Law school grad writes about losing his last shred of dignity

Well you know I just see this as a sign of the times. You have debt and you have to find a job wherever you can find one. In this case, if you've got student loan debt and there's not a job as a lawyer available then you may be forced into retail.

This article is hilarious:

The funny parts often involve his coworkers assuming he can answer every law-related question they have. His coworker Shaina grills him after it's discovered that another coworker named Julian is apparently "robbing the stock room blind." Here's the exchange:

"LawGrad, you a lawyer," Shaina began, "can Julian sue the store?"

"For what?"

"You know, accusing him of stealing because he’s Mexican."

"But he was stealing."

"So he can’t sue?"

"No."

Well, it goes from there. This makes me want to read this blog some more.

Then it makes me wonder if it's worth going to law school to incur more debt only to be at square one. At this point it would bother me much more than my current situation.

BTW, found this via Instapundit who says there's nothing undignified about honest work - here, here - and he further adds: "Check your class privilege, dude."

While I can't say that I saw that in the article, well let me take that back in some respects as far as his law degree he may well see working as a cologne salesman as beneath him. He shouldn't feel too bad that classmates may spot him at the store. If he could look at the big picture an opportunity may arise for him!

Resolutions

It's that time of year and while Christmas is always fun, I always look forward to New Year's. Now more than ever that day is representative of new beginnings.

That's what that means now more than ever. Since last year I've resolved to find another job, but it seems this past year I can't help but run into some type of disappointment. It's still a resolution that is achieveable this year and it just means that there's a way to make it happen.

Is that the only? Of course not, as there are other goals I hope to achieve this year.

Being healthier for one thing and that means better maintenance of my body in more ways than one. Healthier eating, more exercise and a trip to a doctor couldn't hurt either.

Also going back to the job, what do I expect to achieve. Benefits and better pay that will always be important to me. And something that has been elusive unfortunately.

Also, is it time for me to go back to school? At the very least learn some more skills that I hadn't learned in my years at a community college and at Morehouse. It's time to consider taking some business course starting with some accounting at least.

There are other resolutions that I may come up with as the time comes for New Year's. I do sincerely hope that you will resolve the many goals you may have for 2014.

Dave Ramsey: 20 things the rich do every day...

I wonder if this is true. The list you will read at DaveRamsey.com, does the rich truly engage in these many behaviors? Better yet, I would wonder if this has less to do with your income as the individual. Successful people engage in these behaviors from the day they were born wether or not they grew up poor or wealthy. To be sure this list is certainly one way to start with making your New Year's resolutions.

I know it's Christmas so, hopefully you would consider this your early Christmas present.

VIDEO: Bill Tull's Budget Holiday Tips

[VIDEO] As per usual when Conan O'Brien shares his Budget Holiday tips for 2013, hilarity ensues. How do they come up with this stuff. "Yule tide", a "snowman", a "silent night", or even "tinsel" man stuff you can never imagine but this makes for good comedy.

I just hope you all don't even attempt to procure a bag of cocaine & stick a carrot in it.

Still this is worth a good laugh!

It looks like Dominick's is going bye-bye

Dominick's soon to be a Whole Foods @ 255 E. Grand Ave

I've been following this story for a while since it broke in October. Dominick's has been something of a constant presence in my life as a consumer and it's a sad day when this well known local brand is soon to become a memory. Dominick's became a Safeway subsidiary and they decided to bolt the Chicago market. That means a lot of real estate up for grabs and a lot of people will be out of jobs.

Now the question is what to do with all those stores they still own which are expected to shut down by the end of the year. Well another local brand Jewel (or Jewel's in local parlance) well they've snatched up some of the stores at first it was four but they may have their eye on more Dominick's locations.

Also a new grocery upstart Mariano's owned by a Milwaukee company named Roundy's have bought 11 Dominick's stores recently. In fact a Chicago neighborhood blog Uptown Update seems excited by this possibility. They discovered that rumors of a Whole Foods Market coming to their part of town were untrue.

Did I mention Whole Foods? They have their eye on seven Dominick's locations although it appears at the moment they haven't made a move. Whole Foods seems to be aggressively expanding here in Chicago as they're expected to open a store in Englewood in 2016. Many people are wondering why they want to locate there and if this is a sign of "the dreaded G word".

Anyway, I have to be a bit sad about this development. Many stores have come and gone in my life time. I could reminisce about Zayre, Montgomery Ward, Marshall Field's, or even Venture. Things must change and it's understandable.

At the same time I still hoped that Safeway, in the interest of making money would be willing to at some point sell the Dominick's brand. In a way Montgomery Ward still exists and hopefully Dominick's could still exist in some way even under the many companies who are gobbling up the remains when Safeway exits the Chicago area. It appears at this point Safeway is keeping the brand. :(

Anyway, we have new players in this part of the nation. I've never shopped at a Mariano's, but I've been to a number of Whole Foods and of course I still continue to shop at Jewel which also strong local roots. Then let's not forget for everyone's grocery needs there is now a Walmart in several Chicago neighborhoods. So while it's sad to see a store such as Dominick's with strong local roots close in the area at least there are others who will open in their place.

To become a developer, where does one start?

Sometimes I wish I can get into real estate. The thing is, my interest would not be in being a real estate agent having to sell property. It would be as much as developing as anything else.

If I was interested in developing, perhaps it's possible to start with "flipping" houses. That's as much about developing as in building on a vacant lot. And of course one could always progress to that level.

At least until that time Chicago magazine has an article about flipping houses. It's almost two years old, but surely it gives you an idea of what to do if this is what you want to do. Of course before one engages in such a venture every building isn't the same and of course it's all about the money. If it proves to cost more to fix than to sell it and you can see that upfront don't spend the cash.

Easy for me to say at this moment since well I'm not out flipping houses. ;)

Black Voices: Are Elite Colleges Worth the Price Tag?

It was about this time that I had paid a visit to some college fairs back in high school (GO FALCONS!). Hopefully current generations of high school students are doing what's suggested here at the Black Voices section of the Huffington Post. Evaluate what may be the best value to you in not only terms of money but the future. It was not the foresight that was allowed to me back in the day!

Sunday night at the movies: "The Butler"

My mother insisted on seeing The Butler and I finally saw it Sunday night with her at Chatham 14. It was a bit of a period piece that showed the protagonist played by Forrest Whitaker blossom from a young man in the segregated south to an elderly man who worked for several presidents as a domestic worker in the White House.

I can only imagine what discussions her heard during his time as a White House butler. He probably couldn't hear everything because well when it was time for him to go it was time for him to go. It was interesting how to see him get trained by another Black man to be a house servant and it lead him to serve in that capacity in the US Government.

