Advice on riding Amtrak - first class!

Via Chris May/flickr

It's been a few years since I had a vacation. The last time I had ever been out of town since working was going to SpelHouse Homecoming in 2011. Which was the first time I had visited Atlanta, Georgia since graduating from Morehouse College in 2009.

This past weekend I took Amtrak for the first time since 2009 - which incidentally I took the train after visiting Mound Bayou, Mississippi in fall 2009. This past weekend I went to Memphis, Tennessee for a funeral. It felt great to get out of town to the point where no matter where I work it'll just have to be important to take a quick trip every now and again.

A few years ago I had some advice as far as making reservations for the train. Coach-class train travel is OK for the most part but sometimes it's better to travel first-class in a sleeper. The problem is that first-class will cost more depending on where you're going. On top of a coach-class ticket you will pay an up-charge for a sleeper car accommodation and that charge will depend on what size room you want. Cheapest likely would be a roomette. If you want more information on sleeper accommodations visit amtrak.com.

In any case we took coach-class to Memphis and then when making the reservations somehow we (well actually my mother) were able to get a sleeper for only $25 more although the ticket round-trip was still in the neighborhood of $600! While we made reservations at the last minute Amtrak was able to get in touch with a deal on a sleeper berth but only on the return trip. This happened when we returned from Dallas, Texas via Amtrak somehow we also got offered a sleeper at a discount.

Needless to say the sooner you make a reservation the better. You can always go ahead and make a reservation for a coach seat in the hopes that Amtrak may call you again offering first-class accommodations at a discount. As for making reservations for a sleeper you can check out this USA Today link one of those options for reserving first-class accommodations is to ask for an upgrade on the train. Although the likelihood of such a possibility is slim.

I would like to do LA via train again and when I did that in 2005 it was in a coach seat. I'm not planning on doing that again, but hopefully I can afford a roomette on the train round trip for the two night ride to the Golden State.

Wishing I can get into real estate

Photo via Curbed Chicago

If only I had enough money to get into real estate. I would like to do rehab a house the way this greystone on the north side of Chicago had been. It's either that or build a house exactly the way this greystone was rehabbed.

As the "blogmaster" for The Sixth Ward I've followed real estate in the often beleaguered south side neighborhood of Englewood. Recently there were information on a vacant lot program which allowed Englewood neighbors in a pilot program to purchase and close on vacant lots there. The cost wasn't entirely cost prohibitive.

It's certainly cost prohibitive to build on those lots if that's what you chose to do with them. At the same time it's not necessary to build on those lots although if I was able to purchase a lot that's exactly what I would like to do. If nothing else until one gets the capital to build anything it's OK to turn these lots into oases instead of lots where weeds would grow and trash would collect.

Of course Englewood isn't the only neighborhood in Chicago where such a program is necessary. And who knows perhaps I'll have the luxury of buying a lot in the future and hopefully build the house I want to build. Or more likely have some property when a neighborhood turns around.

I mention Englewood because I'm starting to believe it's on the cusp. With a major CTA rail line and then a Whole Foods Market coming to such an impoverished neighborhood it seems very likely.

Now to start getting ready to get into real estate.

Alright enough blogs already...

I used to have a blog called My Mind's Eye and now that at the current moment Instagram (ig) is the hot property it's time to bring it back. A ready place to take snapshots from my mobile phone.

It's was something I had done there even with my old Razr phone. Now we're in the era of the smartphone with my current iPhone 4S. And I can share not only some shots that were posted to ig but shots I've taken without touching them up via ig.

So now, I've created a new version of My Mind's Eye with a beta designation. The landscape has changed with cameraphones as opposed to the point and shoot camera I used to have. Still why not have more venues to share the shots I have taken so far.

And if you think I've had enough of these blogs then who's to say I won't decide to stop posting to that blog at some point in the future. It can happen. lol

Adventures in getting connected online...

I like to state that I've been fooling around with the internet for many years in the pre-Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - Myspace years. The internet of the late 1990s was so low-tech I often wondered if my teenaged-self head would explode with what the internet offers day.

Most people years ago connected via dial-up and only recently did my home get connected with DSL broadband. Dial-up was cheap broadband wasn't and thankfully DSL prices went down - even if introductory - to the point where I felt comfortable going for it.

All the same that doesn't mean things don't happen to the point where you'd have to call for help. I'm learning that even DSL is headed towards being obsolete. Since my DSL service is through AT&T now I'm learning about U-verse which is supposed to be fast internet as opposed to DSL although Uverse is DSL of some sort.

Anyway it's a bit of a hassle to even get tech support via AT&T because if you have a problem with service as I have then they might decide well that's an opportunity to upgrade. The only thing is all you want is the possibility of a restoration of service. In that instance even getting a new modem seems out of the question as I had been told.

So regardless after seeing how difficult it can be to get through the AT&T sales pitch and finally get some internet service restored and was told finally that we should just get another DSL modem for now. It took time to get service back and while I'm confident in my ability to do things on my own I was forced to call AT&T to get my new modem up and running.

I'm really glad I did and after almost three days offline I'm back on the web. All I needed was to use the correct password to get back to where I wanted to be. That means more activity on the PC and away from my various mobile devices.

You should see this when you get a chance...

[VIDEO] Dear White People (DWP)


If I didn't know better it was a comedy to me. It's been described as more a dramatic satire than anything else. It's very easy to compare this movie to Spike Lee's School Daze (SD).

Fact is it's an inverted version of Lee's classic. DWP is set at a fictitious Ivy League university and we see how the Black students in this movie cope with life at this predominantly white institution.

SD is basically about life at a fictitious historically black college. In fact that film had been shot at the various universities of the Atlanta University Center (AUC). Although those schools took umbrage at Lee's production and ultimately ordered them away from the respective campuses of the AUC.

Regardless, this film takes a look at the racial things college students engage themselves in. In the news we've seen stories of how white students may try to mock Blacks. We see it nakedly in this movie as if the point was they want to be like "us". Certainly Blacks are a lot more than the stereotypes we run into on the news.

Of course there are plenty of other issues in the movie than the simple conflicts between Blacks & whites and how they interact in an academic environment. We see some internal and interpersonal conflict. For example, a mixed race woman has to come to terms with her white father. A Black male who's had issues with other Blacks because of his sexual orientation. An aspiring Black politician who is still under the thumb of his father who had recently been appointed to a major position at this Ivy League University.

There's a lot of drama and funny moments in this movie to hold your attention. You should give it a chance before it eventually leaves your local cinemas.

What should I do with my other Instagram account?

