I was all set to post my thoughts regarding the Abbate case when I realized that there is so much more going on that shouldn’t be neglected.  So, suffice it to say that the sentence passed down upon the bar brawler and woman beater really is a non-story as far as Chicago style justice is concerned and I will leave it at that as I cover other pertinent stories.

One of the sad deaths locally, John Callaway, closes another chapter in Chicago media history. Those who have experienced his brand of journalistic reporting is forever enriched by his style.

The Mayor is set to promise the Olympic Committee everything in the city that he already hasn’t sold, so brace yourselves for 2016, as it’s coming. I have no doubt that the POTUS, Barack Obama himself, will pitch for this one.

Feeding the meters is habit forming, especially when you realize that the owners of the meters may have been guaranteed a certain minimum amount every year, so boycotting the parking meters would only cost you  more in taxes. Yep, they seem to have covered that angle, so just smile and pay up.

That brings me to the recent headlines of transit cuts. Here is where their logistics hits pay dirt. First, they tell you if you do not want a hike there will be severe cuts. OK, they get the hike in fares so no service cuts. Now, a scant few months later, guess what? THEY ARE GOING TO CUT SERVICE ANYWAY! AND THEY ALREADY GOT THEIR HIKE! I am indebted to John Kass for his pushing the term that describes the fair citizens of Chicago so handily. CHUMBALONES!

I dunno, I used Google image search for "chumbalone" and this was one of the pics. What the hell, I used it!

If it appears that I am using a lot of exclamation points and capitalized sentences, I am, I did. I will stop. But I wanted to get a point across to my fellow chumbalones.

If you want the bleeding to stop you have to elect someone, anyone, Democrat or Republican, who hasn’t been in politics for decades. These servants of the people even get so used to the job that set up their children to inherit their positions. So if you want to become a concerned citizen once again the solution is right in front of you.

Hire someone who is not a part of the family. I hear debates wherein the incumbent blurbs, ” Why, (S)He doesn’t have any experience in politics.” Hmmm, that only sounds like fresh air to me. Take a chance my fellow chumbalones, and actually elect people who DO NOT have any political ties to the system.

Hey, if it doesn’t pan out there’s another election down the road. Can you really say with certainty that the fresh head is worse than the ones that shake your hand and pick your pocket? It’s worth a shot.

And Governor Quinn wants to raise the state tax. He seems to blame the program cuts of the neediest on those who voted against a tax raise, but to me the reality seems to be the choice of programs he is willing to cut. He is not going from the top(his buddies) down but from the bottom(special needs, disabled) up. What a smoke and mirrors he presents us with, and we are suppose to accept it.

Sorry, I ain’t no chumbalone.

No more cryin’. Let’s party for the weekend. The taste is opening and I am ready for it. There was a TOC commercial on youtube but it was removed because of copyright violations. Doesn’t it seem odd that they don’t want to spread the message for people to come to the taste? Whoever the marketing manager is(friend or relative) seems to have a box o’rocks for brains. So I’ll grab something else.

…and this in memory of Michael Jackson, who made music history that enriched this country. Rest in peace and God bless.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 -- June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the “King of Pop” in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world’s best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as “Black or White” and “Scream” made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

Michael Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundation, charity singles and support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his changing appearance and behavior, generated significant controversy, damaging his public image. The singer experienced health concerns from the early 1990s until his death, as well as conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances. Jackson married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy.

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world’s most famous men, Jackson’s highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.

On June 25, 2009, he collapsed at his home in Los Angeles.

After being taken to the hospital in a coma, Michael Jackson was reportedly pronounced dead.[

R.I.P. -- Koko Taylor has passed away on June 3rd, 2009 at the majestic age of eighty years old and has left this world a better place.

The audio sync problem has been fixed in this wonderful 1967 version of Koko Taylor singing “Wang Dang Doodle” along with Little Walter -- a true classic. -- I felt a need to sync the audio properly with the video performance -- the other versions, the audio is out of sync and bothersome to watch.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be directed to
The Koko Taylor Celebrity Aid Foundation

WAKE/VISITATION AND FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
FOR KOKO TAYLOR

Wake/Visitation (Lie in State)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
4:00 pm -- 9:00 pm
Rainbow Push Coalition National Headquarters
930 East 50th Street (at Drexel)
Chicago, IL 60615

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Lurie Bell

I don’t know what the weather is going to be like, but it’s not going to stop the spirit of the Annual Blues Fest nor will it put a damper on my attending it. I have waited all year for the arrival of this free event and how it makes me feel so good deep down inside that cloudy overcast conditions will just add to the mood in a good way.

