I normally don't talk on and on about the stupid city administrators and people in office where they enact dumb laws to outlaw firearms. This one is affecting my beloved Stillers, though, and I've gotta say, Chicago is in a sad state of affairs.
CHICAGO (AP) - Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint along the Chicago lakefront early Monday, his mother and agent said.
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The former Illinois running back was not hurt in the robbery, during which two people stole Mendenhall's wallet and cellular telephone, his mother, Sybil Mendenhall, told the Chicago Tribune.
"He didn't get hit or anything, he didn't get hurt or anything," Sybil Mendenhall said. "He's fine."
Police spokesman John Mirabelli said a man and a woman were robbed at the lakefront around 2 a.m. Monday by two offenders, but declined to identify the victims. No one was in custody for the crime, he said.
"It was obviously a scary moment," Mendenhall's agent, Mike McCartney, told the Chicago Sun-Times. "But he is fine. He is doing great. He said he doesn't have anything that is worth his life."
The Steelers selected Mendenhall with the 23rd pick in this year's NFL draft.
The 20-year-old Mendenhall skipped his senior year at Illinois to enter the draft. He was the 2007 Big Ten offensive player of the year.
Chicago has recently experienced a spate of gun crimes rivalling all but the worst cities for crime, per capita. The mental midgets that thought it would be a good idea to outlaw firearm possession by law abiding citizens in the city and state now get to lie in the bed they made. Common sense will tell anyone with a brain larger than a pea that if a criminal thinks a potential victim may be armed, said robber is less likely to try to extort from him money or his possessions.
And people think the government can keep them safe from everything. A common misconception, unfortunately, and it will take a few more deaths for everyone to realize that the government takes only our liberty. In return, we get no more safety, only repression.
I only wish Mendenhall would have had a weapon and put a cap in the perp's ass. Stupid theives make me angry.
CZ
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Latest Infatuation
Most people who know me are aware of my quirky tendency to absorb everything I can about a new subject that interests me until I finally tire of it. There is one that has a vice grip on me, lately. I have to warn you that it isn't for the faint of heart, and if you think it can't happen, Google the Olduvai Theory and look at the references on everything--PhDs galore.
http://dieoff.org/page125.htm
These guys know their shit and know what they're talking about. The only thing I can say is buy alternative energy now, and accumulate all the cash you can. I think we're in for a bumpy ride.
CZ
Plush
"This your place or you live here wit mommy and daddy, mayn?"
Confused, and not knowing how to respond, I reply,
"It's my house."
"Awww, you got it goin' on den, eh, mayn?"
"Yeah, man, ya gotta do it right if you're gonna do it."
"Haaaa, yeea, yeeeea.."
I wasn't sure if the guy thought I was too young to have a house or if I looked too young to have a house this big and nice. I'm still not sure.
"Whatchoo do, mayn?"
"I'm the Parts & Accessories manager at Wheeler Powersports."
"Awww, you got da hookup den, huh, mayn?"
"I guess you could say that."
This joker was quite the character and wanted to chat it up about my Jeep that I was half hanging out of whilst trying to align my transfer case shifters. I'm not, at this point, wanting to engage in a full on discussion about rock crawling and the like, so I think he gets the picture and gets back to installing the carpet.
Karen and I are getting nice carpet in the office because the carpet that came with the house was a blue-green aqua color that looked like there should be a pimp and a harem of girls on a heart shaped couch in the corner.
We will probably put tile in the bathroom as well, but that will have to wait a bit on other higher priority items.
The Penguins were good to me Sunday. They successfully eliminated the Rangers after a pretty good nail-biter of an overtime game. It was their first overtime game during the playoffs this year, and they did well. They've only given up a single game this second season, and I think we'll have our hands full with the Flyers. They're the team I hate the most, and the one I really think we can beat on our way to the finals. I'm anticipating a six or seven game series. I think we should come out on top in the end, though. Time will tell. Friday is the big night for the first game, and I'm not available for anything unless it includes watching the game and having a pint or two.
I've finally watched Episode II and III over the last two weeks. George Lucas is a brilliant man, and the Star Wars films are his greatest legacy. I saw the first three films (*IV, V, & VI) when I was a kid and never got around to watching the other, later films (earlier timeline in the movies) since it seemed so awkward to have the timeline all backward. Well, I never bothered at all with Episode I because my good friend and group Movie Guru JohnL said it wasn't worth my time several years ago.
