New Years Eve plans?

slow day today... open post for now. How about this. Please spread some good New Years cheer and let us know what everyone will be doing tomorrow for the eve of a new decade! Location, price, whats included, or even if you are just planning on having a quiet eve at home (or a rowdy eve at home with the likes of pain in the ass grand kid who uses this house like a god damn day care!--so you know what the Boss will be doing) lets GET TO BLOGGIN!!!

Lauren McGovern Update

This should tug at your heart...From our friend Jim McMahon... read on!
In case you haven’t heard, Lauren McGovern came home from the hospital earlier this month and was able to be together with her family this Christmas.

Jewel Food Stores are hosting a Shop & Share for Lauren this December 29th, 30th and 31st. Go to http://www.lovinglauren.org/uploads/jewel_Dec28_29_30.pdf to download and print the forms to give to the cashier. This is NO COST to you, and a small percentage of any purchases you make at Jewel on any of these days gets credited to the McGovern family. You are prohibited from handing these forms out in front of any Jewel-Osco Stores, but you should print a few extra ones in case you run into any of your neighbors at the store that didn’t hear about this.

There will be a benefit for her at Bourbon Street on April 17, 2010 to help raise funds for her ongoing rehabilitation. Please visit http://www.lovinglauren.org for details.

Thanks for supporting this fine family and their beautiful little girl.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ARTICLE TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, AS THEY ARE HONORED AT ANY JEWEL-OSCO STORE NATION WIDE.

SOUTHSIDE IRISH PARADE IS BACK!!!

well, not really... this is what our traditions have come to... this still makes me ill! But for those of you with youngsters, read on... anyone have any other ideas or places of worship for the big day for our mick bretheren please share here... They're not good for much, but they sure nailed it when it came to the parade!

Dear Friends and Family, As usual, we will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day 2010 on the South Side with food, drink and an Irish fiddle.

But you won't believe the lineup this year.

Instead of gathering at my house the Sunday before St. Patty's Day and gorging on the Bloody Mary bar and Kate's potato-chip cookies, we'll be celebrating the day before, on Saturday, March 13.

We'll begin with a best-dressed Irish dog contest, followed by a soda bread competition. Bring your kids because we'll have arts and crafts and children's films.

As usual, I had hoped to convince the husband to wear a kilt for your entertainment, but who needs another Irishman with pale, hairy pegs wandering the neighborhood?

We'll have live Irish music and dancing all day, capped with a nighttime performance by Hothouse Flowers, a critically acclaimed European-based Irish rock band.

Our address this year is 2407 W. 111th St. - the Beverly Arts Center. If you get lost, call us at (773) 445-3838.

I know we'll all miss the decadence of my garage and the portable toilet parked on the lawn. It's been a glamorous ride.

But it's time to class-up our celebration of Irish culture. There's more to it than dragging a cooler of Budweiser down Western Avenue wearing shamrock necklaces.

The parade began in 1979 as a small gathering of Morgan Park neighbors pushing baby buggies and carrying Irish flags around the 10900 blocks of Washtenaw and Talman avenues. They ended the march with Kool-Aid and Twinkies in George Hendry's basement.

By 2009, the parade swelled to a regional event of 300,000 revelers and more than 600 Chicago police officers on patrol. A warm day this past spring contributed to the pleasantry but added an element of overindulgence. A record 54 people were arrested, most of whom were intoxicated.

So it's fitting the "parade" of 2010 will wind back to its original intent: a family-friendly, community festival.

Certainly, we will miss the parade itself - the bagpipes, the embroidered dresses, the floats and even the stroll of elected officials.

But hopefully the families and parishioners who spun the South Side parade into existence and nurtured it for decades will continue the special traditions that day brings for them.

Bring on the bicycle parades, the hot toddies, the corned beef.

For us, parade day became an annual ritual of reconnecting with old friends and giving out-of-town family an excuse to visit Aunt Kristen. The party at the Beverly Arts Center is more reason to visit.

