholic “nip at night,” said Tena Alonzo, director of research. “Whatever your vice is, we’re your folks,” she said.

Sign me up right now.

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The Chicago mayoral race has certainly taken a turn for the weird with Carol Mosely Braun being considered the "unity candidate" for the black community in Chicago. (I'd really like to know what dirt they had on the actual poll leading Danny Davis to get him to back off.) Given Braun's history of demonstrably bad judgment, and the fact that Jesse Jackson's filthy fingerprints are all over this turn of events, I'm confident she'll do or say something -- and probably a lot of things -- to get herself blown right out of the race.

I find it sad that the black community leadership consistently puts forward the same deeply-flawed candidates who have only their own personal interests at heart. Trust me when I say that Jesse didn't make this happen for the good of the black community. He knows he can't get elected himself, so he's flagrantly working to become the power behind the throne.

In the meantime, the media has mostly missed out on this story of how the Latino community in Chicago is doing the exact opposite:

In a private room inside the upscale East Bank Club, a group of young Latino professionals that included staffers from several Chicago mayoral campaigns sat down recently to talk about a shared interest: power and how to get it.

Juan Rangel, co-chairman of Rahm Emanuel's mayoral bid and head of the influential United Neighborhood Organization, stood at the front of the room. Before him, he saw the next generation of Chicago's political leaders, corporate chieftains and cultural tastemakers.

As the city gears up to elect its first new mayor in 21 years, Rangel said Latinos are at a crossroads and, with his UNO colleagues, is preparing up-and-coming professionals for a place at the table, no matter who replaces Richard Daley.

"It's not about being altruistic; put that aside," Rangel, 45, told the 36 smartly dressed men and women who had gathered for a lesson in political hardball through UNO's Metropolitan Leadership Institute. "If you don't have power, you'll never get to first base."

Actually, the Illinois GOP should take a page or two right out of this playbook.
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A belated, but most Happy New Year to you all:

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Drive-Bys

I'm still not back on my A-game, but here are a few goodies for you in the meantime:

They've now wrapped filming on the first season of Game of Thrones. Here's a behind-the-scenes peek that has me positively giddy:



I put the tee-shirt (either one of 'em, actually) on my Christmas list.

Now if George would just get back to finishing A Dance With Dragons, I'd be a completely happy fan girl.
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Also on my Christmas list:
I got this for a couple of my bosses. They've all raved about it and loaded it up immediately. Now I want one for myself!
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Excuse me while I howl with laughter:

Mayoral challenger James Meeks scrambled Thursday to put out a political fire touched off by his suggestion that only African Americans should be eligible for city contracts set aside for minorities and women.

Meeks made the statement on Wednesday during an interview on WVON-AM (1690). It happened during a discussion of why African-American businesses got a 7 percent sliver of Chicago’s $1 billion spending pie through Aug. 31, down from 8 percent a year ago.

“The word ‘minority’ from our standpoint should mean African American. I don’t think women, Asians and Hispanics should be able to use that title,” he said. “That’s why our numbers cannot improve — because we use women, Asians and Hispanics who are not people of color, who are not people who have been discriminated against.”

Hours after making those remarks, Meeks back-tracked by saying he would only exclude white women if elected mayor. The set-aside program currently earmarks 25 percent of all city contracts for minorities and 5 percent for companies owned by women.

Now tell me again who's the racist?

Buh-bye, Reverend Meeks. You just publicly shot your campaign for mayor in the left ass-cheek. (Major style points there, though!)

Update: He clearly doesn't understand the basics of back-pedalling.
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It's bad enough when it happens in the movies. When you've paid good money to see a top-notch play and it completely throws the rhythm of the acting off, it's outrageous:

Just before the end of Edward Albee's “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” a cold and brutal dawn rises over New Carthage. The dangerously destructive nocturnal games of George and Martha are subsumed by their mutual loneliness. In Pam MacKinnon's very arresting and intense Steppenwolf Theatre Company production, which takes its audience on an exhausting voyage through some of the horrors of marital codependency, Tracy Letts' George finally puts his hand gently on the shoulder of Amy Morton's Martha. She puts her head back. He is about to sing, softly. Their nonsense song — “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf, Virginia Woolf” — has become a kind of lifesaving lullaby. On Saturday afternoon, the audience was rapt.

“Are you all right?” asked George of his Martha.

Suddenly, from the back of the house, a boppy, perky, electronic tune rang out in answer to that deeply existential question. Letts and Morton froze. Mouths of audience members dropped open. The phone rang on. And on. And on. Freed from its merciful, muffling confines, it got louder. Instead of staring into the depths of a New Carthage exorcism, we were suddenly transported to a pachinko parlor in Shinjuku.

Make no mistake — the moment was gone forever. Letts and Morton gamely paused and then finished the last minute or so of the play, but this was like a fumble with seconds to go. There was no time for the team to recover. And, at that instant, the ringing cell phone of Saturday, Dec. 11, became the most egregiously timed audience-caused interruption of my entire theatergoing career.