The affair has been cut by one day because of the economy(natch!) but we still have plenty of talent to share among us anyway. My thanx and tip o’ the fedora to Bob Gendron for the following article that appears in the Chicago Tribune.

Hope to see you all there.

Intimate start for Blues Fest

Circumstances leading up to the 26th annual Chicago Blues Festival threatened to put a damper on the celebratory event.

Previously a four-day affair, this year’s edition got shortened by a day because of spending cuts and budget shortfalls. Then, earlier this month, genre ambassador and local icon Koko Taylor died. Weather has also been an issue. The world’s largest free blues party usually experiences rain, yet rarely have temperatures been so cool — and the weather so dreary.

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A funny thing happened on the way to the CPS, it was reported that 1,000 non-classroom positions were to be cut.

This begs the question of whether or not these jobs were necessary to begin with. If not, exactly how much money was picked from the pockets of the Chicago taxpayer to support that many employees, pay and benefits? . If they were indeed necessary, what impact, if any, will it have on the success of making the CPS a viable and competitive school system capable of having their students achieve high(or at least passing) grades.

The president of the teachers union, Marilyn Stewart, doesn’t seem to be too concerned of the layoffs, as these are positions that do not affect those who actually teach in classrooms. “It’s a good start”, she said.

Following is an article from the Chicago Sun-Times written by Maudlyne Ihejirika that sheds a little light on the need for this action and the forces behind it.

Budget cuts to cost 1,000 CPS jobs

$475 MILLION GAP | Half of the non-classroom positions to be axed in two weeks

Up to 1,000 Chicago Public Schools non-classroom employees will lose their jobs this year under a reorganization to save $100 million.

About half the layoffs will hit central office — 27 percent of employees there — in the next two weeks, while another 500 will be cut from citywide positions over the next year, sources said.

Up to 1,000 Chicago Public Schools non-classroom employees will lose their jobs this year under a reorganization to save $100 million. (John J .Kim/Sun-Times)

Positions to be axed will be decided by a new executive team — many culled from the CTA and city government — introduced by new CEO Ron Huberman on Tuesday.

“We have identified areas where we can operate more efficiently,” said Huberman.

The proposed cuts, to plug a looming $475 million shortfall, are the largest since 2006.

The team of 16 put together by Huberman — known as a performance-driven manager — is strong in business management. Four come from his former agency, CTA; three worked for Mayor Daley; two are from the police department, and seven from within CPS.

“It’s a good first start,” said teachers union president Marilyn Stewart. “But some of these people coming in from City Hall and CTA are outside the education profession. There are a lot more MBAs than Ph.Ds.”

Here is another in the department of WTF.

An inmate in a Mississippi prison is on trial for conspiring to steal guns while being incarcerated. The prisoner of course refers to his rights and is attempting to block recorded phone conversations implicating his involement with the dastardly deed. Let’s hope that the judicial system allows this evidence so we can at least get some semblance of sanity in this trial.

Here is someone who is in prison whose primary focus while there is to think of more ways to steal weapons and sell them IN CHICAGO. This is one sad sack who doesn’t seem to believe in the rehabilative properties of the prison system. Anyway the article is from the Tribune and follows:

Inmate seeks to block filings in missing guns case

JACKSON, Miss. – A prison inmate accused of conspiring to steal guns from a Mississippi police department wants to block federal prosecutors from using recorded conversations and other information to convince a jury the weapons were sold in Chicago.

Authorities say several inmates and others conspired to steal five Colt M-16 machine guns, 11 Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistols and 90 pounds of marijuana from the Greenwood Police Department. Inmates who were working at the police station as part of a community work program allegedly broke into a locked closet and took the items in late 2005 and early 2006.

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Following is a story that highlights the best in human nature after experiencing the more malevolent forms of it. Here is a pizza delivery gut, making small money and hustling for it, being viciously robbed and assaulted by some thugs and having his car stolen and crashed to boot.

Along comes a man,  recently laid off, who witnessed the attack, and does more than just report his account to the police, he goes the mile and helps the man obtain another vehicle, which is needed for his job, by opening up a site and broadcast the situation to the world.

It  is indeed inspiring to read such good acts, and they are plentiful. I know that the good Samaritan will soon find work, as many companies can profit from his character.

Thanx and a tip o’ the hat to Lisa Black, who wrote the story.

Pizza attack: After assault on pizza deliverer, neighborly deed reaps donations from across the globe

Evanston man is working hard to help deliveryman

Omar Gutiérrez struggled to keep up with more than 500 e-mails and donations pouring in Monday from as far as South Korea and Germany as people learned of his good deed for a pizza deliveryman who was beaten and carjacked.

