First Homicide?

It's just after 12:30. Someone had to win by now, right?

Early Release Scandal Grows

Seems Capitol Fax Blog had this on the wire before the local media:

• More than a dozen men released from prison early after a secret policy change by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration are back behind bars - most of them accused of new, violent crimes.

  A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the prisoners were picked up again for such crimes as domestic battery, unlawful weapons use and aggravated battery. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of restrictions on talking to the press.

"More than a dozen?" It seems like the campaign ads will just write themselves over this one. Hopefully, it gets pinned on Quinn in time for the opposition to take advantage. As long as the opposition isn't some panty waist like Jim Ryan who has already promised to support any Shortshanks anti-gun legislation that gets passed.

Non Starter - Hopefully

Courts - the last refuge of the scoundrel:

• A Chicago police officer fired last month for physically attacking two fellow officers who were arresting her son is asking that a judge review her termination.

  The Chicago Police Board on Nov. 19 found Officer Kimberly Marshall guilty of biting and striking the officers and calling in an officer assistance radio call to prevent her own arrest after she tried stopping the officers from arresting her son, Hoyle.

  In a complaint filed Wednesday at the Cook County Circuit Court, Marshall claims that her firing wasn't in accordance with the law and was made "against the manifest weight of the evidence," and asks a judge to review it for a possible reversal.

  Members of the police board found Marshall guilty of all six accusations she faced in connection to the May 31, 2005 incident. The altercation occurred after Marshall's then-15-year-old son was involved in a traffic accident on the city's South Side.

  Marshall, an officer since March 1990, got into a verbal and physical confrontation with the officers as they tried arresting her son, who was riding in his mother's car without permission, according to the board.

How about trying some parenting? Your son fucked up, got caught and all you can do is act the fool attacking on-duty officers? You're an embarrassment. Go away. Thank god you aren't drawing a pension.

New Year's Eve Gunplay

That time of year again.

Drunken revelry, shots fired, foot chases and general all around craziness.

Please be careful out there. There are going to be plenty of goofs out there running around with pistols. In fact, if anyone sees this guy running around with a gun, feel free to arrest him and charge him appropriately:

He is known to be in the company of a gang of ne'er-do-wells pretending as police officers. He is attached by electronic umbilical cord to assorted posers, brain-dead political hacks, policy wonks and media morons. He has also been rumored to smell exactly like the leather seat upholstery that surrounds a certain chair on the fifth floor of City Hall.

Masters Masters Masters ∞

Feliz año nuevo.

Peleas, ridiculeces, yerros y las yerbas futboleras que dejó el 2009 en una recopilación de tv golo dada en llamar COMEDY FOOTBALL 2009.

PARTE 1

PARTE 2

Gee Whiz Governor...

...do you really think so?

• She lost 20 teeth. She suffered a brain injury and seizures. And she struggled to pay her medical bills because she didn't have insurance.

  Jen Hall was the victim of a brutal, disfiguring beating outside a Jewel store in the South Loop in August 2008.

  Her attacker, Derrick King, was later sentenced to three years in prison for the crime. King, 48, went into state Department of Corrections custody in early October, but he was paroled only two weeks later under a policy change by Gov. Quinn's administration.

  On Wednesday, Quinn announced he would reverse that policy, which allowed 1,781 inmates to leave prison early between Sept. 16 and Dec. 14 -- when the governor suspended the program.

So let's get this straight - there are potentially 1,780 other psychopaths on the loose in a mere three months of this program?

Does anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, there are another few dozen, possibly a hundred other stories of these early releases going bad? Anyone have the list of inmates released or is this going to be one of those FOIA requests that the media is going to have to pull to get things rolling?

Bad Idea

Knowing the Russian penchant for being a bit off target:

• Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.
  
  Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project.
  
  When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated its chances of smashing into Earth in its first flyby, in 2029, at 1-in-37.
  
  Further studies have ruled out the possibility of an impact in 2029, when the asteroid is expected to come no closer than 18,300 miles (29,450 kilometers) from Earth's surface, but they indicated a small possibility of a hit on subsequent encounters.

While it could be good practice should the need to intercept an asteroid in the future, we aren't sure the Russians are the ones to be leading the charge. We aren't sure NASA is up to it either, but if NASA subcontracts it out to the Japanese, everything should be fine.

A Touch of Flu

Posting a bit light tonight...and a bit off schedule.

We'll get through this together though.

Habló Cáceres.

Las primeras palabras de la nueva vida de Fernando Cáceres fueron: “Quiero comer empanadas de Ramona”.

De ahí en más, no paró de hablar. En la habitación estaban la “viejita” (Ramona), su hija Fernanda, Pipa Gancedo y Mariano Herrón.

“Ya sabía que había salido campeón Banfield porque yo se lo conté mientras dormía”, contó el hermano Ramón, y “cuando pudo hablar me dijo que no lo podía creer”.

"Estamos muy contentos. Fernando empezó a hablar, le sacaron la traqueotomía y estuvo hablando de fútbol… Tiene algunos flashes” de la noche del disparo y “algunos altibajos de ánimo, pero en líneas generales está muy bien”.

EL MILAGRO CÁCERES DIA A DIA.

OFF TOPIC: FALLECIO FUTBOL DE PRIMERA

Goles en contra Apertura 2009.

Y pensábamos que el aerosol iba a traer más goles de tiro libre... veamos los goles en contra del Apertura 09 (18), cuyo "Autogol Award" pide Gastón Aguirre (San Lorenzo).

Agradecemos este particular saludo a LPND, vaya un abrazo al autor y los mejores deseos para 2010.

Another One? WTF?

And once again, the police go home OK, so nothing else really matters:

• Chicago police shot and critically wounded a man tonight near 54th Street and Indiana Avenue in the city's Washington Park neighborhood, authorities said.

  The shooting occurred at about 7:40 p.m., authorities said. The wounded man was found several blocks away and transported to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, a spokesman said. The wounded man was described as being 31 years old.

  [...] Tonight's shooting marks the fifth Chicago police-involved shooting since Christmas Eve.

Five police shootings in four days. You know what that means...

Citizens are out of control, running around, slinging dope, pointing guns and knives at the police. It's about time the Feds, the National Guard, the "reverends," Obama and all the other politicians step up and demand that people start obeying the law, listening to police and minding what mama says so they stop getting shot. You know the police was just about to turn this town around when these no-good citizens started acting the foo'.