Since late July I had been utilizing a 2nd profile - attached to The Sixth Ward - on the social networking site Instagram. Basically it's used for snapshots taken around the neighborhood and sharing ("regram") posts from other ig users. If used for the sharing of information as has been done with The Sixth Ward's ig it's very nifty.

One of the recent posts that have been somewhat newsworthy was the snapshot (seen above and embed below) I had taken of a local hotdog stand - Jim's Original. The stand is located near the 95th terminal of the CTA Red Line and is slated to close as a result of a project to significantly expand the CTA terminal. It had been the closest and easiest place for me to get a Maxwell Street polish sausage.

All the same I've been wondering what is the most effective way to use this social networking program. It probably can't be used the same way I have been able to use The Sixth Ward's Twitter and Facebook pages.

What I can count on is that it has attracted followers from a number of areas. For example both the Twitter & fb pages have attracted some major companies for example Mariano's as many people on Chicago's south side want to attract the newest grocer to this at part of the city.

My ig page has gotten followed by AMC Theatres which I threw a shout-out for that. In addition to that I have followers who include politicians on the local and state level in addition to aspiring activists and of course aspiring businessmen. Even better my ig page is being followed by the Maroon Tiger ig which is the student newspaper of my alma mater Morehouse College.

So the next question. What is the best way to truly utlize this account? Could this be one way to market the south side to any future investors especially any major companies to come to this part of town? Can it be utilized to share important information?

This Jim's Original hot dog stand is closing permanently Nov. 10 due to the 95th cta project. Here's hoping they'll find another nearby location in the future.

A photo posted by The Sixth Ward (@thesixthward) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:21pm PST

Gizmodo: What Do You Miss Most About the Early Days of the Internet?

I'm not sure there's a whole lot I miss about Web 1.0. Things were simple in those days and perhaps I might miss that. I just don't miss dial-up and perhaps some of the low-tech nature of the internet back in the mid-1990s.

I'm just as appreciative of all the tools that exist today. Some of these tools existed such as this Blogger platform. If only I knew about that back then.

So now we know to put astronauts into suspended animation?

I became a fan of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was still in high school. One plot point there was that the supercomputer of the spaceship on a mission to Jupiter went crazy - it was supposed to be an artificially intelligent machine - and made an effort to kill all the astronauts.

Two of the astronauts were piloting the ship and three other astronauts was in suspended animation. So this computer was successful in killing one of the non-suspended astronauts and killed the suspended astronauts. The surviving astronaut shut the computer down and continued to Jupiter.

I thought about that film when I saw this article. Placing astronauts in suspended animation was science fiction in 1968 when the film was released and it was science fiction back in the 1990s. While there were actually scientists studying this scenario it looks like we've started to figure out how this could be done.

The body would have to be cooled and has been used as part of medical treatment. In fact I wonder if this is akin to placing someone in a medically induced come. I wish I could answer this but you're not reading the blog of a trained medical doctor.

All the same, at one point in my life I always wanted to be an astronaut. It was excited to go on a modern day "Star Trek" even if the voyage was only to orbit on the shuttle or staying in the solar system going to the moon or to Mars. This article does discuss how we can send people to Mars and suspended animation is one way to do it without having to spend money on lots of food or anything else.

So, it seems again the future is here. Hopefully we're developing much more advanced and faster propulsion to send spacecraft to their destination and back to the earth. Which means hopefully there would be no need for suspended animation.

Football

It's been years since I actually followed the football season. Football is without a doubt one of America's most popular sports fans follow not only the NFL but also the colleges as well. Perhaps on a smaller level we may have fans of high school football as well.

Unfortunately for me, I do not consider myself a football fan. Primarily my allegiance is with the Chicago Bears but often they seem to have the tendency to disappoint and over the years that's what they have done. It's hard for me to follow the football season when the Bears aren't playing at the best level possible.

I really don't remember the season where they one the Super Bowl and there are fans who continue to talk about that team as if they won more than one Super Bowl. The last season they made it to the Super Bowl was 2007 and at that it was a surprise as I really didn't follow the Bears' season that year. It was great to know that we got that close.

Another thing about football is that I've decided that it's way too hard to follow. I need to figure out what a pocket is in football is that a defensive or offensive term. The only context I'm familiar with it is in terms of the offense especially with the quarterback. Where did that come from has that term always been in the glossary?

In any case, I've often found America's original popular sport Baseball an easier sport to follow. The rules aren't that difficult or complication and over the years (especially without watching on TV) I've found that you can call how the play would end. In fact, when I went to that Sox game this summer I called a lot of the plays during the course of the game and didn't need the play-by-play.

This season is the first season I really follow what's been going on. If the Bears aren't on, I'll just follow another game. Alas I still don't follow all the transactions like I used to and that as always will prove to be very interesting no matter the sport.

So far the Bears looked good although they're 2 & 2 perhaps when they face the Carolina Panther we'll see more of what they're capable of.

5 reasons iPhone still beats Android

The debate continues iPhone vs. Android devices over at The Daily Dot. Lots of good points, but I usually just pick a phone and I'm done. I recognize that every person has their reasons for choosing a particular device. People are rabid about Apple devices and people are rabid about Android devices.

And you know no one ever asks about a Windows phone device. :(

And we've got a new iPhone model...

Apple's newest devices were unveiled today. I'm not as excited about the so-called iWatch as much as the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus. I still own an iPhone 4S which is to be discontinued however a slimmer device with a larger screen interests me.

The idea of a "watchphone" or "smartwatch" is interesting although I've yet to figure out how it works. Thankfully it won't be out soon enough as it's a little expensive. The extra time between now and 2015 makes it convenient for me to save money so that I can purchase such a device.

combadge for sale

The next thing we might need is something resembling a Star Trek combadge. Think about Star Trek communicators they had flips, then wrist communicators, and then eventually combadges. Yo Apple, where are our combadges!?!?!

BTW, even with the "iWatch" I still want to find an old-school Star Trek communicator perform some technical feats and turn it into a speakerphone. That be a cool feat regardless and very cool especially if you don't feel like keeping the phone to your ear. Better yet, cool if you don't want to wear a bluetooth device or headphones.

Regardless as per my usual tradition I want to feel one of these new iPhones before I make a purchase. What that means is that there's no way that I'm waiting in line just to be the first in my town to have the new iPhone. It's never that worth it for a device that seems to have a new edition come out every year or so.

It may take some getting used to a larger phone, however, the fact that it's much thinner than previous models will make this a palatable purchase for me. I give up some thickness, but with a much larger phone lengthwise. It's an interesting tradeoff.

