Zombie gorefest gets a musical spin - Chicago Sun-Times

“Zombies walk the Earth and feast on the living.

An unlikely band of strangers put their differences aside to survive the bloody onslaught.

It’s been done — maybe even overdone.

However, “Musical of the Living Dead” puts a satirical spin on the traditional American zombie tale, adding singing, dancing and raunchy humor into the mix. The play is in its sophomore run at Logan Square’s Charnel House (formerly a funeral home) after a well-received October 2010 debut.

The piece is a “Musical Zom-Com,” according to the brains behind the musical, Marc Lewallen and Brad Younts, co-writers and co-directors of the musical and co-founders of the Cowardly Scarecrow Theatre Company.

“I always describe the show as a valentine to zombie movies and musical theater,” Younts said.”

Read the rest of my preview, HERE

Chicago Sun-Times: North Lawndale student makes most of free ride at college

North Lawndale student makes most of free ride at college

Here's a peek at a profile I wrote for the Chicago Sun-Time's Oct.16 Sunday Edition, page 8A to page 9A. Click the above link to see the whole thing.

Maintain a 3.0 GPA, score a 20 on the ACT college entrance exam — and get a free ride to college.

That was the challenge Roosevelt University issued to Social Justice High School students a year after the school opened in 2005 in North Lawndale.

“Our goal is to provide these students with an opportunity they might not otherwise have to earn a college degree and at the same time continue to be involved in social justice issues,” Roosevelt University President Chuck Middleton later said about the scholarship promise.

Five years later, officials with both SJHS and Roosevelt believe the program has been a success: 15 students from the classes of 2009 and 2010 accepted the scholarships and enrolled at Roosevelt.

Recipients include newly elected Roosevelt student government president Channing Redditt, who officials say is perhaps the best example of the program’s impact.

Redditt, 20, was a standout student, according to SJHS officials. Yet, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to go to college — and he was sure he couldn’t afford it. His father, Cecil, had lost his job at Home Depot in February 2009, shortly before Redditt got his diploma.

“What am I going to do?” Redditt remembers asking himself upon hearing the news. Redditt was also tired of going to school.

But the free ride — worth more than $90,000 — convinced him that he should go.“If I’m being given this opportunity, then it’s something I’m not going to let go to waste,” Redditt recalled thinking at the time.

Jesus Emilio Tuberquia discusses fighting for peace and defying the worldwide "Death Project"

Jesus Emilio

Jesús Emilio Tuberquia is a short, wiry man with bronzed skin and sober, piercing eyes. Yet, behind his stoic gaze rests a kind and almost humorous twinkle. Standing in the Colombian’s presence, and hearing his message of non-violence, it doesn’t take long to see that he is a man with an immense heart. Many of us care about people. Many are concerned about social ills and denounce injustice. But most of us would be lying to say we have his strength. Most of us could not even begin to imitate his courage. Preaching non-violence doesn’t mean that you are willing to die in the name of peace. Jesús Emilio, however, is willing — and ready.

In 1997 he helped establish the Nobel-Prize nominated San José de Apartadó Peace Community in northwest Columbia. Jesús Emilio and about 800 other mestizo peasants and farmers in the war-torn South American nation declared their territory a neutral civilian community. With this act of non-violent defiance, they refused to pick up arms, or provide armed groups (including the Colombian military and police) with information or support.

As a consequence, in more than a decade, the community, now numbering about 1,000, has endured massacres, kidnappings, unjust imprisonment, torture, rape, robberies and economic embargo at the hands of various armed groups, especially the Columbian military and police. More than 170 members of the community have disappeared since San José de Apartadó was founded.

Jesús Emilio, 48, serves as a legal representative for the community. The role places him in the scope of those who would respond to non-violent resistance with bombs, bullets and machetes.

He hails from a family of farmers. He says his father “was a lover of the land,” who was passionate about social justice, detested violence — and instilled that same fire in his son.

“True violence is that which happens when people don’t have access to education, health, employment or land,” Jesús Emilio says. “War itself and weapons is something that will happen afterwards.”


Columbia has endured more than four decades of civil war, with actors on all sides, whether it's been guerrillas on the Left, paramilitary groups on the right, or the Colombian state itself, contributing to violence that has displaced millions and resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.

 The people suffering the most in this ordeal are typically the poorest and most vulnerable groups in the country. Those are the type of people living in San José de Apartadó. 

Jesús Emilio came to Chicago on April 18 and 19 for roundtable discussions and a public lecture about San José de Apartadó’s ongoing struggle. I had the opportunity to sit down with Jesús Emilio and interview him with the help of Loyola professor Elizabeth Lozano, who served as a translator.