BOHICA Street Parkers

We sense another drop in Shortshanks' bottom-of-the-barrel ratings just around the corner:

• Here's the breakdown of what to expect:The loop area, bound by Lake Michigan to the East, Wacker Drive to the North and West, and Congress Parkway to the South, will see the highest parking rates, at $4.25 per hour.
  
  It'll cost $2.50 per hour to park in the Central Business District outside the Loop, an area bounded by Lake Michigan to the East, North Avenue to the North, Halsted to the West, and Roosevelt Road to the South rates.
  
  In all other areas of the city, rates will be $1.25 per hour.

Anyone else noticing a distinct and noticeable drop off in people parking at meters or blocks with pay boxes? We'll just note that we've been having no problem parking the squad car at lunch locations for the entire autumn and winter so far. No more grabbing the crosswalk, hydrant or bus stop for a quick bite. Makes us wonder.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone in the comments who got the sarcasm and silliness part of the above paragraph. Geez, with Revenue ticketing marked cars, unmarked cars and anything with an FOP medallion on it, you think we'd seriously park a car anywhere near a hydrant, crosswalk or bus stop?

Lighten up people - it's a freaking blog.

"Security?"

Humorous:

• Like many other big illegal parties in Chicago, the one in Lawndale Sunday had liquor flowing and DJs spinning in a former industrial building.

  But this one also had what police called "an elaborate, club-style entry to the building," with four industrial spotlights lighting up a sign and stanchions and velvet ropes marking the entrance.

  The party was busted when a neighbor who heard the blaring music coming from the 4400 block of West Fifth Avenue called authorities to complain, police said.

• Police found the two doormen, [...] were carrying guns, and on searching the building, found a woman with a gun, [...] as well as five other handguns in other parts of the building. The three were charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon and other gun-related crimes, and are being held in lieu of bail at the Cook County Jail.

Nine guns total? Sure seems like "security" may have been missing the point of going through party-goers. Of course, having an illegal party with 300 or 400 of your closest friends while advertising your presence with rolling spotlights, stanchions and velvet ropes at the entrance doesn't make us think it was a bunch of brain surgeons running this thing either.

Messi dibujado.

Si son días de balance no podemos obviar el mejor balance del mundo: Lionel Messi. Y si nos atenemos al fútbol, de tantas visiones como ojos lo ven, van algunas miradas sobre "LA PULGA".

Police Shootings NW & W Side (UPDATES)

It's everywhere:

• Chicago police shot a suspect Monday night in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

  The suspect's condition was not known, but no officers were hurt in the shooting.

  The shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. in the 5500 block of West Henderson Street.

Officers unhurt, details sketchy.

UPDATE: Suspect in the 016 shooting has expired.

UPDATE: 011 shooting overnight also - Hamlin and Chicago. Officers all ok at this time.

Wrong House

Priceless:

• A Wauconda shooting and alleged home invasion over the weekend appears to be the result of a mistaken address, police said Monday.
  
  Two Wauconda residents, a 15-year-old boy and a 49-year-old man, were shot by the owner of a house on the 300 block of Indian Ridge Trail in the far north suburb just before 6 p.m., police said, after the two refused to leave the residence.
  
  Wauconda police Cmdr. John Thibault said the two thought they were picking up a family member. When told by the residents that their family member was not present, the visitors did not believe them, he said.
  
  The two forced their way in and allegedly assaulted the two people inside, causing minor injuries, according to police.

They had the wrong house and got shot for their trouble. What's not to love about this story?

Well, That Figures

We don't mention anything about the Bears on Monday Night Football because (A) they suck, (B) they've been eliminated from the post season, and (C) the best they can do is play spoiler for everyone else.

And then they win.

Lovie and company ought to be fired for not being able to get this sort of performance out of the team all year long.

The Funniest Clip Ever?

Is this or is this not local media guy Mark Suppelsa?



Just about the funniest live set up of the media we've ever seen. You just know the cops were waiting for a news camera to show up. Someone alert Shaved.

Árbitros hinchas.

Después de la revisión arbitral hecha aquí días atrás y con la liviandad que la perspectiva temporal admite, contamos brevemente sobre la parcialidad vedada del ex árbitro Carlos Mastrángelo.

Los colores los puso el abuelo y al parecer no hubo rebeldes ni negras ni descarriadas; rojo y blanco para todo el rebaño:

“En casa todos somos gallinas, todas mis hermanas, mi hermano y todos los nietos de papá”, dice Romina, hija de Carlos, transmisor de la banda (roja) generacional. Ella recuerda que el mejor tesoro de papá es la camiseta de Enzo Francéscoli, la que recibiera y desembocara en un recordado y profundo llanto. Porque lleva a Ríver adentro, porque papá Carlos supo fundir el motor del auto para llegar a Rosario, ver el partido decisivo que le diera a River el título después de 18 años sin alegrías (1975) e invadir la cancha para dar la vuelta con los jugadores y poder tocar a Angelito Labruna.

“En mi juventud – dice papá Carlos – eso implicaba no comer para ir a verlo a todas las canchas. Y discutir, sobre todo con los bosteros. Si hasta miraba el estadio de Ríver y me sentía orgulloso de ser hincha del club. Por supuesto, veía la tercera, la reserva y la primera y no me olvido que cuando era más chico y perdía, me iba a la cama a llorar.” 

Transeúntes, utileros y hasta el presidente de Ríver (entonces Alfredo Davice), reconoció el fanatismo de papá Carlos pero, eso sí: “sabemos que es fanático de Ríver, pero por favor no nos dirija más.”

Porque el papá de Romina, que heredó los colores hacia sus hijos, es Carlos Mastrángelo, árbitro de primera división desde 1987 hasta 1996.

“A veces para ser imparcial les cobraba en contra. Lamentablemente cuando dirigía a River generalmente perdía.”

Carlos Mastrángelo dirigió 1 superclásico (1995, Boca 4 River 2) y se retiró en marzo de 1996, cuando Chilavert le hizo a Burgos un gol de media cancha para que Vélez también le ganara a Ríver (3-2). Aquella tarde recibió el buzo de Chilavert, la camiseta de Enzo Francéscoli y como de niño, también lloró.

And Another Shooting

How many this year?

• A man was shot by police Sunday morning after allegedly pointing his weapon at officers in the South Side Chatham neighborhood.

