A Good Slap in the Face

Chicagoans gathered at Daley Plaza react to the news:

You know, even though it would have been exciting to have the 2016 Olympic Games here in Chicago, (not to mention the boatload of cash I could have made) I fully agree with the IOC’s vote that eliminated Chicago in the first round.

We don’t deserve to host the Olympics here. We just don’t.

There have been four Olympic Games here in the U.S. during my lifetime:

Lake Placid
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Salt Lake City.

The U.S. is not the center of the world. Let’s give other countries a chance.

Also, look at the violence here in the U.S. compared to other countries. The homicide rate, alone, should prevent the U.S. from ever being considered. Ever.

BTW - the homicide rate in Rio dropped by 30% last year.

Chicago's rose by 15%.

When all is said and done, I think the main reason we lost the bid was because of the Cubs.

It's Chicago. It's always the Cubs' fault.

It’s too bad Billy Mays died a few months ago. His presence in Copenhagen would have typified what we're all about in this country much more accurately than anyone else.

By the way - -

Congratulations,

Rio de Janeiro!

(At least the Games will be sexy!)

Chicago 2016 - Today's the Day

The announcement of which city will host the 2016 Olympic Games will be made today just before noon, our time.

All of us at my workplace will be watching the announcement at that time. I'm really excited, because although Chicago looks like it has the lead, you just don't know. It'll be interesting to feel the reaction the instant the candidate city is named.

If Rio wins it, I really will be happy for them. They want it SO badly and they are such a lovely, passionate people.

No matter what the outcome of Chicago's bid will be, you can bet that Fox News will use it as another opportunity to trash Obama. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how they pull it off.
Those guys can be SO creative.

Evening Scene - The Aon Center

For the past couple of weeks, the front doors at my workplace (Aon Center) have been closed periodically and I didn’t know why.

Here’s why:

From the Chicago Tribune:

The countdown to the Olympic bid announcement has been exhausting -- just ask the 20 or so workers armed with black plastic and duct tape at the Aon Center.

Since Sept. 16, the team of engineers, carpenters and others has hustled to create 12-story countdown numbers by illuminating and shading offices on the building's south side. Wednesday night was "2" -- a tricky numeral because of its curves and points. Thursday night will be "1," which is more difficult than it looks, said Matt Amato, general manager for Jones Lang LaSalle, which manages the tower at 200 E. Randolph St.

Workers usually wait until office employees are gone to haul in ladders and step stools. They politely ask late-working tenants to leave their lights on or to allow a shade to be taped up as they work, Amato said.

People don't always remember.

"There have been plenty of nights where I or another staff member has stood out in the middle of Millennium Park to see how it looks and then we see there's a light missing on the 50th floor, the fourth window," Amato said.

In those cases, workers use walkie-talkies to communicate the glitch back to staff, who make necessary adjustments inside the building. Aon's countdown, which has required a different Excel spreadsheet design and change of window dressing every night for more than two weeks, is the building's most ambitious to date, Amato said.

(Our offices are on the south side but only on the 22nd floor.)

Here’s a test-run they did the other night:

Chicago 2016

On October 2, the announcement will be made regarding the city that will be chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The four cities being considered are Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Chicago.

As of now, it looks like Rio and Chicago are neck-and-neck to be the host city. That’s why President Obama has decided at the last minute to head to Copenhagen in order to make an appeal for Chicago.

No president has ever directly lobbied the IOC to host the Games. Even more powerful than Obama, we've sent Oprah to get in on the action as well.

Wouldn’t it be great if Chicago were the host city for the Olympic Games? Host the Games, get a new transit system. Just think of what it could do for the local deep dish pizza economy.

Chicago has a lot to offer, too. A beautiful lakefront, a breathtaking skyline, and a very interesting history.

Why, we could host the shooting events on the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Spectators could take a short train ride to visit Michael Jackson's birthplace in nearby Gary, Indiana.