ALSO, the idea of a "phablet" - the 6 plus is a phablet - is not entirely understood by me. It may well work for those who want a much larger screen than the iPhone 6, but if that's what I'm looking for I'll just get an iPad. At that get a wifi iPad and make sure you turn your new iPhone into a personal wifi hotspot!

September has crept up on me again...

[VIDEO] Summer is over because today is Memorial Labor Day so to mark the start of Autumn even if the official day is not until later this month, let's hear some Earth, Wind & Fire. It's still a great song!

I marked the start of this month this way back in 2008!

Robin Williams

To be honest, I hadn't thought a whole lot of Robin Williams lately. Yet this recent news of his death by suicide had come as a shock. That makes this news even more sad!

Robin Williams had been in the public eye for almost 40 years. I remember his Mork & Mindy TV series and he's known for the movie Mrs. Doubtfire. As a matter of fact that movie annoyed me so much the two times that my nephews had come to Chicago and it seemed that was the only movie they wanted to watch.

Of course there were other movies he was in. I liked One Hour Photo when I saw it years ago and he's also known for Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam. I also remember him from Popeye and he played the title character.

He also had a TV series recently that got cancelled titled, The Crazy Ones. He was always busy and provided humorous memories not only to us his fans and admirers, but to surely his friends and family. It truly has to be sad to them.

This brings me to this point.

We never know what causes people to come to this point. Hopefully this brings greater awareness to mental illness or more accurately depression. There are people who are suffering through depression or any other mental illness.

To be sure, this condition is dangerous as you may never know what darkness lies inside of people and whether or not it surfaces. For example, the darkness could cause someone to harm themselves of others and even if they only harm themselves it's certainly would be hard on those who truly know them. The unfortunate thing is whether or not anyone could bring them out of this darkness.

Another issue with mental illness is probably hard to comprehend. We may know something is wrong, but do THEY know. With mental illness the person in question may not realize there is a problem they think they're normal and may believe something is wrong with everyone else.

All the same it's not my role to play psychologist with regards to Robin Williams. We also know that he has issues with substance abuse, but as it turns out he had been having problems. It has been noted that he also had been seeking treatment for depression so this isn't entirely new news.

The only thing anyone can hope is that anyone is suffering from anytime of mental illness seek treatment. And here's hoping that lives would be saved by this awareness and encouraging people to seek treatment.

Internet domains & hosting

Over the years on the internet I have played with the idea of a website although unsure about the execution. The late 90s was my first experience with the internet and saw that internet users could create their own webpages but it seemed to take lots of work. At that, what would be the purpose of such a website.

I played around with GeoCities in the early 2000s. It was as much a profile as it was a website, my Geocities site was akin to an FB profile than it was anything else. The only difference was that no one sent you friends requests or anything like that. It just displayed my identity, my interests and some pictures uploaded the "old fashioned way" by scanning prints.

By 2005 I started this blog utilizing Blogger and most of my attention went to blogging. Now there's a purpose to having a website and it already helps to already follow politics or other types of news such as sports, entertainment, Chicago, education, etc. It also helps that I could write in the first place - even with some of the mistakes you may find here lol.

Within the past month I had bought a domain name for one of my other blogs - The Sixth Ward. It was something that had been considered for a long time and it was finally executed. That blog also uses Blogger and with that service the domain name could be used for the blog with the domain being used as the primary blog address.

It doesn't take up as much effort and time as WordPress seems to. This is something that's already in my experience - Unconventional Wisdom - although so far the only work WordPress required was to upload the software to a hosting server. Then of course you have to keep updating the software and there are some other incidentals depending upon how popular a particular site is.

BTW, there was a time that Blogger would allow you to use FTP to upload blog posts to a host. In fact it was experimented with on my end primarily with the provided hosting of an ISP. Blogger cut that out years ago and at least the blog could be hosted on Blogger servers and if you prefer the use of a domain which could be directed to a particular blog.

Now that there is a domain name for one of my main blogs, perhaps it's time to take this hobby of mine to the next level. Is it time to purchase a domain for THIS blog and then purchase some hosting space? Perhaps that question will be answered in the near future.

How do I learn more about urban planning?

aerial photo of 63rd/Halsted Englewood

Last year I wrote about this "dreaded G word" over at my other blog - The Sixth Ward. It was in relation to the news that Whole Foods Market was coming into a low-income neighborhood in Chicago. That neighborhood is the south side's Englewood.

The point I was making was to address the concerns of the dreaded G word - gentrification - as it relates to Whole Foods which is basically a high-end grocer coming to a low-income neighborhood. Over the years in Chicago we've heard so much about a "food desert" where many Chicagoans don't have easy access to fresh produce and healthy foods. One means to attack this issue have been bringing in grocers in those areas were grocery stores are few and far in between.

But Whole Foods Market in Englewood of all places? Many nickname this place Whole Paychek, when I go in there the few items I have purchase could easily go up to $20 and it didn't take much for the bill to go up that high. I'm saying this recognizing that's a walk in the park compared to the bills of many other people who shop at a grocery store in general. Besides if you regularly pay $100 for groceries periodically, imagine how much the bill would be if you purchase that same amount from Whole Foods.

Either way since then I've periodically taken a look at this issue. Much more recently I showed some footage of a ceremonial ground breaking and the politicians and Whole Foods executives were saying the right things. While the issue of prices still keep coming up most of the coverage indicate that the products to be carried in this future store to open in 2016 will be affordable to residents of Englewood.

All the same the issue also is whether or not Whole Foods coming to Englewood is the start of movement. Will the many low-income residents of Englewood may in the near future find themselves forced to find another neighborhood to call home?

Not an easy answer to that question and the affordability question. To be sure, I only wish I knew more about urban planning so that there would be an better solution for everyone.

BTW, recently I learned that the west side of Chicago has a former grocery store - a former Moo & Oink -  looking for a tenant. If anyone fantasizes about another Chicago area grocer such as Mariano's come to that part of town they would be disappointed. Mariano's may not be quite right for the west side area for this former grocery store. So how is Englewood right for Whole Foods?

ALSO, another aspect of urban planning that I wish to understand is what it takes to bring certain types of retailers or businesses to a given area. Or indeed what it takes to attract these amenities to a community that certainly needs them. Will low-income people shop at a Whole Foods Market for example? If you build it will they come or will someone with the necessary income become regular shoppers?

Read more Whole Foods posts at The Sixth Ward!

Visiting Comiskey Park Wednesday

On Thursday Wednesday I went to a Chicago White Sox game. I had some connections and found myself in the club level of Comiskey Park (aka US Cellular Field).