The only gripe I have about this movie even if the context was understood was how they played up the election of Barack Obama as President. So the character Cecil Gaines have served from Eisenhower to Reagan - seven presidents - and was ecstatic when the first Black man was elected President. It almost seems like hero worship to insert that in the movie. A lot of time was dedicated to that although don't get me wrong the reason for bringing that into the film was understood especially for a Black man who lived long enough to see segregation, civil rights, and then it's after effects.

Gaines had two sons one went to Vietnam and was killed in action the other Louis was a radical. He saw America for what it was at the time and after starting college at Fisk University decided he wanted to do something about it and joined the Freedom Riders. As a result Louis had a strained relationship with his father.

Ah, but the more interesting scene of the movie with Louis was when he discussed with his girlfriend the reasons he joined the Black Panthers. He didn't like the more violent philosophy he found with them and sought another path. Finished his masters degree in political science and attempted to run for Congress.

BTW, The Butler was based on a true story even though it's largely fictionalized. The real life inspiration for this movie didn't have two sons and didn't leave the White House because Ronald Reagan simply wouldn't budge in his stance on South Africa. As a matter of fact there was an article out there that explained Reagan's rationale on sanctions to South Africa and attacked that particular part of the movie as a bias against Republicans.

Now before you go on the attack against how Gaines was no hero, I'm not sure this movie portrays him as such. He just so happen to be at the right place at the right time and while it's easy to be dismissive based upon his station in life there was a scene where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr defended him and workers like him. In this movie Cecil may not have seen eye-to-eye with his son Louis it's an interesting act of drama to show a domestic worker who begat an activist who took advantage of his American rights even in the face of violent opposition!

ABC News: Florida Cop Buys $100 in Groceries for Woman Caught Shoplifting Food

[VIDEO] I would consider this story a feel good story. People doing right by people even though they did wrong regardless we recognize why they're forced to do what they're doing. The police officer in question is defintiely who we need serving and protecting us.

When Miami-Dade Police Officer Vicki Thomas, 55, was dispatched to look into a shoplifting case at a Publix grocery store, a store manager led her to Jessica Robles.

“She was crying. I said, ‘Okay, what did she take?’ And he pointed to a grocery cart that was full of groceries,” Thomas told ABCNews.com. “I’ve been on [the job] 23 years, and I went, wow.”

“She just filled up the grocery cart and she just walked out, which shocked me and I asked her, ‘Why?’” Thomas recalled. “She said, ‘My children were hungry.’ And that immediately impacted me.”
....
“My grandchildren flashed before my eyes,” Thomas said. “I knew at that time what I was going to do. I knew I was going to buy her groceries.”

Thomas and her partner took the woman to their car, completed her paperwork and then Thomas asked her to wait a few minutes.

“I grabbed my debit card, ran back into the store and bought things that would sustain her for a week or so and when I walked out she saw that I had the cart of groceries and she burst out in tears and asked if she could hug me, which is kind of unusual for the suspect to be hugging the officer,” Thomas said with a laugh. “I let her hug me.”

Thomas made it clear that she technically arrested Robles. The woman had no priors for shoplifting and since the amount of goods she tried to steal amounted to just under $300, the cut-off for a misdemeanor, it was up to Thomas’ discretion whether to arrest her or give her the misdemeanor and get a promise to appear in court. She chose the latter.

The woman didn’t have a car, so Thomas loaded the $100 worth of groceries into the police car and the officers gave her a ride home.

Harvard Mag: Morehouse Man, Redux

Earlier this year Morehouse College gained a new President in John S. Wilson Jr. In addition to being a Morehouse Man, he had also attended Harvard University getting his graduate degrees there hence he's interviewed by Harvard Mag. Sadly he has to state that attending an HBCU doesn't have the allure it used to since Black college students have more choices today.

“The vast majority of African-American students in higher education are choosing nonblack colleges,” Wilson says. Today, HBCUs educate only about 10 percent of that population; and of those who do enroll, he adds, 75 percent are women, “so we are in a particular crisis in educating African-American males.” 

OK another problem we've discussed here, not enough Black males are going to college these days. It might be true of a number of campuses not just HBCUs although Morehouse is an exception since it's all male. Although let's be clear there have been reports that I have seen that illustrated that a lot of college campuses are increasingly populated with women and the population of men are going down.

Before the quote Dr. Wilson also noted that Morehouse needs to build an endowment. That endowment could go to not only the campus facility because Wilson talked about "improving the campus infrastructure which, he says, 'is basically the same buildings and landscape that I left in 1979.'" Also of course the endowment could help capable & motivated low-income students attend Morehouse and hopefully stay and graduate from there.

In any case, this is still a worthwhile article and Morehouse does have it's work cut out for them.

Today is Columbus day!

Today feels like a Sunday, but in fact it's Columbus Day. We may have learned that Christopher Columbus discovered America back in the late 15th Century in school. As time went on it turns out that story is a bit more complicated as Columbus may not have been the first European or perhaps even the first of the old world to discover these new lands.

All the same next month is another much more festive holiday Thanksgiving. I have a friend who refer to this holiday as Thanks-taking. We may celebrate the idea of giving thanks, even the origin of this holiday is complicated.

Both days are great for this main thing. These are days off from work for most and for school especially if you attend Chicago Public Schools. And here's hoping many of you see the origin of the holidays we currently take for granted.

So now we have watch phones...

[VIDEO] Earlier today on TV I've been seeing the ads for this Samsung Galaxy Gear. Basically this device is bringing to life the idea of a watch that could be used as a communication device. Basically this device used in connection with a Samsung smartphone such as a Galaxy Note or Galaxy S4 is called a "smartwatch".

The ads featured similar devices from Dick Tracy, The Jetsons, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Knight Rider, or even Babylon 5. Let me digress for a moment, the "comlinks" you saw on Babylon 5 aren't true smartwatches. They do rest on your hand perhaps connected in some abstract way to the Earth Alliance uniform the characters wore, but they were still nifty devices certainly no more than the devices seen in the other properties named above.

The Gear reminds me of the sixth generation iPod Nano which could be used as a watch although an iPod is normally used as a device to listen to music or podcasts. I was very disappointed when they discontinued this model as I always thought it was nifty but I couldn't justify paying the price to get one.

Since I'm firmly an Apple customer I hope that they may bring that style of iPod back along with the accompanying wristbands for the same purpose as the Gear. It almost seemed as if they might, but after reading all the rumors about the updated iPhones or iPads it's always possible that in spite of not seeming like they will develop it here it comes. Here's hoping if they do bring that style iPod back that it can be connected to the iPhone and used in a similar way to the devices now to be sold by Samsung.

