US Postal Service SUCKS!

... and they wonder why they keep losing money.

Here's a friendly advice for anyone who's about to file a change of address: DO NOT DO THIS ON THE USPS WEBSITE! You might as well not file a change of address - it is that ineffective.

I moved to a new house and decided to file a change of address on the USPS website. I got all the confirmation number, and even got a letter from the USPS with coupons that I've checked.

Guess what? 2 weeks on and I had received NO forwarding mail at all! A check with our former landlord indicated that the mail person had been returning all of our mail back to sender since there were no forwarding address on record! We made a phone call to the USPS customer service, and she couldn't find ANY record of a change of address request, even when we cited our confirmation number! It's as if we never filed anything, and everything we entered on the web just went POOF!

Note that this happened for BOTH of us, and we did this on separate days too. I have no idea what mail we missed that never got forwarded. We refiled our change of address with the customer service person on the phone, but hey, who knows if THAT would get through as well!

This is a joke! And I'm not taking this lying down. I have all the documents printed out that indicated that we did file for a change of address online, and that they screwed up big time. I'm going to write a complaint to the Postmaster General and ask for my $1 back! They charged $1 on a credit card to verify your identity online. And yes, I want my damn $1 back because it did NOTHING and I'm royally pissed!

I've had mail being delivered 2 weeks late, and other poor services that I'm willing to overlook. But this is just plain stupid. You promised a service, and even with all the technology, you have morons running it. I'm not sure how many people have been taken in with their website, but I certainly will make sure enough people know about this. It may not do much to change their stupidity, but I certainly won't just sit here and take this. They lied, and did not provide the service that they promised!


Zz.

Stupid Black Friday Failure

So I was out at Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, Iowa, this morning along with throngs of people shopping their heads of for the early morning Black Friday sale. The big stores at the mall such as Yonkers, Sears, JC Penney opened at 4:00 am, while Best Buy and Target opened at 5:00 am.

Now, the inside-mall entrance to Target is next to the food court. There was already a long line of shoppers way before the doors opened for both Target and Best Buy, which is next to Target. Now, one would think that you got this long lines of people waiting to get in, and with the big stores in the mall already open, you have this large number of potential customers who haven't had their breakfast and their coffee that morning. If I were a proprietor of one of these eating establishment at the food court, it is a no-brainer that I would open my store to serve breakfast. Guess what? Only ONE counter serving breakfast/coffee was open early in the morning, and even they had very limited menu (no breakfast burito). Other establishments, especially Panera Bread, didn't open till 6:00 am, waaaaay after the lines getting into Target was long gone.

One doesn't need an MBA degree to realize that there was a missing opportunity here to make money. In this tough economic times, you'd think that someone would do a little bit of thinking on how to take advantage of such a window of opportunity to make money. Even considering the salary they have to pay to get people to come in early that morning, I'd think they'd make enough to cover those within the first 15 minutes of opening. It boggled my mind that in all of that mall, only ONE place was open by around 5:00 am to serve coffee/breakfast. Even with a limited breakfast service, that counter service was having non-stop lines servicing bad coffee and mediocre rolls and bagels. Imagine a Panera Bread opening at the same time. It'll clean up big time simply from all those people standing in line to get into Best Buy and Target, not to mention, the shoppers coming in from Yonkers, JC Penny, etc.

Have people lost the instinct to recognize a golden opportunity here?

Zz.

Last Night In The City

We had just spent our last night at the old apartment, where we had lived for the past 16 1/2 years. Starting tonight, we will be living at our new home in the 'burbs.

It was bitter sweet this morning as I drive into work heading south on North Lake Shore Drive. The sun hadn't risen yet over the horizon, but there was already pink and red hues in the sky. I've always wanted to wake up early one fine morning and ride to the lakefront to snap some pictures, but never got around to it. Now, it's probably too late. I savored that last early morning drive by the lake.

