Nepotism 101 (Adv. Placement) to be offered to elite in Chicago High Schools.

College is a wonderful time in a person's life, a time when we learn more than Freudian Psychology or 17th Century English Lit. We learn valuable life lessons on how the world works, and on what it takes to succeed in today's "rat race".

University of Illinois students are getting an extra special lesson on how the world works...can you say "Nepotism", boys and girls?

Recent investigations into Univ of IL admissions found that school trustees and admission officials at the schools routinely maintained a list of "well-connected" applicants, and often admitted these "Clout List" students instead of more qualified applicants. Additionally, trustees often pressured other members to comply with their politically motivated admissions.
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From the Huffington Post
"CHICAGO — A panel investigating the role that clout played in University of Illinois admissions recommended in its final report released on Thursday that all trustees voluntarily submit their resignations and let Gov. Pat Quinn decide which ones to accept.

In a scathing 45-page report, the Illinois Admissions Review Commission found unqualified students were admitted because of political connections, and recommended that any new trustees conduct a review of the university's president, the chancellor of the Champaign campus and other administrators."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/06/university-of-illinois-cl_n_253395.html
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That's right, the corruption went all the way to the top. University of Illinois has apparently been teaching students that 'it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know'.

But in an attempt to bring college level learning to advanced high school students, it appears that same lesson is being taught to Chicago high school students. A Federal grand jury investigation into a school district policy allowing principals to "hand-pick" up to 5% of their admitted students seeks to discover if political connections may be playing a role in the principals' selections.
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From the Chicago Sun Times
"A federal grand jury is investigating whether any “public officials’’ lobbied to get kids into the city’s most elite public high schools through new powers that allow principals to handpick five percent of their freshmen seats, a subpoena released Thursday suggests. ...
Its release follows Chicago Sun-Times disclosures that Chicago School Board President Michael Scott also has been called before a federal grand jury.

Chicago Public school officials revealed last month that they asked the Schools Inspector General to investigate the student admissions process at the system’s elite selective enrollment high schools after determining that policies may have been violated. After that announcement, the existence of a federal probe emerged.
...
Principals of magnet schools that choose most kids using a race-based lottery have long been allowed to handpick five percent of their students — and critics have questioned whether clout or money have influenced such selections. But last school year, for the first time, those “principal pick’’ powers were extended to the principals of the city’s selective enrollment college prep high schools, which use mostly test scores and grades to admit students."

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1704692,chicago-public-schools-investigation-080609.article
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We will have to wait and see what the federal probe reveals, but it'll be no shocker if "Clout List" admissions were going on in Chicago high schools as well. The Chicago School Board President, Michael Scott is a well connected friend of Mayor Richard Daley and is no stranger to the ways of political nepotism.
A recent Chicago Tribune investigation revealed that Scott may be using his ties to Mayor Daley (and his former role on Mayor Daley's Olympics Commitee) to purchase taxpayer land located directly adjacent to the city's proposed Olympic venues and develop it into retail properties. Though the land is allotted for public or affordable housing and is sold at $1 per plot for builders of such projects, Michael Scott may be getting the sweet deal price despite his intention to use the land for retail development (including a Nike store). Additionally, as an early member of the Olympics committee, Scott may have influenced the placement of proposed Olympic venues to take advantage of political connections, convincing local aldermen to set aside lots for Scott to purchase and develop. Scott stands to profit significantly when the low value lots shoot up in value as the Olympics related development dramatically increases property values. A little news on Michael Scott...
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From the Chicago Tribune
"He (Scott) was criticized in 1990 for his insider connections when he left his job as city government's chief cable administrator to go work for a cable company.

Earlier this year, Scott's roles as school board president and as a member of the city's Olympic committee stirred controversy.

In May, he asked all of the city's school principals to form plans to promote the Olympics. Teachers and union officials said Scott's tactics were heavy-handed and they feared retaliation if they did not support Daley's quest for the Games."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olympics-real-estate-07-aug07,0,4603832.story
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Michael Scott claims no wrong doing, although one wonders how many federal investigations into allegations of political favoritism one can be involved in and still viably claim the appearance of innocence. He is clearly a well oiled cog in the infamous Chicago Machine.

And a fine example to the students of Illinois.

So here's your vocab lesson for the day, kids.

Nepotism - (noun) - the showing of favoritism for relatives or friends based upon that relationship, rather than on an objective evaluation of ability or suitability, for instance by offering employment to a relative, despite the fact that there are others who are better qualified and willing and able to perform the job. syn. cronyism

Or as I call it, Chicago style politics.

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How low can greed take you? At least 6 feet under...

After a week where the world watched the biggest funeral this millennium, and buried an African American legend, it is natural to think about the past. Not always were blacks given such a send off to the hereafter. In earlier times, even cemeteries were segregated, as is the case of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, IL. Burr Oak was one of the few cemeteries in the region that would accept black "guests" and as such has several prominent black Americans buried there, most notably civil rights icon Emmit Till, whose 1955 racially motivated murder was a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement.

After a week like this one, it is even more disturbing to read something like this...

" Every family's nightmare: Burr Oak Cemetery graves allegedly stripped for profit
R.I.P SHATTERED | Manager, three gravediggers charged in scheme"

Yep, you read it right. Recent investigations launched into the operation of the renown Burr Oak Cemetery have discovered that as least 100 bodies were removed from their graves and their plots resold. Bodies were discovered dismembered, piled in a field on cemetery property, sometimes casket and all. Other allegations include stuffing two bodies into one gravesite, essentially burying the more recently deceased over old graves. Here's some of the article.