Check out the old home of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick

[VIDEO] Well another take on the sentencing on Kwame Kilpatrick the former Mayor of Detroit. Curbed Detroit shared this video of Mayor Kilpatrick's old house and aside from the fact that it had been broken into and they showed the screen door no longer had it's knobs it appeared to be a very nice home. He probably moved out not long before he became Mayor since well Detroit has a Mayoral residence.

I recall that Kilpatrick had already been to jail pleading to guilty to charges that caused him to resign from his office in 2008. More recently he has been sentenced to 28 years in prison on various charges of corruption. That's much more than our very own Rod Blagojevich we thought he got it stiff! OUCH!

Sometimes when I get to thinking...

At work one day I picked up a business card and flyer for a cinematographer. The flyer was for a project that this individual had done for a film festival. Then it got me thinking.

I often note the works that were produced and exhibited online from either Brain Terminal or Protest Warrior that partially inspired this blog. There was a time that I wanted to match some of the work they did although what could be done differently by me than they did.

There are always projects that are worth doing if you require the services of a cinematographer. There is always something at least worth making a documentary about. There's always something out there you want the general public to know about.

And let me add, the many videobloggers I followed over the years. It seemed for the most part that activity has died down, but what they did to me was very ground breaking. Many of them really just wanted to show us the world as they see it. It something I'm interested in and still do it in the form of photography or even on social media.

Still when I saw the card for the cinematographer, for second my thought became what could be the use of such a skilled person. What project could be created that would justify having him work on my project?

Recently I talked with a friend having shared with him some posts from my other blog - The Sixth Ward. He had a much larger vision for what I'm doing there than I really did. He thought about flyers, t-shirts, he thought of ways to make money while pursuing a story, and much more.

Then in thinking of this, I recognize that sometimes there are moments like the one I described in the first paragraph of this post is the kind of out of the box thinking that necessary. It just lets me know that there are always projects that needs to be done and hopefully the world can only learn about something I'm passionate about!

Should I get another iPhone?

[VIDEO] By the time I had bought my current iPhone it wasn't long until it was time for the iPhone 5. My feelings on that device is that I wish it was designed like the iPhone 4 & 4S and it appears the new iPhone 5S takes its cue from the 5.

For now it appears this is the design I will see for the foreseeable future. I could always wait for the iPhone 6 and hope Apple provides a better design.

On the other hand I'm all about utility as it's as much what the device can do and not all how it looks. Lots of social networking and picture taking in addition to the basic function of making phone calls. While they talk more about the processor hopefully it makes the phone function better. Although it's a great idea to use a fingerprint scanner to ensure security for the device.

Other than that should I keep my current iPhone and wait for the iPhone 6?

In the mood for "The Right Stuff"

[VIDEO] When I was in high school (GO FALCONS) I had designs on being an astronaut and unfortunately that was one path never followed. Basically my vision was to go on a real live "Star Trek" thanks to the fact that I was a fan of that franchise and other series and movies that involved space exploration.

There was a documentary mini-series that aired on TBS years ago called Moonshot that chronicled the early days of the space program and through the Apollo years. Then at theaters was Apollo 13 which is a real life story of a "moonshoot" that didn't quite land on the moon due to a mechanical failure.

Then in my junior year of high school I did a research paper on the lead-up to Apollo 11. I have to say, at one point in my paper was a paragraph that was a full page long. What was that about? LOL!

Anyway, during this time I discovered this movie called The Right Stuff that also chronicles the early days of the space program and somehow fits in the role of aerospace pioneering by one Chuck Yeager. Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier in the late 1940s.

So I'm a huge fan of movie soundtracks and therefore want to share some music from The Right Stuff's soundtrack. It's very heroic although in this YouTube vid above it turned heavily 1980s near the end. This movie definitely was an homage to a group of men called the Mercury 7 who were the first Americans trained for spaceflight.

Now I need to find this film!

Curbed Chicago: How and Why Chicagoans Decided Our Flag Kicks Ass

Via Annalee flickr

The municipal flag of Chicago is an enduring symbol. The Mayor wears a lapel pin version of it and in addition many local websites and local t-shirt makers uses elements of this flag in their designs. For example consider the header for my other blog, The Sixth Ward. I would dare say no other US city comes close to Chicago although some have even more simpler design elements. Recently Curbed Chicago addresses why Chicago's flag is so popular.

A catchy political slogan???

What you see @ http://www.michaelscottcarter.com/

If I recall correctly when I was in elementary school me and a group of friends at the time started a clique that was named for the Nickelodeon Network. And our "leader" was also named Mike, but somehow we created a slogan for him "I like Mike". Not sure who created it, but it was catchy.

Not sure how it came about, but it almost certainly matches another famous slogan - "I like Ike!" - created in time for a past US Presidential campaign. It's possible that this was an inspiration for that back then or even now.

Truth be told, I wonder if the Mike of "I like Mike" - in this case Michael Scott Carter - is the same as the one that I knew. Haven't seen or spoken to him in years, but it would be cool to know that I once went to school with someone who is making moves on the state level here in Illinois.

Alas, Mike got my attention today finding a statement of his on the Capitol Fax this morning. An e-mail he sent to supporters noted that Illinois has 110 counties as opposed to the 102 it actually does have. Rich Miller quipped.

I wasn’t aware that Illinois had annexed southern Wisconsin. The “Illinois Dells” somehow just doesn’t have the same resonance, but I suppose I could get used to it.

Heh, and the comments weren't very kind to Mr. Carter either. They roasted him for that gaffe in his e-mail and then noted that they don't trust a man with three first names.

Well I'm trying not to go full on negative here. He would definitely be a different face to the 2014 race as it's noted that he's reportedy a Black Conservative Republican running for state treasurer. Also he's said to have worked with the Chicago Urban League. He's ready for the attack of the "liberal attack machine" in this race.

As for the screenshot up top, it would be great if it went viral and it just had to be preserved for posterity. Who knows how far this gent will go in politics?

VIDEO: Watch This Dilapidated House Transform Into a Theater

[VIDEO] Found this via the Curbed National website. This is very cool, perhaps this could be used on various blighted and foreclosed properties in any city that likely would be torn down anyway. Hopefully such a structure could be moved anywhere for exactly the purpose of an open air theater.

Forbes: America's Top Colleges 2013

I got wind of this because on another site it was noted that 16 HBCUs were part of this year's list. Some familiar colleges were on this list especially Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark-Atlanta. Other HBCUs I expected to be on this list weren't, but hey surely these lists don't make or break a school. Some of the other big names schools were omitted because they decided to falsify data such universities such as Emory University (also in Atlanta) and Bucknell University.

