Month: June 2023

First, my photo exhibition, Chicago in Black and White, is closing this week. I am extremely grateful to my friend, the artist Tony Fitzpatrick, for the opportunity to show and sell my work. Thank you to all those who showed up or purchased a piece. I am also grateful for the following for publicizing the exhibition:

Rick Kogan on WGN Radio and the Chicago Tribune.

Bob Chiarito for his article in the Chicago Sun-Times.

WGN Morning News

The next exhibition at Tony Fitzpatrick’s Dime/TF galleries is BOP! It is a celebration of the art of collage. Several artists will have their work on display and for sale. The image above has the date and time for the opening.

Chicago’s air quality was rated the worst in the world yesterday. This is because of the smoke from Canadian wildfires. The air looks like fog, and sometimes you can smell wood smoke. Masks came back ala COVID for many.

The New York Times shared an article about the Chicago Style Hot Dog on Facebook yesterday. They published the piece last year. The article itself was typical, along with a few minor errors. Then the writer stepped on his weiner. He had the audacity to put up his recipe for making the Chicago Style Dog. Unfortunately, his recipe was not Chicago Style, except for the toppings. It was not for cooking any style of hot dog.

He toasted the buns in a pan with butter, then sauteed the dogs in butter. Geez, he knows nothing about cooking hotdogs. Chicago hotdog buns are steamed or served from the package. Pop them in the nuker for 30 seconds if you want warm buns. No one, not even New York hotdog vendors, sauté dogs in butter. What in the Jumping Jesus is this moron doing? Doesn’t the NYT have fact-checkers for recipes? No wonder many refer to that rag as the Old Gray Hag.

Hot dogs are already cooked. Most can be eaten from the package. How to cook a Chicago Dog? In a pot with water seasoned with celery salt. Bring water to a boil, lower heat to simmer, add the dogs, and heat for 5-7 minutes. That’s the Chicago Way. Then assemble the dogs with the toppings- mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle, tomatoes, and sport peppers, also known as running it through the garden. You could sprinkle celery salt on the toppings if you like.

If the New York Times ever bastardizes recipes for Chicago Style food, Chicagoans should cancel their subscriptions. They should write scathing letters to their editors. Their supposed food writers are dumber than a box of rocks. My apologies to rocks.

Everywhere I read or listen, I see the whole Chicago news media overhyping the NASCAR race in Chicago. There is not one editorial, op-ed piece, or criticism of the insanely stupid idea. One could wonder if they were all bribed to be advertisers for this ridiculous event. This is Chicago and bribing is the Chicago Way. This is the same news media believes Chicago is safe from violent criminals. They suck up any and all XXXX rated pornographic data and data analysis from the city to pleasure themselves with.

 Upcoming is the 4^th of July weekend. Stay safe. Stay off the streets at night if you can. If you must go out, go out in groups. The summer holiday weekends are usually when the most violent crimes occur. Do not be a victim. Be a survivor. The city has no plan to curtail violence, no matter what the elected political weasels claim. We are on our own.

I am writing this in my saloon office away from home. Some mook decided to play suicide music- sappy love, unrequited love, and break-up songs on the jukebox. It is no wonder there are people I want to punch in the throat.

Father’s Day is today. The Day of the Dad. The dude. Da man.

Dads will be opening gifts of ties, scents, shirts, sports-themed items, bottles of adult beverages, or other gifts. Maybe the grill will be fired up, and burgers, hot dogs, steaks, or chicken will be charred. Going out for breakfast, lunch, or dining out might be an option. Or just a lazy day with the family gathered around will be the choice.

For many of us, Father’s Day will be a day of remembrance. Our dads are gone. The late folk singer Steve Goodman remembered his father with the song “My Old Man”. We are not songwriters or singers, except maybe in the shower.

My dad was one of the smartest men I knew. Maybe the educational system was better in the 1920s and1930s. He was articulate, well-read, and could hold his own in any conversation. He knew and shared his love of Chicago history.

Dad knew people from all walks of life. From successful professionals, people eking out a living, and even some members of a certain Italian organization. He saw to it I met them all from an early age. He wanted me to see possibilities and learn the consequences.

There were only two things my dad had a passion for. His family and food. Dad was a foodie before the term was dreamed up. Grocery shopping on weekends was an excursion through various parts of the city. It could start before dawn around any holiday or special occasion.

Dad was a passionate cook, as was my mother. If they were risk-takers, they would have been successful restaurateurs or caterers. After a large meal, especially a holiday feast, Dad would lean back and say, “If I died right now, I would die happy.”

I was an adult before I really appreciated my father, maybe because he talked about his life more. My fondest memories are just sitting at the table eating bread, cheese, olives, Italian cold cuts, and maybe a few glasses of wine. Just sitting, talking, and eating.

My dad worked hard. He had no vices. His family came first and foremost. I can’t make a movie or write a song about him. I can’t write his biography. It would be boring. All I can do is give him his due today. Remembrance.

The day I became a dad, I was awed. I held that tiny baby girl in my hands, her head barely the size of my palm. I did not want to let her go. I was holding pure love. Being a dad was the greatest accomplishment of my life. It was also the hardest thing I ever did. Children do not come with user manuals. You make things up as you go along. Most times, you are right. Many times, you err.

My daughter is an adult now. She is not my little girl anymore. She constantly reminds me, “I’m still your little girl. I’m just not puny anymore.”