Incidentally my first trip to a MLB ballpark was when I was a child. Unfortunately I had no idea what was going on at either Wrigley Field or the old Comiskey Park which was razed in the early 1990s when the Sox moved to their current digs.

So, it was a great experience to watch a live MLB game with the Sox taking on the Texas Rangers. I had cut out after the 8th inning unfortunately and this game proved to be a losing effort with a final score of 3-1 in favor of the Rangers.

Both teams seemed to have been good on defense which often takes fielding as much a pitching. Alas defense is nothing without scoring some runs. The Sox managed one home run but not much offense to get past the Rangers.

The food items were good. A nacho supreme and a bacon cheeseburger - which seemed a bit undercooked but yet I ate it. All the same the food items get a thumbs up especially for one of the few times I was a professional sport live at the arena!

Sooner or later I need to find my way back to Wrigleyville. I also dream and talk about it but somehow unable to make it happen. Perhaps it's all hot air, but it's something that needs to happen in the future.

When it does a pic is going to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and another blog post here!

Capitol Fax: Shooting for viral

[VIDEO] So it's campaign season here in Illinois. So Rich Miller is taking a look at campaign videos that could go viral. He starts with videos produced by the gubernatorial campaigns of Gov. Quinn & Bruce Rauner and shows that Rauner has more views on his videos although not to viral levels. The video above is what Miller hopes to go viral.

And that begs the question for anyone involved with political videos. What does it take to make a video go viral?

House of Hope - south side

One Sunday I decided to check out the scene at House of Hope. I should've went in for church services.

I've become a fan of "Bar Rescue"

In general, I'm not a fan of "reality TV" however as of late I've become a fan of Spike's Bar Rescue. The host of the show Jon Taffer visits many failing bars around the nation and then attempts to turn them around. Sometimes the changes take and sometimes the changes don't.

Only in one case did Taffer walk away before rescuing the bar. Often when introducing the bar in trouble the narrator often note that a respective bar pull back the doors, and bust open the books and made a call to Bar Rescue. But since this is about TV no one made a call probably they had to get the attention of producers to say "Hey come check out our bar, we're in trouble".

I often laugh when Taffer and his experts - who are usually other bartenders & cooks - get livid because the workers at these bars prove themselves to be not very good with sanitizing their work areas. I realize that a clean establishment helps make customers welcome but Taffer's performances in those instances seem over the top and hilarious.

Most of what you see in these episodes makes for good TV. Besides if everyone just agreed with each other - bar staff and consultants alike - it wouldn't make for good TV. It's takes drama and conflict and sometimes creative editing. I write in editing because I recognize there are also two sides to every story, what you see on TV may not be what really happened.

Even then however, the business aspects of Bar Rescue is fascinating. Food keeps customers in the bar, if you pour too much alcohol that's pouring money down the drain, you can create a narrow enough passageway where people must interact socially, and on & on. In talking about Taffer's experience rescuing a bar is often noted on the series as not just a business but a science.

As stated earlier some of the changes Taffer has made to these many bars have taken and some haven't. In some instances the owners and management were too stuck on a concept that wasn't working. And perhaps in some instances Taffer missed his mark anyway. Besides you can't get it right all the time!

Still I hope aspiring bar-owners are taking notes on what it takes to run a successful bar. Perhaps Taffer can inspire future "bar scientists". :P

Ask A Manager: how should students pick a college major?

When I was in school, if only someone could've counseled me on what I should've studied. And at that what I should've studied to set myself up for success in the long run. Well it's that and it's something that I should've sought for myself.

If only young people were reading this blog. Some are smart enough to do what I wish I did. And then you had some like me - while I was still in high school - who are still trying to figure that out. Indeed you need not figure it out in high school lots of students have changed majors, however, the sooner you figure it out the sooner you're done with college.

I wrote this comment in the post at Ask A Manager:

I have no regret about majoring in political science. Before I finally got a BA I also attended a community college and I should’ve taken some business classes although it likely would’ve affected what I’d have majored in before I transferred to a university. I didn’t entirely plan at all what I would do when I graduate, but sometimes I wish I had hit the ground running as far as jobs before I crossed that stage. Perhaps I’d be in a better position today.

Also the classes I took were great, but as far as my political science curriculum I wished there were more “governing” classes. Perhaps classes that would translate into a job in the real world and not more or less academic courses.

What I've had to learn is that college is too expensive these days to flip, flop, and flounder. Have a game plan and things will come up so make some adjustments. Of course while you're in school get some work experience especially internships in the field of your choice.

To be honest I was up for some internships but either the grades weren't right or there were some complications to ensure that it was good for college credit. Just some missed opportunities.

The main thing is, college is what you make of it if it's what you want to do. Get what you will out of it, especially learning and certainly preparing you for a career in the field of your choice.

Also, part of me still wouldn't mind going back to school and get a master's. Not sure in what yet, but when I first filed papers to take a major of political science one thing I certainly entertained doing was teach. Still wouldn't mind although I recognize that a college professor doesn't just teach. Of course that still depends on the school.

HuffPost: Black-Owned Businesses Are Quietly Powering Detroit's Resurgence, But No One's Talking About It

Today we're going to again visit the great American city of Detroit, Michigan. Apparently there's a story no one really discusses and apparently it doesn't only involve young white entrepreneurs:

The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history has also stirred up interest in success stories. Though no one person will fix Detroit, some people have received well-deserved attention for their work to improve the city. A New York Times article last month highlighted hot spots in the Corktown neighborhood, and a story in the same paper earlier this year heralded small businesses.

But something's missing from those pieces, and from many other articles that examine the city's resurgence: black Detroiters, who make up 83 percent of the population.

Stories that claim entrepreneurs are building, revitalizing and even saving Detroit focus primarily on white professionals, often younger and new transplants to the city, a trend that's palpable and frustrating for locals. When journalists and readers criticized the Times for leaving blacks out of its Corktown story, the paper's public editor addressed the lack of diversity in a follow-up, and the writer said she regretted not including a black-owned business. (A more recent Times story takes a wider-ranging view.)

It's not difficult to find a black business owner to speak with, though. There are more than 32,000 in the city, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures from 2007. Many, particularly those who have kept their businesses going on shoestring budgets, feel excluded from conversations about Detroit's revival and overlooked when it comes to getting access to funds and resources.

"I think, for the most part, black-owned businesses are not getting a piece of the pie," bookstore owner Janet Jones told The Huffington Post. "What about people who have been doing the hard work of living and working and having business in Detroit for the last 20 years?"

What do you think?