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(from the Chicago Sun Times) "The manager of Burr Oak Cemetery and three gravediggers were charged this morning, accused of scheming to dig up gravesites and resell them.

The four were expected to be in court this morning. The sheriff's office says caskets and remains were removed more than 100 graves and piled up in an unused area of the graveyard over several years.

The cemetery is the final resting place of civil rights icon, Emmit Till.
Other well-known people buried in Burr Oak include jazz legend Dinah Washington; bluesmen Willie Dixon and Otis Spann; Harlem Globetrotter Inman Jackson; and several Negro League baseball players.

Officers raided the cemetery, at 4400 W. 127th St, in Alsip, Wednesday morning. Five people were taken into custody.

Dart’s office was notified by the cemetery’s owners of “impropriety” about three weeks ago.

Dart believes the scheme has been going on for about four years.
“It was well thought out,” Dart said.

The employees apparently freelanced selling grave plots and dealt with cash.

“One person had an inordinate control of records, and a lot of those records have since been destroyed.

“We don’t know the full extent of this yet,” he said.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/1657907,burr-oaks-cemetary-mitchell-070909.article

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Another link to the story (more details and pics of the perps)
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/sheriff-bodies-dug-up-dumped-at-cemetery.html?obref=obinsite
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And they may never know. Records were destroyed, bodies and bones were piled in mass piles. The collection of DNA evidence may take months. All the while each of these families are forced to relive their loved ones passing as they try to find out what happened to their family members. Some families with up to 12 family members buried there were only able to locate a few of their gravesites.

It just never ceases to amaze me, 2 things about people. 1. What lows they will stoop for money, and small amounts of it too. I don't know about you, but if I'm digging up the dead and chopping remains, there better be at LEAST 2 commas in my pay check. And 2. how little people think of the consequences. I mean, you are only gonna be able to pile bodies and caskets in an empty field for so long before somebody notices. You can only TRY to focus on reselling graves that seem unvisited, at some point someone is gonna say, "Hey, I coulda sworn we buried Mom right by this tree." This plan was bound to fail, and though these guys had a good 4 year run at it, where is all your illegally gained money now and how will you spend it in prison? And even more tragic is that this outrage against these mostly African American graves was purported by African Americans. Seems black on black violence doesn't end at the funeral.

One of the most touching stories of distraught family members was a young woman whose brother recently came home from Iraq...in a box. Killed in the line of service to our country, buried at Burr Oak, his grave is now not able to be found. If we are going to ship our poor young men overseas to die, at least we hope they would rest in peace.

Luckily, reports suggest Emmit Till's grave to be undisturbed. But we won't know for months what damage has been done, and then begins the long slow process of reburying the dead.

I hope they bury Michael at Neverland, it may be the only safe place left.

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A perfect case for better health care, reproductive education and not naming your daughter 'Candy'.

Recent stories on CNN news and the Huffington Post are talking about Candy Vigneri, the Maryland woman who was arrested Wednesday on child abuse and endangerment charges after giving birth in a Washington, DC PortaPotty.

Here's the messy details.
From CNN
"A 44-year-old Maryland woman faces charges of child abuse after police say she gave birth in a portable toilet and dropped the newborn into the waste tank.
After exiting the portable toilet in Long Wharf Park in Cambridge, Candy Vigneri got a cigarette from a construction worker and sat at a picnic table, police Lt. Wayne Bromwell said.
As she sat, a male passer-by approached the toilet but Vigneri warned him, "Don't go in there, I just had a baby there," police said.
The man immediately called 911. Vigneri returned to the toilet and retrieved the newborn from the foul liquid at the base of the tank.
The baby was unresponsive and covered with a blue antibacterial chemical agent when emergency responders reached the scene, police said.
Vigneri told officers that she didn't know she was pregnant.
She was arrested Wednesday on charges of child abuse and reckless endangerment and is being held on a $50,000 bond.
The baby is in stable condition at Easton Memorial Hospital. Dorchester County social services will take control of the newborn after she is released from the hospital."

(A few other reported details, Vigneri lives in Maryland with her other children. Not really someone who wouldn't know she was preggers.) Here's a great article on it, with some thoughtful insights.
http://www.examiner.com/x-2134-DC-Ethical-Issues-Examiner~y2009m7d2-Ultimate-throwaway-Baby-born-in-portapotty-screams-about-American-society
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Yep, that's America. We're fucking nuts, here. And pathetic. Sure, Candy Vigneri is pathetic, that goes without saying. What do you expect when you name your daughter Candy? (Anybody ever heard of Senator or General or CEO Candy? No.)

But even more pathetic is the culture that leads to this kind of life choice.

Expensive, unavailable health care often leads women to not seek prenatal care. The high costs of living impact families that cannot afford the birth control, doctors visits, or even food for the kids they have. The obvious lack of mental health care facilities and services leaves folks to be crazy (like Candy clearly is) and wander the streets having babies in toilets. Poor education, including inadequate reproductive and child development education leaves people to "figure shit out for themselves" and people are clearly stupid. Shame and politics affect women's access to all reproductive options. A culture that is 'gaga' over babies rewards pregnancy with social status and promotes idealized versions of motherhood, but leaves women out in the cold when it comes to health care or child services or family rearing support. And now this child is here in the world and is "enjoying" the care of the local Dept of Family Services, another wonderful element of modern American life (sarcasm included).

