Month: November 2022

Numerous people reported a series of loud booms at around 10:30 p.m.; many said they specifically heard seven of them.

The reports came from neighborhoods that included Lincoln Park, Lake View, Uptown, Ravenswood, Avondale, Logan Square and Albany Park.

Several people attributed the booms to fireworks and described clouds lighting up. (News Radio 78)

That’s all, folks. Seven neighborhoods reported loud booms Thursday night. Some with bright light. Security or door cams caught some blasts.

The above is the only news report on the loud booms. I searched yesterday morning and afternoon, and this morning. Not one other supposed Chicago news media entity in Chicago reported on the multiple blasts. There was no word from the Chicago Police or Fire Departments. Nothing from the mayor or the alderpeople in the affected wards.

Except for the citizens who heard the booms, there was not one peep. Zero, zilch, nada. Inquiring minds want to know why there was no coverage or official statement over these apparent simultaneous multiple blasts across the Northside of Chicago. There were no reports of damage or injuries. Maybe that is why there are no reports of the incident.

Why is there no speculation about what caused these multiple simultaneous booms? Was it some social media prank? Some dare? Was it a natural or weather phenomenon?

I found a story from the spring of this year where similar simultaneous incidents occurred in Rogers Park. That may have been a TikTok challenge using homemade bottle bombs. Was Thursday’s incident something similar? Three people I talked to are upset over almost zero coverage of these incidents, except by News Radio 78. They are also upset that the Chicago Police did not have a statement on this.

This is Chicago under Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the total degradation of what used to be called journalism. It is a pity The Fifth Floor of City Hall and the Fourth Estate are equally useless. The Chicago news media only reports what they are told. To keep them aroused, the city and Police Department generate XXXX pornography, data and data analytics, which are meaningless. But, hey, those reporters sure drool and slobber in self-pleasing pleasure when they get them.

Will we ever find out what happened Thursday night? Don’t count on it. Remember the Cool Hand Luke movie quote; “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” That is the state of Chicago today.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loves failures. David Brown, her cowpoke mercenary Superintendent of Police, is an epic failure and has been since day one. Police officers derisively refer to Brown as the Top Flop. The rank-and-file officers have no respect, trust, or confidence in David Brown.

Lightfoot’s CTA President, Dorval Carter, is another epic failure. The buses and trains do not run on time, sometimes not at all. The terms ghost buses and ghost trains entered Chicago’s lexicon. Crime is up on the CTA. Carter implemented a patchwork solution of ghost security guards to patrol the trains and stations. They are ghosts because no one can see them.

Worse, Carter snubbed his nose at the Chicago City Council by refusing their requests to appear and justify his epic failures. Under mounting pressure, he finally agreed to meet with the City Council.

Lightfoot stubbornly refuses to fire these dunderheads. No other mayor in my long memory tolerated such epic failures. Heads rolled and kept rolling until the failures returned to normal. Those past mayors did not accept excuses when public services were so poorly handled.

Aside from being an initial private business(s), public transportation was designed to get people from one place to another and back expeditiously. They designed it to transport workers to and from work on time, as Chicago was a city of major commerce and industry where time is money and money is time.

The CTA leadership does not care if people who need to be places on time are late. The apathy is appalling. An organization, Commuters Take Action, tracked late buses and trains along with the ghosts. They reported 3000 incidents over six months.

There are no excuses for poor performance by highly paid public executives. Except, Lightfoot appears to wallow in mediocrity. Under her watch, failure is not just an option, but the only option. Public safety and now public transportation are failures. The failures are because of the supposed leaders of the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Transit Authority are out of their leagues.

Firing failure is not wrong. There is nothing wrong with replacing them with competent people. Keeping dunderheads on six-figure payrolls is a problem. There is nothing wrong with firing a mayor either. Next year Lightfoot runs for reelection. She does not deserve a second term. Lightfoot should be kept as far away as possible from the Fifth Floor of City Hall.

It is November. The weather is warmish, and fall is still in all its glory. It is time to discuss something unmentionable to many people. The upcoming holiday feasts are on the horizon. So is turkey terror, the paralyzing effect of cooking that big fu**king bird(BFB) for the first time. Turkey terror is a fear, not grounded in reality, that the feast will be a disaster. It does not have to be this way.

Remember the military axiom: P*ss poor prior planning leads to p*ss poor performance. Start preparing for the holiday meals now, especially if you have never cooked a turkey before. Stores are getting ready for the holidays, and you should too. Preparing for the feast can be challenging and a lot of work. There is no need to kill yourself or your wallet.

Now is the time to plan your feast, especially if you are doing it for the first time. The best way to plan is to create your menu, find recipes, and list all the ingredients you need. Every time you go to the grocery store, pick up a few non-perishable items and cross those off your list. Put them in a box, bin, or empty shelf, so you will know where they are for the big day.

The grocery stores will set up displays of those non-perishable goods. Many will be on sale until the day(s) gets closer. Stock up. This year, due to inflation and some continuing supply chain issues, those sales may not be as generous as in years past, but products will still be less expensive than waiting for the week or two before the big day.

Decide ahead of time if you are buying a frozen or fresh turkey. A frozen turkey takes a long time to defrost, so buy it ahead of time if that is your choice. Allow 1.5 pounds per person since about 1/3 of a turkey is waste- bones. Predictions are turkeys- both fresh and frozen- will be expensive this year. Who says you must serve turkey? Ham or another roast are suitable substitutes. Hell, roast a chicken or two.