Morehouse was noted in the article: "The biggest mover-shaker was Morehouse College, the only all-male historically black college in the U.S., who jumped 235 spots to No. 285."

#facepalm part 3

[VIDEO] Our esteemed State Rep. Monique Davis was on The O'Reilly Factor on Thursday to talk about her comments made on a Detroit radio station regarding cops shooting young people. She never walked back her comments and still maintains that she was only repeating what her constituents were saying to her. Bill O'Reilly was right to say that with her credibility as an elected official it was irresponsible to repeat such a statement unless there was evidence of such activity.

With that in mind, just because one is an elected official doesn't make them credible. For airing out such a statement is Davis more credible now than she was after making those statements, I would say unlikely. She does appear to be quite a spitfire over the years especially being named the worst person in the world after essentially attacking an atheist at a state legislative hearing years ago.

We have a member of the Illinois House or Representatives - who just so happens to be Davis' colleague whether I'm sure she likes it or not - who has been indicted for soliciting a bribe. Not only was he indicted but last year he was booted from the state House. However, he was re-elected last year to his old house seat because he refused to quit the race even after he had been removed from the house. Does anyone view him as credible now?

In any case another part of the discussion was the most important issue facing Black-Americans. O'Reilly wants to argue that it's the family, but Davis didn't really talk about that and stated that it was the lack of services, jobs, and education. It's hard to disagree with that to be sure, but Davis never talked about the family lives of many of these young people.

Speaking only for me, I never consider the family. I recognize that the family life of a lot of our young people are very imperfect. Would a father make more of a difference in the home? Haven't the slightest clue to be honest.

Personally I do believe before having children one should get married first. It doesn't always happen that way and there's nothing but evidence of that. However, I think anyone who has children should strive to create a nuclear family that includes a father at least.

Of course we could talk about the disintegration of the black family, but let's also recognize that having mother and father as head of a household could be a good thing. It's certainly excellent if mother and father were on the same page as far as what's in the best interest of the children. And hopefully that means at the very least the children go on and do something productive with their adult lives and stay out of trouble with the law.

Hat-tip The Blaze

McArdle: Why Your Little Alma Mater May Go Extinct

If you read Instapundit you see a lot of posts about the "higher education bubble". In one recent post he found another example which explains that admissions as some schools are more selective and college enrollment has decline thanks to the job market & cost of tuition. He goes on to explain an unfortunate side effect to the changing higher education environment:

Many of the hard-hit schools seem to be historically black colleges. Here in Washington, for instance, Howard University is in the middle of a bruising board fight, thanks in part to falling enrollments. Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, vice chairwoman of the board of trustees, prophesied that "Howard will not be here in three years if we don't make some crucial decisions now." This strikes me as unlikely -- Howard was founded by a congressional grant after the Civil War, and I doubt that Congress will let it go under. But the threat is undoubtedly real for other historically black schools.

The concentration of enrollment declines among the schools that serve poor and minority communities raises some uncomfortable questions. On a positive note, this may mean that kids have access to a better class of school. On the other hand, it may mean that the schools best equipped to serve those kids fold, leaving nothing in their place. While I'm on the record as saying that we should probably send fewer kids to college, this isn't the way that I wanted to accomplish that. Rather, I wanted us to stop relying on rank credentialism, and to think harder about viable alternatives for kids who may not be academically inclined.

So to illustrate what's happening to the not so big name schools of academia the author points out an historically Black college such as Howard U.

I'm a long way from evaluating how Universities are doing, but I can only talk about myself. I don't regret getting a degree what I do regret is not being more academically inclined not just when I got to school but before I graduated from high school. My background was a long way from being a serious student.

So anyway there are a number of things to consider. What kind of students do universities want? What alternatives are available for high school seniors who don't seem inclined to go to college? What should we expect from a university other than allowing access to a university education and/or a degree?

Witness to lynching of Emmett Till has passed away

I just learned about another chapter in the sad case of Emmett Till. Until today I had little idea that there has been a witness to what happened to this teenaged boy in Money, Mississippi:

A key witness to the 1955 deadly beating of a black teen in Mississippi, a case that opened nation's eyes to the discrimination African Americans faced in the 50's, has died of intestinal bleeding, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Willie Louis, a Chicago resident, was 76 when he passed away from intestinal bleeding on July 18th, the newspaper reports.

After the trial in the murder of Emmett Till, Louis fled to Chicago in fear for his life, changed his name and slipped out of the public for nearly 50 years, according to the paper.

Louis was born in Greenwood, Miss., his wife, Juliet Luois, reportedly said he lived with his grandparents who worked as sharecroppers.

Mike Smalls, a teacher who has studied the landmark case, has told the Chicago Sun-Times that Louis was "one of the unsung civil rights heroes."

What happened to the young Mr. Till has still got to be the saddest case ever considered and unfortunately he wasn't going to get justice in 1950s Mississippi. And it took Mr. Lewis time to finally come out and tell his story as a witness to this unbelievable crime.

I would've like to see his interview on 60 Minutes!

"In Living Color": Keep your butt in school

[VIDEO] About five years ago, I found a YouTube clip featuring Damon Wayons in character as Oswald Bates on the late great FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color and posted it to the late My Mind's Eye. There was an underlying message to this clip as it seems Bates while behind bars using big words and terms out of context. This was basically a faux commercial for the United Negro Scholarhsip Fund (yes there is in fact a United Negro College Fund) with the message "Keep your butt in school". Hilarious but not a bad message at all and surely there are plenty of young men just like Bates even if they don't express themselves the way he does.

#facepalm part 2

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Well in response to the controversy that state Rep. Monique Davis stirred when she offered an unsubstantiated rumor that the police was behind some murders in her community. She discusses those comments made on a Detroit radio station in a press conference on Friday. Our local NBC affiliate has the video you see above. I'm sure there are still some who really see this as a farce.

An ya know other than the comments over at the CapFax, I should've known 2nd City Cop would have something to say as well.

#facepalm

Remember a few years ago that Keith Olberman listed a Chicago Democratic state Representative Monique Davis as the worst person in the world because she lit right into an atheist at a hearing. If only Olberman still had a TV program, if he heard about this story would she still be the worst person in the world?

“I’m going to tell you what some suspicions have been, and people have whispered to me: they’re not sure that black people are shooting all of these children,” Davis said.

“There’s some suspicion – and I don’t want to spread this, but I’m just going to tell you what I’ve been hearing – they suspect maybe the police are killing some of these kids.”