So friends - all 200 of you - please join us again this year for an Irish toast.

The Beverly Arts Center offers far better accommodations than our driveway.

Sincerely,

Kristen

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!!!

I'M BACK!!!..........open post people.....Now, GET TO BLOGGIN!!!

Decision coming soon

Hey folks... Boss here... As you can tell by the lack of posts I have been doing alot of thinking about this blog. I apologize to those who have been looking here for new neighborhood information. I have received an outpouring of support and kind words. For that I say Thank You from the bottom of this old heart! I will decide the fate of the blog in the next day or two. Whether it be to continue, fold, or pass it on to someone else. Maybe I overreacted, maybe I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, or perhaps I had just had a bit too much Scotch on the evening of the 13th but whatever it was, at the time shutting it down felt like the right thing to do. Since then, the daily views have exploded and the comments section has blown up and it has forced me to reconsider what I originally thought was the right thing to do. So keep checking back and Ill have a decision real soon! Thanks for all the 60655 support!!!

Fuck It!

Well no one here can say we didnt try! Nearly 4,000 views, yet barely 5 posts a day! We have asked for commentary, new ideas, reached out to locals and even wrote a few news papers for some material. I am sick and tired of writing up posts to see no additions, no original thoughts or ideas to add to the blog. We weeded out those who destroyed the other blog only to find out that perhaps they are the ones who keep a blog afloat in the first place! So we will have one more open post... Anyone who gives a shit and wants to save the 60655 blog speak now. I would love nothing more than to see this thing continue on. But without any interest we are not going to spin our wheels. So unload people, ALL POSTS GET POSTED (except the obvious obscene language, proper names, etc etc) If anyone else has an interest in taking this blog over in case of a minimal turnout on this our possible last posting, please email me at aroundandin60655@gmail.com all thoughts welcome!

Chicago's Only Hope!

I didnt realize Chicago had all of a sudden become such a hockey town! So in honor of the only REAL professional sports franchise with any hope of winning jack shit we have decided to dedicate an entire post to the Hawks!As far as the Bears are concerned... they are only gettin 3 today so if any one is lookin for some advice lay HEAVY on the Pack! Prediction: Pack 38 Bears 6

Sports Post

At the request of one of our readers, we are going to have an OPEN POST for our sports teams. I suppose here is where I will keep all my angry Bears rants which will soon turn to angry Sox rants. But hell, at least when the Sox blow the weather is nice! Anyways, OPEN POST for now!

Now HERE is a Petition Worth Signing!

COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW TO SIGN THE PETITION!
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34775

Petition: Free the Navy SEALs
By Michelle Malkin • December 11, 2009 10:06 AM

Human Events has posted a petition to free the Navy SEALs who’ve been hauled up for court martials after an infamous jihadi in Iraq (the same one who masterminded the ambush of Blackwater contractors whose bodies were burned and hung on a bridge in Fallujah) accused them of punching him in the stomach during a raid earlier this fall. You can sign here (petition text below). Members of Congress have called on Secretary Gates to intervene as well. Two of the SEALs were arraigned earlier this week and spoke out. Here’s an interview with Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe’s lawyer. Interviews and local coverage here. Excerpt:

Two Navy SEALs accused of mistreating an alleged terrorist denied the charges Monday — one during a formal arraignment and the other in more plain-spoken terms after the court proceeding.

“No — the answer’s no, point blank,” said Special Operator 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, as he met well-wishers outside Naval Station Norfolk.

McCabe is one of three Navy SEALs charged with mistreating Ahmed Hashim Abed, the suspected mastermind of the March 2004 attack that killed four Blackwater employees. The SEALs have also been credited with his capture.

The grisly ambush created worldwide headlines as the bodies of the burned and mutilated victims were displayed for the press to photograph.

…Capt. Moira Modzelewski, who presided over the arraignment, set a Jan. 11 trial date for Huertas and Jan. 19 for McCabe.