What makes you think that a peace community such as yours is a viable way to bring change?

For those of us who struggle within the community, we think it is viable. For us it is very important as members of the community to actually have the true, real experience of another form of system that is different from what is the normal or general system, which is truly a system of death.

*Lozano explained to me that to Jesús Emilio  and other Colombians on the Left, the Death Project, or System of Death, refers to the worldwide system of capitalism, which they allege has disproportionately benefitted the wealthy while causing suffering and death amongst the poor and peasant populations of the world.While I don't personally believe in all instances that capitalism is a system of death, I can agree that many lives have been ruined or lost because more value was placed on profit than on the value of human lives--especially in the 3rd world. And let's face it, the U.S. government, and U.S. corporations, have put money in the hands of people and entities who are responsible for horrible human rights abuses. So don't be surprised that a South American farmer views the Western vehicle for economic development as a sinister device. But let's get back to the show, folks...*

It’s to try to let humanity understand that there is an alternative to the Death Project. It is possible to create a society without injustice in which human rights will be respected.

Why do they join your community?

I believe they have joined because of a sense of struggling for the lives of other human beings. And because they have been victims of social injustice and the power of weapons.

Why then are peaceful people seen as a threat, as people to be slaughtered?

Because to the System of Death, it is offensive that there will be a proposal for a culture for peace.

Can you define this System of Death for me?

The system of death is a system that doesn’t care about the life of human beings and is determined by money. So it is a society working within a system that is determined by money. A society where every single individual has been somewhat told that a piece of paper with numbers on it is more important than millions of human lives.

Who is benefitting from this system of death?

The great economic powers of the world, and the corporations.

Can you name some of those entities?

The economies of Europe, the United States and China. Multinationals. As well as politicians from different states.

*Lozano took a moment to mention briefly one of those multinationals, Chiquita Brands International. After a little research I found that the company has been under fire from a number of groups because of alleged involvement with violent paramilitary groups. Check this out!.*

Has the United States’ role in Columbia been in the interests of the peasants, or the bigger powers such as the government, military or corporations?

The U.S. has a big role to play in the Columbian war, because it’s actually the U.S.  that provides the weapons, airplanes, the bombs, and the training of militaries in Columbia. Basically, the U.S is a big designer of wars in the world. Not all wars, but a lot of the wars of the world are designed by the United States. The United States also has played a big role in the state of poverty of many developing countries.

*Note: The U.S. has contributed billions of dollars to Colombia through the last several decades, and more than $6 billion since the year 2000 — despite cries that it is the Colombian state itself that perpetuates much of the violence against the lower classes, and despite substantial reasons to believe that the military there is sometimes in cahoots with right-wing groups who terrorize the peasant population.*

I want to get back to talking about the peace community. Tell me, what are the threats to the community?

Where to start…

The threat is the physical extermination of the members of the community.

By who?

By the Colombian state. The other threat is the expropriation of all of the lands of the people of the community and other adjacent peasants.

How does the state act violent toward the community?

Against us, all forms of violence that you can apply against a human being have been applied.

For example?

Massacres, disappearances, selected deaths, threats, torture, robberies, false accusations, unjust imprisonment, economic embargo, rape.

How do you respond to the violence in a constructive way?

Against injustice what we have to do is justice. So when there is injustice against human beings we need to do what is just to human beings.

Such as?

Helping people without food, land, health. If they are in danger of death, protect them. If they have no job, help them find a job.

Do you walk around in your day-to-day life with the fear of dying in this conflict?

Well, sometimes one will feel fear or be anxious, but one must control one’s self and seek a way of keeping our minds busy with some other things.

What do you do specifically to exist without having that constant fear?

I think that the life in the community is the best therapy. Just participating in the life of the community and being in the community that’s there.

Do you have hope that you’ll see peace in Columbia in your lifetime?

No. I will not see that. No, the country is not going to change. The country is going to get worse and worse. The only peace I will know is the peace I will have in not being a part of the war. But I don’t see that, that peace is going to happen in the country.

How likely do you think it is that you will ultimately die because of all of this?

That’s what I weigh every day. Minute to minute. I am very clear that I am offering my life for the sake of many people. It can happen any day.

But what would be wrong with saying, I’ve had enough, I’m walking away?

The issue is not the value of my life. The issue is the value of a human society and the value of teaching a human society that it is possible to live outside of the Project of Death. That there is an alternative. And that peace is constructed exactly where you are — you don’t have to go seek it anywhere else. In the city, in the university, in any place, we can create the experience of peace and reject the practice of the Project of Death. In the U.S. as well as Europe, China and also in Colombia, it is a matter of one making a decision to stand for an alternative that is peaceful, or an alternative that is violent.