Gutiérrez, 31, witnessed the attack on Stephen Walker last week in south Evanston and started collecting money from neighbors to replace Walker’s 2003 Kia, which was totaled during the incident.

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People line up at the Anaheim Orange County Job Fair and Expo in Anaheim, CA, 03 Jun 2009

The White House says America’s employment picture is worse than the Obama administration had anticipated just a few months ago. The somber admission follows the latest jobless report showing the highest unemployment rate the United States has seen in more than 25 years.

U.S. unemployment jumped a half percent in May, to 9.4 percent prompting this comment by Austan Goolsbee, a member of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors:

“The economy clearly has gotten substantially worse from the initial predictions that were being made, not just by the White House, but by all of the private sector,” said Austan Goolsbee.

Economists point out that the current jobless rate is already higher than the hypothetical rate that was used to calculate the health of banks and other financial institutions in so-called “stress tests” earlier this year. And, the upward unemployment trajectory is expected to continue in coming months, even if the overall economy begins to recover.

Austan Goolsbee spoke on Fox News Sunday:

“It is going to be a rough patch [difficult period], not just in the immediate term, but for a little bit of time [in the future],” he said. “You have to turn the economy around, and jobs and job growth tends to come after you turn the economy around.”

But Friday’s employment news was not all bad. Although the U.S. jobless rate continues to spike higher, the actual number of Americans who lost jobs during the month was the smallest since last September, the fourth consecutive month in which the pace of job losses slowed.

How can the unemployment rate continue to rise sharply while job losses are growing milder? Goolsbee says recent indicators showing improvement in some sectors of the U.S. economy are encouraging Americans who had stopped looking for work to re-enter the job market. With a larger pool of workers comes higher unemployment when the economy continues to shed jobs.

Last week saw the federal government become a majority shareholder in U.S. automaker General Motors, which filed for bankruptcy.  Also appearing on Fox News Sunday, Alabama Republican Senator Richard Shelby was asked if the United States is headed towards a form of socialism. Shelby noted that GM is just the latest private corporation to fall under government control since the financial crisis struck last year.

“They [federal officials] intervened last fall in the bank crisis,” said Senator Shelby. “No one has ever done it on that scale before. Now the automobile crisis. There is no doubt that we are going to government intervention everywhere, government ownership [that is] unprecedented in this country. It is a slippery slope.”

President Obama has said he has no interest in running General Motors, and will leave company decisions to GM senior management. Mr. Obama has said the federal government’s ownership of GM shares will be temporary.

Well, here is another bold, brazen and shameless attempt to talk us into allowing a tax increase during a time when the jobless rate is over 9.5% with no relief as of yet. It has been reasonably predicted that the rate will go over 10% before receding to a more managable level. I find it rather quaint that he is choosing to enter a church to advance this, seeing how Jesus Christ took a strap to those who were involved with money in the temple when he lived. The phrase “What would Jesus do?” is amusingly apropos here.

I have used the article from the Tribune written by Robert Mitchum as a testament to the unmitigated gall of the democratic Governor to ask us to sacrifice when Illinois politics have no intention of doing the same. Preaching tax increase to Gospel music. That takes guts!

Gov. Pat Quinn preaches the virtues of a balanced Illinois budget

At church, he touts need to ‘take care of our neighbor’

With the impassioned strains of gospel music behind him, Gov. Pat Quinn preached the virtues of a balanced budget — and the sacrifices it would require — Sunday morning to a packed congregation at Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God.

Wrapping his pitch for a tax hike in the parable of the good Samaritan, the Book of Amos and the words of Martin Luther King Jr., Quinn said Illinoisans must show courage to preserve social services for the state’s less fortunate.

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“A New Beginning”
The President gives a speech in Cairo, Egypt, outlining his personal commitment to engagement with the Muslim world, based upon mutual interests and mutual respect, and discusses how the United States and Muslim communities around the world can bridge some of the differences that have divided them. June 4, 2009. (public domain)

Please view high quality version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaxZPi…

Anthony Abbate has been found guilty of agravated battery. He can receive anything from probation to five years in jail. Stay tuned.

Abbate, 40, faces probation to up to five years in prison when he is sentenced June 23. He remained free Tuesday after Judge Fleming denied a request to revoke bond.

Abbate has been “suspended pending separation” and relieved of his duties and pay, said Chicago police spokesman Roderick Drew. Supt. Jody Weis has said he wants Abbate fired.

read the full report here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/national/6454848.html