The case has attracted widespread public attention. About 20 members of Congress have signed a letter circulated by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., calling on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene.

It has also attracted grass-roots support from people like Richard Berndt, of Virginia Beach, who arrived at the naval base at 6 a.m. with a sign that read, “You Fought For Us — Now We Fight For You.”

“I just feel I owe these guys everything I can give them,” said the 24-year Navy veteran. “They just need our support.”

Donna Zovko, the mother of one of the four slain Blackwater employees, drove from Cleveland, Ohio, to stand with the supporters. In one emotional moment, she found herself next to Marty McCabe, the father of the accused Navy SEAL.

The two shared a few words before embracing.

Until the charges became public, Zovko had never known the names of the SEALs credited with Abed’s capture.

“It took me a few minutes to talk to her,” McCabe said later. “I kind of got choked up. This is closure for her.”
IBD also has an editorial today calling for the SEALS to be freed. Amen to their conclusion: “McCabe is…officially charged with punching Abed ‘in the midsection with his fist’ while in custody. It is the American people who are being sucker-punched in the gut.”

WHEN WILL IT EVER END???

From our good friend Det Shaved Long Cock... This bullshit has got to stop sometime, right? Isnt the President a brother? ANyways, use caution and only read if you want to get fired up!

BLACKS RECEIVED LESS THAN WHITES WHO SUED

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago alleging that church officials discriminated against African-American victims of sexual abuse by trying to silence their claims and proposing smaller settlements than those offered to white victims.

The suit, filed today in the Northern District of Illinois by Seattle attorney Phillip Aaron on behalf of 41 men and 8 women, seeks $98 million, accusing the archdiocese, Cardinal Francis George and retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Goedert of racial discrimination, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, fraud, conspiracy and racketeering.

"The defendants have acted intentionally to silence the voices of African American and minority victims while defendants distributed false and deceptive information to the public in an attempt to prevent the victims of clergy sexual abuse, their families and the African American and minority community from expressing and exposing racism and discrimination," the suit says.

As evidence that the church acted in bad faith, the suit points to a deposition by Goedert released by the archdiocese in July. In the deposition, the archdiocese's second-highest-ranking bishop testified that he believed church law required him to keep clergy sex abuse confidential, even when most of the priests he confronted admitted to abusing minors.

In addition to accusations that the archdiocese conspired with the mediator during settlement proceedings, the suit also alleges that the archdiocese plotted with Chicago law firm of Pugh, Jones, Johnson & Quandt, which found in an audit last month that the average settlement for African-American victims is more than 28 percent higher than settlements with white victims and 19 percent higher than the average of all settlements.

"The report commissioned by the defendants ... is a sham and intended to deceive the public and to discredit, humiliate, retaliate and otherwise punish African American and minority victims for exposing the racially motivated and disparate treatment that defendant subjected the African American and other minority victims to," the suit says.

Colleen Dolan, communications director for the archdiocese, said the church stands by the audit's findings.

"The results we`ve made public and proved quite the opposite of what Mr. Aaron has stated in his suit," she said. "It's factually not correct."

_______________________________

Detective Shavedlongcock:

Unreal... Maybe it had NOTHING to do with RACE. Maybe it had everything to do with HOW GOOD EACH PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY WAS! Next time get a good white Jew attorney instead of Ruffus T. Washington.

$$$$$$$$$$

Now I got your attention!

There is a Real Estate Tax rebate available to all homeowners that live within the City limits. It’s not being advertised, but you are definitely entitled to this money if your name appears on your tax bill.

