Drive-Bys

When you laugh in the face of the Fates...

Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill

... the one named Karma can be the biggest bitch of all.
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So that's why I re-read my faves over and over again:

The first time people read - or watch - through, they are focused on events and stories.

The second time through, the repeated experience reignites the emotions caused by the book or film, and allows people to savour those emotions at leisure.

George R.R. Martin, Nancy Atherton, Jacqueline Carey, Karen Miller, Gary Jennings, Janet Evanovich (books 1-10, anyway), and many, many more are all old and dear friends of mine.
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Today's Chicago Tribune advocates discussing problems with your neighbors before calling in the police: 

Calling the cops almost has become a default solution, one that's not especially productive.

"No one likes having the police called on them," said Will Reimers, a neighborhood contact officer with the Boise (Idaho) Police Department. "Oftentimes that makes things worse, when suddenly police show up and start talking to you. People resent that. So it's not the best first step."

What is the best first step? Try talking to each other.

"It seems today that talking to your neighbors is something that has fallen out of fashion," Reimers said. "It's just not done as much anymore. But it's an old technique that should be resurrected."

Which all sounds good until you realize that today's Daily Mail illustrates the flip side of that solution:

Franklin Santana, 47, allegedly went to his neighbour's home in the Tacony region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to complain about his dogs.

The neighbour, Tyrirk Harris, 27, was licensed to carry a gun and had it in a holster as the two talked on the front porch on Tuesday, police said.

‘I (saw) them arguing, then from there a little scuffle,’ neighbour Miguel Rivera told the Philadelphia Daily News. ‘Then I heard the shots.’

Mr Santana was found dead outside the Torresdale Avenue home after confronting Harris about the mess constantly left by his dogs, police said.

I'd say you really need to pick your battles -- and you might want to let the police handle the ones that involve an armed and angry neighbor after all.

Saturday Ramblings

Now I've heard everything:

Winner's attorneys argued that punishment was too harsh, according to court papers.

Winner's attorneys also asked that his emotional problems and difficult childhood, including physical and psychological abuse at his father's hands, be taken into consideration, court papers show.

And what exactly is he guilty of?

An Illinois man was sentenced Friday by a federal judge in Rhode Island to more than three years in prison for shipping unwanted penis enlargers to diabetes patients as part of a larger fraud scheme that prosecutors say bilked $2.2 million from Medicare over four years.

He's a real winner all right.
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Looking for another place to get designer-looking prescription specs at a fantastic price?  Try Warby Parker. Not only will you be getting a great value, you'll be doing a good deed, as well.

(I like the look of these, and at only $95 for frames and lenses, I just might have to get them!)
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6 tips for avoiding speeding tickets -- besides not speeding in the first place, that is.
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An unexpected consequence of the current economy?  The ruin of the current generation.
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Giggle of the Day:

A Word of Thanks...

... because everyone else is still bitching about how long it took to get rescued, how long the power's been off, and just how miserable it's going to be to dig yourself out of your house -- but I think we should all feel blessed.

To the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department and Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department who made sure we were safe and did their level best to clear the streets in absolutely miserable weather, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To all the men and women who worked round the clock to fix downed wires and restore power to freezing and unhappy customers, for your sacrifice and hard work, thank you.

To good Samaritans who brought water and sandwiches to complete strangers stuck on Lake Shore Drive, there's a place for you in Heaven. That goes double for people who helped dig out or push out cars stuck in drifts when they could have stayed warm and safe in their own homes.

That is all.
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Update: Not, that's not all, after all. I forgot to thank the El drivers and other CTA workers, as well as the great engineers, conductors and rail workers at Metra who kept trains and Els moving, and a HUGE debt of gratitude to CTA bus drivers everywhere, but especially the ones who were stuck on Lake Shore Drive and kept opening their doors to take on more and more frozen refugees of the LSD fiasco.

Rubber-Necking

This guy thinks he's a candidate for visitation with his child:

To muzzle his alleged tendency to spit on officers and anyone who passes by, jailed murder defendant Regional Potts was given a "mouth guard" Friday to prevent him from showering his anger on others during a court appearance.

Potts chewed through three of the guards either on his way to court or during a hearing at the downtown Daley Center on a matter unrelated to his pending murder trial: whether he'll have a chance to visit his child, sources said.

Even more charming?

He also chewed through the leather hand coverings that would have kept him from pulling out the mouth guard, the sheriff's staff said.

Yup. That oughta impress the judge.

Sounds to me like they needed one of these:

... and one of these:

Zoiks!

Rules of the Road

1. Get OFF the phone:

[A]lthough many people now agree that driving while on a cell phone can be dangerous, they think the rules should apply to those other drivers -- not themselves. A University of Utah study found that 97.5 percent of the population does not have the ability to multitask in the manner required to talk on the phone and drive safely. The rare group who can might make good fighter pilots.

"The big problem is that people think they're in that 2.5 percent," said Smith. "Unless you're 'Top Gun,' you can't do it."

The problem is not caused by holding a phone -- people don't drive less safely because they have a stick shift, Smith noted. The problem is a phenomenon called "inattention blindness," which means you can be looking straight out the windshield and not see what's in front of you because your brain is elsewhere. Many drivers who have been in cell-phone related crashes said they didn't see that the light was red, Smith said.