When are people going to learn act like grown-ups and turn their fucking phones off???
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Giggle of the Day:

Drive-Bys

Quote of the Day:

"I've had at least 8 beers, 5 nights in a row. I've got to get out of here....
...So I can get up and do it again tomorrow!"

(And no -- this is not attributable to CharlieDelta... unless he's been in New York City lately...
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Okay, now I'm disappointed:

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who is seeking re-election next week, said today he will not run for Chicago mayor next February.

That stinks, because I think he could have easily won... and I like him.
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Weather Update:

So just how windy was it yesterday? Here are some of the effects of Tuesday's wind and rain storm:

• The wind severely damaged three small planes parked and tied down at DuPage Airport. One plane became unsecured from the straps that held it down and flipped into a parking lot; another came loose from its ties and smashed into a third plane. No one was hurt.
• Willis Tower decided to close its Skydeck observatory and pull in "The Ledge" attraction. The Ledge's four glass boxes, which jut out from the building's 103rd floor, were retracted as a precaution.
• The Chicago Park District closed the Lincoln Park Conservatory on the North Side and the Garfield Park Conservatory on the West Side, which have glass roofs, because of safety concerns.
• Semi-trailer trucks pulling double trailers or other oversized loads were temporarily banned from driving on the Indiana Toll Road.
• Airlines canceled 500 flights at O'Hare Airport, causing ripple effects on travel nationwide.
• The City of Chicago received 408 calls to 311 about tree damage, meaning either a branch or an entire tree came down.

Yep. That's windy alright! And today, while not as bad as yesterday, the wind is still an issue:

The worst appears over, although some more strong winds are expected.

A wind warning is in effect today until 7 p.m. with southwest winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Lets just say it makes for some interesting hair styles...
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My buddy and fellow voracious reader Mike has a Nook and I'm a Kindle kind of gal, which has made for some interesting and spirited discussions about which is superior (e-reader, that is). Mike sent me an email celebrating the news that the new Nook is slightly larger, comes in different colors and has a full color screen. I asked about whether it was back-lit or e-ink, and sure as shootin' it's back-lit.

Here's my take on it -- if you think the iPad is beautiful but all you really want it for is a reader and some basic apps, the new Nook fits the bill and for a hell of a lot cheaper.

That back-lighting thing, though?

"Using a computer is one of the most alerting things you can do. A light on a computer is very strong and right in front of your eyes. A computer will shift your biological clock and run signals to the brain to be on the alert," explains Gill, who cautions to avoid using a computer before bedtime and when you get up because you are unable to sleep.

Bugger! I guess we'll keep holding out for color e-ink...
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Not only is the idea of a treehouse in Manhattan just cool beans, the execution is lovely, too!
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Drive-Bys

"Five percent on millions of dollars of profit creates many jobs . . . As the government gets more and more involved in business and more and more involved in taxes, what you're finding is you're strangling those job-creation vehicles."

Before Greenspon could complete his question, his microphone was cut off and taken out of his hand.

The president disputed Greenspon's statement, saying he's already signed eight pieces of legislation providing small-business tax cuts.

Yessir, President Tin-Ear. That's listening to your constituency and treating them with respect! (And you get extra style points for that nifty microphone grab.)
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Hmmmm. I didn't know this nifty bit of info, and thought I'd share with my fellow deviled egg lovers, too:

The key to perfect deviled eggs is in the selecting and cooking. Buy your eggs a week ahead of cooking so that they will be mature and will be easier to peel. They will also be less likely to crack while cooking. Don't boil the eggs and don't cook them too long. These strategies will avoid tough eggs and those unappetizing gray circles around the yolks.

Very interesting!
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Having lived through not one, but two parents who were in and out of hospitals over time, I found this tip from a Dear Abby reader right on the money:

Please advise your readers that when they send Get Well cards to always use the person's own name -- like, "Betty Jones" instead of "Mrs. John Jones." Also, when sending a card or note to someone in the hospital, put the patient's home address as the return address on the envelope -- not their own. If your readers do this, the person is sure to receive it, even after being discharged from the hospital.

Thank you, Judy from Lorain, OH!
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I think it's fairly obvious that if Rahm Emanuel needs to do a listening tour to find out what's on the minds of folks in Chicago, he's pretty out of touch with the Chicago voting public. Pat Hickey apparently agrees with me. (Spit-take alert)
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Once again academia proves how far outside of the mainstream it really is:

In a proposed resolution, highly-regarded professor Elliott Kaufman suggested that the Faculty Senate ask the board to reconsider its decision, one he said was a conflict-of-interest and "inappropriately influenced by personal and political comments."

He urged board members to "adhere to the ethical constraints that normally govern their meetings."

"Isn't this the new, squeaky-clean, highly-ethical board of trustees? What happened? It is worth airing the laundry here," said Kaufman, who retired last year after serving in numerous faculty leadership positions, in an interview with the Tribune.

"The chair had a conflict of interest and he put the other trustees in an impossible position," Kaufman said. "He drew a dotted line between the assassination of the Kennedy brothers and giving Bill Ayers emeritus status. The result is what we got and I just don't think it was a fair way to do it."

Lurvely, innit?