Oh sure, I'll miss the city. But I'm at the point in my life where I just want to get away from the city noise, and more importantly, have a quiet backyard large enough for ample outdoor living and entertaining, not to mention, gardening. Priorities change, and mine certainly have. That's why we make our choices, and different choices, at different stages of our lives.

I'm now officially in suburbia.

Zz.

Another Hypocrite Gets Taken Down

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean has settled all lawsuits between her and the Miss USA Pageant. Why the sudden change of hearts? Apparently word leaked out that there's a rather explicit sex tapes starring our do-gooder Prejean herself!

So she opposed gay marriage based on such high moral grounds, eh? Well guess what? Those same "moral grounds" are taking her down as well! Another hypocrite gets gets taken down!

Zz.

Another Reason To Eat Curry

Not wanting to jump onto the bandwagon here since medical research tends to require a bit of time to "digest" {pun intended} and be verified, but new research suggest that the tumeric in curries may fight against esophageal cancer cells.

Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center in Ireland treated esophageal cancer cells with curcumin -- a chemical found in the spice turmeric, which gives curries a distinctive yellow color -- and found it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.

The cells also began to digest themselves, they said in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Previous scientific studies have suggested curcumin can suppress tumors and that people who eat lots of curry may be less prone to the disease, although curcumin loses its anti-cancer attributes quickly when ingested.

They don't have to sell it to me, since I love curries and indian food anyway. I just wish that the curries that I like don't have that much salt and that much calories and fat. So yeah, they fight cancer, but they make you obese! So not sure if this is fair trade-off!

But all this blogging about curries makes me crave for indian food....

Zz.

Suburbs Here I Come!

I first lived in Chicago in 1985. I'd say it was love at first sight, even though back then, the Loop was NASTY, especially after dark. I mean, it wasn't mean and nasty like Times Square before it turned Disney, but still, people try to get out of the Loop as soon as work is done.

Now, the city is marvelous, and there's life in the city even during off-hours. And I've lived within the city limits ever since. So it is with quite a bit of trepidation that I decided to buy a house out in the suburbs. Yes folks, I'm one of those people who finally decided to take advantage of (i) the $8000 tax credit for first time home buyers (ii) the "historically low" mortgage rate and (iii) the very attractive house prices. We bought a house, and will close this week.

But oh the anxiety! And not just due to the burden of owning a house and almost emptying out my savings. It is the anxiety on life in the suburbs. I wanted a sizable house, with ample storage, a family room, a spacious kitchen, and more importantly, a nice backyard that's quiet, where I can spend many days outdoors. To get that, and within a reasonable price, I had to leave the city limits.

I plan to move out in mid November. I'll miss the city, but plan on being back many times, especially when I crave for good Vietnamese food, or good Ethiopian food, or good Korean food.

Zz.

Your Poo and Piss Are THAT Heavy?

So, the All Nippon Airways of Japan (a very well-respected airline, I might say, so this is not some rinky-dink airline) wants you to go to the bathroom before you board one of their planes. They do not want you to use the airplane's washroom during the flight, if you can. Why do they want you to do that? Is it because they have limited bathroom facility? Because they want minimal disruption to the in-flight service?

NO! They want you to go so that you'll make the plane LIGHTER! Your poo and piss are heavy! I'm not making this up!

"Asking passengers to go to the toilet (before boarding) is just a small part of the program," said spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka, which includes using recycled paper cups and plastic bottles instead of glass.

"We are making these items lighter -- and making the passengers lighter, a little bit," Tezuka said.

The airline estimates that if 50 percent of passengers relieved themselves before boarding, it would reduce carbon dioxide by 4.2 tons a month.

I suppose this may make sense in Japan where on average, people are smaller and not overweight. Here in the US, if everyone just stay away from that doughnut, why, all the airlines would make a huge profit from using less fuel in a year, with or without that pre-board bathroom break! :)

Hey, I just had a thought. Maybe they'll have a toilet seat and a urinal right at the gate and make passengers relief themselves before they board! :)

Zz.