Megan McArdle: Part-Time Workers Deserve the Shift, Not the Shaft

To start this piece from Bloomberg's Megan McArdle isn't dismissive of low-wage retail jobs. Indeed the argument here is that right now it's difficult to find a full-time job to make a decent income. Another argument is mandating how much a business should pay their employees could cause more harm than good.

Conclusion: "Ultimately, this comes back to the weak job market. As long as the demand for low-skilled labor significantly lags the supply, workers will continue to struggle. Unfortunately, legislators can’t mandate a strong labor market. So we’re apt to end up mandating more labor market rigidity instead."

Via Instapundit!

These jobs are going away...

According to this article. It includes newspaper reporters, mail carriers, print workers, and even travel agents. I don't understand why farmers and flight attendants are going away. I would imagine they're always necessary in some capacity, food isn't going to grow and care for itself and passengers on a flight need attention the pilots can't get to them. Hopefully all these predictions won't come to fruition.

Wrestling nostalgia again

[VIDEO] I was about to get excited last night when watching Monday Night Raw last night I heard a familiar tune and it meant that the wrestler Sting might return to wrestling in a WWE ring. Instead what I saw was a commercial which featured Sting in a WWE produced video game. But the tune as it was presented was perfect, it should even be a recorded theme for Sting should WWE want to evoke those WCW memories.

Sting was a stalwart of WCW until it was purchased by WWE (which sometimes I still refer to as WWF on this blog) and refused to work for that company even as many of his colleagues had. For a few years he had been a star in TNA - Total Nonstop Action Wrestling which you may often see on Thursdays on SpikeTV. Earlier this year he left that company.

I've found some rumors that suggest he could come to WWE but so far he's talked about his former tag team partner - the man who became the Ultimate Warrior who's since passed away - and his likeness to be seen in a wrestling video game. Beyond that who knows what the future may hold for the Stinger!

BTW, I've been watching wrestling for a long time. Long enough to remember that Sting wasn't always this "Crow'" like character. He was often seemingly a colorful surfer dude character with color ring attire and facepaint in addition to a short haircut which was blond. I barely remember or even noticed that slowly his appearance began to change with longer and darker hair although the character when I started watching Sting was largely in tact.

Things changed when the NWO (New World Order) came along and according to the angle at the time no-one trusted Sting because the NWO had started parading around an impostor. Things came to a head at a WCW PPV and the distrust was certainly there as Sting's partners in an 8-man tag match didn't trust him in spite of him attacking his impostor.

Now that helps sets up this video and sets his full turn into the "Crow" like character. He starts dressing less colorfully and is often seen in black & white. Facepaint ring attire and all with much more dramatic music. It was a dramatic turnaround and Sting did much less talking and more swinging with a baseball bat as he continued to fight the NWO. Anyway before his full turn he gave a promo that further sets his storyline along.

BTW, sometimes in wrestling storylines could change in the blink of an eye and sometimes they are plans that are executed in advance. Who knows Sting's eventual change in appearance was planned in advance or this was his wish who knows. But it sure made watching WCW at one point in time compelling.

ALSO, I'm stilling trying to figure out the "Insane Icon" era in TNA. Sting was often referred to as an icon, but at some point he started emulating The Dark Knight's version of The Joker as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. However Sting is still considered the good guy right?

FINALLY, it appears Sting may well find himself in a WWE ring. If this article is to be believed perhaps he may have one more match and at that against the Undertaker!

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool

This oasis of a busy city is located on the north side's Lincoln Park - an expansive green space not far from the Magnificient Mile. I spend some time here and recall it being a true oasis and perhaps a place to relax.

One could sit here and listen to some music just to watch the pond or some waterfalls nearby. It's very quiet aside from the people strolling around. And apparently it's used to weddings as well.

I have some video that I'm working on shot on my iPhone. Perhaps I need to figure out a 15 sec version of a video to share here. I promise it will be relaxing.

Here's a website about this National Historic Landmark.

Gizmodo: My Month With 2004's Most Exciting Phone

Wow! The Motorola Razr from 2004 was the most exciting phone of its time. It certainly was a nicely designed phone and 10 years later it's a flip supplanted by these so-called smartphones. Imagine still using a Razr in 2014 even after using a smartphone especially an iPhone.

And then it hits me, if you use certain services such as AT&T it's difficult to switch to another phone just by placing the SIM card into the other phone. When I upgraded to the BlackBerry early in this decade I learned I couldn't just move the SIM back to my Razr. And the iPhone would make that more difficult.

Still at least this reporter for Gizmodo tried it and well refers to this experience as "razr burn" (via Instapundit). Ya know I could believe it as most flips doesn't have the amenities of a smartphone. While the camera phone was a great idea when it was first manufactured back it became common it wasn't like today's camera phones.

Still now I would like to try for a month with merely a flip phone like I used to. BTW many of the mobile pics taken between 2007 to about 2009 were from my own Motorola Razr.

C-SPAN Cities Tour - Jackson: Civil Rights Museum Special Collections

[VIDEO] Another reason to visit Jackson, Mississippi in the future. I've made many trip to the Magnolia State especially to my family's hometown of Mound Bayou, Mississippi in addition to other locales such as Port Gibson, Louisville, Greenville, and Tunica. In addition to at least passing through Vicksburg and Tupelo.

The places I've yet to visit in that state is Hattiesburg which has a family connection, Biloxi, and of course Jackson. A few years ago I had the opportunity to pay a visit to Jackson, however, time constraints nixed that opportunity!

C-Span speaks with Mississippi's Museum Division director of collections Cindy Garner who discusses the many items connected with that state's role in the Civil Rights Movement. So if there is going to be a Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, paying the capital city of Mississippi would be a worthwhile trip.

What if I was a graduation speaker?

The school year is over and the class of 2014 - whereever they went to school - has since graduated. Many have listened to the messages of their commencement speaker. I've always imagined myself as a commencment speaker, but what would I say.

My last semester at Morehouse College I took a public speaking course  and our last assignment was the formal speech. It was in fact written with myself in mind, that is what if someone gave the speech that I gave in class to students such as myself back then.

Well who knows, but a pep-talk is never a bad thing. Indeed that was the basic title of my speech. At this point I'm too lazy to pull it out of my files and recite it for you. What can be done is that the rough speech is about me encouraging students to seek help when possible as to figure out what you can do with your lives. It's something that I've been entirely too proud to do myself too often.

When it was time to graduate high school I wasn't sure what was next. College was the next logical step but I had little idea and wasn't seeking much information on that path. My interest even before graduating 8th grade at Bennett School was the military, however, my parents didn't encourage that path due to my good grades at Harlan High School.

