The City of Chicago will be raising property taxes for the 13th time in 14 years to help bail out the budget of the Chicago Public Schools.
Okay, I have a CRAZY idea to save some money, how about they stop paying all that money to advertise that school starts the day after Labor Day. How dumb can someone be? It ALWAYS is the day after Labor Day for the traditional public schools (not including year round).
Here's another one, how about you no longer offer incentives for going to school, like "show up on the first day of school and get free Bulls' tickets" or "get $100 for every A." Or, free lunches only for the student, not the whole family, all year long. Or, stop giving out free uniforms, school supplies, backpacks, and G-d knows what else the give out. If you do the math on the free giveaways, that will be probably balance the budget, please leave a little extra as a cushion.
Below is the article explaining the details.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1711924,081209skultax.article is
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Meteor Shower!
Don't be alarmed if you see hundreds of necks craned to the sky tonight through Wednesday morning.
Up to 100 meteors per hour are expected to paint the sky with fiery streaks as the Earth passes through the dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to the Adler Planetarium. The display could be the most vibrant in years, the planetarium says.
The comet, discovered in 1862, is a giant iceberg made up of ice, rock and dust particles. Dust particles the size of sand slowly have been eroding away from the comet every time it approaches the sun, leaving a trail of debris that the Earth's orbit intersects once every year, according to the planetarium.
That means sky lovers can expect quite a show tonight and Wednesday morning.
The particles, known as meteoroids, create a meteor shower when they collide with the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating fiery streaks across the sky, according to the planetarium.
Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at Adler, said the best viewing time in the Chiocago area will be tonight before the moon is expected to rise at 10:09 p.m. and Wednesday before the moon rises at 10:40 p.m.
And the best viewing place? Get away from the city lights and look northeast while the skies remain dark. As Hammergren said, the darker the skies, the better.
Up to 100 meteors per hour are expected to paint the sky with fiery streaks as the Earth passes through the dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to the Adler Planetarium. The display could be the most vibrant in years, the planetarium says.
The comet, discovered in 1862, is a giant iceberg made up of ice, rock and dust particles. Dust particles the size of sand slowly have been eroding away from the comet every time it approaches the sun, leaving a trail of debris that the Earth's orbit intersects once every year, according to the planetarium.
That means sky lovers can expect quite a show tonight and Wednesday morning.
The particles, known as meteoroids, create a meteor shower when they collide with the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating fiery streaks across the sky, according to the planetarium.
Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at Adler, said the best viewing time in the Chiocago area will be tonight before the moon is expected to rise at 10:09 p.m. and Wednesday before the moon rises at 10:40 p.m.
And the best viewing place? Get away from the city lights and look northeast while the skies remain dark. As Hammergren said, the darker the skies, the better.
Hometown Hero Gets the Ride of a Lifetime!
Monday was "way overwhelming" for Brian Otto, a rescue diver for the Chicago Fire Department who was honored for "doing my job."
That entailed saving the life of a 2-year-old boy who had fallen into Lake Michigan last year.
For his efforts, Otto got to ride in an Air Force Thunderbird F-16 fighter jet.
"This isn't why you do what you do. You do what you do to help people, to save some lives. It's a bit over the top, but it's once in a lifetime," said Otto, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.
During his flight, he soared to 15,000 feet at 600 mph and briefly endured a 9.2 G-force.
Otto got to ride in the jet because he had been named a "hometown hero" in a contest held by the Thunderbirds and WBBM-AM (780).
On a blustery April 18, 2008, Otto was the diver who pulled the boy out of frigid lake waters. High winds had blown the boy, still strapped into his stroller, into the 42-degree water at Belmont Harbor.
Otto was at the scene in moments thanks to skillful flying by Chicago fire department helicopter pilot A.J. Lisanti, of Chicago's Beverly community.
The crew had been doing training that day and had landed at Midway Airport to get more fuel when they heard the emergency call.
Lisanti figured a strong tailwind helped the copter hit about 180 mph.
At Belmont Harbor, with the assistance of fellow firefighter Bill Davis, of Chicago's East Side, Otto gingerly searched the murky waters. He finally found the boy and pulled him out.
Miraculously, the boy survived and suffered no ill effects, Otto said.
"Bill did an outstanding job. He was my tender. He put one hand on the wall, had me on a line. We searched the first area, and then he let some more line out and we got (the boy) on the second pass," Otto said.
Otto, 45, said it was "a long helicopter ride home because we didn't know what the results would be."
"A lot of your thoughts do go home," Otto said, saying he thought of his own son, Devin, 6.
Otto felt humbled Monday by the large media turnout at the Gary Jet Center, where the Air Force Thunderbirds are stationed as they prepare for the weekend's annual Chicago Air and Water Show.
"It's unbelievable. But there were 40 guys out that day on that run, and all 40 deserve to be here. I was one link in the chain," said Otto, a firefighter for 20 years.
Two of those links, Davis and Lisanti, were there to witness Otto's flight.
Lisanti joked that if Otto climbed out of the plane holding an air sickness bag. "that photo will be up in the firehouse tomorrow."