Author’s Note

I left that interview feeling very impotent. There I was, a self-righteous college student at a university (Loyola University Chicago) that preaches social justice, speaking to a man who was actually in the trenches, fighting for many of the same exact things I believed in.  Jesús Emilio could be dead at any moment for his cause. All I was doing was writing. However, what I’m able to do is pass his words along to anyone willing to read them here, with the hope that they might help you cast your eyes and hearts toward struggles ordinary people are facing in a volatile part of the world. Then, consider how massive a problem violence is for humankind, period. It’s not just in Colombia. And after you do that, I ask that you take a look inside. Because as Jesús Emilio told me, “It is a matter of one making a decision to stand for an alternative that is peaceful, or an alternative that is violent.”

Where do you stand? And will you stand silent?

Through the eyes of a refugee: violence on two continents

The Republic of the Congo Coat of Arms

After more than two decades of tempestuous politics fueled by Marxist-Leninist rhetoric and an authoritarian regime, the Republic of the Congo transitioned to a multi-party democracy in 1992. That's when the African nation elected a new president in professor Pascal Lissouba.

Yet, things were far from peachy for the former French colony. Lissouba had defeated Denis Sassaou-Nguesso, the previous ruler since 1979, but it wasn’t long before the country would erupt in civil strife. Lissouba dissolved the National Assembly in 1992 and called for new elections in 1993, sparking violent unrest before the dispute was squashed by international mediators. That wasn’t the end: The democratic process would once again come to a violent, screeching halt in 1997. With presidential elections slated for July, tensions between the Lissouba and Sassou-Nguesso camps escalated.

The country plunged into a two-year-long civil war that displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The impact of that cataclysm has had lasting effects on the region and is still rippling through the rest of the world because of the refugees that fled the country fearing for their lives.

What follows is an account from one of those displaced people, a man to be referred to only as Joseph, because of privacy issues. The 42-year-old Congolese refugee isn’t living a glamorous life by any stretch of the imagination. When I interviewed him for an academic research project in April 2011, he was working for a janitorial service and living in a humble, somewhat cramped Rogers Park studio apartment with his 32-year-old wife, referred to here as Patrice. But ask Joseph and he'll tell you just how grateful he is.

This is a story about lessons harvested from harrowing times.

When home isn’t home

[I left the Congo] because I couldn’t accept the things I was seeing with my eyes… it was the best time for me to leave. Otherwise, I would die. Because of my situation, my security was a problem … I was in a political party [the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy]. After [Sassou-Nguesso] took the power, his people were chasing people who were in the party of the professor Pascal Lissouba [who I supported]. My life was in danger because of those people who were killing people … One day I was on a train, this was in 1998; I was riding a train from Pointe-Noire, to Diosso. We arrived at Makoua. Makoua is a place where there is a camp for new soldiers... I got off of the train and sat down near the train to [get] some air. And one soldier came in front of me and asked, 'Please, show me your ID.' I told him that my ID was in my bag in the train. I said, 'Let me go in the train and get my ID to show to you.'

He said, 'No.'
He said, 'I know you. You were a soldier of the professor Pascal Lissouba.'
I told him [my ID] was in the train. And he said 'No. Show me your ID.'

I [stood] up, and I was just in front of the door to go to the train, but he stepped in front of me and blocked my way to go back to the train.  

And I say to him — 'You are a soldier. I think your duty is to save people. And everything belongs to the people. The thing you are going to do is not your duty. The thing you are saying is not your duty.'

And at that point he just put his two hands inside my pocket. One hand in the left pocket and one hand in the other pocket. And he pulls out everything I have in my pocket. Money, keys, everything out. And he just took all the money I had, and just gave back the keys and my papers.
 
I said, 'This is my country, Congo?' To see people like this. To have people like this. This is a dream. I am dreaming or what? His friends came. They were smoking. And when the friends arrived… they asked him, 'What happened with this guy?' He talked to this other soldier and said, 'This guy, he was a soldier of Pascal Lissouba!'

They took a cigarette … and they put the fire on me like this...

Joseph raised one of his forearms to show me where he had been burned. His eyes broadened in outrage and a painful grimace contorted his face.  It was as if he was standing outside that train in Makou, feeling the pain anew.

I was dreaming. It was a dream for me.

I forced my way away and found a way to go back to the train. And at that point, one police was on the train. And when the soldiers saw him, then they left. The police asked me what happened and I explained everything to the police. He said, 'Oh, I’m sorry.'

I didn’t have anything [I could] do. It is very difficult; you are living in a country and soldiers are treating people of the country like that. I condemn that kind of habit. So I went to Benin, and then to Gabon, and then I came here.    