We have spent a lot of time arguing between the left and right on the health care plan, on abortion rights and the value of Human Life, on what this administration or the last administration did or did not do. When it comes down to it, what we need more than debates and mud slinging and blame is real solutions that affect real people. You know, people like Baby Vigneri, who are going to inherit what ever mess we create or clean up.

So next time you feel compelled to blame the Right for all the worlds ills, or blame the Left for everything gone wrong, remember this new little baby. Remember that what this baby, and in fact all of us need is actual solutions, and real solutions require compromise and respect. They require us to put our petty attitudes and prejudices aside and do what is necessary to make REAL CHANGE, not merely affective campaign slogans.

For all of us in America, it is time to give birth.

Or get off the pot.

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Bad Boys, Bad Boys, what you gonna do? What you gonna do when cops are bad, too?

I am madder then a bunch of bees in an empty honey jar! This week in Oklahoma, an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) while driving a patient to the hospital was pulled over and assaulted by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer. Here's the article and an excerpt...
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http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0509/626636.html
An Emergency Medical Technician who was involved in a scuffle with an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper is speaking out about the incident.

Maurice White, Jr. is a critical care paramedic with the Creek Nation EMS. He was nearly arrested after the confrontation, which was captured by the cell phone of Kenyada Davis.

White says the officer was in a rage when he approached them and yelled "get your a-- back here! I am giving you a ticket for failure to yield." White says he told the trooper they had a patient in the ambulance and that they were on their way to the hospital.

"He ignored my statement, became even more belligerent, and demanded my partner come to his patrol car so he could write him a ticket," White says. "I calmly told the officer that we were transporting a patient and we could continue this at the hospital."

White says the trooper then approached him and shouted "you are under arrest for obstructing a police officer" and grabbed his arm to handcuff him. A brief struggle followed, at which point the trooper grabbed White by the throat. The cell phone captured this incident on video. (end Excerpt)

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Now I went ahead and read the entire statement of the EMT to see what wrong, if any he(they) had committed. The ambulance White was in had yielded to police cruisers as soon as it was aware. White remained calm throughout, only resisting arrest long enough to get his patient to the hospital, where he turned himself over to the troopers (who after a call to base, decided that arresting an EMT for doing nothing after you, the officer, had assaulted him was unwise.)

But here's the most outrageous part. EMT White repeatedly asked the officers where he could report the assault that the original officer had committed against White. Officers arriving on the scene, IN COMPLETE DERELICTION OF THEIR DUTY, told White, "We don't take complaints or charges against other officers." When White asked who he should report the crime to (assaulting an EMT in the line of duty is a felony), the officer told him "It's not our job to tell you where to report the incident". That is, of course, a lie. After much pressing, the officers gave White the name of the office of investigations for police complaints.

So these cops stopped an EMT while IN ROUTE to the hospital with a PATIENT, threaten him, assault him, and then lie to cover up their misdeed. Why? Could it be like the officers said, "the driver flipped me off"? Or could it be that Trooper "Honky" didn't like to see a big black man with a job? Either way, these are NOT the kind of folks who should be carrying a gun, and defending our laws, and running around with impunity, commiting hate crimes at their liesure.

Recently in Chicago, an off duty cop, driving drunk, killed a young teen and left the scene of the accident. He was arrested, but for "some reason" he wasn't given a breathalizer until 4 HOURS had passed. His levels were just under the legal limit at that time, but the family charges that the cops gave their fellow unfair treatment.

Cops are out of control, and power mad. We must immediately rethink how we select officers, and what criteria and tests we perform to ensure that only those who are able to "protect and serve" the public are given the authority of a badge. Because, as it stands now, many cops are as criminal as the perps they chase, and who polices the police? That's right, no one. To steal from Marge Simpson, "America became a fascist police state so gradually, I hardly even noticed. "

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Finally....FTC cracks down on the crazy robots who've been callin' me.

For the past several years, folks, I have been receiving calls regarding my expiring auto warranty. Which as always struck me as a little odd. I mean, I drive a 1973 Buick Century, whose warranty expired sometime in my teens. Before that I drove a 1977 Chevy Nova, and before that a 1972 Ford Mustang (I know, I know, I am super cool). Not one of these vehicles has any chance of a remaining warranty. But that has not stopped the auto warranty folks from calling me 2-5 times a day, 2-5 days a week for the past 4 years.

Putting your name on the Do Not Call list does nothing to stop the calls. I call it the Do Not Believe list, as in do not believe them when they say they will not call you. Informing the company about how stupid they are to keep calling me about auto warranties on cars over 3 decades old did nothing. They would always apologize, promise not to call again, and I'd get another call the next day.

In fact "Robo-calls" from this company and companies like them have gotten so bad, I don't even answer my phone with "Hello" (the machines can detect a voice and launch right into their pitch.) No, I have taken to answering my phone with a high pitched whistle. The whistle makes the Robo-caller think I am a fax machine and sometimes just hangs up. It also makes my human callers think I am a weirdo, but I had resigned myself to a few annoyed friends if it helped me to avoid the literally hundreds of calls from machines trying to sell me shit.

But FINALLY, somebody is doing something to STOP THE MADNESS.

From Yahoo News -
FTC sues cos. to halt auto warranty 'robo-calls'

By MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon, Ap Business Writer – Thu May 14, 9:50 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Federal regulators filed suits Thursday against several companies they say are behind a national wave of spam "robo-calls" that warn people their auto warranties are expiring and offer new service plans.