It literally only takes a few minutes to fill out this simple form and mail it in. Go to the below link to download your application.

http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/PropertyTaxReliefWeb/org/cityofchicago/taxgrant/web/HowToApply.jsp;jsessionid=0CrhLfyTYB2ycvLwrRXNBLqRBp4Z6TczCQG1gD2H4gG4B8G7H0KQ!560346721

A Date That Will Live in Infamy

Sorry folks I was a bit late on this. Had some issues to deal with that took up most of my day. Anyways, PLEASE do not forget what happened 68 years ago today. Never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great country! Thank you all!!!
For a brief history lesson as told by the Southtown Observer... I usually dont like any of these damn local rags, but this was a nice article.
Today marks the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that left 2,403 American military personnel and civilians dead.

Army veteran Arturo Del Monaco vividly remembers the effects of the Dec. 7 assault. He was a high school student, and two older friends went down with the USS Arizona.

THE ATTACK
At 7:02 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, radar at the Opana Radar Station on Oahu picked up a large number of planes in the sky. Alarms weren't raised as officers on duty expected a squadron of American planes from California about this same time.

At 7:55 a.m., the first wave of 183 Japanese planes attacked the American ships in Pearl Harbor and the planes at three nearby airfields. A second wave of 167 planes followed about an hour later.

In the harbor, 21 of the 96 ships at anchor were sunk, and many others were severely damaged.

Of the 394 planes at Hickam, Wheeler and Bellows airfields, 188 were destroyed and 159 were damaged.

The death total was 2,403 (including 68 civilians). The wounded numbered 1,178.


"They are still there," Monaco, 86, said, sadly.

Monaco was one of two World War II veterans on hand Sunday for a memorial to remember Pearl Harbor Day at the Woodridge Public Library.

Organized by Woodridge VFW Post 1578, the event featured speakers, a replaying of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to Congress in which he called Dec. 7 "a day which will live in infamy" and a reading of a proclamation by President Obama urging "all Americans to observe this somber day of remembrance."

Lining the wall of the meeting room was a photo montage depicting the fiery effects of the Japanese attack on the Navy fleet.

"It brings back a lot of memories," said Burt Names, 87, who served in the South Pacific on the USS White Plains, a Navy carrier.

Many in attendance listened in rapt attention as the two veterans casually talked to each other about their years of service.

It was oral history in action. As the number of living World War II veterans dwindles, keeping the history of the conflict alive is something both veterans think about.

Del Monaco, who served in north Africa, China and India, said, "I'm afraid it's all going to get lost in history."

Del Monaco's 14-year-old grandson, Alex, was in the audience. Asked if he was there voluntarily, he smiled and said, "I was kind of dragged here." But he was glad he came:

"I do think it's important, but schools don't teach the history of the war in detail. It's important to hear these personal details from people who were actually there."

The soft-spoken Names said his grandchildren keep asking him about his experiences.

"I've written a synopsis of my experience for them," Names said. "As veterans, we have seen firsthand the tremendous cost of freedom."

The Woodridge VFW Post plans to keep doing its part to keep the memories alive. This was its 11th annual memorial.

"If we don't do it, I don't know of anyone else who will," said post member Bob Reichert. "It's a day that changed the lives of every generation that followed."
Related Blog Posts

Toys for Tots
Motorcycle Parade


Sunday -- December 6 th, 2009
Dan Ryan Woods opens at dawn
83rd & Western
Line-up starts 6:00am
Parade begins at 9:30am
Ends at Lane Tech High School

parking lot on Western.


The 20-mile parade, which runs north along Western Avenue, often lasts up to five hours. It's billed as the largest motorcycle parade in the world.

Riders are required to bring a new toy and spectators are encouraged to do so. (Please, no stuffed animals.) The Marine Corps Reserve will distribute them to those in need.
Toys for Tots Parade - More Information:
If you'd like more information about the Toys for Tots parade, you can call 773-866-8697 or visit them online at the official Toys for Tots Parade website.

Years ago when I saw hundreds of bikers riding down Western I thought my neighborhood was being invaded by some motorcycle gang. Then I thought to myself, DAMN, who did young Tommy piss off now??? But when I saw all these bikers riding with toys on their bikes I looked into it and found what a great cause it is. I'm sure my friend Jim McMahon will be out riding so all you people with 2 wheels out there...Now, GET TO RIDIN, THEN GET TO BLOGGIN!!!