When WBBM asked Davis if she thinks it’s possible that police are killing children, she said, “I don’t know. I don’t know that they are, and I don’t know that they aren’t, since no one’s been arrested. We don’t know who’s doing it.”

Unbelievable! The police's response:

Chicago Police Department spokesman Adam Collins responded to Representative Davis’ comments:

“The men and women of Chicago Police Department work tirelessly every day to keep our city safe.

“These comments are so outrageous and baseless, that they do not merit any comment.”

I found this article via CapFax. The comments seems to be universal against Rep. Davis. They wonder why no one has either challenged her or defeated her. She's got a hold on her district in some way. Rich Miller himself noted that the powerful 19th Ward has attempted to move her but has had little success.

Reason.tv: The Glorious Rebirth of Bus Travel & Why the Gov't May Ruin it Again

[VIDEO] Reason takes a look at the bus industry and how government interference helped hasten its decline after the 2nd World War. Today the industry is making a comeback as it appears curbside bus service - especially for intercity travel - is allowing more people to take the bus.

When I attended school in Atlanta, my mode of transit was mainly Greyhound. I can see how curbside service could be attractive as it costs money to maintain stations and terminals. In the meanwhile with such services such as Megabus all you need is a bus, possibly a garage, and then a place for the bus to pick-up or drop-off passengers. Also I forgot about labor, the buses can't drive themselves.

Another thing reason correctly notes, in the years I've taken the bus even before the Morehouse College years Greyhound has changed. They repainted their buses, made changes to their terminals, they've even added amenities to their buses with places to charge mobile devices and free wi-fi. Also it helps that you don't have to go to the terminal to pick up a ticket you can even print it off at home. For the context of this video, Greyhound owns some of the bus services popular in NYC's Chinatown.

I have to think, this video portrays starting a bus transit service as being particularly easy back in the past. Just buy a vehicle and start picking up people and yes I realize it's not entirely that simple as well you have to let people know you're in business to start. All the same this could go for a number of industries.

How did it happen that government comes in and sets all these rules for what they expect businesses to do? How is it for anyone who wants to operate intercity bus services that companies must have a permit? Even then how is it government decides that cracks in the frame of a bus is a huge issue while an organization represented bus companies have acknowledged that these cracks aren't a serious safety issue?

There are a lot of questions to be asked for sure. It makes me want to support the strictest definition of laissez-faire.

How does the economy work now?

There are two items from The 312 blog posting courtesy of Chicago Mag. The one that caught my attention the most was how temporary workers were being screwed by the system. The linking article noted how temp workers can find themselves being paid below the minimum wage in Illinois. One way that happens, when you finally connect with a gig, you will somehow still get charged for transportation fees.

Alas in America it's reported that a temp agency is the second largest employer in America. Walmart is still no. 1 although the also use temp workers.

Of course it's that just under another brief write-up on how Doctors determine how to charge for their various services.

Those two combined is how the economy works right now!

Just learned of a shooting involving a Morehouse College student

As much as people are worked up about what happened with Trayvon Martin last year, sometimes I wish that people could get worked up for incidents such as this. This time it involves a Man of Morehouse and this article from the AJC notes that this was the third arrest in the murder:

A third person has been arrested in the shooting death of a Morehouse College student, the U.S. Marshals Service said Friday afternoon.

Anthony Finley, 23, was arrested Friday morning in Shiloh, about 75 miles southwest of Atlanta in Harris County, according to Supervisory Inspector Gavin Duffy with the Marshals.

Finley is third suspect in the June 13 shooting death of Joseph Gibbs. Gibbs, 23, died in his driver’s seat after being shot inside his car near the intersection of Parsons and Webster streets. He died near the campus of Morehouse College, where he was a few credit hours short of his diploma.

Atlanta police previously said the shooting appeared to be the result of a drug deal, though investigators have not released information about what led to the shooting.

Investigators believe after the first two arrests, Finley left the Atlanta area to stay with family member and elude capture. The case remains under investigation.

It's very disappointing that it was also reported that this crime was as a result of a drug deal. It's sad that a young man was cut down early once again, however, please remember that it's risky to be involved with drugs at all.

Ouch!!!

Well before I tell a long story let me set this post up. A long time Alderman - Richard Mell - will be retiring from his seat on the Chicago City Council. He was not only an Alderman but a ward boss as he was a Democratic Committeeman for his 33rd Ward. In that capacity he helped his son-in-law one Rod Blagojevich move up in the world of Chicago politics.

For his part Mell regrets that noting:

With the benefit of hindsight, "I think that he would have probably stayed a state representative," Mell said of his son-in-law.

Rich Miller went further, as a state political blogger he's had many dealings with the Blagojevich administration. It's obvious although he's free to correct me that he doesn't care for Blago at all:

Why even go that far? In hindsight, he should’ve been kept out of politics altogether.

Ouch indeed!

Needless to say I'm sure the history justifies that assessment. From Illinois House of Representatives to the US Congress to Illinois' Governor's mansion and now in federal prison for corruption. Could anyone have seen that coming?

State Journal-Register: Visit impresses British relative of Lincoln

Springfield, Illinois is the state capital and unfortunately it takes a back seat to it's much larger sister city of Chicago. As far as state government goes all the action is in Springfield especially during a session of the Illinois General Assembly. This is true in spite of the fact that most of this state's constitutional officers well all but one of six in fact resides in the Chicago area.

Springfield is known for it's association with America's 16th President who just so happens to be Abraham Lincoln who is known for leading this nation through a Civil War and during the course of that war freed the slaves. It's interesting that in this article we see that genealogists found President Lincoln's closest living British relative and they brought him to his cousin's adopted hometown.

It was such an enjoyable visit for him that he wants to tell others to visit Springfield. It just let's everyone know that Lincoln buffs are everywhere and they're willing to visit the sites where Lincoln lived or worked. And at that the sites such as Lincoln's Presidential Library that shows his place in history.

Welcome to Illinois Mr. & Mrs. Gilchrist hopefully the people you meet wherever you go in this state will show you nothing but great hospitality. And as a person who is an Illinoisian, Springfield is probably the one place that I need to visit in the future. All I've done in the past is pass through and that needs to change!

Lee Bey: Moo & Oink's leftovers revealed in an uncovered ghost sign

I'm sure paying a visit to a neighborhood Moo & Oink store was something of a tradition on holidays such as 4th of July. The stores that had existed for that chain has been closed since 2011 and the brand lives on in various grocery stores in the area. Therefore you can still by bbq meat items that are Moo & Oink branded.

Lee Bey an architecture blogger writes about the ancient signage at a shuttered Moo & Oink store near 71st & Stony Island. That is what you see pictured above. There are plans for this property and hence the work that's being done here and exposes the ancient artwork.