No bag was needed, but Otto was nervous.
"The last plane I was in, they gave me a drink and a movie," Otto said.
Otto did "get weirded out" when the flight reached a 9.2 G force. That means the pressure on his body was nine times normal, causing his eyesight to experience tunnel vision. But a few deep breaths got him through.
Air Force Major Tony Mulhare was the pilot whose flight plans included four rolls in five seconds.
"That one will spin your gyros a bit," Mulhare cautioned Otto in a pre-flight briefing session.
The highlight for Otto was the takeoff. With the plane 50 feet off the ground, Mulhare cranked it up to 350 mph as the plane flew straight up for a mile and a half.
"That caught me by surprise," Otto admitted.
The takeoff remains fun for Mulhare "because you have a speed rush from the ground."
"Most people either shout, scream or laugh because it's sensory overload. He was saying lots of 'Wows' and 'That's really cool.' He was making me laugh. My job is easy when the passenger is having fun. He will never forget this day and for us that is mission accomplished," Mulhare said.
Devin was relieved his Dad was OK and told mom, Carrie Otto, during the flight, "I'm anxious to see if he's alive."
"Oh, Daddy will be OK," she assured him.
Moments after Mulhare safely landed the F-16, Devin ran up and gave a big hug to his father, the hometown hero.
Mulhare then handed Devin a tiny American flag that been in the cockpit.
"We'll take good care of that," Otto said, adding he now has "coolest story on the block."
from the Southtownstar
That entailed saving the life of a 2-year-old boy who had fallen into Lake Michigan last year.
For his efforts, Otto got to ride in an Air Force Thunderbird F-16 fighter jet.
"This isn't why you do what you do. You do what you do to help people, to save some lives. It's a bit over the top, but it's once in a lifetime," said Otto, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.
During his flight, he soared to 15,000 feet at 600 mph and briefly endured a 9.2 G-force.
Otto got to ride in the jet because he had been named a "hometown hero" in a contest held by the Thunderbirds and WBBM-AM (780).
On a blustery April 18, 2008, Otto was the diver who pulled the boy out of frigid lake waters. High winds had blown the boy, still strapped into his stroller, into the 42-degree water at Belmont Harbor.
Otto was at the scene in moments thanks to skillful flying by Chicago fire department helicopter pilot A.J. Lisanti, of Chicago's Beverly community.
The crew had been doing training that day and had landed at Midway Airport to get more fuel when they heard the emergency call.
Lisanti figured a strong tailwind helped the copter hit about 180 mph.
At Belmont Harbor, with the assistance of fellow firefighter Bill Davis, of Chicago's East Side, Otto gingerly searched the murky waters. He finally found the boy and pulled him out.
Miraculously, the boy survived and suffered no ill effects, Otto said.
"Bill did an outstanding job. He was my tender. He put one hand on the wall, had me on a line. We searched the first area, and then he let some more line out and we got (the boy) on the second pass," Otto said.
Otto, 45, said it was "a long helicopter ride home because we didn't know what the results would be."
"A lot of your thoughts do go home," Otto said, saying he thought of his own son, Devin, 6.
Otto felt humbled Monday by the large media turnout at the Gary Jet Center, where the Air Force Thunderbirds are stationed as they prepare for the weekend's annual Chicago Air and Water Show.
"It's unbelievable. But there were 40 guys out that day on that run, and all 40 deserve to be here. I was one link in the chain," said Otto, a firefighter for 20 years.
Two of those links, Davis and Lisanti, were there to witness Otto's flight.
Lisanti joked that if Otto climbed out of the plane holding an air sickness bag. "that photo will be up in the firehouse tomorrow."
No bag was needed, but Otto was nervous.
"The last plane I was in, they gave me a drink and a movie," Otto said.
Otto did "get weirded out" when the flight reached a 9.2 G force. That means the pressure on his body was nine times normal, causing his eyesight to experience tunnel vision. But a few deep breaths got him through.
Air Force Major Tony Mulhare was the pilot whose flight plans included four rolls in five seconds.
"That one will spin your gyros a bit," Mulhare cautioned Otto in a pre-flight briefing session.
The highlight for Otto was the takeoff. With the plane 50 feet off the ground, Mulhare cranked it up to 350 mph as the plane flew straight up for a mile and a half.
"That caught me by surprise," Otto admitted.
The takeoff remains fun for Mulhare "because you have a speed rush from the ground."
"Most people either shout, scream or laugh because it's sensory overload. He was saying lots of 'Wows' and 'That's really cool.' He was making me laugh. My job is easy when the passenger is having fun. He will never forget this day and for us that is mission accomplished," Mulhare said.
Devin was relieved his Dad was OK and told mom, Carrie Otto, during the flight, "I'm anxious to see if he's alive."
"Oh, Daddy will be OK," she assured him.
Moments after Mulhare safely landed the F-16, Devin ran up and gave a big hug to his father, the hometown hero.
Mulhare then handed Devin a tiny American flag that been in the cockpit.
"We'll take good care of that," Otto said, adding he now has "coolest story on the block."
from the Southtownstar
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Summer has arrived.
