Snapshot on Thanksgiving

It's been years since I posted a mobile image on a blog. I was walking around downtown on Thanksgiving day with my iPad snapping shots. Took this shot of Pizzeria Due through the Blogger mobile app. Perhaps I'll share more from yesterday.

Saw the new "Purge" movie recently

[VIDEO] I wanted to take this time on the waning minutes of the 4th of July holiday to talk about The Purge: Election Year. I saw it on Sunday and had some thoughts. Mainly to express how glad that so far this nation hasn't turned to anyone similar to the "New Founding Fathers of America".

Somehow in this decade the NFFA is able to gain control of this nation and proposed an event known as the "purge" where it is legal to engage in criminal activities including murder for 12 hours. All emergenc services are suspended so basically whether you participate or not you're on your own.

In some of the synopsis of this film the NFFA and the "purge" is a result of the need to preserve economic prosperity. Essentially what was driven home in the last movie was how the purge is really used to eliminate those people who are dependent. In these movies there are racial overtones in this although I realize who could be targeted in that universe may not necessarily be of one race or ethnicity.

To be honest I never saw the first one but the gist of it is a family helps to protect a homeless man and are thus targeted by a group of purgers. BTW, I got a basic synopsis online so if you don't want to know what it's about especially if you haven't seen it please DO NOT click this link. Although I realize that this film was released in 2012.

The second one had a group of people hoping to survive the purge either being stranded in the wrong place during that period or finding themselves targets by the government. We find out more about this new regime who put this day in place and we find out that well not as many people are participating as they used to.

Then we go to the third one which is the most political of the series. The NFFA and an independent candidate are facing off over whether to keep the purge or abolish it. Of course this "political" movie also involves attempted assassinations and we nakedly see the ethnic and economic overtones of this event. We see more of these new founding fathers. They may not necessarily hold any public offices but obviously have enough influence to be the new regime of the United States.

BTW, worst part of this movie is a girl getting murdered after attempting to steal a candy bar from a store. In this world all you need is a messed up excuse to engage in this activity. I already knew the movie wouldn't end well for her and her crew. Also it's shown how this event can do nothing more than corrupt people.

With the NFFA comes an odd religion and then an odd prayer. The new founding fathers are blessed for letting American citizens to purge and "cleanse" their souls. America is referred to as a nation reborn - which becomes in my mind a very scary campaign slogan. In the third movie it seems the NFFA has their own religious arm which celebrates this purge.

All the same I could spend most of this post over-analyzing a fictional movie but I'm truly glad that in the real world we don't have such an event and never will. A character in "Election Year" said living in Mexico every night is a purge and it's already like this in some places here. We might find out the toll here in Chicago regarding how many people are killed or injury in violence throughout the city.

The new movie is fitting as it involves an election and we are in an election year now. The difference between that election which takes place at some point in the future vs now is that this election doesn't involve any idealistic candidate who seeks to do something major. The major party candidates are on opposite ends of the electorate ideologically and the nation generally isn't happy with them.

Either way, I'm glad that this isn't the nation we have now where there is such a legally sanctioned event.

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!

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.

Today is 11/11/11

Or Veteran's Day which is November 11, 2011. The last binary date for the rest of this century! And it was preceded by 11/10/11 or November 10, 2011.

BTW, many thanks to our nation's veterans! There sacrifices will be forever appreciated. May you inspire many others to either do what you have done in serving our nation, but also inspire many others to know how blessed they are to live here. Thank you!

Unkown Chicago: Christmas Eve 1985

This is a different Magnificient Mile than exists today!

A little of what happened 25 years ago in Chicago on Christmas Eve:

As always, some shoppers had waited to the last moment.  Marshall Field's, Carson's, Ward's, and the other State Street stores were busy.  VCRs and the new digital compact disc players were selling briskly.  The one surprise gift of the season was the telescope.

Halley's Comet was coming back for the first time in 76 years.  Binoculars could be used to examine the heavenly marvel, but why not get something special for that special someone?  So now telescope manufacturers were running triple shifts--and still couldn't keep up with the demand.  Comet junkies were shelling out as much as $2,500 for a high-end model.

Out in Lincolnwood, they were getting ready for heavy traffic.  The homes there were known for their elaborate Christmas displays.  Most had gone dark during the hard times of the Carter years.  But now the economy was roaring, Lincolnwood was again bright, and all the thousands of drive-by gapers were returning.

Hmmm that seemed like a nice shot at Jimmy Carter. :P

Let's continue:

The spirit was carried forth in acts of charity.  On the South Side, 63 needy seniors received reconditioned fur coats at a free church raffle, courtesy of Mysel Furs.  In Little Village, a thousand chicken dinners were given away to poor families.  The Salvation Army again received an anonymous donation of gold coins in one of its street kettles.  This year the gift was five Canadian maple leaves, worth $1650.

Well I'm sure someone would consider this very selfish. Not unexpected in Chicago of course:

And this being Chicago, politics was in the news.  Mayor Harold Washington and the city council had been feuding for over two years.  But in the spirit of the season, mayor and council had come together, and found something to agree on.  They gave themselves pay raises.

This was doing the era of Ronald Reagan. During the time of President Barack Obama, there's a good chance of an outcry if the mayor and city council attempted that today. Well I would hope so.