These Movies Moved Me

Well, maybe I didn't see four of the movies nominated for Best Picture, but, in my opinion, I have seen two movies that SHOULD have been nominated but weren't.

They were "Just Mercy" and "The Last Full Measure."

"Just Mercy" was about a man's unjust conviction for a horrible murder in Alabama.  "The  Last Full measure" was about the effort to secure  the Medal of Honor for a Vietnam Air Force pararescueman.

These movies really moved me.  I see many movies and am almost always entertained, but it is the rare one that moves me.

--RoadDog

TAX FACTS:  Taxes eat up 38.2% of the average family's income; that's more than for food, clothing and shelter combined.

JSIS: A Travesty of Justice-- $3 Gas

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff

1.  A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE--  Everyone around here is really angry that the TV guy who faked his mugging was let off yesterday.  I mean, come on, the guy was guilty of a HATE CRIME!!!  Trying to set up white people like he did.  What we have is another O.J. thing.

2.  $3 GAS!!   Well, they did it.  Gas around here in northeast Illinois hit $3 yesterday.  Well, it hit $2.99.9 which is REALLY $3.  Who do they think they are fooling at $2.99.9?

Why?  Who knows?

--RoadDog

NOT SAYING THAT BASEBALL PLAYER ARE PAID TOO MUCH, BUT....  Mike Trout's new contract calls for $1,645 per pitch for the next 12 years.

Woodstock Willie "The Groundhog" Arrested for Making A False Forecast

From 13 WREX Rockford, Illinois,  NBC " 'Woodstock Willie'  questioned by police after predicting  early Spring"

Make sure you view the video for pictures of the arrest and booking.

They said it better than I could so this is the text of the message:

"Woodstock (where the famous movie was filmed), Illinois.   After three days  of searching, Woodstock police  finally have a suspect in custody, but released him without charges.

"Woodstock Willie was taken in for questioning on Thursday.  He is suspected in a false forecast.

"Willie predicted  an early Spring on Groundhog Day on February 2.  (I saw him wandering around the Woodstock Square on several occasions that day, but didn't suspect anything.)

Police said a sergeant spotted him today, he was cooperative but was released until police see what the weather  will be like on the first day of Spring."

Temperature here in Spring Grove is at a high of 17 degrees right now with a strong wind.  It is COLD!!

This morning the temperature was 4 degrees.  Right now at 1 pm, it is a "balmy 26 degrees.  We forget what it is like to be above freezing.

Was He Just Being Mean?  Not Funny, Oversized Rodent!!!  --RoadDog

Local Policeman Killed in Fox Lake, Illinois: How I Found Out About It

Today will certainly be a day to remember in this area of Illinois.  At around 8 a.m., a Fox Lake police lieutenant, Joe Gliniewicz,  was killed by three culprits when he broke up what appears to be a robbery.

I didn't know anything about it when I left home here in nearby Spring Grove, right up US Highway 12 about four miles from Fox Lake.  This was at about 12:40 p.m..  The first idea that I had that something was going on was when I took Sayton Drive by the Walgreens on US-12 and could not go east on Rollins Road as it was blocked by police.  I then saw a helicopter, but with all the road construction going on in the area, figured that was yet another closed road.

But when I saw two WGN sound vans parked in the shopping plaza, I knew something was going on. I would have called Liz to tell her to check the news, but I was driving and it is against the law to talk on cell phones in Illinois.

 I took Grand Avenue to Il-59 and then Wilson Road back to Rollins and into Round Lake Beach to see "Man From Uncle" at the Regal Theater on Rollins.  When I got to the door of it, I saw a sign that they were temporarily closed due to a problem in the area.  Since the attempted shooting last week, Regal Theaters have instituted a search policy for anyone bringing bags into their theaters.  They are being very careful about the crazies.

A woman came out and told me that a cop had been shot in Fox Lake and that there were several suspects on the loose.  The theater would be closed until this was over.

--RoadDog

Not So Grateful Ripoff

From the May 20, 2015, Chicago Tribune "Auctioneer devastated by theft of Dead work" by Erin Chan Ding.

Well, it was supposed to be all peaceful and festive with the auction of Grateful Dead memorabilia to take place here in McHenry County at the Donley Auction Dervices in Union, Illinois.  But some spoil sport has ruined it and stolen some $75,000 worth of stuff.There were some 700 items to be at auction on the Grateful Dead Family Jubilee Auction, set to coincide with the group's 50th anniversary of formation.

Stolen items include a 1966 original silk screen of a skeleton with roses enhanced by artist Stanley Mouse with a reserve set at $25,000.  The other items are a 1986 German promoter poster, a 1986 Statue of Liberty tour poster and a 1966 serigraph signed by Wes Wilson.

Not a Nice Dead Thing to Do.  --RoadDog


SOME FUNNY SAYINGS:  He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.

JSIS: Luxury Car Sales Booming-- Further Adventures of the Perv, Jerry Sanduskey--

JSIS-- Just Some Interesting Stuff. 1. LUXURY CAR SALES BOOMING-- I just saw that the slaes of the expensive luxury cars iare booming as the GRBs that the government so loves and supports (you know, the ones that got us into the Great Recession) now have their money back. Hey, government!! How about some trickle down to us regular folks now? //// 2. FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PERV, JERRY SANDUSKEY-- Can you believe this? The nerve to seek his pension back from Penn State? //// --RoadDog

Did Anyone Die In Your House? Here's How to Find Out

From the Nov. 12, 2013, Yahoo! News. "Website Tells Who Died At Your House" by Alan Farnham, Good Morning America.