The problem was I was never entirely confident in those grades because I achieved them too easily back then. I was never an honor roll student in elementary school and while fortunes do change if you weren't already a student who often achieved high marks how does one overnight get high marks at the next stage of their educational careers?

All the same, the message to students is always consider the future. Don't freak out, and always remember there are people out there who will help you along the way. The key is to reach out to them if you need a nudge in the right direction. That was a message I figured out late, but no matter where you are in life you will need help along the way.

Man of Morehouse, Civil War re-enactor

Marvin Greer, center, during a recent re-enactment

A history major re-enacting battles of the Civil War is certainly worth an A for how serious he is. Found this story via Morehouse College's newscenter:

There are many weekends when senior history major Marvin Greer is stepping back into time.

He spends days on Civil War battlefields portraying soldiers – and sometimes slaves – as a Civil War re-enactor. It’s a hobby the Atlanta resident admits isn’t very popular among many of the African Americans he knows.

“I do get stares sometimes,” Greer said. “But I do it to honor my ancestors. I had ancestors who fought in the Civil War, obviously for the Union. I do it because I think I’m telling their story, a story that is often never told.”

It’s something Greer has been interested in since elementary school, when his fifth grade class did a mock battle of Gettysburg and later watched the movies “Glory” and “Gettysburg.”

“That really piqued my interest in African Americans in the Civil War,” he said.

This story is worth sharing, and good for him to bringing to life one of the more traumatic events of American history. Read the whole thing!

BTW, I consider myself a fan of films Glory & Gettysburg and sadly have not seen either film in years. In fact it seemed as if one while I couldn't get away from Gettysburg as it always seemed to be on TNT on either Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day or Veteran's Day. Time to either download them or buy them on DVD/Blue Ray.

21 Dogs That Have No Idea How Big They Are

You know, I really like dogs and aspire to own one in the future. Some of the dogs in this set of pics seem like they're regular size, but most of them seemed very photoshopped. Is this serious?

More than likely this is just a humor based meme and not taken very seriously. :P

Black Enterprise: Morehouse College President Talks ‘Education Crisis’ Facing Young Black Men

I'm sorry about missing this article from March 2014. Black Enterprise magazine interviewed the President of Morehouse College Dr. John S. Wilson. He discusses the education crisis amongst Black males:

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke to Dr. Wilson about the crisis that faces young black men and what role HBCUs like Morehouse can fill to change the direction. Here’s what he had to say:

When you speak of the cradle-to-prison pipeline, what are some of the things that can be done?

The first thing we have to do is recognize that it’s a very serious issue—some would call it a crisis—and something needs to be done. You may think that goes without saying but it’s not. There’s a numbness that people in this country—black and white and around the world—have to what’s going on with the African American male. If other groups had the kind of educational data profile that the African American male has, it would be nothing short of a crisis. But for some reason, too many people find it tolerable or natural in some way.

So, I think recognizing that it is a critical issue that goes to the productivity and security of this country is step one. Step two is developing a sense of urgency once you recognize it; and step three is organizing to get better data about it and exchange a best practices designed to do something about the challenge. In the midst of all that, we need what we haven’t had and that’s a shining beacon on the hill—an institution that’s recognized worldwide as the destination of choice for men in general and in particular African American men and that’s Morehouse College.

What can be done on a personal level?

First, I think the steps that I outlined are relevant for individuals as well as institutions. Number two, parents can address the cycle by ensuring that their sons are exceptions to the general rule. And even if you’re not a parent, there are many organizations that care about this issue and you can align yourself with them and you can become involved— politically and otherwise.

I was very pleased that the President of the United States announced a “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative designed to get at this. I think some people have recognized that. I think the President is making an attempt to sound an alarm that there is a crisis.

It's worth reading the whole interview although it seems relatively short and there are two other published questions that Dr. Wilson was asked. What more do we need to do to keep our young men out of jail and keep them in school?

While I'm sure Dr. Wilson and others want to see more young men go on to achieve that undergrad degrees, what can we do to ensure our young men will achieve their high school diplomas?

Ask a Manager: How do I know if I did well in an interview?

Question #2 over at Ask a Manager. A person wants to know how they know if they did well in an interview. Of course the blogger's answer over there is there no way to truly know and that if you think you did well you may still not get the job or you might do bad and still get the job. It's best to read her answer to that question.

I did use to have an easy answer to this question. Again I've had interviews such as this one I wrote about earlier this year where I thought the interview went great but still didn't get the job. Although in that case it was still a dodged bullet.

Still, I think it's easy to gauge from interviewers whether or not they like you. Unfortunately it's still hard to say whether or not they'll offer you the job. It seems in some of the comments over at Ask a Manager you may get an offer and the employer could always change their mind.

These days, however, only speaking from my experience it seems I'm wary of the statement that they're continuing to interview other candidates. Now again this probably isn't something you should consider too much of because it's only fair if there are other candidates lined up. Besides the odds may still be in your favor or it may not.

BTW, for additional reading another link was offered with Ask a Manager's response. If you can't help but consider your chances for getting the job this post should help you keep things in perspective. One answer to that is even if you're sure you got the job continue applying until someone gives you a solid job offer.

The weather

On my Instagram account I have the tendency to post screencaps of the temperature and weather radar. Sometimes because it's of interest and mainly because I want to show the weather here in Chicago at any given time. Besides I've always been interested in the weather.

I used to say warmer weather is just around the corner and now it's here. In fact summer is this month, we've had a very harsh winter this year with temps going often below 0 that I'm sure many of us were wondering if the winter is over. Well it is over and many of us have survived.

Now we may be dealing with higher food costs because of this. Heh, this is where I only wish I had a better grasp of economics and the many forces that affect an economy. Of course there are probably other after-effects of this past winter to be concerned about.

In any event, summer is around the corner and unfortunately here in Chicago warmer weather means more crime because local headlines are already showing the violent incidents occurring in my fair city. While we should always remain safe, I'm still glad that this harsh winter is behind us. May there be peace during the course of this summer!

Facebook

www.facebook.com

I've been thinking about this for a while. What if I shared my FB information on this blog. It's the one thing that was never intended here, but at this point worth doing for fun.

Now in doing this it will only be temporary say about a week. During that week you will be free to add me especially if you have decided to be one of the 36 FB users who have clicked the like button. Or indeed one of the many people who have liked some of the posts here on this blog.

All the same, you're welcome to add me although my profile is considered personal more than anything. Hopefully it will remain as such but if there's anyone reading this blog who have enjoyed many of the posts over the years would be able to connect with me.

Again this period should only last a week. And my info will be in the sidebar!