Coverage of the Olympics could coincide with Blagojevich's trial which will, perhaps, begin by 2016.

Chicago has so much to offer. . .

How nice it would be to be able to host several friends and family members at my place in the heart of downtown so that they could be spectators at the glorious Olympic Games? Wouldn’t that be a generous offer to make? Shall I plan on doing that?

Rub a lamp!!

I don’t want to sound heartless, but can you just imagine how much cash I could rake in by sub-leasing my apartment during the Games? It's located within 5 minutes of most of the venues. Just imagine how much a 50th floor downtown apartment could go for, especially at the last minute.

(My friends, Jack and Steve have already said I could stay with them during the Games. I would, of course, give them a cut of the proceeds.)

If they announce “Chicago” on Friday, I shall gladly pump my fist for all who have worked so hard to bring the 2016 Games to this beautiful city. But in reality, I'll be thinking
“Cha-ching!”

Blogging About Blagojevich Some More

When I heard about our governor's incredibly smarmy dealings, my first thought was, "There goes our chances of hosting the Olympics."

You see, Chicago is one of four cities selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games. The other cities are Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio de Janeiro.

However, his actions don't appear to be having any negative impact on our bid as mentioned in this article. But you never know.

Oh, and I have a vested interest in Chicago hosting the Games. You see, if the Olympics are held here, I am SO going to rent out my downtown apartment and make a bucket of money.

I plan on renting it out for, like, $1,000 per day.

Or to the highest bidder.

You know.

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

There are reports that Beijing officials have banned the serving of dogs in local restaurants while the Olympics are being held.

I’ll admit that the act of butchering, cooking and eating Man’s Best Friend is repugnant to me. There have been dogs that I’ve loved dearly and the thought of them meeting such an end makes me shudder.

However, I’ve always had somewhat of a distaste for eating meat of any kind; animal cadavers if you will. I don’t make chicken or beef stock because a vegetarian friend of mine once referred to it as “corpse tea.” (Actually, that’s what it is).

I remember my grandmother’s incredible vegetable-beef soup. She’d make the beef stock from scratch which was a two-day process. Julia Child would have been duly impressed. Even though I was about eight years old, I could eat bowl after bowl of that stuff. However, I’d meticulously pick out all the chunks of meat from my bowl and lay them to the side; an action which would bring a few words of disdain from dear Granny.

It’s funny how we view eating meat from certain animals. Once, I was at an Indian restaurant and ordered goat curry. The friend of mine who was with me was absolutely horrified at the thought of eating goat. There was absolutely NO WAY he would try a bite.

He grew up in Chicago. I grew up in South Texas where cabrito (roasted baby goat) was not uncommon. I had eaten kid since I was a kid. On the other hand, I would never DREAM of putting ketchup and tomatoes on a hot dog like they do in Chicago.
That's just wrong.

As for eating dogs, I think perhaps that way back in our human DNA, we’ve a natural aversion to eating carnivores. After all, our early ancestors instinctually ran away from wolves, tigers, snakes and the like; the faster, the better. On the other hand, they sought and tracked the herbivorous deer, rabbit and even a wooly mammoth or two.

Maybe some of that instinct is still in us as we make menu selections.

I think it’s awfully inconsistent for anyone to protest the hunting of baby seals and then high-tail it in to Outback Steakhouse. Baby seals are cute and cuddly and we don’t like the idea of them being whacked to death. But if everyone saw what goes on at a slaughterhouse, Outback would be out of business.

So, shame on the Beijing city officials for taking "bao-wao" off the menu just to appease our messed up ideas of politically correct food.

That gives me an idea for a restaurant here in Chicago. . . .

Over on LaSalle Street, there’s a place called The Humane Society where one can go and adopt a cute kitty or doggy. They have them all in the window so passers-by can go “awwwww” as they head to Outback to masticate on bludgeoned cows.

We all know what happens to those that don’t get adopted. It’s sad and tragic.