Federal Trade Commission officials said they asked a federal court in Chicago to halt the illegal telemarketing campaign of "Your Car Warranty Has Expired." Officials say as many as 1 billion of the nuisance calls have been made to Americans. The calls target people regardless of whether they have warranties or even own cars. They call numbers randomly and leave messages with a computerized voice telling people, falsely, that their auto warranties are about to expire, regulators say.

The FTC named Voice Touch Inc. and Transcontinental Warranty Inc., which it called the telemarketer and promoter of the scheme, respectively, in the lawsuits. The agency is seeking injunctions forcing them to return allegedly ill-gotten gains. ....... (end quote)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090515/ap_on_bi_ge/us_car_warranty_calls;_ylt=AimhT.VhMValpeGOnA2_dp1xieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTJvMWtsbW9oBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNTE1L3VzX2Nhcl93YXJyYW50eV9jYWxscwRjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNmdGNzdWVzY29zdG8-
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Now, while I would like to see these jerks get punished to the fullest extent of the law, for today, I'm just happy to see something finally being done about these abusive phone marketers.

But don't expect me to start answering my phone with a normal, "Hello" any time soon. Sure, the FTC says they are gonna stop these robo-dialing assholes from calling me, but my name is on the Do Not Believe list.

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His publicist must be pissed...or why I am so happy Drew Peterson's in jail.

You may have heard about Drew Peterson, IL police officer who is the main suspect in not one but two of his wives deaths/disappearances. What is it about dudes named Peterson? Here's the back story. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/08/earlyshow/main5000814.shtml

(from CBSnews)
"CBS/AP) Former Bolingbrook, Ill. police sergeant Drew Peterson is being held on $20 million bond after he was arrested for allegedly murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

His fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, is missing, and police say they consider him a suspect in the disappearance, which they've dubbed a possible homicide. But he hasn't been charged and has repeatedly said he thinks Stacy Peterson ran off with another man.

Savio, 40, was found dead in a dry bathtub in her home in February 2004, her hair soaked in blood from a head wound, just before the couple's divorce settlement was finalized. At first, her death was ruled an accidental drowning.

But when Stacy Peterson, who was 23 at the time, vanished in October 2007, Savio's family became suspicious and had Savio's body exhumed. Authorities later declared her death a homicide made to look like a drowning. " (end quote)

So that's Drew. Great guy. Just ask his publicist. That's right, publicist. Drew Peterson has used his months in the shadow of his dead and missing wives as a vehicle to stardom. Over the past few months, Peterson hired publicist Glenn Selig (also Blago's publicist) to pitch his story to the TV vultures. It nearly paid off, too. Recently, Peterson's publicist was in talks for a deal with a Nevada brothel to cast Peterson in a reality show about the brothel. Here's the info on Drew's big career move.

Brothel Offers Drew Peterson Role on Reality Show
http://www.prnewschannel.com/absolutenm/templates/?a=1381&z=4

But too bad for Drew. He was finally arrested today on charges of murder against his third wife. And since they only give you one phone call, Drew, maybe you can use that call to get your publicist on the phone and see if he can't get you a guest spot on the TV show "Lock Up".

For once people, justice may be served. But I am happy that Karma is such a bitch, too. Because nothing is more disgusting than getting famous for "killing" your wives. And sometimes Karma shows up as your new cellmate, Bubba. Have fun, Drew, see ya in court.

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New Rule - NEVER LET BIDEN TALK!

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- The Obama administration forgot the first rule in a crisis: Never send Vice President Joe Biden to calm people's fears.

During a television interview Thursday, Biden had a recurrence of his trademark foot-in-mouth disease when he said he had warned members of his own family that -- while some people are steering clear of Mexico -- they should be extra cautious and not get on airplanes altogether or, for that matter, go into any "confined places" where germs could spread.

"If you're out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes, that's one thing," Biden said. "If you're in a closed aircraft or closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it's a different thing."

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Now we might have suspected Biden to be a bit of a media misfit back during the campaign, with his "Obama will be tested" and "I have three words for you: J..O..B..S..". But nobody expected it would be THIS bad. Please, nobody tell Biden there's a fire in the theater, heck don't even light a match. He'd cause a raging panic.

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(cont from CNN)
You don't know whether to laugh or cry. Recognizing that Biden could create a panic and cripple the airline industry, Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander went into damage control mode and put out a statement that read, "The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways."

How sad. That's not what Biden said. His comments weren't limited to Mexico, and he wasn't talking about what people should do "if they are sick." It was about what you should do if someone else is sick. So, the administration's response initially was basically, "Are you going to believe us or your own lying ears?"

The White House later apologized "if anybody was unduly alarmed" by Biden's comments, and press secretary Robert Gibbs tried to explain what Biden "meant to say."

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What Biden "meant to say". Yeah, we've heard that before. Whether you like Obama, loathe him, are waiting to see what happens, or just think that he makes a cool t-shirt, whatever your position on Obama is, I think we can all agree on one thing...

Don't let Biden talk...EVER!

(here's the link)

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/01/navarrette.biden.flu/index.html?iref=werecommend

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Forced sterilization may not be so bad...

Here's a little article that caught my eye.


Parents accused of taking children on burglary

Thu Apr 23, 2:38 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A mother was accused on Wednesday of driving a getaway minivan with her two young children inside after burglaries at two New York City homes.