What happened from my experience living in Congo is that now… I know that violence is no good. Taking the power in the country, using guns, is not a good thing. Because still now we have trouble in my country. We don’t have freedom of speech. It is a dictatorship, we don’t have rights. But here in the United States, it’s different.

Every time I see in a country [that] people try to use violence to get the power to control the country, I condemn it. It’s no good. I was telling [people in Benin], please don’t choose violence. If you need to become president — if you need to become president — do the election in the peaceful way… You have to negotiate, and you have to talk to each other. You know, in enough of Africa, like Tunisia and Egypt, the people they were ready to kick out the president because of the dictatorships. And maybe, in Congo, we are ready for a demonstration.

Maybe. I don’t know.
 
From violence to violence

I have to say that we have to build safe.

People have to build safe — if they can. I accepted to come here. But before coming here, first, I know that, in the United States, there is a lot of violence. When I was living in Congo, I was reading in the newspaper… all the time they kill people in the United States. But I accepted to come here because of the freedom of speech … Since I have been living in Chicago, I [haven’t seen yet] … somebody acting with guns against another person. But I heard a lot of stories from my friends about violence in the United States, especially in Chicago. For me, I know where to put my legs. I’m living in North Side, but it’s not like all North Side places are secure… Sometimes when I sleep and I wake up around 3 a.m., I hear some shots. Some shots coming from a far place. But I can’t tell if the shot was from police or gang. I don’t know who did that. I couldn’t have guessed. [In some ways] the violence in the United States is more than in Congo. Because citizens here have guns. Sometimes they do it for no reason, or because of drugs. They kill people for no reason. It’s so easy.

I recently read in a newspaper here, two police were arrested. Why? Because they met with one lady in downtown. The two police mated the lady and asked the lady if they can help her, something like that, to bring her to her home. But what happened next is, the police took the lady inside the car and one police officer was driving. And the other police abused the lady inside the police car. And that shocked me. And when they arrived at the apartment of the lady, what happened next? The other police abused the lady inside her apartment.  (Note: A few of the details of Joseph's retelling of what allegedly happened are slightly off, plus the case is ongoing, so click here to read news coverage of the incident, and see the video above for more insight.)


That is violence against the people. That is here. I’m living here, and I’m still watching a situation like that… Each of us as human beings… we have to fight for justice for every people in this country. Regarding jobs. Regarding school. Regarding everything. We need to fight. We need equality for everyone. And we have to fight violence.

Author's Note

I interviewed Joseph on a misty, gray, drizzling Sunday afternoon in April. A mutual friend, RedEye intern Jessica Cilella, accompanied me. At the time, we both worked for The Loyola Phoenix, where I was editor-in-chief from May 2010 to May 2011.

Joseph and his wife Patrice welcomed us into their humble abode with a warmth that, I can say from my own experience, can only be achieved by people who have been through cruel times and escaped with hearts intact. Plenty of people are left embittered, fragile and afraid. Their hardships break them; They end up shells of their former selves -- living, breathing specters darkened by their own suffering. You can almost feel the shadows of their past angst swirling about them. Sometimes it's hard to tell the living from the dead, as Ed Winters once sang.

But then there are those souls who emerge from their trials with more vitality and courage than before. Their survival is proof that men and women can transcend the malevolent powers that be, that good can outlast evil. For those people, like Joseph and Patrice, the light of optimism illuminates them. There is nothing quite like being around a survivor and basking in that spirit.

I want to dedicate this posting to Joseph and his wonderful, ever-smiling wife Patrice. They are truly blessed. I pray the universe grants the same fortune to the millions of displaced people seeking refuge on this violent, mixed-up planet.

The Daley administration's Wi-Fi lie

The Watchdogs over at the Chicago Sun-Times are at it again, bringing to light in their latest report that former Mayor Richard Daley’s son Patrick Daley profited from a 2006 deal that brought Wi-Fi to O’Hare Airport. The report shows that claims from the Daley administration that Patrick had no financial stake in the transaction were bogus.

As a cynical friend commented to me this morning after I read her the headline, “The windfalls of corruption continue to blow,” in Chicago.

Here’s an expert from the article

“For years, City Hall maintained that Mayor Richard M. Daley’s son, Patrick Daley, had no financial stake in the deal that brought wireless Internet service to city-owned O’Hare Airport and Midway Airport.

But it turns out that the younger Daley still reaped a windfall of $708,999 when Concourse Communications was sold in 2006, less than a year after the Chicago company signed the multimillion-dollar Wi-Fi contract with his father’s administration, company documents obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.”