You Should Quit Your Soul-Sucking Miserable Job

Heh, I can sure relate to this article. If you don't like where you are perhaps it's time to let go of that job that isn't working out and go where you are appreciated. See what's out there and hopefully evaluate whether or not they're right for you. That is where I am now.

Asking the interviewer questions

Lately most of my interviewers opened the interview up to questions. Often it's uncharted territory for me, however, I've grown most comfortable doing so with thinking of the right questions. For the most part it's really not my style to ask a lot of questions.

Lately I changed strategy on asking questions. That is focusing my questions on the role that I would have as opposed to just asking questions. Perhaps asking about routine, expectations, and my usual question that I've developed which is to ask about the background of the interviewer - for example asking them what brought them to the job.

One should always ask about the role for which they're interviewing or applied. Whatever your qualifications were that got you the call for an interview you should always consider the role for which you applied.

In some of my interviews thinking I was showing some ambition I often asked about moving up. Some are willing to answer that question, but at times it seems the interviewer shut down on me anyway. However, if I knew a higher-level position that I was either interested or qualified for perhaps there is a way to inquire about how to get that position but without taking myself out of consideration for the position that I applied for.

At times my questions to interviewers were often random. While it's OK to ask questions about the company for which you want to be employed again show your interest in the position you applied for.

So far though I feel great asking about the role for which I applied and if the interviewer asks for questions it's what you should do. Now the next step to figure is whether or not you should ask about salary during the interview. Besides many of us have been told this is a no-no before you've been offered the job.

Want to hear the alleged recording of Donald Sterling?

[VIDEO] TMZ shared the actual alleged conversation between LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his lady friend V. Stiviano. Allegedly, Stiviano provided the recording that is causing this controversy. Reason - from whom I found this recording - opined on the subject asking one main question, "Should Sterling be fired for racist remarks?"

If I could answer that question, he should be. Other owners in other major leagues found themselves in hot water and ultimately were removed. If not by a major league itself, the fellow owners took action after a PR nightmare. If it's not good for business, then someone must go right?

Hat-tip Instapundit!

Being a racist owner in the NBA?

Donald Sterling

We're going to be on the topic of sports again later in light of the Black Hawks victory over the St. Louis Blues to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs yesterday. Now we're going to discuss a controversy in the NBA.

The LA Clippers used to be known as perennial losers over the years and lately have become winners and are currently in the playoffs. They're not in the news for their playoff contention, but for the actions of their owner.

Donald Sterling has found himself in the news because of tape that allegedly has him querying his girlfriend - who herself is Black & Mexican - about her association with "minorities". Apparently Mr. Sterling didn't like the fact that his young girlfriend had a picture taken and then deleted from Instagram with Magic Johnson. Then it goes further:

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you're associating with black people. Do you have to?" the man believed to be Sterling says. He continues, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

Sheesh! Sterling is in the wrong business to harbor these feelings. Besides he's largely employing Blacks and how can his girlfriend associate with a man. It was reported via TMZ that she provided these recordings. The NBA is also investigation whether or not this is actually Sterling.

You know I'm reminded of Cincinatti Reds owner Marge Schott. She had been suspended from her ownership role at one point because she held controversial - racial and anti-semitic - views herself. It appears this article from the Washington Post is also reminded of Ms. Schott.

So now the NBA if the evidence suggest that Sterling did say what he say about Blacks has to make a decision. Perhaps Sterling could be suspended from his ownership or perhaps forced to sell his longtime stake in the Clippers.

He may have to anyway, especially if Magic Johnson was forced to make this tweet. Who else might engage in a boycott against the team as long as Sterling remains owner.

Black Hawks in the playoffs!

As has been a tradition in both of the Black Hawks' Stanley Cup wins in 2010 and 2014 it's time to start showing highlights of the playoff games. Unfortunately I haven't done a great job of following the Hawks during their playoff run so far. Still the Hawks were down by two games until their victory last night at the United Center last night over the St. Louis Blues. The earlier games were both determined with OT wins by the Blues.




Game 1 @ St. Louis [VIDEO]

Game 2 @ St. Louis [VIDEO]

Game 3 @ Chicago [VIDEO]

Wired: Free iPhone 5s deal proves Apple isn't so special

I wonder if this article indicated whether the general excitement over Apple's iPhone is over. Now Radio Shack is offering an iPhone 5s for free with a cell phone contract upgrade. Really? This was supposed to be the "premium" model and now they want to give em away for free.

I'm looking forward to the iPhone 6 it's time for an upgrade for me. I'm not entirely excited about a "phablet" thought. I want a phone I can carry around on my person not some big "jalopy" that won't fit in a pocket!

Via Instapundit with headline "APPLE IPHONES now subject to discounting."

Today's Easter weekend message: "That's My King!"

[VIDEO] Since it's now Easter weekend perhaps it's appropriate to show an religious message. This video I got wind of via Mancow's radio show is an edited clip of a sermon delivered by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. It was certainly a great message and caught my attention when I saw it on TV - Mancow had a daily simulcast on local TV of his radio show.

In any event inspite of the bible quote you see in the subtitle above, this is a long way from a religious blog. Indeed I do not consider myself a religious person. However, just as easily as now I want to put more focus onto Cubs games, perhaps it's time to focus on doing religious things. Crack open a bible or go to church services.

Perhaps now is the time for that, again, in my life.

Also if you want to hear Dr. Lockridge's full sermon - apparently a whole hour - you can watch it here.I have yet to hear the full sermon, but hopefully it's as good as that 3 minute video you see above.

One last question in relation to this video: "Do you know him?"

Conan: Bill Tull's Budget Easter tips

[VIDEO] Aired on Conan Wednesday night just in time for Easter. Very funny and very unexpected. Yet, very timely and what one could expect from Conan O'Brien. LOL!

So the #Cubs are headed to Yankee Stadium

Cubs.com

I've been doing a good job of following the Cubs this season starting with making a more concerted effort to follow the games on TV. For the past few years I haven't done a very good job and wanted to change that this year. Win or lose if the Cubs are on TV I will watch!

And at that I intended to follow their progress using Twitter or FB. Well worthwhile project, unfortunately there aren't a lot of wins to rack up so far.

Hell, a twitter account covering the Cubs simply tracking whether or not the Cubs won a given game has proven to be ingenious. Should've seen their tweet for the result of yesterday's game in St. Louis against the Cardinals:

Nooo
— Did the Cubs Win? (@CubsWinOrNah) April 13, 2014

How many ways can a twitter account simply say yes or no during the course of a season. HAHA! Anyway, the Cubs will be going to New York this week to face another storied and most successful team in the New York Yankees. A consistent championship team that I understand is worth $1 billion.