  About 1:45 a.m., Gresham District police officers initiated a traffic stop in the 500 block of East 79th Street after a license plate check revealed the vehicle was stolen, police said.

  After ordering the man to exit the vehicle and attempting to place him into custody, officers discovered a weapon and a struggled ensued, police said.

  The 38-year-old man then fled on foot and the officers gave chase. At this time, the he allegedly pointed his gun in the direction of officers, and the officers fired, striking the him, police said.

Officers fine, weapon recovered. But as stated in the post opening, how many this year? It feels like way too many.

Jesse Jackass

Once again, no investigation is good enough for this putz:

• The Rev. Jesse Jackson is urging Rockford residents to push for a federal investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed man inside a church-run day care.
  
  At a news conference at the day care center, Jackson criticized a grand jury for ruling last week that the shooting was justified.
  
  He urged residents to push for an outcome that's "just and fair."

Rockford officials were the ones calling for an outside investigation, knowing what this would turn into. Now the empaneled grand jury came back with a result Jesse doesn't like and he wants the citizens to agitate for a verdict that may enable him to score more face time and maybe some $$$. And the two witnesses who claim the offender "surrendered?" Refused to appear before the grand jury, so what does that imply?

The dead offender, who had a rap sheet that ran into double digits, ran from the scene of an armed robbery, hid in a building full of children, then attempted to disarm a police officer. We wonder what Jesse would be saying if this criminal was successful in his attempt and managed to wound or kill the pursuing officers and maybe a few dozen kids. Hasn't this stroke reached the point of complete and total irrelevance yet?

One Again, Gun Stops a Crime

We're surprised this is getting any play at all:

• Two suspects in a home invasion were hospitalized after they were shot by one of the homeowners.

  They broke into a home in north suburban Wauconda.

  Authorities say two masked men pushed their way into a house near Old Country Way and Indian Ridge Terrace.

  Two people inside the house told them to leave, but they refused.

  After a fight, one of the homeowners shot the intruders.

Why the homeowners even bothered telling the invaders to leave is a cause for concern, but the rest of the incident seemed to go smoothly up until the point where the criminals are still breathing.

TAPA Nº 129

PARA VER Y VOTAR: LA MEJOR FOTO DEL AÑO.
PARA VER Y OPINAR: LAS MEJORES PATADAS DEL AÑO. 
PARA VER Y VOLVER A VER: LOS MEJORES GOLES DEL AÑO.

No Bail for Mope

No surprise here:

• Cration is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Ralph Elliott, 79, who had stopped to pick up chicken for a family holiday party.

  "The witnesses said (Cration) told them he shot the old man," Lattanzio told Cook County Judge Israel Desierto during a bond hearing.

  Desierto ordered Cration, who also faces an attempted armed robbery charge, held without bail. Lattanzio argued that the suspect's 1985 murder conviction and the charge of murder during an armed robbery makes Cration eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Death penalty? IDOC couldn't even stop him from getting "good behavior" credits even though he attacked guards on multiple occasions. He still made it out of prison 4 years early. And the crime was even more heartless that originally reported:

• Elliott, of the 1400 block of East 55th Street, already had put the chicken in his car when the gunman approached and shot him repeatedly, Lattanzio said.

  Witnesses said the shooter then held Elliot upright while rifling through his pockets before letting him crumple to the ground, the prosecutor said.

No warning, no attempt to demand money, he just walked right up to the victim, shot him multiple times and looted the dying body.

And he's already gaming the system - again (from the comment section):

• Before he was even charged he said he was dizzy and has high blood pressure. Right over to mercy hosp where he was admitted so he could have his Christmas Dinner of roast turkey with all the trimmings, while in a nice cozzy bed. God strike me down if I am lying. He also complained to the nurse because he does not drink coffee and he wanted juice... What a joke our society has become. we are soft. he should have been sent over a bologna sandwich from the lock-up.

Sad day.

Moron Reporter

A follow up on the "Whoa Dude...Slow Down" posting:

• The attempted robbery went horribly wrong -- so wrong that the target of the crime ended up shooting and killing one of the alleged robbers after getting hold of a gun that had been used to force him into a car, sources said.

  Now, a 16-year-old boy is charged with murder and armed robbery in connection with the Tuesday night incident in the Garfield Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago Police said Friday.

• At some point, some members of the group, including the teen, went to a restaurant and left another alleged accomplice, Barbara McComb, 21, of the 4200 block of South Calumet, guarding the man with a gun, sources said.

  A struggled ensued, and the target says he seized the gun and shot and killed McComb. A Thursday autopsy determined McComb died of several gunshot wounds. The death was ruled a homicide, authorities said.

Horribly wrong? How so? Why should a robbery ever go "horribly right?" This was so very close to being the best possible outcome in our humble opinions. Too bad the victim didn't shoot more of them.

This reporter is an idiot. And yes, we noticed her name - don't go for the cheap laugh.

Nice Story

We don't see these stories very often, probably because most cops don't want the publicity. But we've seen it hundreds of times and that's no exaggeration:

• Tondonlia Brown and her two young children escaped a Christmas morning fire, only to return to their South Side apartment and find burglars had stolen their gifts and many of their possessions.

  Just as the holiday was looking grim, Chicago Police Officer Michael Lawrence stepped in with toys and a gift card. He had responded to the burglary call, and after talking to Brown and the children, he couldn't get their plight off his mind.

We're sure we'll get the same comments that are appearing in the BreakingNews.com article about "how did the papers find out about this?" Who cares?

Buonanotte en terapia intensiva.

Cerca de su Teodelina natal, en la ruta 65, Santa Fe, Diego Buonanotte (21) sufrió un grave accidente de tránsito y está hospitalizado en terapia intensiva pero "fuera de peligro" (fractura de clavicula y una delicada contusion en el pulmon derecho).

Los tres acompañantes con los que volvia de una discoteca en la madrugada murieron en su traslado al hospital despues de que el auto, fuera de control, se estrellara contra un arbol.

Permanece internado en el Sanatorio Privado San Martín de la ciudad de Venado Tuerto (Santa Fe).

Hoy, domingo, Buonanotte está "compensado" y "evolucionando dentro de lo previsto", en estado "estacionario".  Siguen "expectantes porque las 72 horas posteriores a un accidente" de este tipo son "las de mayor riesgo".