Patrick served as a “middleman who lined up investors for concourse” according to the Sun-Times.  The paper reported that he received several payments following completion of the deal. Shortly after the last of those payments, a Daley press secretary claimed that Patrick “has no financial interest with the Wi-Fi contract at O’Hare.”

An apparent lie.

I have a feeling local journalists will be digging many more skeletons out of Daley’s closet as the years pass.

Read the full story here.

Stick a fork in it? Are the Bulls done?

Spirits were high in Chicago after the Bulls' domination of the Miami Heat in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but after two embarrassing losses, panic is beginning to set in amongst fans. I have my doubts, surely, but lets not blow things out of proportion. 

Was the Bulls blowout of the Heat in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals a fluke?

No, not at all. That was Bulls basketball at its finest. Derrick Rose was on point, the defense was awesome and our depth and intensity overwhelmed the Heat. It’s a formula that’s led to victory often enough for the Bulls this season.  However, the Heat made the necessary defensive adjustments to tilt the series in their favor, taking Chicago off its game, and Coach Tom Thibodeau’s boys have struggled to get back to playing their brand of hoops.  Panic is setting in. There’s still hope though, if you ask me. The Bulls have the discipline and the coaching expertise to make the necessary adjustments to get back to game 1 form.

The Heat dominated the Bulls in games 2 and 3 of the series and stole the momentum heading into game 4 of the series. Is Chicago done for?

The Heat are only up 2-1 so don’t stick a fork in the Bulls yet—they aren’t quite done. But a loss tonight would seal the deal in my mind, barring a miracle. And miracles do happen in sports, but even so, it’s just hard to see Chicago winning three straight games and coming out on top if they fall behind 3-1 tonight. The Heat have too much talent between their super-powered triumvirate of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh — too much intensity and too much defense to lose three straight games in these playoffs.  

What’s wrong with Derrick Rose?

The Heat defense is playing D-Rose about as well as anyone can, or has. There’s no true answer for his special brand of speed, strength and body control, but Miami has managed to frustrate him in the last two games, as he’s gone 15-for-42 from the field in that span. Few teams can defend a pick-and-roll with the super long, super athletic combination of the 6’9 James and 6’11 Bosh, or the explosive 6’4 Wade and Bosh.  Makes it pretty hard to be Superman. Rose just hasn’t been able to find the same seams and cracks in the Heat defense that he finds in the average NBA squad. But to answer the question, there isn’t anything wrong with Derrick Rose; the Heat defense is just that good. Yet, I think he can play a tad more aggressively, both as a scorer and distributor. The latter role brings me to my next point.

Rose isn’t the type to point the finger or publically criticize his team. This isn’t the Lakers we’re talking about. But the question shouldn’t be so much about what’s wrong with D-Rose, the real question is this: who will step up and take some of the load off his capable, but weary shoulders?

The Bulls have to remember what got them to this stage in the season, aside from an MVP season from Rose. The Bulls are where they are because of a stifling defense and an exuberant cast of supporting players. Our so-call “Bench Mob” needs to give it all they’ve got, and Kyle Korver especially needs to be a leading scorer out of that group. The team doesn’t have another superstar to take over games when D-Rose is off or resting. And if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s safe to say Carlos Boozer is better served as a third option and not the second big fish on the squad. We came to the same realization about Luol Deng a few years ago. Still, if anyone needs to have big games for the Bulls to come out on top in this series it’s Deng. When D-Rose turns the corner after a pick-and-roll and finds himself in a double team, the Bulls have to make the Heat pay, and Deng is the most capable perimeter player next to Rose. He is a dangerous slasher and solid shooter, even if he isn’t exactly automatic offense. More offense from Deng, along with more performances from Boozer like his game 3 showing, will keep the Heat defense honest. As I said above, the Bulls have to make the Heat pay for their constant double-teaming of the MVP.  Our offense is making things too simple for the Heat.

Omer Asik is listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury — what does that mean for the Bulls?

Big Sexy. 

Who is going to win game 4?
Bulls, baby. The stakes are too high for us to go down 3-1. I say the Bulls grasp the importance of this game and show up to play REAL Bulls basketball. Then again, I could be wrong. Sorry to be so wishy-washy, but whatever, it's my blog. 

Archdiocese should have been aware of D & P’s mob ties

The Phoenix/Stanislav Goluvchuk

Josephine DiFronzo is the president of D & P Construction — but law enforcement officials say her husband Peter and his brother John, alleged Chicago mob leaders, are pulling the company’s strings from behind the scenes.

That’s nothing new.