THIS TIME IT'S FOR GOOD

Well, sir, your comments have reached a boiling point and we here at Aroundandin have decided to ban you for life! We will not reply to any of your childish comments, but in the interest of letting you know how serious we are here, we will let yo know this. Your IP address is 99.141.98# You are running on a Macintosh Mac OSX operating system and utilizing a Safari 1.3 browser with a Javascript version 1.5. Hell, We even know that your monitor is of 1920 x 1200 resolution and has a color depth of 24 bits! We know that you were on this morning at 8:40 am for 16 minutes and visited 7 of our pages. We have alot more descriptive information than this, but at this time, we feel this is enough to get our point accross...i.e., WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!
And although you speak of diminishing interest, we have observed you have visited us NUMEROUS times since this blogs inception (one time in which you assaulted us, remember?--We do) You are by FAR our most common visitor, and your visits are frequently followed by some childish comment certainly indicative of your third grade IQ. Your writing style is flawed, your grammar bad, your thoughts weak and we have no more time to entertain you. So best of luck, son, in whatever trail you choose to follow in life. We have a strange feeling our paths will cross again some day next time we order up a side of fries at McDonalds!

Elves Wanted!!

This info came to us from one of our readers, Shay. Let's all do what we can to make these kids' Christmas a little brighter!

LETTERS TO SANTA PROGRAM 2009!

Please consider having your business, school or organization join us for our 8th year running! It's a program that once started, is surely to become a tradition for many years to come!

How does the program work?

We collect Letters to Santa written by the neediest children in our schools. The schools in our program are at 95% poverty or higher. We encourage children to ask for items they need and often times they will request winter coats or school supplies.

We then distribute their letters to donors throughout the country and ask that a gift in the $25 range be purchased, wrapped and delivered to the child's school. We are also asking that you send us an additional $5 per letter to help defray our program costs, for a total limit of $30 per letter. Because we are a "hands on" charity, we do not actively fund raise. Due of this, we are a low to no budget charity and this is our only fundraiser of the year.

Please send your $5 per letter donations to;

Direct Effect Charities

4064 N. Lincoln Ave
#400
Chicago, Il 60618


Please know this donation is optional and we are happy to send you a letter(s) even if are unable to send us $5. We are of course grateful for any support at all but our main goal is to make kids smile, and that's what we do!


What age range are the children?

We serve students from Pre-K to 4th grade in most schools. In smaller schools, we accept letters from children through the 8th grade.

Can I request a girl or boy?

You can request a boy or girl as well as age range. We encourage you to request letters from children the same age as yours! It's a wonderful project that will teach them the wonders of giving.

Can I spend more than $25 on my gift?

We ask that you try and stick to that limit. It is not fair to students when one child receives 5 presents while others may receive one. If you wish to spend more, we ask that you send an extra wrapped gift and mark it girl or boy with an age range. There is often a small percentage of gifts that do not make their way to the child for various reasons and it helps the schools to have extras on hand.


Are my donations tax deductible?

Yes, Direct Effect will be happy to send you a tax exempt receipt for your donation.


When does the program begin?

We are well under way! PLEASE ORDER YOUR LETTERS TODAY and we'll get them out as soon as they are in our hands! There is NO LIMIT to the number of letters you can order. Whether you want 1 or 1000, we will be happy to provide you with them!

TO OBTAIN A LETTER/LETTERS - EMAIL: directeffect@ameritech.net


Please feel free to call 312.296.5311 with any questions you may have!
http://directeffectcharities.org/

Monetary donations can also be made via credit card on our web site.

Lets try and help out but if any of you get a letter from little Tommy, save the $25 and just send a bar of Zest so I can wash that kid's mouth out!!! Now, LET'S GET TO GIVIN!!!