"Hay que tener en claro que la fractura de húmero no compromete ningún nervio ni vaso sanguíneo y puede esperar tranquilamente diez o quince días, porque lo prioritario es lo pulmonar. El compromiso es prácticamente todo el pulmón derecho".

"El está bien pero sedado y se queda dormido. Pero está tranquilo y conciente", continuó Cavalieri (médico de Ríver) quien estimó en "más o menos siete meses" el tiempo de recuperación.

Un caño # 21

Verón, Tinelli, Hay, Grondona, Araujo, Macri, Palermo, Cappa, Bielsa, Del Potro, Susana, Passarella, Maradona, Vanucci, Henry, Ortega y Aníbal Fernández en la tapa de Un Caño #21, que saldrá en enero.

Someone Explain This

Downstate State's Attorneys? The Department of Corrections? The governor maybe?

• Authorities have charged a Joliet man on parole for murder with the slaying of a 79-year-old Hyde Park resident who Thursday afternoon had just left a fast-food restaurant where he picked up chicken for a Christmas Eve party.

  Police say Lee Cration, 48, waited for Ralph Elliott to leave a a Popeye's restaurant, then came up to him as he tried to get in his car. Cration allegedly struggled with Elliott, then shot him in the face and back. He rummaged through Elliott's pockets before fleeing, police said.

Seventy-nine years old, married to the same woman for 54 years, childless but very involved in his extended family with a nephew who is CPD, and he gets killed by some piece of shit who probably shouldn't have even been on the street. Read this:

• Records show he was paroled in November 2008 from prison, where he had been held since 1985 for a murder a year before. He also was convicted in 2001 and 2005 of aggravated battery of a peace officer. In the earlier incident, he assaulted at least two prison guards at Pinckneyville Correctional Center who tried to get him to remove personal property from his cell. Officials at the time said Cration had "an extensive history of violence, including ten staff assaults and one inmate assault along with five 'dangerous disturbances,' " according to an Associated Press story.

Sentenced to 28 years for homicide with multiple behavior problems in prison? Including attacks on guards? And he still earned time off for "good behavior?" He should have been caged until 2013 on the murder charge and the Aggravated Battery charges should have run consecutively, not concurrently. What penalty is there in having a concurrent sentence? None that we can see.

Which all means Mr. Elliot could have had another 4 years of a life well lived at the minimum. Or at least stood a better chance of dying at home in his own bed with his wife of 58 years at his side instead of on the tarmac of a Popeye's restaurant in the cold and wet of a Chicago Christmas.

What a fucking shame.

Christmas Shooting

As we stated the night before Christmas, updates today would be few and far between. Sorry this one is so late, but the officers are unhurt and the bad guy is dead:

• Deering District police officers responded about 8:40 p.m. to a domestic disturbance in the 2000 block of West 51st Street and found a man holding a knife to his throat inside the home, according to a police statement.

  [...] Officers ordered the male to drop the knife, and a Taser was deployed when he did not comply. The male was not affected by the Taser and held the knife against the neck of a woman in the residence, according to the statement. Sources said the woman was his wife.

  Officers again ordered him to drop the knife. When he failed to comply again an officer discharged a Taser for a second time. Again, the Taser did not affect the suspect, the statement said.

  According to sources, when officers tased the man the first time, he pulled the wires out. When officers tased him for the second time, he again pulled the wires out with his hands.

  The man then lunged at officers with the knife, prompting an officer to fire his weapon, fatally wounding him, police said.

Taser failure twice? Was the device malfunctioning, were the probes too close for effective contact or did this guy just not feel it? In any event, they didn't deploy the Taser without having someone standing by with a gun ready. Excellent tactics and no police hurt.

Class Acts

Here are some guys who get it:

• There were a couple of class acts out on Christmas Eve. Rabbi Wolf and Father Nangle visited some Districts, at least on the north side, on the 3rd and first watches. May God Bless both of them for their commitment to the "real police".

We got scolded in some of the comments yesterday for sowing discord during the holiday.

The holiday handshaking was always a precursor to going home early at HQ. Why it's a matter for publicity now is beyond our comprehension. Frank Main got tipped off by someone about this - part of J-Fed's image rehabilitation? - but it must have been a damn slow news day.

And as HQ was pretty much devoid of civilians (Christmas Eve service cut day) and HQ would be 99.9% empty on Christmas Day, this was pretty much nothing but a photo op of some sort. How about something for the guys and gals who WEREN'T going to be at home enjoying presents, dinner and time with their families? We guess someone was afraid that the great unwashed masses wouldn't have stood still for this crap. Fortunately, Father Nangle and Rabbi Wolf don't have that problem.

Still a Threat

Just biding their time:

• A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.
  
  Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.
  
  One U.S. intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.

Sadly, this is what air travel has come to. You never know who, what or when these assholes are going to use or come up with. We have to trust in their incompetence in making homemade explosives to remain safe when flying.

Here's some really bad timing though:

• Tuesday, December 22, 2009 11:19 PM EST
  
  JOHNSTOWN — U.S. Rep. John Murtha told reporters Tuesday that he isn't convinced al-Qaida is still a threat to national security.

Ouch, bad timing there John.

Merry Christmas

Once again, Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us here.

If you're working today, be careful and be sure to get home in one piece. If you're off, enjoy the day and remember the times you used to be away from everything that's truly important.

Minimal posting today.

Pointless

Once again, showing how truly out of touch he is:

• As police Supt. Jody Weis went from floor to floor of police headquarters today dressed in his red holiday sweater, he not only wished his troops Merry Christmas.

  He also thanked them for a job well done — given the 12 percent drop in total crime in Chicago this year, compared to 2008.

And what exactly did anyone downtown have to do with this? Analyzing data?

How about making an appearance at each of the Districts around the clock and thanking the people on the ground level? The ones with the "reverends" second guessing their every move? The guys and gals serving in squad cars with 100,000 and three years of accumulated gunk coating the interiors? The ones actually doing, you know, police work?

Frank Main manages to get in a little Christmas jab in the midst of all this "good news"

• But his holiday spirits were tempered by a bit of bad news: the murder clearance rate has dipped about 4 percentage points this year to 54 percent. That includes killings committed in 2009, as well as older ones.

  The dip in the clearance rate is being attributed in part to a failure of citizens to tip the police off to criminals in their midst.

And maybe the fact that they haven't promoted anyone to Detective in two years plus now may have something to do with it? The Detective shortage might be another angle to look at Frank - Shortshanks doesn't want crime solved anymore, he wants it minimally documented and then shifted to the insurance companies for adjusting.