A quick and simple Google search for “D & P + Mafia” could tell you as much.
Here’s something else Google can tell you: the recent Loyola Phoenix article about a D & P garbage dumpster being used to remove debris from the construction site for the new St. Joseph Seminary on Loyola Ave. east of Sheridan Rd. wasn’t the first story written about the archdiocese using the waste removal and trucking company’s services.

A 2005 Chicago Sun-Times story reported D & P’s connections to “made men.” Reporters approached the archdiocese and inquired about a D & P dumpster on site at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church near Orleans and Division in Old Town, but according to that article, “Neither the contractor overseeing a project to convert an old rectory into a parish center nor the archdiocese’s construction office apparently was aware of D & P’s history.” An archdiocese spokesperson was quoted, saying that the contractor agreed to remove the dumpster and hire a different firm, and commented that, “We don’t micromanage our projects to the extent we would know who’s doing the waste hauling.”

“We’re not making any judgments about this company,” the spokesperson said.

I should note that Henry Brothers Construction, who is actually building the seminary, is the company that hired D & P as a contractor. The co-owner of Henry Brothers claimed in last week’s article that he had no knowledge of allegations of mob ties, didn’t know the owners of D & P and had never met them. He added that his company has been working with D & P “for a few years,” and that the company “provides a good service at a very competitive price.”

Yet, even if the archdiocese didn’t hire D & P directly, the fact remains that waste receptacles from a possibly shady company were being used, ironically, at a seminary construction site across the street from a university rooted in the Jesuit tradition of social justice.

D & P’s involvement is an awkward situation for the archdiocese to explain. Although, I’m only assuming it’s awkward because we never actually got an explanation. However, two things we can read into are the speedy removal of the D & P dumpster at the archdiocese’s request after a Phoenix reporter called to inquire, and the lack of a response to those inquiries.

This situation suggests that the archdiocese has a problem saying, “Sorry, we messed up.” They apparently also have problems staying clear of D & P, which the FBI claims has paid and intimidated its way to securing contracts.

To be clear, I’m not alleging that the archdiocese is in cahoots with godfathers. Despite history repeating itself in the form of D & P dumpsters on archdiocese construction sites, that doesn’t necessarily indicate a mob conspiracy. Wow, that’d be a story. Just think …

I will offer this constructive criticism: Whatever it takes, the archdiocese should stay away from D & P and make sure contractors can clear a simple Google search before something potentially embarrassing slips through the cracks.

A Classic: Dumb people outbreeding smart people -- Joe Rogan explains the pyramids

Joe Rogan explains it all. You have to hear the WHOLE thing to really get this. … “LoL”

State Police back down from Koschman review

In a puzzling move, the Illinois State Police recently decided not to review the David Koschman homicide case, rejecting requests from Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. What a shame. What an embarrassment.

Although many details around the case are yet unclear, what is obvious is that Mayor Richard J. Daley's nephew Richard J. “R.J.” Vanecko was involved in the 21-year-old Mount Prospect man's death.

Police have at least indicated that it was Vanecko who threw a punch that hit Koschman in the face outside a Rush Street bar and sent him on a fatal fall that resulted in brain damage and killed him 11 days later. However, no one was ever charged for any crime connected to what the Cook County Medical Examiner called a homicide.

The case was closed in 2004, the same year the incident occurred. The case was opened again earlier this year, but then closed again... still, heavily shrouded in doubt. Conflicting witness accounts and questionable handling of the case by the Chicago Police Department are signs for some that CPD detectives involved did not do all they could do to make sure justice was served. And now it's looking like CPD isn't the only law enforcement agency avoiding the case.

The Chicago Sun-Times' Michael Sneed asks this question in a recent column: Is Alvarez, State Police playing hot potato with Koschman case?

I think there might be a little hot potato going on as Sneed speculates. Read the article linked to above for an interesting look into the idea. 


To end this on a positive note — while it's discouraging that the state police won't review this case, at least Chicago's inspector general is said to have an independent review on slate. 

The Chicago Sun-Times has done an awesome job of staying on top of this story. The articles listed below are essential to understanding what is, and what isn't going on in the Koschman case.

The Watchdogs, Part I: Questions arise in 2004 death involving Daley nephew

The Watchdogs, Part II: Years after death, mom’s anguish won’t end

The Watchdogs, Part III: Witness says Koschman wasn't the aggressor

The Watchdogs, Part IV: Koschman homicide case closed without charges

Government Shutdown? What about the children?

My 11-year-old niece...just because.

A government shutdown is no joke. Some poor family (that doesn't follow the news for some reason) expecting to cap off a road trip with a visit to a national park is going to be turned away because the place is shut down due to the budgetary stalemate between Republicans and Democrats.