I've got to say that Anakin Skywalker was not impressive at all in Episode II and the film wasn't that good. It was definitely not up to the standards set by the original Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi. Episode III Revenge of the Sith on the other hand, was a good movie. One that I can say is worthy of the saga. I watched it while I ate my delicious ham, egg and cheese biscuit with coffee (no, I made it-I stay away from fast food breakfasts for fear of retribution on my internals). It was a good relaxing morning of cinema, I must say.
In thinking more about the carpet guy and my position in this crazy experience we call Life, I've come to the conclusion that I am very lucky. I've grown to appreciate everyone and everything in my life as the months and years fly by. Maybe he'll be here when Karen gets home so he can see how truly lucky I am. CZ
Friday, May 2, 2008
Light on Cash
Looks like there's another company with a local business filing for protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. First, I read a few weeks ago that The Village Inn had filed bankruptcy, now I see that the place where Karen and I are registered for wedding gifts is crying uncle. Linens 'n Things filed today and will be closing a few stores nationwide. I wonder if our local store is one of the 120 to say goodbye. I think we'll see a new rash of businesses going under with this economic slowdown. Good thing we've got a Target on the way, eh ladies?
CZ
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Bustin' 1400
I'm looking for the breakout I've been waiting on for months, now. I've talked about the market reaction if the S&P closes above 1400. We got that today, and if traders react favorably to the employment report tomorrow morning, we could see a nice reprieve from this stagflation market. I'm so ready. If only I had bought a call contract a month ago when Craig and I were discussing Visa (V) instead of my stupid Delta airlines wager. I'm looking to close that postition at even money. Damn airlines. I should have known better. Congratulations, Craig. If you stick with that one for the long haul, you should be rewarded handsomely. CZ
Mac it up
I noticed a contract for control of shares in EMC that I bought a little while ago just jumped into the money today-trading at $16 a share. This company owns a company called Mozy, Inc. which allows users of computers at home that want an off site safe storage of digital information to store information on company servers for a nominal monthly fee. The reason the stock jumped today is because of news that it just released a program for Mac users. My great friends Scott and Jen are diehard Mac users, and it put a smile on my face when I saw the story, not to mention the stock was finally making me some money. Here ya go, kids.
Jen, I know how you like your pics.
CZ
May Day
It's International Labor Day, and it is very fitting. It's also referred to as "Socialists Day", and all over Europe, many people do not go to work today. That's all well and good, but isn't it a little hypocritical to be celebrating Socialists Day in countries where this very socio-economic system was denounced, revolted against, and ultimately eradicated by many of the same countries?
After the October Revolution of 1917, Lenin and Trotsky immediately implemented their idea of a Utopia in the Soviet Union. This was followed shortly by several other countries in Europe who were a part of the Communist International. Of course, these lemming countries that blindly bought into the socialist ideal also were quick to figure out how horribly wrong this new direction was for the welfare of the majority of the people. Germany was first in 1918, and Kurt Eisner was put down in blood by 1919. Lenin was even under siege in his own country. The US, UK, and Germany had implemented a trade boycott against the Soviet Republic, and under growing threat from his own country, he declared private enterprise illegal and striking workers could be shot on site. This War Communism obviously didn't work out and was soon all but dead with Lenin by 1924.
Starvation and revolt exploded across Europe and western Asia within a year of these socialist and communist movements, and it is common knowledge among those that actually paid any attention in any history class that even skimmed over the century that brought rise to the two world wars.
I'm not sure Hillary Clinton took any history classes. I saw an "exclusive" interview with her on Bill O'Reilly last night. Now, normally, I don't ever watch this show. I think O'Reilly is an idiot blow-hard that is an absolute hypocrite. I stopped to listen to what Hillary was saying only because I like to know about people that are trying to rule the greatest country in the world. O'Reilly was talking to Hillary about her universal health care and her ideas about her "income distribution".
O'Reilly rightly snapped this up and told her this was pure socialism. She responded that it was NOT socialism. Huh? Has she been so blinded by her goals these many years that she just didn't pay attention during this lesson? Or is it that she's so high on herself that she thinks all of America will buy into her soft, nondescript terms like "income distribution". Wow. It's just not pretty any way you paint it, and I just can't believe someone would think this is a good thing.
I see alot of this Socialist Movement today as well. - Hugo Chavez in Venezuela? European Union, anyone? and it's very scary because I see how it could easily mirror what began in 1917. This turmoil right after WWI all the way through until after WWII is not something the world can handle right now. Hillary and her policies will be bad for America, plain and simple. Obama is no better, and some will say he is actually even more of a socialist than Hillary. It's crazy to think that the greatest country in the world is close to buying into this 21st century socialist rhetoric. When did we stop paying attention to history?
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