Felices fiestas!

Agradecemos la mención a nuestro blog por parte de Crítica de la Argentina en su edición de ayer (23.12.09) en la nota "Aunque haya publicidad que no se note", (firmada por A. Wall) citando la fuente de lo tomado respecto a las publicidad en las camisetas de fútbol que posteamos aquí.

Este mismo post trajo su secuela, a partir de la que descubrimos el origen de la continuidad publicitario - empresarial en las camisetas de fútbol, aquí.

Felicitamos a Crítica por la honestidad laboral y dejamos un cálido deseo de buenas fiestas para todos.

Whoa Dude...Slow Down

This story is just too good (we are going to quote it at length):

• The victim said he was ordered into the front seat of the car with the driver while the others sat in the back.

  "So we're circling the block. They're talking about going back to my house, getting my flat screen. . .I'm thinking this must be a dream, nothing like this has ever happened to me. I work a 9-to-5 job at an insurance company. I just want to come home and live my life," he said.

  He said the robbers drove him to Maggie's Gyros at 349 E. 47th Street, where two of them went in with his wallet, ATM card and PIN. "I had to give them my PIN number because the driver told me if I was lying, they'd shoot me. And I believed them," he said.

  "We drove around the block, and then a third guy wants to know if I have a checking account or a savings account. So after I tell him, he gets out at the restaurant. So it's me, the person in the back, and the driver who has a .38 pointed at me the whole time, even while he's driving," the victim said.

  The car pulled into an alley near 47th and King. Halfway down, a woman in the back seat told the driver to toss her the gun because she didn't want police to see it, he said.

  "All of a sudden, by the grace of God, between these two fools, I hear boom, and then I hear her hollering and screaming, 'I shot my finger off, I shot it off.' The driver starts panicking and he goes right into a Dumpster," the victim continued.

  "That's when I knew it was my moment. But me and the driver are strapped in tight by these automatic seatbelts, and that makes it harder."

  "My adrenaline was pumping. I reach over the seat and go to get the gun. I got the driver kicking at me, and I'm fighting for the gun with the woman. One arm is fending off his kicks, the other is trying to get this gun. I finally get it and point it at the driver, about six inches away from his abdomen. I pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

  "So I'm thinking, oh man, I have to get out of here."

  He said he rolled out of the car and started running down the alley. The woman got out and chased him.

  "I don't know if she's gonna kill me or not, so I fire a warning shot," the man said. "Unfortunately it hit her. I never fired a gun in my life."

  The man, still holding the gun, said he then ran toward the gyros shop and started yelling that he needed a policeman.

  "I'm waving this gun around because I talk with my hands," he explained. "Well, all these people in the restaurant think I'm the bad guy and start ducking under their tables and screaming. So I gotta run out of there."

  He spotted a CTA truck on the street and "pleaded with the workers inside to call police."

  "They believed me. But they said, 'You better get the hell out of here. You're saying one thing, but your gun is saying another,'" he said.

  The man said he ran down the street to the store where he had been headed to buy some snacks, but it was closed. At that moment, he saw a patrol car and waved it down.

  "I put my hands on the hood, told them I had a gun in my pocket, and that (some) men tried to rob me. So they came out, cuffed me, took me back to the station so I could tell my story."

  The man said he feels badly the woman died, saying he only meant to warn her. "But my blood was pumping so fast and my adrenaline. . ."

This story has EVERYTHING! Drama, tension, humor, etc. The one idiot robber blows off her finger with a gun she's holding the victim hostage with, loses the gun during the struggle, and finally gets blasted with her own gun? Then the would-be-victim ends up running around, waving the gun, trying to find help. We couldn't wait to see what happened next. Literally!

The author is listed as Pat Curry at BreakingNews.com and this is as fine a piece of writing as any we've read lately. It perfectly captures what many coppers ride up on with the chaos and the wild story and the panic. And the laughter once the story comes out about how an armed robber came to an untimely end.

There is no way in hell the Closing Supp is going to live up to this article.

State's Attorney's Did What Now?

This sounds like some political ass covering:

• Eight months before Jimmie Smith raped a young woman, her two sisters and their teenage friend in a harrowing 36-hour ordeal last May, he sexually assaulted one of the victims but was never charged, Cook County prosecutors said today.

  This afternoon, prosecutors announced Smith, 34, has been charged with the sexual assault and criminal sexual assault related to the Sept. 1, 2008 attack.

  When Judge Peggy Chiampas asked why charges were never filed in the alleged rape of the then 20-year-old woman, Assistant State’s Attorney Mariano Reyna said he did not know. Reyna instead detailed how Smith raped the woman and the three others months later.

ASA Reyna didn't know why Smith wasn't charged? Or he wouldn't say? Because we're pretty sure we know why he wasn't initially charged for 15 months. So does every cop reading who has ever dealt with Felony Review. Flurries of phone calls, whispered conversations in hallways, trying the case with the victim as the offending party. And the end result? Four additional rapes. Haven't we been bombarding society in general and daughters specifically that "no means no" and "date rape is still rape"? We were unaware that there was an asterisk after these statements that means "...except in Cook County."

The "reverends" should be outraged that four women from their community were victimized by the system, but they won't be because it's black-on-black crime and there's no angle to play. Women Groups should be up in arms that a domestic rape wasn't prosecuted because of political considerations, but they won't be because it's a female State's Attorney. Chicagoans should be getting the tar, feathers and pitchforks ready because effective prosecution of criminals has taken a backseat to "conviction rates" and political BS, but they won't because they've been conditioned by the media to reflexively blame the police who are handcuffed by the very system that's supposed to protect them.

Anyone want to take a guess at how many additional batteries, murders, rapes, and assorted other acts have been abetted by inaction on the part of Anita Alvarez and her crew of incompetent political hack lawyers?

Cook County Hiring?

Were they really this shorthanded?

• With unemployment hovering just under the 11 percent mark in Cook County alone and local government tightening its belt, Sheriff Tom Dart is offering some light on the horizon: a veritable hiring bonanza.

  Today Dart’s office announced that as many 500 correctional officers will be hired in the new year. And the pay is decent: roughly $45,000 a year, including health, dental and vision insurance — not to mention a county pension.

• The jobs, approved by Cook County Commissioners as part of the county’s overall $3 billion budget for 2010, are part of a federal mandate to add correctional officer posts at the Cook County Jail.