If the Cubs are my team in the National League I consider myself a low-key Yankees fan as far as the American League goes although I don't necessarily follow their games. You know I recognize that I should just stick with Chicago teams in baseball. Perhaps I could just say Cubs for the NL and the White Sox for the AL.

Anyway, I enjoy watching the Yankees in the post-season and they seemed to have made regular trips not just in the post-season but to the world series itself. Although it appears that they only won two World Series titles last decade one in 2000 and the other in 2009.

The Cubs don't frequently face the Yankees. In fact at one point the only way that happens is during Spring Training perhaps or the World Series. And the Cubs have faced them in the World Series 1932 and 1938 as noted to in this NY Times article.

That article - or essay as it's noted at the link -  seems to partly cheerlead for the Yankees and at the same time trashes the Cubs. Or does it instead seems to have an honest conversation about the shortcomings of the north siders?

All the same, I want to believe the current state of the Cubbies is only due to the fact that it's early in the season yet. Yeah 4 out of 12 games won so far, perhaps a turnaround is coming. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

As I stated already if 2015 is to ever be the year - yes I recognize it as wishful thinking - there needs to be some evidence of that this season!

ALSO, I took the accompanying quiz and well I've got a lot of Cubs trivia to brush up on!

The Ultimate Warrior...

[VIDEO] It was very cool watching the Ultimate Warrior on Monday Night Raw this week. I didn't immediately recognize him when I tuned in because for some reason I still got his youthful appearance in my head still. What I saw was a gray-haired man with a goatee running around with a red-tie and suit along with an airbrush painted overcoat.

He even spoke like Ultimate Warrior and even donned an Ultimate Warrior mask. Hmmm didn't he usually paint his face? Anyway little did I realize that Warrior - which was his legal name he was born James Brian Hellwig - would share this one last moment with his fans. He died on Tuesday! :(

I've understood over the years that he's had many disputes with the WWF's owner Vince McMahon. Only recently did he return to not only become a member of the WWE hall of fame, but to become an ambassador for the company that made him famous.

Well wrestling fans, I hope you saw the last appearance of the Ultimate Warrior in a WWE ring. It's sad, but the appearance on Monday was truly a treat!

A big donut

Finished this big old donut yesterday from this place in Chicago called Dat Donut!

David Letterman announces his retirement

[VIDEO] I never thought I'd see the day when David Letterman would retire from his program. Perhaps that day was coming as Letterman is a senior citizen already and spent a long time in the public eye with 12 years as host of NBC's Late Night show and then 20 years as host of CBS' Late Show. Without a doubt he has had a good run.

Over the years I have considered myself a Letterman fan starting with his Late Night show. In the case of Late Night with David Letterman it was safe to say I was not in the target audience of his show. I was too young, but that show made me laugh in more ways than one when I did get a chance to see the show.

When Letterman left NBC for his CBS show I followed him and consistently found him more interesting than Tonight Show host Jay Leno. There are some bits from the Late Show I still find myself reciting and remembering today even though he no longer does those bits.

Even better if you look on YouTube you will find nothing but Letterman clips from his TV programs over the years. The funniest ones involve his Late Show announcer Alan Kalter who is treated terribly. Kalter is either a pervert or a temperamental guy who goes off at the slightest provocation. Sometimes for humorous effect Kalter is assaulted, but kudos because any bits involving Alan is often very hilarious!

Now it's time to figure out who shall succeed Letterman on Late Show. Could it be Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson? My personal idea would be to bring Conan O'Brien back from basic cable to broadcast TV. Well at least no one from CBS would likely read this so my idea may not see the light of day. Still Conan could be as likely a successor as Ferguson.

Anyway, the future without Letterman on TV will be here before I know it. The late night landscape has changed over the years and will continue to change. We saw it with Jimmy Fallon hosting Tonight and we'll surely see it with the future evolution of the Late Show.

Own a share of the Cubs to finance stadium renovations...

Postcard of Wrigley Field via Chicago Argus

I damn near fell out of my chair finding out that the Ricketts family who currently owns the Chicago Cubs are exploring selling shares of this historic franchise in order to fund some renovations to the "Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field. The renovations have been talked about since the Ricketts purchased the Cubs and are part of the public debate here in Chicago.

Yup, major league baseball owners in my fair city have to go through the Chicago City Council and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Especially if at one point during this process the Ricketts wanted to procure public financing to fund Wrigley renovations

Now, I read Chicago Argus who discusses this further. Granted, Gregory Tejada is solidly a Chicago White Sox fan and hence this will explain some of the dismissive tone you will read in his write-up. At the same time he like a lot of baseball fans have an opinion about this development.

It would be cool to own a share of the team. In fact years ago I'd have been keen on owning a piece of the World Wrestling Federation. However even in those instances it would be a share and not necessarily a controlling interest in such a business. Plus the different between the Cubs and the now WWE is that one of them is publicly traded. No major sports franchise in this country has shares available for purchase on the NASDAQ or NYSE for example.

So Cubs fans are hoping for a World Series victory in 2015...

[VIDEO] Lately I've been seeing that Cubs fans are hoping that 2015 will finally be the year the "Loveable Losers" finally win their World Series after more than a century of futility. Yeah, believe it or not the the last time the Cubs made it all the way in the major league post season was in the year 1908. It makes you wonder what's been going on 100 years plus where the Cubs just can't go beyond getting a World Series berth.

All the same, I appreciate the optimism and it's always a good trait to have. Unfortunately if 2015 would be the year we'd have to see some evidence of that now. Although I recognize that at times it seems a team could do so well one year and then be terrible the next. Them's the breaks I suppose.

Why 2015, you may ask? Well in Back to the Future II, Marty McFly time travels to the year 2015 where at some point the Cubs won the world series. Alas 2015 is next year and none of us are traveling around in a flying DeLorean vehicle.

And if you believe Steve Rosenbloom - sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune - the Cubs of 2014 aren't looking so promising. Bummer! I'm not very knowledgeable about sports - perhaps the rules and perhaps the business side - beyond that don't expect me to be an expert player scout. The best way for me to judge a team if they got the right won-loss percentage. Of course on field play is very important but don't ask me to evaluation them unfortunately I got to have enough of an attention span to focus on almost all games the Cubs play.

Here's one bright spot, the longtime home of the Cubs - Wrigley Field - is celebrating one hundred years of service this year. It's still one of the oldest parks in the majors and baseball fans who appreciate history are probably booking their trips to the Wrigleyville neighborhood. Now to the owners - the Ricketts family - how about insuring that the Cubs will be contenders for a World Series before it's time to hit the old "friendly confines" with a wrecking-ball!