Prepare side dishes and dressing a day or two ahead. Heat them while the turkey is resting after you pull it out of the oven. Do not be shy about asking people to bring side dishes or desserts. It means less work and expense for you. If guests offer, accept their generosity. You do not have to prepare everything.

Timing is everything. Figure out the approximate time the turkey or other protein will come out of the oven and the resting time. That is the time you will serve dinner. If you want guests to come earlier, figure out some light appetizers and drinks. I would stick with wine and excellent beer. Thanksgiving is not supposed to be a drunken booze and puke fest.

If you never roasted a turkey, practice roasting chickens. If you can properly roast a chicken, you can roast a turkey. Even try roasting a duck. They are usually frozen, so you can practice proper thawing procedures. The turkey is just a bigger fowl and takes longer to cook.

Here are some tips for roasting that BFB. These are just the basics. Do not get fancy schmancy with brining or slathering butter if this is your first time. Plain salt and pepper and a few other ingredients are acceptable.

If roasting a frozen turkey, allow one day for every 4-5 pounds of turkey to thaw in the fridge. Put the turkey in a pan on a rack on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

The day before, remove the wrapping and giblets package. Blot the turkey with paper towels inside and out. Put it back in the fridge. This will dry the skin. Dry skin browns nicer for presentation.

On the day of, remove the turkey an hour before cooking and let it sit on the counter for 30-45 minutes. This will bring the bird close to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 450 F.

Season the turkey liberally inside and out with salt and pepper. You can put some herbs- parsley, sage, rosemary- onion and orange wedges in the cavity, along with a stick or two of butter (this will enhance your sauce/gravy)

Put the bird in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower the oven to 350 F. Figure 13-15 minutes per pound from the time you put the turkey in. Note: if you put the BFB in the oven right out of the fridge, cooking time will be longer.

Check the temp with an instant-read thermometer in the thick part of the thigh- do not touch bone. It should read 165 F. (The thighs take the longest to cook.) If you make a slit where the thighs meet the body the heat will penetrate evenly.

Remove the bird, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the bird.

While that BFB is resting, heat your sides and prepare your sauce/gravy, using the pan drippings. Usually the week of Thanksgiving, stores have turkey wings. You can use those to make the stock for your gravy/sauce or buy turkey stock.

Who says you have to roast a turkey? You can buy whole legs and bone in breasts. Braise the turkey over vegetables and a liquid. Google braised turkey. There are an infinite number of recipes. The photo above is a Moroccan-style braised turkey I did some years back for Thanksgiving.

Where is the rule that turkey is the only protein for Thanksgiving? Ham or other roasts are just as good. Traditions are made to be broken. So, if you do not want to attempt that BFB, choose something else.

Start planning, prepping, and practicing now.

If you are dead set on roasting that BFB, here is a video by the master.

Yesterday was Halloween. I went to get jabbed with the latest COVID vaccine. Then, I went to vote. I had to hold my nose a few times, as usual. I am prepared to be disappointed in some of my choices.

Wandering around, I saw people dressed in creative costumes, including the waitress in the restaurant where I had lunch. After dark, I watched children and with their parents trick or treating. There were fewer than in years past.

Our mayor, Lori Lightfoot, was out in costume with her wife. Lightfoot is not one to turn down a good time, any day or night of the week. One could wonder if she was our trick-or-treating or just scaring children and their parents when handing out candy. Lightfoot is the Chicago Empress of Bread and Circuses.

Last night, Halloween was shattered for many by a mass shooting in the East Garfield neighborhood. 14 people, including a 3-year-old child were wounded. An 11- and 13-year-old were also wounded. Some were critical. CFD took the wounded to Stroger, Mr. Sinai, Northwestern, and Loyola hospitals. Their conditions were listed as good, serious, and critical.

According to police, people gathered for a vigil and a balloon release for a deceased person. A car drove up and two people opened fire on the group. A police camera near the scene captured the crime. The shooting lasted three seconds.

Violence keeps impacting children and families in this city. The rest of the public just yawns, stretches, and scratches, just another day. If it did not happen to them, it did not happen. It is yesterday’s news, to be forgotten. Apathy is just as rife in Chicago as violent crime.

From 2018 through today, Chicago has the distinction of leading the nation in mass shootings. We are NUMBA ONE. Let that sink in. It is something our costumed party mayor and her incompetent and oblivious Superintendent of Police, David Brown, ignore. Mass shootings in Chicago killed or wounded almost 900 people since 2018, including last nights. This is an embarrassment on all levels.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is directly responsible for the continuing crime wave in this city. Contrary to the lies goobernatorial candidate Darren Bailey spews about Governor Pritzker, Lightfoot alone wears the hat or the costume(s) for her public safety failures.

Lori Lightfoot is now demanding a pay raise. $216,000.00 is not enough for her to live on. She demands a yearly 5% or the cost-of-living raise, whichever is less. This would give her a hefty $227, 000.00-plus salary. People should get pay raises when they are competent. Lightfoot is an abject incompetent failure, though she sure knows how to have a good time donning costumes for various occasions.

14 people were shot and wounded last evening, including a 3-year-old. The mayor was prancing around in a costume like Nero playing his lyre while Rome burned. There is no shock from City Hall or the public. Chicago is too accustomed to living with continuing violence. I weave violence into the fabric of this city. Soon, some will claim violence is part of Chicago’s shared values.

Today is the Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos. Chicago should declare November 1^st a city holiday to celebrate the murder and mayhem. The city should commission and erect a large bust of the calavera, the skull, like the one depicted above. The city should place it in a prominent place for all to see. It ought to be the official symbol of this violent town.