Prosecutors said Erika Santana, 23, drove the van with her four-year-old and five-month-old children inside after Hugo Lantigua, 22, who is the baby's father, and Pedro Camillo, 19, broke into two houses in the borough of Queens.

Santana, Lantigua and Camillo face charges including burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child, and face up to 25 years in prison.

"It is unthinkable that a mother and father would put their children in harm's way while allegedly committing these crimes. It is even more unimaginable that they would allegedly do so with a loaded handgun in their vehicle," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Storey)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090423/od_nm/us_children

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What the Fuck? And just last week they reported on a man who took his 8 year old daughter into the convenience store as he was robbing it. Again, WTF?

This is what comes of the mentality that everyone has the "right to experience parenthood". Many of us having kids are ill prepared, ill advised and frankly aren't doing so great. Most of us are smart enough to commit crimes without the children present, at least. What is ridiculous is that these folks will get out of jail and be reunited with their children. Heck they could have more kids. Look at the octomom. With no way to limit or discourage people's reproduction, we as a society are left to raise the broken children of thousands of idiots who never should have had kids in the first place.

Couldn't we put birth control in the water or something? Would that be so bad?

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What you talking about, Willis? Renaming the Sears Tower?

The decimation of America's landmarks continue with the scourge of "renaming" architectural icons spreading now to Chicago's most famous building and America's tallest building, the Sears Tower.

Sure, we've been naming and renaming stadiums based on corporate whims, well, since before the Cubs have brought home a trophy to Wrigley Field. Yes, that's Wrigley's gum.

In fact, the tower's original name, the "Sears" Tower is itself a corporate moniker. But I don't mind that. Why? Because it was BUILT by Sears and Roebucks in 1973. (completion date)

Some wiki-facts about the prominence of this iconic building.
"Presently, the Sears Tower is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the Americas, surpassed only by the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, and the fourth-tallest in the World. It is one of only five freestanding structures in the world to exceed 500 metres (1,640 ft) in height." Wikipedia

Read between the lines to see that the Sears tower is the United States tallest building. But now, some insurance company nobody knows about is getting the naming rights, FOR FREE, with their new rental agreement. Yes I said RENTAL. Apparently, in today's rough commercial real estate market, if you rent a large enough percent of a building (in this case only 3.5%) you get to rename American landmarks after you. Good thing there is no office space in Mt. Rushmore. Or did they rename that Mt. Kenmore?

Some info from the Chicago Sun Times - "The 110-story Chicago giant,(Sears Tower), the nation's tallest building, will be renamed Willis Tower under a leasing deal. The New York-based owners signed a lease with Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker, for 140,000 square feet. Willis said it will consolidate five Chicago-area offices and move 500 employees into the tower. The company said it is paying $14.50 per square foot in rent and that the naming rights come with no additional cost."

Now this ridiculous and shameful act, an act that tramples on all of our American heritage and then offers the trampled remains up for auction to the highest bidder, this stupid idea of renaming one of America's architectural wonders to a name nobody, anywhere, here or around the world, has EVER heard of, is not the first GENIUS plan by the owners of the Sears Tower. Or as I call it, 'the building soon to be known as the building formerly known as the Sears Tower' No, two weeks ago, they floated the idea of painting this striking black American icon a brand spanking shiny coat of silver. Yes, silver. Because it will "increase energy efficiency".

By which they mean that it will reflect more hot sunlight in the summer, making the building easier to cool, allegedly reducing energy costs.

But...
1. Chicago's winters are twice as long as our summer and the silver will reflect the winter sun too, which will increase heating costs.
2. The silver will reflect the hot summer sun down onto other neighboring buildings, increasing the costs to keep these buildings cool.
3. There are serious concerns that the bright glare from the building may have a blinding affect on motorists even miles away.

See, stupid. Here's a link to the Sun Times article, and it lists the idiot owners who are messing with our American treasures. Email them with your concerns. A lot. Like you worked in Spam Stadium.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/1473681,sears-tower-rename-willis-tower-031209.article

And watch out...I hear rumors that with the government taking overshareholder interest in banks, they are thinking of changing the name of Capital Hill...to Capital One Hill.

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Yes, it's ALL Craigslists fault....What's next, suing street corners?

Yes, it's ALL Craigslists fault....What's next, suing street corners?

From CNN -
Lawsuit accuses craigslist of promoting prostitution


(CNN) -- "An Illinois sheriff filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the owners of craigslist, accusing the popular national classified-ad Web site of knowingly promoting prostitution.
"Craigslist is the single largest source of prostitution in the nation," says Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart."
.....

Ah, another great publicity stunt from Sheriff Tom Dart. You may have recalled his earlier foray on the national stage when he singlehandedly imposed a moratorium on foreclosure evictions in his county. While some hailed Dart as a hero in the foreclosure wars, others called for the sheriff to be held in contempt of court for not performing his sworn duty. Yeah, that guy.


Well his latest battle seems to be with craigslist.
.....

(CNN) - "Dart said. "Missing children, runaways, abused women and women trafficked in from foreign countries are routinely forced to have sex with strangers because they're being pimped on craigslist."

The FBI found more than 2,800 child prostitution ads posted on craigslist, with Chicago, Illinois, in the top 10 cities for juvenile prostitution, Dart said.

The sheriff also noted instances of what he said was child neglect while parents were engaged in activity solicited on the Web site."

.....