Check it out at DiedInHouse.com. If you move into an older home, find out if there were any murders, suicides or natural deaths in your house. I bet the folks who moved into the "Amityville Horror" or "Conjuring" would have liked to know.

This is the idea of Roger Condrey, but it will cost you $11.99 for a report.

A Small Price to Pay for Peace of Mind. --RoadDog

BOO!!

Sad Mystery in Johnsburg, Illinois

Johnsburg is just south of Spring Grove, where I live. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at Val's Grocery store, so this story hits home.

Five years ago, Dec. 20, 2007, 17 year-old store employee Brian Carrick disappeared. To this day, no knows for sure what happened, but foul play is suspected by Johnsburg police.

Brian was one of 14 brothers and sisters and a junior at the time of his disappearance. He left his home and walked across Johnsburg Road to Val's to pick up a $150 paycheck. He bought a pizza and was going to walk over to a nearby video store and rent a movie.

He never arrived at the video store or returned home.

The next morning, his parents found out he did not report to his job which alarmed them because he never missed work. His mother went to the Johnsburg police department and urged them to start looking for Brian.

The next day, police found blood inside Val's produce-storage space and on a trash compactor. It was later determined to be Brian's blood. An extensive search did not turn him up.

This past June, Mario A. Casciaro, 24, who worked with Brian, was arrested on nine counts of perjury for lying 9 times to a grand jury about the disappearance. He is out on $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 24, 2008.

Dec. 21st Chicago Tribune "Another Christmas without answers" by Amanda Marazzo.

Let's hope that something comes of this. You just don't expect stuff like this to happen out here. I usually even leave my garage doors open when I'm working out in the yard.

A Real Mystery Out Here in Eastern McHenry County. --RoadDog

Caught Them!!!!

On December 8th, I wrote about the boys who destroyed a man's Christmas decorations and then tried to run him over while fleeing. See "These Boys Should Get Coal in Their Stockings."

I'm happy to report that they have been caught. I'm unhappy to say that three were from my old alma mater, Palatine High School in Illinois. The other three were from Fremd, also in Palatine and our arch rival.

However, the homeowner, Phil OBrill DECLINED to press charges saying that he was convinced of their remorse. He said that they hadn't been in trouble before and that "Kids make stupid mistakes."

OBrill gave a description of one of the vehicles and it was found in the Palatine High School parking lot. The tags were traced and the boy was interviewed and gave the names of the others.

About $1000 worth of damage was done, but everything was replaced and repaired within a few days thanks to help from the neighbors. The parents said that the teens would face discipline at
home.

Dec. 21st Chicago Tribune "Charges dropped in lights prank" by Jeff Long and Mark Shuman.

Hopefully, these kids learned their lesson and are truly remorseful, and not just sorry that they were caught. I say they should have to do at least 100 hours of community service. A great thing would be to have them put up Christmas decorations for elderly who can not do it themselves.

Teens Getting a Big Break. --RoadDog

These Boys Should Get Coal in Their Stockings

A disturbing story out of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, involving a man, his Christmas decorations, and a group of teenage boys.

Phillip OBrill is recovering from injuries sustained when he tried to stop a group of 7 to 8 teenage boys from destroying his extensive Christmas decorations a week ago.

About 11 PM, Mr. OBrill heard a commotion in his front yard and discovered the group stomping on and smashing his decorations. When he ran out to confront them, they ran to their cars. He stood in front of one, but the driver ran him over, injuring his foot and arm that got caught by the windshield wiper.

The cars then sped off into the night. Unfortunately, OBrill did not get the license numbers of either vehicle.

For the past 17 years, OBrill's yard has been a highlight of the Christmas neighborhood and he has won numerous awards. He vows to put the decorations back up and his neighbors are going to help him.

Hopin' Santa Got the Boys' Names. --RoadDog

This Card's for You!!

Sunday's Chicago Tribune has a Flashback page at the end of the magazine. It always features an old picture and interesting facts.

This one was a photo from 1931 of a bunch of girls from Bowen High School practicing for a Tribune-sponsored Bridge Tournament.

It goes on to say that today, when people hear the term bridge game, it conjures up genteel old ladies playing the game, but back in the 1920s and 30s, it was the HOT game.

Bridge can lead to arguments and even loss of friends on occasion. But here's a good story. In 1929, Myrtle and John Bennett of Kansas City, Mo., were partners in a game with another couple. His play in a key hand led her to call him a "bum bridge player." He hit her and she went into the other room, returned with a gun and shot him dead. And, she was ACQUITTED!!!! I'd sure like to know how she got out of that one. What a bum's rush. The Tribune wonders how many bridge players were on the jury.

Then, some interesting facts:

Number of bridge books on the NY Times Best-Seller List in 1938: 3

Billionaire bridge players pushing the game: Warren Buffett and Bill Gates

Number of weeks the Tribune discontinued its bridge column back in 2005 before reader protest brough it back: 1.

Liz says her mom Frances was always trying to get her to play, but that never happened. Frances and her friends Vivian and Kay were major bridge players.

My mom plays bridge about once a week as did my grandmother. My cousin Joe is a big-time player in the Virginia/NC circuit.

I do not think I've ever played.

HEARTS, SPADES, and a Little PINOCHLE

However, in college I used to play Hearts and Spades a lot. I had never played them before I got there. This caused me to miss a lot of classes. I signed up for early morning classes as a freshman. I didn't know any better. How was I to know that the Hearts games at Northern lasted until 3 or 4 in the morning. That made it VERY difficult to get up a few hours later for that 8 AM class.

Hearts were popular at NIU. The year I went to Georgia, the game was Spades.

Remember Who You Don't Want to Get in Hearts Unless You're Running? --RoadDog