Finally, summer has arrived. Better late than never. However, these temperatures are unbearable.
In these extreme temperatures, please do a wellness check on your elderly neighbors.
Please also remember that pets have a hard time in these hot temperatures. I hate seeing dogs in cars with the windows cracked barely an inch in this kind of weather. Leave them home.
In these extreme temperatures, please do a wellness check on your elderly neighbors.
Please also remember that pets have a hard time in these hot temperatures. I hate seeing dogs in cars with the windows cracked barely an inch in this kind of weather. Leave them home.
Deceptive practices
This blog was started as a community blog; for people to communicate with one another and be aware of what was happening in the area. I am dismayed to see that certain people feel the need to lie and spread vicious rumors, while using the identity of others. Those people are ruining something that could be a reliable source of neighborhood news. I just wanted you, the readers of this blog, to know that some of the comments that have come through, were done under deceptive practices by cowards who cannot post their true identity, but rather assume the identity of frequent readers and commentors. When the comments were posted, I was unable to tell that it was not the true identity of the poster, but rather an imposter. I apologize to Jim McMahon for this. I could have never imagined that someone could/would stoop that low. Thanks.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Open Post 8/6 through 8/12
This weeks open post. Please put all GENERAL comments and questions here.
Olympic Meeting at St. Xavier (Tonight)!
2016 Olympic Committee Meeting at Saint Xavier University.
This coming Wednesday, August 5th, the Chicago Olympic Committee will be hosting an open meeting for community residents that are interested in learning more about our city’s bid to host the 2016 summer games here in Chicago. The meeting is in the “Butler Reception Room” at Saint Xavier University at 7:00 PM.
If you need more information on this, you can contact Fran Hurley at the Mt. Greenwood 19th Ward office by calling (773) 238-8776 or e-mail her at fhurley@cityofchicago.org.
In my opinion, hosting the Olympics is a losing proposition for the taxpayers of Chicago . Mayor Daley is cutting jobs, salary’s and benefits for city workers under the guise of being broke, yet is still going to guarantee profits to the Olympics using OUR money. If he refuses to listen to the will of the people that oppose this and insists on having these games here, let him and the City Council guarantee these profits personally using their own homes, bank accounts, other personal assets and pensions to back it up. The only ones that stand to benefit from any of this are the “Clouted” Contractors and the corrupt city officials that will be getting kickbacks under the table in return for huge contracts being awarded. Besides, Mayor Daley made it quite clear that the only people that are even allowed to bid on some of these city projects are “Minority Contractor’s,” which as of last week includes special status for “Gays.” What happened to the EQUALITY everyone wanted so badly? Personally, I don’t care what race, gender or sexual orientation anyone is, discrimination is discrimination in any color. To give ANY preferential treatment to ANY group of people under ANY name or description, is nothing more than plain old “discrimination.”
Regardless if you’re for the games or against them, here is your opportunity to let the Olympic Committee, Mayor Daley and all the other politicians in Chicago know how you feel about the 2016 Olympics. Whining about what’s going on won’t make a bit of difference, come on out and express your opinion……….LOUD & CLEAR!
Jim McMahonmcmahon351@aol.com
Get ready for a lot of smoke and mirrors.
This coming Wednesday, August 5th, the Chicago Olympic Committee will be hosting an open meeting for community residents that are interested in learning more about our city’s bid to host the 2016 summer games here in Chicago. The meeting is in the “Butler Reception Room” at Saint Xavier University at 7:00 PM.
If you need more information on this, you can contact Fran Hurley at the Mt. Greenwood 19th Ward office by calling (773) 238-8776 or e-mail her at fhurley@cityofchicago.org.
In my opinion, hosting the Olympics is a losing proposition for the taxpayers of Chicago . Mayor Daley is cutting jobs, salary’s and benefits for city workers under the guise of being broke, yet is still going to guarantee profits to the Olympics using OUR money. If he refuses to listen to the will of the people that oppose this and insists on having these games here, let him and the City Council guarantee these profits personally using their own homes, bank accounts, other personal assets and pensions to back it up. The only ones that stand to benefit from any of this are the “Clouted” Contractors and the corrupt city officials that will be getting kickbacks under the table in return for huge contracts being awarded. Besides, Mayor Daley made it quite clear that the only people that are even allowed to bid on some of these city projects are “Minority Contractor’s,” which as of last week includes special status for “Gays.” What happened to the EQUALITY everyone wanted so badly? Personally, I don’t care what race, gender or sexual orientation anyone is, discrimination is discrimination in any color. To give ANY preferential treatment to ANY group of people under ANY name or description, is nothing more than plain old “discrimination.”
Regardless if you’re for the games or against them, here is your opportunity to let the Olympic Committee, Mayor Daley and all the other politicians in Chicago know how you feel about the 2016 Olympics. Whining about what’s going on won’t make a bit of difference, come on out and express your opinion……….LOUD & CLEAR!
Jim McMahonmcmahon351@aol.com
Get ready for a lot of smoke and mirrors.
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