"Their brain is task-switching, instead of multi-tasking," said Smith. Drivers using cell phones look but fail to see up to half the information in their driving environment, according to Dave Strayer, an author of the Utah study. Talking with a passenger is different, because a passenger can point out hazards and stop talking if driving conditions change.

2. If you're tired, pull over, turn the car off and take a nap:

Andy Dangerfield had been on his way college after an early start when he nodded off at the wheel.

He careered into the centre of Interstate 90 in Montana and straight into a metal guardrail which speared through the engine of his Chevy Suburban.

Before he could slow the station wagon, it had passed through and exited via the rear window - missing his body by inches.

3. In Illinois you are required to stop for pedestrians anywhere there is a marked crosswalk, even if there is no stop sign:

Chicago police have gone on a ticketing blitz focusing on dozens of high-accident locations to enforce a new state law requiring drivers to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

The law, which took effect this summer yet remains little-known among the public, is all about improving safety and reducing crashes involving pedestrians, officials said....

From neighborhoods to congested business districts, the two-month-old crosswalk law is intended to create a sweeping change in the rules of the road pertaining to pedestrian safety by clarifying drivers' responsibility and making it clear-cut for police to ticket violators, authorities said.

The former crosswalk law in Illinois required drivers to yield to pedestrians and stop only when necessary.

Now, drivers must stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks — even those that are unmarked or don't have a stop sign or a traffic signal. The penalty for failing to stop is a traffic citation of $50 to $500. Fines vary by county.

The new law also applies to instances in which a pedestrian enters the crosswalk against a "Don't Walk" signal or a red light, just as the old law required drivers to yield in such cases, officials said.

Fun, huh? (Having been hit by a taxi while crossing an intersection on a green light with a walk signal, I can tell you that no one is going to obey this law unless the tickets fly fast and furious and without end.)

4. Curb Your Dog. I totally agree with Zorn that this woman was the victim and not the perpetrator:

Those who don't pick up after their dogs deserve nothing less than a little frontier poop justice.

Update:

5. Don't Drink and Drive:

A Crest Hill man died early Tuesday in a crash near southwest suburban Lockport....

Angus would not comment as of 7:15 a.m. on whether or not alcohol was a factor, but did say Mahalik’s driver’s license was revoked for DUI in the past.

Act like a future Darwin Award Winner and you'll more than likely get your wish. (Just ask Jake if you don't believe me.)

Drive-Bys

True dat.
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Do you live in Chicago, San Fran, LA or DC and enjoy fine dining, but not the high prices? VillageVines boots up tomorrow. If you're expecting a check of $50 or more for dinner, you might want to give this service a try!
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Apparent suicide???

A man walking his dog this morning near an Evanston middle school discovered a decapitated body, perhaps the result of a pipe bomb explosion, and some hours later police destroyed what they suspected was an explosive device in the vicinity.

And, even better...

Dale Wyatt, 31, told the Tribune that he came across the body about 5:15 a.m. near Nichols Middle School, 800 Greenleaf St.

He said his dog Buddah led him to the body of a shirtless man whose head was missing and whose legs were folded behind him. A shopping bag and a black plastic jug lay nearby, and there was a strong odor of what he thought was gunpowder.

And it gets even better yet...

Police pushed the media back from the area after discovering what appeared to be an explosive device near the body, WGN-Ch. 9 reported about 8:40 a.m. Some residents were being evacuated from their homes. The Cook County sheriff's bomb squad was on the scene.

Suicide? Nah!

It sounds to me like karma was a bitch this morning and there's a new candidate for this year's Darwin Award. (Thank Krishna there were no kids around when the whole mess went down!) I'm guessing our boy was up to no good and fate stepped in to stop whatever evil he was about to perpetrate.
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Remember that sea change I predicted?

The Chicago City Council could be in for its biggest turnover in decades -- with as many as 20 seats changing hands -- thanks to a surge in voter turnout tied to the wide-open mayoral race, alderman and political observers warned Monday.

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Oh! On a related note, one of the more ethically challenged representatives we Illinois voters sent to the Senate only once before we pulled our heads out of our collective *ahems* and vowed never to make that mistake again, a former disgraced ambassador to New Zealand and former presidential candidate has come crawling back out from under the rock she's been hiding under and thrown her hat in the ring.

With names like White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, state Sen. James T. Meeks and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart being tossed around, not to mention the perennial candidates such as Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown, you might be wondering whether Moseley Braun is seriously considering jumping back into this arena after venturing into the world of teas and honeybees.

Apparently, she is.

"I think people are prepared to support the most qualified person, without regard to race and gender," she told me. "My qualifications should win the day.

"Just to show you how things work in life, last month I started having conversations with the people who wanted to buy into the company, and in the middle of that Daley announces.

"I am positioned perfectly to do this. Who would have thought it?"

Let the games begin!
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Speaking of games -- HBO has started their own blog about the making of Game of Thrones.

Winter Is Coming also has some GOT teasers here.

(Be still my little geek-girl heart!)

Quick Stop

Quote of the Day -- It's a Two-fer:

"You have wide crack, narrow crack, sweaty crack, hairy crack...it's all different. Do you ever wonder about butt crack?"

... and...

"You have thug butt."

You've gotta love Momma Fargo!