What a downer.That family will probably eat a mediocre meal at a nearby Denny's before a long drive back home. The children will ask why. Mom and dad won't be able to offer a simple enough explanation that makes sense. There will be tears. 

Especially because, as CBS News reports, "Shutting down the National Park Service - which draws approximately 800,000 visitors a day at 393 National Parks, monuments and historic sites - would represent a loss of $32 million a day in revenue from admissions/fees."

Isn't that just ironic as hell. Our legislators, our chosen representatives, can't come to agreement on a budget, let alone a temporary bill that would avoid a shutdown -- and the decision will hurt local economies that benefit from the tourism national parks bring them.

But of course, the impact the shutdown can have on people goes far beyond national parks. This article from MSN Money details other ways that citizens might be hurt.

"There's no question it would inconvenience the public in ways large and small. Consider some of the impacts of the three-week shutdown in 1995-1996 -- all of which could be repeated this time around:

1. New patients were no longer accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health. In addition, NIH disease hot lines and CDC disease surveillance were stopped.
2. Work on more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases in the federal court system was suspended.
3. Hundreds of thousands of "nonessential" federal workers were furloughed for three weeks, from mid-December 1995 to early January of 1996. (Some of those workers eventually received back pay for their missed days.)
4. Of $18 billion in Washington, D.C.-area federal contracts, $3.7 billion (more than 20%) were affected adversely by the funding lapse.
5. The National Park Service closed 368 sites, for a loss of 7 million visitors. The National Park Service administers 84.4 million acres of federal land in 49 states and other federal territories. Since 2008, park visits have totaled 285 million annually.
6. National museums and monuments closed, including the Smithsonian and other government buildings, with an estimated loss of about 2 million visitors.
7. More than 600 toxic waste dump sites went untended and uncleaned during the last shutdown. About 2,400 Superfund employees did not work.
8. The recruiting and testing of new law enforcement officials -- including 400 Border Patrol agents -- were suspended.
9. During the last shutdown, 20,000 to 30,000 applications for visas by foreigners went unprocessed each day, along with 200,000 applications for U.S. passports. Airlines also suffered, as many prospective travelers were unable to fly.
10. The Department of Veterans Affairs had to cut many of its services -- including health care, welfare, travel and finance -- as the department could not process compensation claims.
11. The shutdown meant a delay in processing alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives applications by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
12. The National Weather Service did not produce its regular reports.
13. New Social Security claims were not processed, because the agency furloughed more than 61,000 employees. As the shutdown continued, the agency regrouped, recalling workers to start processing new claims again. "

If we are lucky, our elected officials can reach some sort of solution by midnight, when a shutdown would go into effect. To be honest, I don’t have much hope that a shutdown can be averted. But hopefully it doesn’t drag on too long. That would be an even worse joke on the American public than the one attempted at the top of this blog post.

UPDATE: a short term deal was reached and a shutdown was avoided, but things are far from over. 

Music Review: Rolling Papers

If you bought Rolling Papers expecting to be wowed by lyricism and engaging content, you went to the wrong source; Wiz Khalifa is no poet laureate and his music shows no concern for anything of real substance. He strays from complex rhyme schemes, intricate wordplay and thoughtful content.

Instead, Rolling Papers is heavy on melodic, infectious choruses and simple rhymes about weed, women and swagger. While there's nothing wrong with that approach in itself, and while such an approach can yield excellent results if properly executed, Rolling Papers is missing the talent and originality to make it a strong album.

The album suffers from a lack of sonic diversity, which combined with Khalifa's low-level lyrical dexterity results in several songs on the album sounding the same. Outside of "Fly Solo," a surprisingly introspective, downbeat track that makes use of an acoustic guitar sample, the production on Rolling Papers is more often than not a mix of synth-heavy, pop-rap beats that are heavy on melody.

Lyrics like, "And they say all I rap about is bitches and champagne/ You would too if every night you seen the same thing," on the opening track of "When I'm Gone" pretty much sum up what you get from Khalifa. He stays in his comfort zone. However, despite his shallowness, catchy songs such as "On My Level" and the much-remixed "Black and Yellow" show Khalifa at his finest, with the young emcee effortlessly dropping smooth boasts over up-tempo beats. The tracks are simple, but they go down smooth and are fun to listen to.

Khalifa also shines on tracks such as "The Race," and "Rooftops," where he proudly declares, "Used to not be allowed in the building, but now we're on the rooftop." The song, which is boosted by a solid assist from New Orleans rapper Curren$y, is a bass and snare-heavy track with bell-like synths that is both celebratory and thoughtful.

If there's one thing to applaud Khalifa for, it's his honesty. The emcee doesn't present himself as a deep, contemplative rapper. And in his defense, that's not what a lot of people want these days.