We thought County was at its lowest population in years? Wasn't Dart thanking the FOP for its "efforts" in not filling the jail to overflowing? They should get plenty of applicants in any event - 11% unemployment in the county and even higher in the city.

Be Aware

Letters, we get letters:

• It appears inspectors are beefing up their presence at all the courts. A desk sgt. has been assigned to vehicle impound court. Today at 26th/cal an inspector was going to the rooms and checking to make sure the officers were there. Just want to get the word out.
  

While Inspectors wandering the halls of 26th Street isn't unusual, the budget showed them increasing the size of the Inspection Division by over 50%. We hadn't heard of court sergeants being assigned to 400 W. Superior before. Attend court as scheduled to avoid any unpleasantness.

Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.

Esta imagen, sacada de este video, sirvió para publicitar el evento: a partir de hoy, el estadio de Newells Old Boys, conocido como Coloso del Parque (Independencia) pasa a llamarse “Estadio Marcelo Alberto Bielsa”.

Se festejó a estadio lleno por la noche del “22” de diciembre con representantes de peñas y filiales, alumnos del Complejo Integral Educativo del club, gimnastas, hinchas y un partido con estrellas leprosas de varias épocas (Ezequiel Garay, Hernán Bernardello, Bruno Marioni, Sebastián Domínguez, Juan Carlos Montes, José Yudica, Américo Gallego, Rolando Schiavi, Lucas Bernardi, Julio Saldaña, Iván Borghello, Hernán Franco y Darío Franco, Fabián Basualdo, Jorge Theiler, Juan José Rossi, Roque Alfaro, Alfredo Berti, Iván Gabrich, Sergio Giovagnoli, Ariel Cozzoni, Toto Berizzo, Juan Manuel Llop, Julio Zamora, Víctor Ramos, Gustavo Dezotti, Santiago Santamaría, Mario Zanabria, Jorge Pautaso, entre otros) al que Lionel Messi no pudo asistir.

La recaudación, junto con los derechos comerciales y televisivos, será utilizada para el techado de la pileta del club y la construcción de una pensión para futbolistas amateurs.

Esperábamos que del léxico bielsístico saliera un “me congratula y me repercute” pero fiel a su estilo dijo: "En cualquier caso, la dimensión del reconocimiento excede la posibilidad de retribución. Hay cosas que no pueden retribuirse, son demasiado importantes para el que la recibe, que no imagina el modo de estar a la altura de lo que se le ofrece", en la previa y "la sensación es hermosa, es un sentimiento de gratitud. Es un momento que no voy a olvidar nunca, obviamente", en el cierre.

“Veo a Newell's sano y me gustaría que su salud se extienda al fútbol mismo y a los ámbitos del país."

New Life for Aldermanic Petition?

One of the things that was lacking last time was a big media push. Yes, there was other stuff, like an organization that could go door-to-door, volunteers to go to store and mall locations to collect signatures, multiple collection points, etc. But to really get people interested, the media is probably going to have to be on board. Here's one media outlet that might be interested:

• Too often, discussions of Chicago's budget deficit focus on selling civic assets: With the Skyway and parking meters leased, perhaps the water system is next.

  This is precisely backward. We have finite infrastructure, so instead of leasing its assets for generations to come, Chicago should cut its liabilities and unload its excess. What does the city have way more of than it needs?

  Aldermen. And alderwomen.

  Half of the City Council should be eliminated.

  Not literally, of course. But if Chicago wants to save tens of millions of dollars a year, one strategy is dead obvious: Go from 50 wards to 25.

Bill Savage gives a pretty decent overview of how cutting the number of aldercreatures makes tremendous business sense eliminating redundant middle management, consolidates ward operations, and even reduces the FBI corruption task forces by reducing targets. And evidently, he reads the blog:

• This idea is not solely mine: A local blog, Second City Cop, rallied its readers to petition for a non-binding referendum on this topic in the 2010 primary, and its volunteers got more than 11,000 signatures — in about three weeks. And there is a Facebook page dedicated to "Reduce Chicago Alderman," and they don't mean a healthy diet and regular exercise.

  Such a change would require the state Legislature to amend Section 21-26 of the Revised Cities and Villages Act of 1941, which set our current number of wards, but it could be done.

If you want to read the whole article, the link is here:

• CLICK HERE!

You may need a user name and password to get in. Here's one from a nifty little site called "BugMeNot.com:"

• User Name: librewonk@doodyge.net
• Password: makefree4

We may need to restart the petition drive if we can find enough backing to truly publicize the effort and get some power behind it.

Say What Now?

How much money?

• State Rep. Monique Davis owes the Chicago Board of Education close to $500,000 in rent, back taxes and fines for a South Side building she has been using rent-free as a legislative office for 7 years, according to a report from the school system's inspector general.
  
  The school district has taken legal action against the long-time Chicago legislator, suing her for $83,737.35, according to court documents filed in November. The district is not seeking compensation for property taxes and associated fees.

And why aren't they seeking the rest of the money? We highly doubt that we'd be permitted to walk away from a bill totaling half-a-million. In fact, we know we wouldn't seeing as how the Department sends out those blue notices every so often for wage garnishment if you have even a single outstanding parking ticket.

Shouldn't there be an Ethics "investigation" or something by her peers in Springfield? Oh wait...Illinois. We forgot.

Shutdown #3

The last of three "non essential" government shutdowns is this Thursday:

• The City of Chicago will be shutting down early for the Christmas holiday, as part of Mayor Daley's plan to save the cash-strapped city money.
  
  City Hall, public libraries, health clinics and most other city offices will be closed on Christmas Eve as those city workers are being forced to take the day off without pay.
  
  Police and Fire Department operations are not affected and will remain fully staffed. Any other worker needed to provide for the public's safety will also be on the job.
  
  As part of the 2009 budget, three reduced-service days were planned for 2009: Aug. 17, the Friday after Thanksgiving; and Christmas Eve.
  
  The city expects to save $8.3 million.

So don't expect most of the fueling locations to be open, Animal Control may take forever to respond to calls, Area Garages will probably be closed, and if it snows, lord only knows if the plows will be out.

More Vaccine Recalls?

Just fill the bottles with sugar water it would all be the same:

• Drugmaker MedImmune is recalling nearly 5 million doses of swine flu vaccine because the nasal spray appears to lose strength over time, federal health officials announced Tuesday.