Another thing is that it's a bit of a holiday tradition from my family to purchase chitterlings from Moo & Oink from around the Christmas holidays. The stores are closed now but that doesn't mean that we can't at least go to Pete's Produce for example to buy them. However it appears that this item is out of season currently!

Ward Room: Pride Parade a Who's Who in Illinois Politics

While I didn't actually go to this event on Chicago's North Side there were many who were on their way to these festivities Sunday morning on the CTA. I'm starting to view this as just another party, however, it appears to be a very crucial party. Ward Room noted the many politicians who were present for this.

One of those politicians were actually a Republican, that person being current State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka. She was listed as a "gay icon" for some reason but she was the only Republican spotted at the parade. It's possible any other Republicans there weren't recognized well enough for it to matter. Come to think of it, when it comes to gay marriage in Illinois there were some Republican supporters it's a bit surprising that some of them didn't attend this parade or at least weren't spotted there.

Also let's not forget that there's an election coming up in 2014. So the Pride Parade was one event where an aspiring politician might want to get their name out there and hopefully gain some voters. Some of the other politicans on the list would certainly explain that such as Gov. Pat Quinn who may well go down for the count next year as his record as Governor still leaves a lot to be desired. Also a downstate politician State Sen. Mike Freirichs also attended away from his hometown of Champaign, IL who wants to run for State Treasurer.

You know I think I should keep an eye for such a post when it's time for the Bud Billiken Parade. Who might come out for a back-to-school parade that is also another party for the Black Community. Will Judy Baar Topinka bring any other Republicans with here to the Billiken in August?

More talking about the Hawks...

As of late, this became a hockey blog. This was true with the last Stanley Cup the Black Hawks won in 2010. I followed many of the playoff games back then too often posting video highlights from the NHL's YouTube channel. Went so overboard the posts about the Hawks weren't just about the games but all aspects of Black Hawks history and traditions.

Lately it was my intent to post about the current ownership of the Hawks. Back in 2007 at the start of that NHL season, longtime owner William Wirtz had passed away. Many longtime Hawks fans weren't happy with his management of this historic franchise. He refused to air home games in the Chicago market unless such games were televised nationally. He was quick to trade players especially when the teams were doing poorly then turned around and wondered why fans weren't as supportive of the team and thus weren't coming to games.

This Chicago mag article about the Black Hawks showed how bad of shape the team had been in light of Wirtz' passing. I learned in that article that the Hawks wasn't getting much coverage from many of the local TV, radio, or print outlets in the area. It probably doesn't help if the team isn't winning but certainly if the team is all but invisible because it's unable to attract casual fans.

Anyway at current the Hawks are under the ownership of Rocky Wirtz who had undone some of the longstanding policies of his father. Home games are aired on TV not only on cable but on our local station WGN. They got back some of the many legends who were alienated from this team. And resultantly the team is more popular than ever before. Most importantly the team is not only a winning team, but they have captured two Stanley Cups in four years.

I would consider myself something of a casual sports fan. I'm not into the strategy and stats as most sports fans seem to be. The business side of sports is more interesting to me and the Hawks is a good case study on this aspect. How many sports franchises has had such a marked turnaround as the Chicago Black Hawks. After the death of a longtime owner in less than two or so year's time we have an immediate contender and the greatest show in this town.

Of course when it comes to sports franchise a lot of ingredients have to come together. The Black Hawks had to make some changes to its office and really have to come up with a plan to get fans into the United Center. They needed good players for the fans to watch on home ice.

It's fascinating to read this one of many stories on Rocky Wirtz since he took over the team. He deserves a lot of credit for making many of the necessary changes. I heard the D-word (dynasty) come out as of late I hope there are more Stanley Cups are coming before this decade closes.

BTW, it must be noted Chicago teams aren't known for multiple championships. If the Black Hawks won more championships perhaps they can match up to the Chicago Bulls although not as frequently since the Bulls had two three-peats in the 1990s. Chicago Argus does a good job of comparing the current Black Hawks teams with other Chicago championship teams. It just makes me wonder how many more Championships will the Hawks win in the future if it's meant to be!

"Unknown Chicago" moves again...

The blog written by Chicago historian John R. Schmidt is moving from his current online digs at WBEZ.org. If you don't know that's Chicago's local public radio affiliate. He often writes items related to Chicagoland history and it's quite fascinating.

I use the title Unknown Chicago because that was where I first became aware of him. That blog was hosted over at Chicago Now which is operated by the Chicago Tribune. Unfortunately he left there to start his eponymous blog that was subtitles Chicago History Today.

He does have new digs where you can find him at appropriately enough Chicago History Today, however, he says he may not post as often as he has been. He's even busier that he has been since starting the blogs as he's going to be seen on TV in the future and is also authoring a book.

His first post at the new digs is about one of Chicago's most famous characters, gangster Al Capone.

And I look forward to seeing him tells stories about Chicago's past!

Chicago Black Hawks: 2013 Stanley Cup champions

Not long after the victory in Boston last night I posted a pic in the sidebar marking this accomplishment. So the Hawk won their 2nd Stanley Cup in four years in Boston. That brings that count up to 5 cups total for this original 6 franchise the last one was in 2010 of course and I was with them every step of the way back then and this time as well.

Below are highlights from games 5 & 6. The Hawks won this series in six games letting two games go against the Bruins. Alas they won this one away from home however better there than to possibly lose at home although we can't be thinking that way can we?

GAME 5 Bruins @ Hawks - Hawks win! [VIDEO]

 

GAME 6 Hawks @ Bruins - Hawks win Stanley Cup! [VIDEO]

Besides with great credit to the other original 6 team Boston Bruins they truly made this a series to remember. They didn't go down without a fight in the end it wasn't meant to be for them. If they had it would've been their second cup in four years as they had won it all in 2011.


The next two videos are of the presentation and hoisting of the Stanley Cup in Boston last night. [VIDEOS: ONE - TWO]

 

The Cup is now in Chicago, the Hawks arrived early this morning with the cup in tow [VIDEO]

It's official the Cup is back in Chicago!!!! Congratulations guys it has been a great season and it was capped with a championship as it should've been!

VIDEO: Few protest over Blackhawks logo

[VIDEO] So after watching the Black Hawks tie their Stanley Cup Final series against the Boston Bruins tonight I see this video with Chicago Tribune editor Eric Krol and reporter John Keilman about why the Hawk's "indian head" logo don't elicit as much protest as other American Indian themed franchises.