Now folks, let's be realistic for a minute, if we could. Prostitution, including child prostitution, has been going on long before craigslist. It will continue long after craigslist. When the next thing better than craigslist shows up, people will use it to sell sex.

Take newspaper ads. I personally cut my comedy teeth with a bit where I read the funniest ads out of our local newspapers "adult services" section. Those shits were hilarious! "Hott ass on a platter" "Ride my Love Rocket" Comedy gold! But it never occurred to anyone to sue the paper for printing the ads, or to blame newspapers for being the "largest source of call girl prostitution". No one sued the yellow pages for the "escorts" section. (Take a look at your yellow pages in the escorts and see for yourself what they are selling). Because we all knew that the ADVERTISING MEDIUM (ie, newspaper, phone book, what have you) was not liable for the use or non use of any of it's advertisers. Because the phone book company had too much to do to ensure everyone is obeying the law that uses their service. You don't sue the yellow pages for listing a bad auto mechanic. You sue the mechanic.

But Sheriff Dart wants to sue the messenger. Maybe because he can't or won't stop the human trafficking and child prostitution in his district, and he thinks it'll look better on the re-election campaign to find someone to blame. Fighting child prostitution really brings in the votes, and it is much easier to spend time in court with a lawsuit to craigslist, than to actually spend time on the streets shutting the actual criminal down. It doesn't matter that suing craigslist will not stop prostitution any more than suing Ziploc baggies will stop people from selling weed. It doesn't matter that craigslist may actually be a helpful partner in shutting down illegal activity, as mentioned by executives at craigslist:

(from CNN)- "In an e-mailed statement, craigslist told CNN it had not seen Dart's complaint but that "craigslist is an extremely unwise choice for those intent on committing crimes, since criminals inevitably leave an electronic trail to themselves that law enforcement officers will follow."
.......

So Dart once again sounds like he is helping the citizens of IL, but instead is really just refusing to do his job, and is enjoying the glow of the media spotlight. But this IL citizen, for one, thinks that it is time that Dart focused his efforts on stopping the actual criminals instead of scapegoating his own ineptitude onto advertisers like craigslist.

I hear his next lawsuit is going to be suing the corner of Grand and Ashland for promoting crack dealing.

God Bless Illinois, we're gonna need it.

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Conflict of Interest Much?

Posted March 1, 2009 - Sunday


This week IL Attorney General Lisa Madigan held a press conference to
release her steps to oust Senator Roland Burris, who as anyone in
America knows, was appointed by impeached governor Rod Blagojevich.
Unless you've been under a rock.



A quote from Lisa Madigan:

"It is my opinion that the legislature may pass a law allowing the
people of Illinois to elect a U.S. senator to fill the seat vacated by
President Barack Obama. Such a law would be consistent with the U.S.
Constitution. The 17th Amendment expresses a clear preference for
having the people of a state elect their U.S. senators. In keeping with
the purpose of this amendment, the legislature may constitutionally
change the current law to set an earlier date for the election to this
U.S. senate seat. I am providing this opinion to offer guidance to thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
legislature as they consider this issue."





Thanks Lisa, glad you could clear that up for us. But Lisa Madigan
isn't talking about how she was in fact the Senate democrats top pick
for Obama's senate seat, now held by Burris. She doesn't mention the
repeated calls and letters from Sen Harry Reid and Wh House Chief of
Staff, Rahm Emmanuel which all listed Lisa Madigan as the most
"acceptable" choice for Barack's replacement (a list which strangely
included no African American candidates). It seems a bit conflicted to
so publicly attempt to oust Burris for obtaining his senate seat
through unscrupulous means, when the same job was to be offered to you,
if the unscrupulous pressuring from Washington's Reid and Emmanuel had
achieved their goals.



Nor does she mention her father, Mike Madigan and his long held
political battle with Gov. Blagojevich and Mike's long held political
ties with Chicago Alderman Richard Mel, who in the early years of
Blago's governorship had a great falling out with Blagojevich because
the governor shut down a environmentally hazardous and corruptly
obtained dump site that Alderman Mel had political ties with. Because
to mention this history might suggest another, more political reason
for IL democrats to be calling for a fellow democrat's ouster from the
Senate for uninvestigated allegations.



Elsewhere in Chicago, corrupt former Alderman Ed Vrdolyak, who pled
guilty in November to scheming to pocket a bogus 1.5 million dollar
finder's fee in a Gold Coast real estate deal that defrauded a
non-profit medical school, received only probation for his crimes of
pay to play politics.

http://www.chicagobreaking..news.com/2009/02/vrdolyak-..sentence-corruption.html



Only in Chicago would we call for the ouster of one man for the
APPEARANCE of improper politicking one the same day that we set a
CONVICTED corrupt politician free. Hypocritical. Well Chicago, and
Congress. Because it is just as hypocritical that the Senate sat by
while corrupt CONVICTED Alaskan senator Ted Stevens held his office and
ran for reelection without so much as a peep from fellow Congress
members, while they use every media outlet possible to pressure Senator
Burris from office without a thorough and complete investigation of the
Burris and Blago connection.



With a proper investigation, we will discover if Roland Burris
committed any crimes or ethics violations. We have not even completed
the investigation against Blagojevich, nor has he been indicted nor a
trial date set for his criminal case, although he has already been
convicted in the court of the media.



But to rush ahead and make accusations and calls for ouster without all
the facts when it comes to ousting America's only African American
senator while having a history of leaving corrupt and politically
embattled white senators in office without so much as a peep seems
unfair at best, and politically (or racially) motivated at worst.