  The vaccine recall is the second this month caused by declining potency and comes as public health officials urge millions of Americans to get vaccinated against swine flu.

So we have British and French owned companies supplying vaccines that necessitate massive recalls partway into flu season? Should this be some sort of national security issue? We're just curious.

Yet Another "Missing" Found

Amazing:

• An Oak Brook college student who disappeared after she left a River North bar early Sunday has been found safe.

• O’Connell became tired at the bar and left her friends, according to a flier. She told them she was taking a cab back to Oak Brook, where she lives. She was last seen outside the bar at 3 a.m. Sunday.

At a bar? But she's only 20? And how many resources were re-directed for this event? How about a re-evaluation of how these cases are reported, processed and handled?

Arbitros bajo sospecha

Sin ir más lejos, la Federación Alemana de Fútbol (DFB) suspendió hoy a un árbitro involucrado en el caso de apuestas ilegales que afecta desde hace más de un mes al fútbol europeo.

Dura psicosis recorrerá la mente de Cetin Sevinc (27) a la luz de los conocidos antecedentes germanos que alumbran, cinco años atrás, la condena de 29 meses de prisión y la suspensión perpetua de profesión a Robert Hoyzer después de confesar la manipulación de partidos a cambio de € 67.000 y un plasma.

Pero en este río revuelto, donde las transferencias bancarias vienen enlodadas, pocas veces la linterna sabe dar con el pescador.

Demasiadas manos e ingredientes en un plato confunden el pescado podrido en todas partes de un mundo en el que hasta la impoluta matemática cobra tintes conspirativos y las lecturas sobre sanciones erradas pueden tener más vertientes que interpretaciones de arte.

La tecnología que abre las puertas a los confortables y sedentarios sistemas de apuestas no siempre es capaz de desandar sus pasos para dar con identidades. Entonces las justicias se encuentran tras hilos de Ariadna en enormes laberintos de connivencia.

Sin olvidar la expansión temporal, recordemos, en Italia, los descensos de Milan y Lazio (1980) por apuestas clandestinas a mano de los empresarios Massimo Cruciani y Alvaro Trinca y la investigación de la Fiscalía del Tribunal de Udine (2007) que supo descubrir la apuesta del jugador David di Michele (Palermo) por € 100.000.

¿Por qué no Inglaterra donde dos arqueros fueron denunciados por favorecer a un empresario malayo (1994)? O Brasil, donde el árbitro Edilson Pereira de Carvalho fue acusado por la revista Veja de manipular el resultado de los partidos para favorecer las ciberapuestas del empresario Nagib Fayad.

Podríamos permanecer y transcurrir enumerando casos hasta llegar a nuestras queridas pampas, donde las aguas aun siguen revueltas y el que no es pariente DE, seguro trabajó CON, o subió gracias a la mano DE, que además ayudó a crecer A, porque nunca fue injusto con B.

Los últimos alaridos vienen de la misma AFA, más precisamente de las oficinas de relaciones públicas que ya no frecuenta el cesado ex árbitro Aníbal Hay, amigo DE Cristian Faraoni (árbitro denunciante).

O las más solemnes palabras de Pedro Castellino (director del Colegio de Árbitros de Mendoza): “Lunati tiene un nivel de vida muy alto. Tiene un auto cuyo valor es de 250 mil pesos y no creo que el arbitraje dé para eso”.

O las más temerarias del árbitro Javier Collado: “soy un cadáver arbitral”, después de mencionar la deslealtad de Tomás Dagna (periodista cordobés) que lo entrevistó después de una charla en un congreso de fútbol sin darse cuenta que lo estaba grabando para confesarle (en off): “me terminé enterando después de un partido que había sido arreglado. Lo más lamentable es que fue alguien de mi entorno, un asistente. Pero a mí nadie me dijo ´Collado, hay tanto para que ganes´. Yo creía que no pasaba, pero lamentablemente pasó, y me golpeó”.

Corría septiembre de 2009 y a pesar de que el árbitro salpicó a dos equipos por ir para atrás (Colón e Independiente, 2007), desde entonces… silencio…

Sólo Alejandro Toia (secretario general de la Asociación Argentina de Árbitros), sostuvo: “no creo ni dejo de creer en una investigación de la AFA. Hasta donde conozco, no citaron a nadie…”

Cuenta el ex árbitro Demaro, sobre las artes de “manejar” un partido: distintos criterios en jugadas similares, prontas amarillas a defensores del mismo equipo, pelotas divididas para un lado, ley de ventaja aplicada o no aplicada, infracciones cerca del área… “el jugador – dice Demaro – se va percatando minuto a minuto de dicho manejo y es muy poco lo que puede hacer, sin correr el riesgo de ser expulsado.”

No olvidemos, argentinos, el arbitraje del boliviano René Ortubé contra Colombia en las eliminatorias (no expulsó a Mascherano y no cobró un penal para Colombia), árbitro que fue designado para el posterior y decisivo Argentina – Perú (donde no amonestó a casi nadie previendo los argentinos al límite de amarillas, no cobró un penal para Perú y Palermo hizo el gol en off side).

Por eso, y sin esperar demasiado, apostemos al espectador. No sólo miremos la pelota, la gambeta y aplaudamos un cambio de frente. Miremos un poco más. Después de todo, “se puede engañar a todos poco tiempo, se puede engañar a algunos todo el tiempo, pero no se puede engañar a todos todo el tiempo” (JFK).

¿Se acuerdan de Brazenas?


OFF TOPIC: LPND EN CRITICA DIGITAL

Catalunya 4 Argentina 2

Veamos bien que la AFA haga uso de la potestad de concertar encuentros y partidos con menos intermediarios que antes. Atendamos el posicionamiento de una marca con imagen y recaudaciones loables. Pero deportivamente ¿para qué sirve un partido de Argentina sin Messi, sin Verón y sin Mascherano? No es necesario otro juego para determinar que los marcadores de punta probados no tienen nivel ni solvencia de selección, ni para concluir que ya no hay tiempos de recambio.

Para ver algo del vaso lleno digamos que debutó Pastore (1 gol), se probó a Banega y se vieron unos minutos de Salvio.

Acaso para el cierre de un intenso año de selección hubiese sido mejor que el año finalizara en el mismo instante en que el silbato daba por terminado el 1-0 en el Centenario.