So, I’d like to open a restaurant across the street called “The Inhumane Society.” Instead of all the dogs and cats getting gassed, the shelter can just give them to me at the restaurant. They would become that day’s "Catch of the Day."

Zero food cost! And talk about being “green”. . .

And with all the protesting, I would have no advertising overhead at all.

It would certainly be a unique place to eat. Every diner could buy a t-shirt that says, “I Ate German Shepherd Pie at the Inhumane Society.” Every tourist in Chicago would want to eat there just to say they had done so.

I may be onto something here. . .

Of course, if Chicago gets to host the 2016 Olympics, I’d have to close down.

After all, Beijing has set the precedent.

The Olympics

I’ve been watching lots of the Olympics lately. When I say, “lots”, I mean that my Tivo records lots of it while I’m watching cooking programs. Then, I watch the Olympics that my Tivo has faithfully recorded for me.

When I say “watch,” I mean that I fast-forward through stuff like women’s beach volleyball and make it go really slow during the gymnastic routines.

I wish the networks would cover other teams besides the American ones. My cable company supplies me with ten grillion sports channels, so we’ve seen the American athletes. A lot.

Just once, I’d like to see a Bhutanese badminton player or an Icelandic curler. I doubt that my cable lineup has a Bhutanese Badminton Channel, but you never know.

By the way, have any of your ever watched a curling match before? When I lived in Canada, I really got into curling. The precision and strategy involved in this sport is absolutely mind-boggling.

Check it out. Click here.

The “rock” goes creeping all the way down the lane, . . . slowly, slowly, . . . . slower, slower, and then. . . . boink. . . it taps one of the opponent’s rocks and moves it about a half-millimeter. It’s sort of like shuffleboard on Prozac.

What’s really funny is when the Canadian network replays the move . . . in slow motion!
Oh my God! As if it wasn't already slow enough.

If Americans were curling, they’d probably change the rules to where one player would get points for smashing the opponent’s rocks into as many pieces as possible. That’s how we like our sports here. . . with as little subtlety and as much speed and power as possible.

What did you think of those opening ceremonies? Oh my goodness, it was as if the entire Chinese nation was saying, “Don’t even think about messing with China!”
I'm glad George W. was there to see that.

Chicago is one of the four contenders to host the 2016 Games. We're up against Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo.

I'd hate to think what Chicago do with the opening ceremonies. Whatever happens, it won't be pretty. And you can bet that there will be plenty of beer and hot dogs. Chicagoans don't do anything without beer and hot dogs.

Okay, Tivo has three hours of Olympic coverage for me. There'd better be somebody from Bhutan on there.

2016 Olympics - In Chicago?

Newsflash - -

The International Olympic Committee just narrowed the bidding cities for the 2016 Games down to four finalists.

And Chicago is still in the running!

The other cities are Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

Tokyo is favored, but they’ve already held the summer games back in 1964. London is due to host the games in 2012 so it would seem odd to hold the next ones in Europe. Besides, the 1992 Games were held in Barcelona.

Barcelona. Madrid.
Same thing.

Rio de Janeiro? Who knows? A lot of city planning would need to take place in the meantime. However, a South American city has never held the Olympics before, so the unique-factor would be in their favor.

Baku, Azerbaijan, was knocked out of the running and I can understand why. No one knows, exactly, where Azerbaijan really is. Spectators would end up either in Krzygministan or Drkzymnannistan if they tried to attend.

Frankly, I think Chicago would be a stellar venue for the Games. The weather is really nice here in the summer, we’ve got a great waterfront, a fantastic transportation system and really friendly people.

Also, anyone flying anywhere in the world usually gets stranded at O'Hare anyway. Chicago makes perfect sense.

We’ve already got our logo for the games. Isn’t it cool iwth the flaming Sears Tower thing going on?

I just thought of something. Can you imagine how much money I could make by renting out my downtown apartment during the Olympics?

Oh, that would be SO sweet.