Drive-Bys

True dat.
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Do you live in Chicago, San Fran, LA or DC and enjoy fine dining, but not the high prices? VillageVines boots up tomorrow. If you're expecting a check of $50 or more for dinner, you might want to give this service a try!
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Apparent suicide???

A man walking his dog this morning near an Evanston middle school discovered a decapitated body, perhaps the result of a pipe bomb explosion, and some hours later police destroyed what they suspected was an explosive device in the vicinity.

And, even better...

Dale Wyatt, 31, told the Tribune that he came across the body about 5:15 a.m. near Nichols Middle School, 800 Greenleaf St.

He said his dog Buddah led him to the body of a shirtless man whose head was missing and whose legs were folded behind him. A shopping bag and a black plastic jug lay nearby, and there was a strong odor of what he thought was gunpowder.

And it gets even better yet...

Police pushed the media back from the area after discovering what appeared to be an explosive device near the body, WGN-Ch. 9 reported about 8:40 a.m. Some residents were being evacuated from their homes. The Cook County sheriff's bomb squad was on the scene.

Suicide? Nah!

It sounds to me like karma was a bitch this morning and there's a new candidate for this year's Darwin Award. (Thank Krishna there were no kids around when the whole mess went down!) I'm guessing our boy was up to no good and fate stepped in to stop whatever evil he was about to perpetrate.
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Remember that sea change I predicted?

The Chicago City Council could be in for its biggest turnover in decades -- with as many as 20 seats changing hands -- thanks to a surge in voter turnout tied to the wide-open mayoral race, alderman and political observers warned Monday.

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Oh! On a related note, one of the more ethically challenged representatives we Illinois voters sent to the Senate only once before we pulled our heads out of our collective *ahems* and vowed never to make that mistake again, a former disgraced ambassador to New Zealand and former presidential candidate has come crawling back out from under the rock she's been hiding under and thrown her hat in the ring.

With names like White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, state Sen. James T. Meeks and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart being tossed around, not to mention the perennial candidates such as Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown, you might be wondering whether Moseley Braun is seriously considering jumping back into this arena after venturing into the world of teas and honeybees.

Apparently, she is.

"I think people are prepared to support the most qualified person, without regard to race and gender," she told me. "My qualifications should win the day.

"Just to show you how things work in life, last month I started having conversations with the people who wanted to buy into the company, and in the middle of that Daley announces.

"I am positioned perfectly to do this. Who would have thought it?"

Let the games begin!
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Speaking of games -- HBO has started their own blog about the making of Game of Thrones.

Winter Is Coming also has some GOT teasers here.

(Be still my little geek-girl heart!)

Drive-Bys

My new hero:

A North Carolina restaurant has put a ban on unruly children, with a sign on the front door saying screaming children will not be tolerated.

Brenda Armes, the owner of the Olde Salty's restaurant in Carolina Beach, said she got sick of customers complaining about parents who couldn't control their children during meals.

She said many parents allowed their children to treat the restaurant like their personal playground, misbehaving and 'squawking'.

And of course you know someone just had to bitch about it:

But Ashley Helfin, a mother of two, said: 'I've never seen a restaurant say, don't bring your screaming kids in here. You can't help it if your kids scream.'Ummm, Ashley?

The Princess Mom made sure each and every one of her children knew how to mind their manners in public. Just because you don't know how to parent doesn't mean the rest of the world has to suffer.

If you're ever in Carolina Beach, NC, go visit Olde Salty's!
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I saw this article and just had to buy the book. How could you not find NASA's "coefficient of flatulence" fascinating?

And I do hope Mike Ditka's The '85 Bears: We Were The Greatest also comes out on Kindle. From these excerpts, it looks to be a hilarious read.

(I do have eclectic reading tastes, don't I?)
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I see President Tin-Ear strikes again on the issue of illegal aliens. Too bad if the (legally) voting public wants the immigration laws already on the books to be duly enforced...
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Speaking of President Tin-Ear, nice to see he's knee-capping Emanuel's chances as a mayoral candidate here in Chicago:

“My expectation is, he’d make a decision after these mid-term elections.”

And...

"I think right now, as long as he is in the White House, he's critically focused on making sure that we're creating jobs for families around the country and rebuilding our economy.

"But I think he would be a terrific mayor," said Obama.

Right. As long as he's doing what you want him to do, its fine to think in the abstract about what a fine mayor he'd be.

In the meantime, da locals have da edge.

If Emanuel remains at the White House until Nov. 2, he would be forced to play catch-up unless he has an army in Chicago “laying the groundwork” for him, said Ald. Pat O’Connor (40th), Mayor Daley’s City Council floor leader.

Candidates for mayor must file at least 12,500 valid signatures between Nov. 15 and 22 — and three times that many if they want to be certain they stay on the ballot.

“It could work. Clearly, he’d have enough money and it could allow him to size up the field. But, it could also allow people to make commitments [to other candidates] they can’t come off, which would limit his ability to make alliances,” O’Connor said.

Nice of President Tone-Deaf, who knows Chicago and Illinois politics, to cut the guy who's had his back all these many months a break. Now that's politics Chicago-style.
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