Maybe, someday when I am long gone, she will give me her due by remembering me. That is all I want for Father’s Day. It would be the greatest gift.

“Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the City of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city. We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values… I want to make sure the ownership of the Chicago Bears, the Park District and the residents of the city of Chicago have a real seat at the table to discuss a pathway forward,” Johnson said, declaring himself “the hardest-working person in the city of Chicago” and promising to approach the discussions with “care, sensitivity and thoughtfulness.” (Chicago Tribune)

I have no idea what Mayor Brandon Johnson is talking about. It would be nice if, for once, he made simple declarative statements that made sense. Second, he met with the wrong person. Where were the McCaskeys? They own the Chicago Ken Dolls. They decided to slap our city in the face and move to the cultureless suburbs.

When the McCaskeys discovered Cook County was going to gouge them on property taxes, they started seeking other places to move their miserable team. It proved they inherited the cheapskate and chiseler gene from their grandfather, George Halas.

The Ken Dolls could have had a new stadium any time over the past fifty years. All they had to do was pony up some dough or get loans. First Halas, then his grandsons refused. They wanted a total freebie. Like their grandfather, the McCaskeys squeeze the penny so hard they make old Abe scream.

There is nothing for the mayor or city officials to talk about with that team. If they want to come crawling back to City Hall, they better bring big bucks, loans, or other funding. The city should not waste one red cent or time on those pikers.

The McCaskeys were dead set on leaving Chicago. Why are they crawling back? Or, is this some kind of stunt to squeeze more bucks from the burbs? Soldier Field is just fine for the Ken Dolls. It is what the management wanted. They no longer deserve anything from Chicago. Let them leave and forget them. But, their fans are as stupid as Chicago voters. If the fans turned their backs, as they should, the Ken Dolls could skulk out of Chicago.  

There is only one place the Ken Dolls should go if they are leaving Chicago. Out of business.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability studied the resumes of over fifty candidates who applied to be the next. Superintendent of Police. Thirty-two candidates are current or former members of the department. They are proceeding to the interview phase. They should only hire a current or former member of the department. Chicago does not need another disaster like David “Tex” Brown.

“Anthony Driver, president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, refused to speculate on why Brown “did not want us talking to rank-and-file officers” or riding along with them. Driver would only say it was an impediment.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

Anthony Driver Jr., president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, revealed they could not get the rank and file input. Former Superintendent Brown forbade members from meeting with the commission. The rank-and-file detested Brown, and the commission would have got a big earful on the poor state of the Chicago Police Department.

“We’re an oversight agency. It’s very difficult to be an oversight body if you’re not allowed to develop relationships with the people you’re overseeing, he said.” (Anthony Driver/Chicago Sun-Times)

IMAGE: PV Bella

I have been busy the past couple of weeks. I would like to thank all the people who came to my photo exhibition, Chicago in Black and White, over the weekend. I sold some pieces and prints. I will be there on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 PM. It is at TF Projects/The Dime 1513 N. Western Avenue.

I do not delve into national politics too often. I am a jaded cynic. I believe that both political parties are two wings of the same predator, the pterodactyl. However, I am amused by the woke vs. anti-woke performative politicians and their acolytes and activists. The anti-works are some of the best comedians. They should hit the road performing at comedy clubs. They use some weird form of supposed made-up American Christianity to justify their ridiculous positions and enact laws banning this and that. They are terrified that wokism is destroying civilization.

It is apparent the extreme mackerel snappers never read the Bible. God is the greatest cause of death and destruction in history and the universe. Murders, wars, pestilence disease, slavery, natural disasters, and every other thing to destroy mankind and civilization. He created the earth and then created man. The earth and its flora, fauna, and microbes were specifically designed to kill off the human race, and civilization. God, the Great Comedian, just sits up there and laughs.

The fish lips also never read or forgot “Theology for Idiots.” God created humans in his own image. Therefore, all the people attacking others are attacking God. Funny how that good old-fashioned American Christianity fraud works, isn’t it?

The woke side is no better. It is not enough for them to point out the social flaws. They try to force people to their way of supposed thinking or destroy their lives. It is past time for someone with intelligence to take these two groups and slam their heads together until they see the errors of their ways.

Look, we may believe whatever we want. We can and should debate in a collegial fashion. However, we do not have a right to impose those beliefs on others or enact laws that deny the existence of others. Further, there is no right or responsibility to destroy people’s lives if they believe or express different beliefs or do not conform to some fake morality. Only tyranny allows that, which is what the extremists on the left and right are becoming.

People were posting “Happy D-Day” on social media. There is no happiness in celebrating the 4,413 souls lost that day. Geez, people are really stupid. It proves that the Great Comedian is right to try and keep trying to kill off humans. We are a disgrace to His divine artistry and creativity.

Chicago suffered another citywide violent crime weekend. It appears City Hall has no plan to curb the violence. They have excuses, excusing the violent criminals claiming they are traumatized and victims of something or other. We should pity them instead of punishing them. Our politicians are dumber than the Chicago voters who elect them.

Almost every day, the Chicago boosters, City Hall, and the local news media keep hyping the upcoming NASCAR street race in Chicago. Me, I hope it is a monumental failure and few people attend. Please, please do not go to this stupid event. Chicago city streets are not designed for this idiocy. Worse, the rest of the city has to be inconvenienced and there will be traffic woes. We could and should hope this event never ever happens again in Chicago. Never ever is a long, long time.