Khalifa is similar to much of hip-hop's new school; he sings and typically raps on top of poppy, electronic or soft-rock instrumentals. That seems to be the direction that much hip-hop, or what passes for it, is headed for these days. The problem is that while he has impressive charisma, Khalifa's skill doesn't make him a standout, and with the rise of more skilled rapper/crooners such as Drake and Kid Cudi out there, what makes Khalifa special? Nothing. He pretty much always uses simple A-B rhyme schemes, and is a mediocre singer.

Each song on Rolling Papers feels like an attempt at Top 40 radio fame. In case you haven't heard, most rap on mainstream radio sucks - and this album sings the same tune.

Illinois House smoking bill compromises health for profit

If you’re still upset that public smoking bans are keeping you from smoking a cigarette in your favorite restaurant, bar or strip club, a recently proposed Illinois House bill aims to make sure you can light up in these establishments as you please — despite the obvious dangers this poses to public health.

Illinois House Bill 1310 seeks to give municipalities the power to “issue a smoking license to certain eligible establishments,” including private clubs, adult entertainment establishments and bars. The bill is sponsored jointly by Reps. Randy Ramey Jr., R-West Chicago; Daniel J. Burke, D-Chicago, Anthony Deluca, D-Crete; and Robert Rita, D-Blue Island.

The Smoke Free Illinois Act, which went into effect in 2008, made it illegal to smoke in public places and within 15 feet of doors and windows. It was passed with the acknowledgement that secondhand smoke poses a danger to the public. House Bill 1310 would undermine that notion.

Proponents argue that a smoking ban is anti-business and pushes businesses to nearby states without such staunch smoking laws. They think this measure is pro-business and claim that the municipalities selling the licenses to establishments will reap significant revenues for the state.

They are missing the point: Cigarettes can kill, and while you apparently have the right to smoke yourself to death, you shouldn’t have the right to be an unhealthy influence on people around you. “At least 69 of the toxic chemicals in secondhand tobacco smoke cause cancer,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

To be fair, it’s important to note that the bill passing wouldn’t be an automatic mandate for smoking licenses for every establishment; in fact, local governments would still have the choice to yay or nay selling licenses, and even if they were in favor of the proposed law, special ordinances would need to be adopted. Also, under the planned bill, municipalities can control the number of licenses they dish out, and establishments would be required to post signage showing that they allow smoking.

But the fact that smoking in public places might be limited to a few places if the bill is passed doesn’t matter. What if your favorite bar or restaurant (or strip club) is one of the places that buys a smoking license and you have to be subjected to secondhand smoke, or worse, avoid the establishment altogether? It might seem like this bill only cracks the door a little bit, but at what cost? How much further will proponents of smoking in public places push the envelope if they get this small victory?

Music Review: Fear Of God

Ever since Pusha-T, one half of the rap duo Clipse, announced that he was signing a deal with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, fans have been giddy with thoughts of what a solo project from the Virginia-born MC would sound like.

If Fear Of God is any indication, Pusha won't let them down. The mixtape features him spitting fiery lyrical barbs and larger-than-life boasts while telling his usual stories of cocaine profits, hot cars and even hotter women. While that might not sound out of the ordinary for a gangsta rapper, what sets Pusha aside is his lyrical grace.

He's at his best on "My God" where he declares, fittingly for the occasion, "There'll be no waiting, I have no patience, this is the end for all my unrecognized greatness."

Pusha gives his take on Drake and Bun-B's "Put It Down" on "Cook it Down" a track boasting about his cocaine culinary talents that might be better than the real version.

His "Blow Funk Flex Freestyle" is another standout, with clever lines like "A bird's eye view got me channeling my vision, turn one to two now the kilo's got a sibling."

While the Kanye West collaboration, "Touch It" is a solid track, it's not as good as you would expect given West's involvement. Its fatal flaw is the hook, which gets a little cheesy after a few listens.

"Can you just touch it, touch it, or just kiss it kiss, girl do somethin'. Do somethin'," Kanye says annoyingly. "Raid," featuring 50 Cent and Pharell, is another track with star-studded collaborators but underwhelming results.

The mixtape also suffers from a few missteps in terms of beat selection. For example, Pusha borrows the instrumental from "Money on My Mind," a 2006 Lil Wayne song that has already been freestyled a million times by artists. Pusha also raps over Soulja Boy's "Speakers Going Hammer," which is just plain corny, even if the lyrics are on point.

Despite these flaws, Pusha saves every track with his trademark coldblooded yet insightful lyrics and bold bravado. That's why Fear Of God definitely warrants several listens.

AUDIO // Download Pusha-T's new mixtape on his website.