This brings to mind the protests against Chief Illiniwek who was the mascot of the University of Illinois' athletic program. The Chief eventually was retired in response to these protest even though U of I athletic teams are still named for the eponymous tribe who once resided in Illinois once up on time.

They mentioned especially the Atlanta Braves who does have an American Indian Tomahawk Chop when they want to rally and then there's the Washington Redskins. As a matter of fact historically the Redskins have an unfortunate history when it comes to race relations and it doesn't just involve American Indians. All the same why doesn't the Hawks elicit the same protests as the Braves and Redskins.

Well one answer makes sense and is suprising. Chicago is home to a diverse number of American Indians representing different tribes. Even better, the Chicago Black Hawks have reached out to local American Indian institutions and have sent representatives to such events. To be sure this is a good move to make nice with that community.

At the same time, going back further in history, the Black Hawks nickname I believe honors American Indians. The "original six" franchise name was based on a 1st World War military unit which was nicknamed in honor of a leader of the Sauk tribe named Black Hawk who was a significant figure in early Illinois history. It seems the other teams that have American Indian themed team names can't make that claim for certain.

Anyway, hopefully I will show highlights of the last two games the Hawks have played. I at least had a chance to watch some of game 4, but didn't have a chance to watch game 3. Time to watch those highlights and hopefully I'll be able to do so in the near future.

On Tuesday, took a stroll near the United Center

Near Madison/Paulina

A day before the Stanley Cup Final series commenced between the Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins, I decided to go by the United Center (UC). I took a number of photos on my phone near there and posted them to my instagram (@levois).

I was under the Paulina Connector that routes CTA Pink Line trains towards the Loop via Lake Street. Until recently it was a rarely used piece of antiquated rapid transit infrastructure until it was again commissioned into revenue service. It was once part of services once provided by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad.

There are some redevelopment plans by the primary tenants of the UC - who just so happen to be not only the owners of the Chicago Black Hawks, but the Bulls as well - which cause me to want to consider this piece of infrastructure under the Paulina Connector. There ought to be an L stop right here and CTA has been adding stops on the system recently a stop was added along the Lake Street Branch and one up on the Skokie Swift branch.

Currently you'd have to take a bus directly here for any events there. You'd probably could take a train and then switch for a bus that will take you here or otherwise be prepared for lots of walking. Back when the Paulina Connector was a much busier route there was a station there at Madison.

So if the need to redevelop this area with not only a training facility for the Chicago Bulls, but also a entertainment complex to contain retail and dining perhaps an L stop here wouldn't be a bad bet. There are no plans currently to do so, but let's hope that in light of these new plans CTA will fast track a future station here.

Wager made in Stanley Cup series Hawks v. Bruins...

The game is on as I type this post. There's not just a world championship at stake here between the Black Hawks & Bruins. There's a wager as well.

In all the years, I have followed Chicago sports when a local franchise head into the playoffs and especially the further up they go there is often a wager. Most of the time it has been our former Mayor Richard M. Daley who offers up Chicago food treats as a wager. Don't entirely remember what the opposing cities offer although they may be similar to the foods Chicago wagers.

Now in the case of Chicago teams going into the playoffs or better yet wagering in a game that involves one of sports' longest running rivalries (Bears/Packers) it seems the trend involves Governors. This year in the current Stanley Cup playoffs Governor Pat Quinn and his Massachusetts counterpart Deval Patrick wagered volunteering at their respective local food banks. Of course who has to pay up on this bet depends on who wins Lord Stanley's cup.

It was noted somewhere, perhaps a blog, that Quinn almost didn't pay up on a similar bet made with regards to the Bears/Packers. He ultimately did, but really didn't try too hard to honor the wager he made. I do believe he that bet with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

BTW, it's noted that Gov. Patrick is a native of Chicago. As a matter of fact he grew up in those often maligned housing projects in the city. Where ever Patrick was reared those projects are likely long gone, but to his credit he's come a long way.

Still, another Stanley Cup coming to Chicago would be excited. And that means Gov. Patrick would have to volunteer for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Feeding the hungry, is definitely a worthy cause don't you agree?

Jim Limber Davis -- Rescued by the Confederacy's First Lady

Check out this story of Jim Limber pictured to the left. He was accepted into the family of Jefferson Davis. Yes, that guy the only President of the Confederate States of America. Davis' wife rescued him from an abusive man and took care of the boy and was ultimately accepted into the family.

Let's not forget that the Confederates lost the Civil War although it doesn't appear to be explored during the course of the story linked above he was taken away from the family by a Union general. The Davis' never were able to find out his fate.

You know we always were taught that the Confederacy supported slavery and perhaps by proxy very evil. Yet we hear stories like this and then we may recognize it's not entirely black & white. Of course that's not to say slavery was OK or anything like that.

Hat-tip Newsalert!

My first #picstitch

Wednesday afternoon, I explored the intersection of 63rd/Halsted. This excursion made easier by the Red Line reconstruction where I could take a shuttle bus to Garfield and then change for a train there. I could either go north from Garfield or head west into Englewood.

Over at my other blog you see this intersection at various points in it's heyday. Here's another picture of a time when it was a destination of choice for many on this part of time. Alas within the last 40 or so years this intersection has seen hard times and is still looking for something to bring it back.

The top left and bottom right corners are of Kennedy-King College, one of the Chicago City Colleges. Perhaps this is one way to revive this intesection and with an L rolling along I have always envised that this area could be as busy as the Loop where another city college is located Harold Washington College. Although granted if it were to ever happen this area as a long way to go!

BTW, check out this page on the L stop adjacent to this intersection at Halsted.

My experience on the Red Line service changes

This is the first week of the Red Line South reconstruction project. The normal trains I take to run back to the south side has been shut down for major infrastructure work and that forces many people to have to take shuttlebuses to catch a train. That is the same train that would take you downtown through the State Street subway.

You see the current alignment of the Red Line for the next 5 months almost mimicks a former alignment. Red Line trains from Howard go onto the Green Line tracks to Ashland/63 in the Englewood neighborhood. Before 1993 that was the alignment but then the Red Line South (aka Dan Ryan branch) now connects with Howard when before 1993 it used to connect with the Lake branch and remained on L tracks.

It's been a bit of a treat but still the reconstruction is a bit of an inconvenience, but at least there are some expected benefits. Trains should run faster than they had been because of deterioration tracks, ties, and ballast so all of those components are to be replaced. In addition to that they have to fix drainage, electrical and communication lines as well. Also other stations on the branch will be handicapped accessible and it's also expected to make it much easier to extend the Red Line further south in the city.