2016 Olympics Bid

So many people here in Chicago are paying a very close attention to today's vote on the city that will host the 2016 Olympics. Being a Chicagoan, and knowing how much I love the city, of course I have a vested interest in the decision. Am I rooting for Chicago to win? Hum..... good question!

On the one hand, of course I am! It would be a tremendous honor to host the Olympics. I'm proud of the city and hope more people can come and visit and discover all the amazing things about the city itself. It can be as big, as busy, and as hectic as New York, but without the attitude and with pedestrians still obeying the pedestrian traffic signal (well, most of them anyway). Many first-timers to the city are always surprised at how friendly and how beautiful the city is, especially if they get to Grant Park and the lakefront.

But on the other hand, I'm dreading the traffic gridlock. While this may not be a factor for me by 2016 (I'm in the process of buying a house and moving out of Lakeview and into the near 'burbs), I can only imagine how it might work out, especially in the downtown area. And I still want to know how the public transportation (with the CTA trains and busses) are going to handle all the heavy volume of people. Riding the CTA trains, for example, can be a frustrating experience.

Oh well, we will know in a few hours if Chicago gets the bid or not. I think Rio makes a very strong case that it is time for the Olympics to make its first visit to South America.

Zz.

What You Should Do When Pursued By Zombies

I will now perform a very valuable public service. I will present a clear instruction on what you should do to increase your chances of surviving when you are being pursued by zombies. And no, I don't mean crazed shoppers banging at the door of a Walmart the day after Thanksgiving, and you're the store manager.

When you're being pursued by zombies, run to a shopping mall!

Though the paper itself does not specifically refer to fleeing from zombies, it describes "the survival probability of immobile targets annihilated by random walkers." The conclusions suggest that the people trapped in a mall in "Dawn of the Dead" may be better off than the folks stuck in a farmhouse in "Night of the Living Dead."

Cassi found that the likelihood of survival when threatened by predatory random walkers is closely related to how complex the prey’s hideout is. The more twists and turns, the safer you'll be. In structures that are highly complex and irregular, the chances of the predator coming into contact with its target shrinks down to almost zero.

What better place can there be? You can hide from the zombies, eat a piece of Cinnabon, and get that 50% off on off-season sweater from JC Penney all at the same time!

Zz.

Cubs Going Nowhere This Year

Sign of the times. The souvenir stores around Wrigley field are trying to dump their Cubs merchandise. The Chicago Cubs aren't going anywhere this year after a dismal season.

So if you want at least 20% off of Cubs merchandise, this is the time to get it!


Zz.

Tired of Phony Psychics?

I had a chuckle when I read the title for a Google web advertisement for a psychic website. It asked "Tired of Phony Psychics?"

Isn't that like thieves asking "Are you tired of being robbed by amateur thieves? Well now, you can be robbed by professional thieves!"

I feel so much better now.

Zz.

British Govt. Apologizes To Alan Turing

This isn't part of life's amusing event since it is rather tragic.

After the tremendous call due to an online petition, the British government today finally and formally apologizes posthumously to Alan Turing for his inhumane treatment. This despite his significant contribution not only to the computing knowledge and mathematics, but in his war effort to decipher the German's secret code during WWII.

In a statement on the British Government Web site, Prime Minister Gordon Brown acknowledged Turing's "outstanding" contribution during World War II.

"He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war," he wrote, adding, "The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely."

Turing is considered one of Britain's greatest mathematicians, a genius who is credited with inventing the Bombe, a code-breaking machine that deciphered messages encoded by German Enigma machines during World War II.

He went on to develop the Turing machine, a theory that automatic computation cannot solve all mathematical problems, which is considered the basis of modern computing.

One would hope that in this day and age, such treatment would no longer occur. But the human being capacity for stupidity, and for cruelty, has never ceased to amaze me.

Zz.

Multitasking Muddles the Mind?

Not that this is surprising, but a new study has indicated that the more we multitask, the more what we are doing suffers. It clearly indicates that our cognitive ability drops while we are multitasking.