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Lies, Damn Lies and Constitutional Crisis

Honesty...it's such a lonely word....everyone is so untrue.
Honesty....is hardly ever heard....and mostly what I need from you.


Sometimes the old adult contemporary tunes speak volumes of truth...in an untrue world. It's a sad day when Billy Joel has to remind us again not to be such liars.

But it's not surprising...lies are the new truth. Everybody's doing it. School teachers, business owners, football heroes, even the head of the United States Justice Department has no problem sitting in front of the Senate committee and bold lying through his teeth.

A recent bout of food poisoning had me laid up in bed for a day, which gave me a chance to catch up on world events. I watched...

-Utah mine owner Bob Murray tell us that the mine collapse was due to an earthquake, only to have seismologists inform us all that there was no earthquake. Seems Bob Murray is a liar. And worse, he has prevented his miners from unionizing, he has paid MILLIONS in fines for previously violating safety regulations, and his Republican friends (whom he has donated nearly 1 million dollars to) have only made it easier for his lying ass by putting yet another incompetent liar in the Federal office of mine safety, so Bob Murray's failure to care for the safety of the men and women who have made him rich can go unnoticed. Do we all need to watch Coal Miners Daughter, and Silkwood again to understand the plight of the American worker?

-Quarterback, correction, FORMER quarterback Michael Vick seems to feel that the paltry NFL salary he was making is not enough and was apparently running a full service dog fighting establishment and gambling "hall" to bring in some extra cash. Like he needed it, because he was running his side biz right on the property of his huge estate. What appalls me is the blatant lie he tried to perpetrate. While even a cursory fly over his property revealed his illegal operation, he was defiant that he had any involvement. He didn't know anything about it. I know it's hard, cuz I always find myself chasing those pesky dog fighters off my property. Wait no I don't...hmmm seems someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes... Plus the lie he told the Atlanta Falcons when he signed his contract stating that he would abide by the law and not embarrass the franchise. You know the contract they all sign. The one he was paid the millions of dollars for, that bought that beautiful estate he was "not" torturing dogs on. It is my sincere hope that the Falcons sue him for breach of contract and get some money back for the poor fans who start the season without their talented but lying ass QB.

-And sadly I got to see about 6 hours of the Dateline special, "To Catch a Predator". I am usually not a watcher of this kind of stuff, COPS, or any other reality law enforcement show. I can't stand "Dog the Bounty Hunter". But sitting in bed, you get sucked into stuff, and what makes the show so compelling is the range of men that show up at the decoy house to meet with a 11, 12, 13 year old boy or girl. Married men, with their own children, teachers, clergy, and a whole bunch of pizza guys which should make you think twice about letting the kids order pizza. White, asian, hispanic, black, middle-eastern, race seems to play little difference with the pedophiles that show up with liquor and condoms and dildos. Luckily there is no real child there, the decoy is an 18+ actor. To catch a liar, in this case, you have to be a liar, and the fact that these men are set up by a whole team of grown folks with no actual child present does produce an ethical concern. If in fact the 'predator' was chatting with someone who was 18, and lied to say she was 13, and if in fact the predator went to meet the fake 13 yr old who was actually 18, one could argue that there is no laws against hooking up with 18 yr old liars. But intent is the actual crime, not the just the act. The predator INTENDED to meet a 13 yr old for sex, and if he ended up finding a set up and a jail sentence, well you'd think one less predator off the street is a justifiable end, even if the means are messy. But you'd be wrong...in the fact that a predator is off the street. Most of these men received less than a week of jail time and a few years probation. One of them was even picked up the next day trying to meet some other kid at McDonalds. One of the predators was caught at the decoy house the day after he went to court for the conviction he had the last time he ended up going to the decoy house on a previous episode. Lightning does strike twice, and so does stupidity. And yes the men all tell the same lies: it's the only time I ever did this, I just wanted to tell the kid to be careful, I always carry chocolate condoms. But law enforcement is also lying to us. It tells us we're safe, while it lets pedophiles off with a slap on the wrist and their name on a list. All the while, non violent weed smokers do real hard time for takin a toke. Apparantly smoking weed is far more deadly to society than smokin 13 yr old pole. Although that has the sound of a lie to me.

And of course, I was able to catch up on all the latest Senate debacle. And watch for myself the gall of Alberto Gonzales as he told lie after lie to the Senate committee, with a smirk no less. The real trouble with Alberto's lies are that the reduce the Constitution to shreds: by refusing to answer honestly the questions posed by the Senators, Mr. Gonzales destroys the system of checks and balances that the founding fathers built this country on. The executive branch is to be checked by Congress and by the Judicial branch, the judicial branch is checked by the executive and legislative, and so on. But the current executive branch has joined in cohoots with the judicial, or more accurately criminally "packed" the judicial branch with nepotistic patsy's, and so we've left the Constitutionally mandated job of "checking" the powers of the president to Congress, not exactly the worlds truth telling team. Capital Hill is filled with hypocrites who sleep around with hookers while advocating a moral agenda of "no sex before marriage", who preach about environmental waste while using their jet to tour around and get votes, burning more fossil fuels for the cause of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. With back biters and pork barrelers and greedy wealthy elites, who take the peoples votes and campaign dollars and then take big vacations and huge raises once they are elected. "If only they'd elect me, I'd make them pay"

So lying is all the rage. It seems no wonder that my niece lies to my face. It doesn't surprise me when people tell me they will be somewhere, do something, call, or whatever the promise is and then they do not show up, do what they said, call, or whatever the promise was. I saddens me, it makes it harder to do my job, but I'm not surprised. Lying is the new truth.