Another Washington State Shooting

One maybe dead, one critical:

• Two Pierce County sheriff's deputies were seriously wounded late Monday after they were "ambushed" while responding to a domestic-violence call, according to the Sheriff's Department.

  The shooting suspect, identified as 35-year-old David E. Crable, was shot and killed in the Monday night shootout near Eatonville, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

  A deputy, shot multiple times, was in critical condition early Tuesday morning after being flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was undergoing surgery, Troyer said.

Another domestic call. Another ambush. And again, in Pierce county.

Prayers only.

UPDATE: Both are alive at this point, though one has undergone extensive surgery. Suspect is dead.

Fútbol helado en Europa.

Llegó el verano… y el invierno a Europa, donde temperaturas de hasta -30ºC y tormentas de nieve complican la vida hasta la muerte: más de 50 personas.

Mientras se celebra en Copenhague la Cumbre sobre Cambio Climático donde se escuchó decir a Ban Ki-moon (secretario general de la ONU) que los países en desarrollo tendrán que ceder en sus aspiraciones de alcanzar un acuerdo sobre el dinero que deben pagar los países ricos para combatir el calentamiento global y a Todd Stern (emisario de Barack Obama) adelantar que su país (EE.UU) no prevé aumentar en este momento sus objetivos de reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, en Europa se cierran autopistas, se retrasan los trenes, se cancelan vuelos y se multiplican los accidentes de tránsito.

Imaginemos que el calendario deportivo sufrió modificaciones: en el Calcio italiano Génova-Bari, Bolonia-Atalanta, Fiorentina-Milan y Udinese-Cagliari más partidos de la serie B y de inferiores fueron pospuestos para mediados de enero; en Holanda fueron suspendidos todos los partidos pautados; Anderlecht-Brujas y Standard de Lieja-Charleroi, en Bélgica, también fueron suspendidos.

Sin embargo, en Alemania, donde se cuentan –hasta ahora- 6 muertos, 400 vuelos cancelados en el aeropuerto de Dusseldorf y 50 en Frankfurt, la Bundesliga siguió adelante. La temperatura no pasó de los -10ºC y no hay normativa que regule la temperatura mínima de juego (calculan un tope de -20ºC), por lo que Hamburgo pudo vencer (2-1) a Werder Bremen.

Six Shot In Englewood

Not surprising:

• Six people leaving an Englewood nightclub were wounded during a Sunday night gang-related shooting on the South Side.

  Police said a group of adults leaving a nightclub were traveling in a van in the 6500 block of South Damen Avenue when another vehicle approached and somebody inside opened fire, striking six adults in the van.

The Sun Times article has maybe six comments total.

Now how about this one?

• An off-duty Lockport police officer was charged tonight with reckless homicide and drunk-driving charges in connection with a three-car crash that killed an immigrant from Vietnam who was driving home on the Stevenson Expressway from his second job.

The BreakingNews article has almost 60 comments and the Sun Times version has six pages of comments. Guess which direction they are all headed? Even we had to delete half-a-dozen comments that attempted to blame the Chicago Police Department for this latest DUI incident.

We have no use for anyone who drinks, drives and kills. Long time readers are aware of articles we've written berating those who make bad decisions. But we believe everyone is entitled to due process, even the police.

You Think We Forgot?

Of course not:

• "If I...saw that I was the cause of (poor) morale in this department, no one would have to ask me to leave. I would leave on my own." - Jody P. Weis, April 3, 2009.

Anyone seen that "morale" survey lying around? The one that was completed all the way back around September? Yeah, that one.

They stuck it where?

Damn.

Well, that's between him and Masters, right?

Suburban Police Shootings

Two incidents yesterday:

• A 22-year-old Riverdale man was shot and killed by police in the south suburb as they were responding to a call of someone with an assault weapon, officials said. [...]
  
  
  Police said that about 1:30 p.m., police were called to the area near 141st and School Street for a report of a man with an assault weapon. The man was one of three people in the area, according to police.
  
  When police showed up they saw the three men on the 14100 block of School Street. When police exited their vehicle they pursued the men on foot.
  
  Collins, who allegedly had a weapon, refused to drop it after police ordered him to do so, police said. The officer fired his gun, fatally hitting Collins. Police did not say if Collins was pointing the gun at the officer.

Once again, the media gets it wrong - it doesn't matter whether or not he was pointing his gun at the officer. The media really ought to read up on Illinois law.

If this second one happened in Chicago, we're sure the headline would have read, "CPD Kills Christmas Tree Harvester:"

• Police fatally shot an ax-wielding man early Monday in northwest suburban Des Plaines, police said.

  Krzysztos A. Kaczor, 24, of the 400 block of East Washington Street in Des Plaines, was shot by police in the 200 block of Oxford Road and was pronounced dead at 2:14 a.m. Monday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

  About 1:15 a.m., Des Plaines police responded to a report of shots fired in the 400 block of Washington Avenue and found Kaczor running through the neighborhood with an ax, according to a Des Plaines police release.

Great jobs by our suburban brethren.

FIFA World Player 2009: Lionel Messi.

Después de dos años en el podio (07-08) Lionel Messi se hizo del FIFA World Player 2009 en el Kongresshaus de Zurich, para ser reconocido como el mejor jugador del mundo según votación de entrenadores y capitanes de las selecciones afiliadas a la FIFA, (aunque los brasileños no lo votaron en sendas ternas) con los siguientes resultados finales:

Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina) 1073 puntos, Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United - Real Madrid/Portugal) 352, Xavi (Barcelona/España) 196, Kaká (Milan - Real Madrid/Brasil) 190 y Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona/España) 134.

Nunca dejaremos de observar una premiación individual sobre un deporte colectivo ni de salvaguardar a los chicos que vayan a probarse de líberos o volantes defensivos. De hecho, Messi formó parte de este mágico Barcelona 2009 que ganó todo lo que jugó, para llevarse todos los premios en reparto:

Además del mencionado FIFA World Player, el premio al mejor jugador del Mundial de Clubes (FIFA), el Balón de Oro (France Football), Premio Alfredo Di Stéfano (MARCA), Premio al mejor Delantero y mejor Jugador de Liga (Federación Española de Fútbol) y Premio al mejor Delantero y mejor Jugador de la UEFA Champions League (UEFA).

Sponsors pedir audiencia…

RELACIONADO:

PUSKAS AWARD 2009: CRISTIANO RONALDO