At current because the infrastructure wasn't in the best condition and it required constant care it was best to do it right and shut it down for a brief period and just get it all done. Of course what that means is that it won't be necessary to continue to delay passengers to keep doing this necessary work and most of them such as myself have somewhere they need to be at a certain time.

One thing I will say so far is that the shuttlebuses are making good time. If you are riding anytime between 4 AM to 1 AM there are express shuttles that will take you directly to your particular Red Line stop from 69th to 95th. After 1 AM you take a local shuttle which makes all the Red Line stops which takes longer and at that point in the wee hours of the morning I just want to go home!

In any event making a connection whether from shuttlebus to the train or from train to shuttlebus should be nothing less than a breeze. But I hope by October things will be back to normal with a new and improved Dan Ryan Red Line with travel times greatly improved!

President Obama speaks to the Morehouse College class of 2013

[VIDEO] Here is the President's address to the class of 2013 at Morehouse College. All 32 minutes and while I'm aware of how the President is portrayed by those who oppose him it's certainly great to have the leader of the free world speak at a graduation especially if it just so happens to be my own alma mater. I'm looking forward to seeing the full ceremonies as it's not the President who's important here, it's the graduates as they worked very hard to see this day come!

Alas, the past week haven't been very good to the President. We have the story regarding the IRS targeting Tea Party groups come out. Also the Benghazi is still in the news, that was where an US Ambassador was killed in Libya by insurgents.

I also found that someone threw politics into the momentousness of President Obama coming to Morehouse to speak to the graduates. Here's the title to an article from the New York Daily News: "As President Obama tells Morehouse grads he strives to be ‘a better man,’ Republican critics suggest he ought to". Although the article itself mentions some of the commencement address it says very little about Republican critics connecting some of what he said which some of the bad press he's been receiving as of late.

I do believe, however, that most of this criticism you may have seen in a variety of quotes seen on TV. Perhaps even FOX News it seems although I would have to corroborate this will actual videos. That's something I'm not prepared to do at the moment.

All the same, I still view the President coming to Morehouse as a positive. It causes me to cringe when anyone event the President himself referring to himself in the same vein as Dr. Martin Luther King because Obama is more of a political leader than Dr. King. King himself was certainly more of a religious or moral leader than Obama can ever hope to be. Although perhaps King's vision of a Black person or anyone becoming President of the United State by the content of his character but not because of the color of his skin is something that we could get out of this comparison.

In spite of his current problems, it was great to see Morehouse College get some international attention and hopefully this could mean that more people will see the primary mission of Morehouse in a good light. Especially to see the positivity of mostly Black males completing their college education!

My weekend at the movies: "Star Trek Into Darkness"

This past weekend I finally had the opportunity to see the latest entry in the Star Trek franchise entitled Star Trek Into Darkess at the Chatham 14 theaters. There were some unexpected surprised in this movie some plot points that were inserted into the story that's as much part of this universe even if this is an alternate reality. The antagonists of this film are muddled but still clear and as always our heroes win the day. The ending could've easily resembled Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan but thankfully they didn't stay that course and of course it's an action packed film.

As seen in the trailer or even in some promotional materials the USS Enterprise takes a serious beating in this movie. We already saw Spock in a volcano and jumping from a skyscraper in addition to him running around. Also the Klingons make a brief appearance and they look much more menacing than usual. I could see them as the universe's answer to biker gangs!

Overall a great movie, it has me thinking about seeing it again because usually once I see it at the show it's not likely to be viewed again until it's on sale as a DVD.

I noted not long ago on Twitter that when Star Trek was released in 2009 I was graduating from Star Trek. My graduation occurred on May 17, 2009 and it had premiered on May 8, 2009. And looking at my stubs that I've been collecting for years it appears I went to a show on May 10, 2009, a Sunday.

Finally a shoutout to the Morehouse College class of 2013 who had President Obama as a commencement speaker. It's something I hope to share with you as soon as I see any video of it in the next few days although I see it has been politicized already. That will be shared here as well.

Sorry for veering a bit off topic, however, the Star Trek franchise remains in good hands and hopefully we will see more Klingons in the next movie! Also even more better, now I have possession of two posters for this movie and certainly something you'd expect to have seen before this film was released. A wonderful treat for myself that excites me even more! :)

ALSO, in a recent post in showing a new trailer for Into Darkness, I referred to this film as Star Trek 13. That was incorrect as the current installment is in fact the 12TH Star Trek film. I would correct it in that post but then I figured just let it be. When the next movie is released and this blog continues that will certainly be correct! :P

Mayor Emanuel and CTA Launch Train Tracker

I think they changes they recently unveiled for the train tracker I have used frequently since it was created close to two years ago are quite nifty. Alas by Sunday, I will have to be concerned about the fact that they will shut down the Red Line South. Then again because of some of the changes that they're making should help with the frustration of the commute.

Another trailer for "Star Trek" 13

[VIDEO] This trailer looks great and I'm even more pumped to see this latest adventure of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. It looks like it takes a beating in this movie. If this preview doesn't get you excited for this one what else will. It's premiere is a week away and I anticipate seeing it next weekend at least!

This preview was uploaded onto YouTube, however, it was published on April 16 and I'm just now seeing it. I first saw this in the previews for Iron Man 3 when I saw it at River East.

Man sues Morehouse College after they say he never graduated

They may have done things differently in the 1980s, but when I got my degree four years ago I picked mine up the same day as commencement. If this guy got a diploma that he didn't actually earn that's terrible that at the last minute something happened where it turns out he didn't actually graduate.

A man who said he graduated from Morehouse College more than 30 years ago is suing the school because the college said he never met graduation requirements. And now Morehouse is countersuing to get him to return the diploma it gave him 33 years ago.

"They can't have it back, I earned it," Terry Boyd told Channel 2's Tom Jones outside the southwest Atlanta campus.

Boyd's attorney wonders why the school gave him the diploma if it believed he hadn't met the requirements

"How do you mail something like this to someone you're professing did not complete you're requirements for graduation?" attorney Marsha Mignott said.

This all began two years ago after Boyd applied for a job paying nearly $150,000 a year and the company checked his background.

"They said they had a problem verifying my graduation from Morehouse," Boyd explained.

Discrepancy?

Morehouse said he failed an Organic Chemistry class. His transcript shows he made a D.

Boyd said he passed the class. His attorney said it appears someone changed his grade from a C to a D.

Mignott finds it odd the college would let him take Chemistry 2 if he failed the prerequisite Chemistry 1 class. 

As a result, this is going to court and Morehouse wants their diploma back and understandably Mr. Boyd doesn't want to let it go. Let's hope Brother Boyd gets to keep his degree and is not forced to give up his diploma and as a result return to school again to re-earn his degree.