The Consortium

Taking a Break

This post is my last for a while as I will be spending the next 9 days in lovely Chicago celebrating our nation's independece from Britain by watching fireworks over Lake Michigan, drinking large quantities of American-made beer, and defiantly brushing my still-original set of teeth.  I will also celebrate Matthew's sister's nuptials by watching a wedding somewhere near Lake Michigan, and again consuming large quantities of American-made beer.

Hopefully - but doubtfully - one of the other bloggers will post once or twice during my weeklong absence, otherwise Ron Brownstein will have to start plagiarizing DailyKos and none of us want that.

Enjoy your holiday - Happy Birthday to the Greatest Nation on Earth.

BORU

Just Because His Name is Italian...

The Chicago Tribune is in legal hot water this week. It appears that the Trib misidentified Frank Calabrese, a retired small business owner, as Frank Calabrese, indicted and alleged conspirator in the murders of up to 18 people, by posting a picture of the law-abiding Frank next to the Trib's story on the big mob bust in Chicago this week.  Mr. Calabrese, the good guy, has sued the Tribune for defamation seeking a million dollars for damage to his reputation caused by the misidentification, notwithstanding the fact that the front page of the Metro section yesterday contained a full article about the foul up and a prominent correction.  Apparently, the Trib's attempts to correct its error were not enough for Mr. Calabrese, the good guy.

I agree that Mr. Calabrese, the good guy, may have been wronged by the Trib's carelessness, but I do not think he should recover a million dollars.  He should actually take the misidentification as a compliment. In today's gangster-adulating society in which it is cool to be called a gangsta or pimp, I'm not sure that being misidentified as a mob boss is such a bad thing. 

-tre

(sarcasm doesn't always come across in print, does it?)

Hate Yourself Crimes

Hat tip to Ken Wheaton for finding this story of a wayward student who sent threatening letters to minority students at Trinity International University in Bannockburn, Illinois.  As a result of the threats, the school put several students up in off-campus housing amid widespread fear for their safety.  It turns out that Alicia Harden, the alleged culprit, wanted out of Trinity International and wanted to demonstrate to her mother how dangerous the school was.  The ironic part is that Alicia is an African American student herself.  She must be a real class act.

-tre

Mob-less Chicago

As part of my great lament yesterday, I bemoaned the fact that Chicago was being robbed of some of its most important gangsters by old goody two shoes U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald.  In my anguish, I overlooked the fact that Joseph "the Clown" Lombardo was still on the loose, away from the grasping arm of the lawdogs at the Dirksen Building.  The Clown is well-known in the Chicago area for his several contributions to society, including his alleged role in the 1974 slaying of Daniel Seifert, a businessman scheduled to testify against him at the time.  (Note, I make no claim as to the veracity of the charges).  The Clown also served time in federal prison for some of his antics related to the Teamsters Pension fund but he is better known for other crazy antics including the Newspaper mask he wore in 1981 after a court appearance.  The Chicago Tribune describes the origins of Joey's nickname:

Halprin [his attorney] doubted Lombardo would be wearing the famous newspaper mask he made after a 1981 court appearance. It was that goofiness, and Lombardo's flair for the theatrical, that led police to give him the nickname "The Clown."

How can Mr. Fitzgerald bring the hammer down on this man, this Clown?  As the Tribune points out, he is not a bad person. He is just a "goofy" guy caught up in something bigger than he can handle.  It is time to stop the persecution of this goofy Clown and his funny ways. 

Run Clown Run!!!

-tre

Our Lady of the Underpass

Following up on the previous post, I drove by the image of Mary on the underpass at Fullerton Ave. last night.  The scene was crazy.  There must have been 150 people crowded around the image on the underpass with scores of other people coming and going to see Mary.  Traffic was backed up a half mile in both directions and it took me approximately twenty two minutes to travel three blocks.  An hispanic man stood on the street corner preaching in English and Spanish and there were three or four flags surrounding Mary's image.  Between the horde of people and the four police vehicles surrounding the modern-day shrine, it was a very lively scene.  I wonder how long people's curiosity and/or devotion to the image will continue.

-tre

She's Baaaack....

As many of you may know already, the Virgin Mary has appeared in Chicago.  Well, at least, an image that many feel looks like the Virgin Mary has appeared underneath an overpass at I-90 and Fullerton street in Chicago. 

It just so happens that I live about 3 blocks from that particular location, so I decided to take a pilgrimage over to see what all the hub-bub was about.  Here's what I found:

I'll reserve judgment on whether or not I believe the image is or is not the Virgin Mary.  One thing is certain, though:  a lot of people are curious to find out.  The Chicago Tribune has dubbed the image "Our Lady of the Underpass," and the image is drawing hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of visitors. 

When I was there around 7:30 p.m. CDT on Monday night, there were probably over 150 people there, many pressed close to the wall to try to get a picture, touch the image, or deliver flowers or votive candles.  It really is a spectacle.

Of course, the neighborhood around this location contains a large Latino population, who happen to be overwhelmingly Catholic.  No surprise, then, that the overwhelming majority of visitors at the site were apparently Latino.  However, I saw/heard many other ethnicities there, too. 

The official explanation from the city is that the "image" was likely created by the effects of salt and water leaking onto the concrete wall of the underpass.  I witnessed many others who have their own explanation.  I'll let you make your own conclusion.

-- RAM

(Photo taken by RAM on my SprintPCS camera phone)

(This post was edited by RAM at 11:36 a.m. CDT on April 19, 2005)

UPDATE:  The story has finally filtered over to the Big Apple.  And Ken Wheaton has some interesting thoughts on what the Jesus-&-Mary-Stain actually looks like...

-- RAM

This Snow-Blasted, Windy City

Brrrrrr.

Despite the raging wind and ungodly amount of white-stuff that has dropped on us in the past 24 hours, ...I gotta say, I still love this town. 

I love that you can take your pooch to the park in a raging blizzard and there are half-a-dozen other pooches and pooch-people out there along with you, smiling in spite of the fact that they're up to their knees in a snowdrift. 

I love that the local hardware store moved the windshield fluid and shovels to the front of the store for the convenience of its customers. (Okay, obviously a smart sales tactic, but hey...in my mind I'd like to think they did it out of the kindness of their lil' hearts.)

I love that our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant A) bothered to stay open and B) gave us a free hot appetizer because we were looking a bit chilly when we walked in.

And of course, I love that you can spend 45 minutes digging your car out of a street space, plop down a lawnchair in triumphant victory, and fellow Chicagoans will honor the spot as your very own private property.  How neighborly is that?

As someone great once said, it's my kind of town.  Palm trees be damned!

Now I gotta go find my lawnchair...

*Chicago Historical Society image.