The HMMs (heavy media multitaskers) did worse than the LMMs (light media multitaskers) across the board. Surprisingly, says co-author and sociologist Clifford Nass, "They're bad at every cognitive control task necessary for multitasking." They were more easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli, and although their memories were no worse than those of theLMMs, they had more difficulty in selecting stored information that was relevant to the task at hand. In one filtering test, for example, the LMMs took 323 milliseconds to discern the correct answer, but the HMMs averaged 400 milliseconds.

Nass says the study has a disturbing implication in an age when more and more people are simultaneously working on a computer, listening to music, surfing the Web, texting, or talking on the phone: Access to more information tools is not necessarily making people more efficient in their intellectual chores. Also disconcerting, he notes, is that "people who chronically multitask believe they're good at it." The findings are reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In other words, if you think that by doing many things simultaneously will make you more efficient and finish those things faster, you're wrong.

Which brings us back to driving while talking on cell phones. This only confirms earlier findings that such multitasking should not be allowed.

Zz.

Guilty Pleasures

Against my better judgment, I will admit I've watched and listened to this video more than a couple of times. Not only that, I've even tapped my feet to it!!



I feel so dirty!

:)

Zz.

World's Largest Truck Stop

We travel this stretch of I-80 quite often when we drive between Chicago and Iowa City. So I've seen this truck stop many times. It is the world's largest truck stop, and it has been featured in at least a couple of shows on the Travel Channel.

Strangely enough, I don't stop here very often. In fact, I think of all the years that I've passed by it, I've only stopped there 2 or 3 times. This past trip last weekend, I stopped and finally took a picture of the big sign they have right by the highway.



It is quite large, and I think I've explored maybe about 1/4 of the place.

Zz.

More 2009 Halsted Street Market Days

We went back to Market Days later in the afternoon, and of course, the street fair now is totally packed. The sky was still overcast, and there was rain in downtown Chicago. But it appeared that, other than a few strong gusts of wind, the fair has been sparred with any significant rain.



Usually, getting dunked on a hot day in August is a good thing. But it has been cloudy and a bit chilly all day. So this isn't that much fun as it could be.







I think the go-go boys dancing high up in front of Minibar booth were quite a hit with the crowd. :)



The various stages at the fair were also filled with performers already. This is one of them, in front of the 7-11 at Roscoe.

2009 North Halsted Street Market Days

The 2009 North Halsted Street Market Days is going on this weekend (Aug. 1 and 2) in Chicago. This is the largest 2-day neighborhood street fair in the Midwest.

We walked down there (we live a block away) right when they opened at 11:00 am. Many of the vendors were still setting up, and it was crowded yet. We always like to scout around this early in the day before it gets VERY crowded later in the afternoon just so we can get a feel for what's around and where. We usually go back to it several times a day, especially around meal times since we usually buy stuff there to eat over the 2 days.

So we just got back after walking around for about an hour. Grabbed a bite to eat - my favorite grilled chicken-on-a-stick with fried rice. Yummy, and easy to eat while you walk. Here are some early pictures of the street fair before the big crowds arrive. The weather is a bit overcast, and there's some rain in the forecast for this afternoon. It should clear up by late afternoon/early evening, and it should be nice tomorrow.














Zz.

The Old Kai Tak Airport

I posted about the amazing Singapore Changi airport a while back. Well, last week, a friend and I were talking, and we ended up chatting about some of the horrifying airport that we have flown into. The old Hong Kong Kai Tak airport came up right away. Imagine hills and high rise being either along your approach or your take-off, and you get the idea.

In fact, to give you some more visualization of how horrifying the airport approach is, you should look at this video.

I've flown into Kai Tak a couple of times, and it is disconcerting to see people's faces in their buildings looking at your eye level as you're about to land! I'm glad that airport is now gone!

Zz.

Goodbye, Sears Tower!

Today is the first official day of the significant name change tot he tallest building in North America - the Sears Tower. It will now be called...... wait for it .... Willis Tower.