But that leaves me with Billy Joel ringing in my ears...

Honesty....is hardly ever heard....and mostly what I need from you....all.

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"TOO FAT" - Food, Physical Fitness and Economics in America

July 8, 2006 - Saturday


"TOO FAT" - Food, Physical Fitness and Economics in America


TOO FAT.
Food, Physical Fitness and Economics in America

America is fat. Statistic after statistic repeats the same refrain. 40%, 50 %, 60% are obese, depending on whom you talk to. We sit around too much, exercise too little, and of course, we eat fatty, fattening, fat enhancing food. Big Macs, Oreos, Pepsi, chips, fries, Supersized. Kids are getting fatter than ever. Fat will kill you, the doctors report on the 10 oclock news in between the commercials for the McRib and Miller Lite. Diets abound: no meat, all meat, juice fasting, meal replacement, appetite suppressants, metabolic uppers, specially calculated body type menus for maximum weight loss for YOU! Exercise equipment, gym memberships, video workouts, the latest exercise craze from Milan, L.A. or Suzanne Somers. An infomercial producers dream. And somehow even all of that wasnt enough to keep Al Roker from stapling his stomach. On and on the media prattles about fat, and we all try to understand where we all stand on Americas giant scale.

But as in life, the scale doesnt tell the whole of the story. Americas problem with weight goes beyond fast food and couch potatoes. Fat is not just about fat; its about economics, politics, media coverage, health care, education and personal values. The battle of the bulge is a struggle for power: over ourselves, over others and over nature herself.

Lets start with economics. Fat is big money for business owners. The foods that make us fat are part of our national identity. Burger franchises and soda companies and beer brewers and snack food producers are so economically prevalent that they sponsor the majority of professional and semi-professional sporting events, as well as sponsoring the music industry, the amusement park industry, and the nightclub industries, to name a few. Gaining weight makes people money. It employs millions of individuals, provides hefty profits to investors, and contributes significant funding to various charitable ventures. A double cheeseburger with a large coke and a Hershey bar could help send a kid to camp, employ an impoverished individual, return a sizeable dividend to the shareholder and keep professional sports on TV. Thats a mouthful.
And treating the illnesses that are brought on by fat makes money, too. For doctors, hospitals, physical therapists, HMOs and of course, the pharmaceutical companies. Arthritis, Diabetes, heart disease are prevalent illnesses associated with obesity with prevalent and costly treatments. The choices of medication for arthritis alone are nearly endless. Heart disease alone earns the medical industry 7 billion dollars a year. The medical cost of treating these long term and chronic diseases is the bread and butter of the medical system.

Losing the weight makes money, too. Weight loss is a 4 billion dollar a year industry. Every new diet or exercise or product makes money. And the medical community and the media put tremendous pressure on us to lose the weight. Seeing your doctor before you begin a workout regimen makes money. Nutritionalist advice, prescription diet drugs, and bariatric surgery make money. And with the massive pressure put on us by the media to be thin, diet entrepreneurs have built in product promotion. When all the celebrities are airbrushed thin, when all of the news shows do specials on new weight loss trends and the latest study on the dangers of obesity, when all the talk shows do segments on weight loss success stories, the diet industry makes more money. No wonder Suzanne Somers did that Thigh master thing.
Americas fat is a huge cash cow feeding an estimated 5 trillion dollars into the economy, that is 33% of the GNP. The people spend money on the products that make them fat, and then spend money on the products that take fat off. If everyone truly started eating healthy and kept off those pesky extra pounds, the American economy would collapse. Perhaps thats is why funding for physical fitness training in schools has been repeatedly cut by local and federal politicians over the past 20 years. Not enough money in the budget they say. But truth be told, statistics show that fat kids become fat adults. Fat adults are good for the economy.

And yet it is harder for a fat person to get equal treatment. Obese individuals are treated differently from thinner folk. Fat prejudice is one of the most allowable forms of prejudice to date. You would never ask a black man to purchase two seats on an airplane because other people were uncomfortable sitting next to him. You would never (openly) turn down a job to a woman because her womanly medical needs would cause a hike in the companys insurance premiums. You would never think an old woman lazy because her medical condition requires a wheelchair. But obese citizens experience all of these things day by day. They are the butt of endless jokes, as children they are more mistreated by their peers than any other demographic, and everything is made for someone half their size. If not it costs twice as much. It seems to me that the battle against fat is really a sinister social machine that chews up our self-confidence, our humanity and spits out money to somebody else.

What if we all just accepted our bodies for what they were? Flesh, with its variations between individuals, with its need for nutrition and physical activity, with its dimples and wrinkles and rolls. With its potential for system failure. What if chunky girls didnt starve themselves to look like Jenifer Aniston, and felt pretty just as they were. If every now and then the Oscar winning actress happened to be fat, if airline and movie seats were bigger for everybody, if schools had workout rooms and taught lifelong fitness. If a Happy Meal came with fruit and vegetables that kids loved. If we accepted that sometimes people die. What if whatever we weighed or looked like we loved our own body and took good care of it for as long as we could and then when it quit working we were allowed to leave this world with dignity and fond remembrance. In a world like that, no one would ever be "too fat".

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