Willis Tower will be introduced to Chicago by Mayor Richard M. Daley and others on Thursday during a public renaming ceremony hosted by Willis Group Holdings. The London-based insurance brokerage secured the naming rights as part an agreement to lease 140,000 square feet of space, and has said it plans to bring hundreds of jobs to the city.

I know many Chicagoans will resist the name change, some even dislike it. Still, the city has had several building undergoing such name change (Standard Oil building to Amaco building to... er.... what is it now?). It will probably take a generation or so for the name to stick, and by then, who knows, Willis might be gone!

So for now, as a stubborn Chicagoan, I'll still call it the Sears Tower. Or, I may change my mind and just call it the "Big Willie".

Zz.

The Joy of Re-gifting

Some of my friends think that I'm a bit odd whenever I bring a gift to them. I always tend to say something like "Now, if you already have this, or don't have any need for it, you are more than welcome to give this to someone who might want it, or to sell it on ebay."

I always say that because, while I certainly would love it if what I got for them is something they truly want, I do not want them to keep something simply because they feel obligated to keep it because it was a gift. I've seen way too many instances where something is kept simply because it was a gift from someone and the person simply does not want to "offend" that person by either giving it away, selling it, or simply donating or throwing it out, all the while the object is collecting dust and occupying storage space. I would feel horrible if someone receives something he/she doesn't have quite the use for it, or don't find it to his/her liking, but somehow feel obligated to continuing keeping it. That's why I always say such a thing. I hope that the person appreciate the thought and effort in the gift, but should feel free to pass it on to someone if he/she has no desire to keep it. I would not be offended at all!

This issue came up because a couple of nights ago, I had a conversation with a friend. She felt horrified (and maybe slightly offended) that the candies she got for me were being "shared" by my co-workers at work. I told her that I brought the candies to work and put it in my candy jar. While I do sample the candies now and then, I also share it freely with everyone at work. Somehow, she wasn't too pleased with that information. I think she wanted me to "cherish" it and enjoy it, because she went out of her way to get those for me.

While I certainly didn't mind receiving the candies, I also don't see how I was expected to eat every single piece of it whether I like them or not. Besides having no desire to consume that much candy in the first place (think of all the calories!), I also did not realize that such gifts come with an implicit obligation. At what point does the gift becomes mine, and I can do whatever I please with it? If I wish to share it with other people, shouldn't I be allowed to do that? After all, those candies WERE mine!

So I am one of those who truly believe in re-gifting. If you receive something, and it isn't quite what you want, or what you can use, then I find nothing wrong in giving it to someone who you think might appreciate it more. Of course, it is bad form and etiquette to re-gift something to the person who originally gave it to you. Even *I* don't do that. But other than that, I think this is a perfectly acceptable practice, and it is a prime example of recycling. Not only are you not wasting something, but you also save money!

Zz.

Social Security Numbers Are Easy to Guess

This is rather disconcerting.

This report discusses the fact that many of the things that the Social Security Administration does to prevent fraud, and what some people put out (such as their birth dates) on social networking websites such as Facebook, may allow crooks to make a good guess at their social security numbers!

On the surface, the process seems like it would lead to randomized--and thus secure--numbers. But it doesn't. When economist Alessandro Acquisti and computer scientist Ralph Gross of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, compared SSA's public death records with birth data, they found that area numbers are not rotated until all 9999 serial numbers have been assigned. So instead of each of New York's 85 area numbers being the possible starting three digits for any Social Security number on any given day, Social Security numbers are assigned essentially in order: 576-32-0001 is followed immediately by 576-32-0002, etc. That means a potential thief can narrow down a number simply by knowing the date (often some 6 to 11 weeks after birth) on which one received it. After 1989, individuals started receiving Social Security numbers at birth, rather than at their discretion (often when they began their first job), so pinpointing these people's numbers is especially easy, says Acquisti.

So easy in fact that Acquisti and Gross were able to do it themselves. Using fairly standard computer algorithms, the duo predicted the first five digits of Social Security numbers for people born after 1989 44% of the time on the very first try. On a handful of attempts, they managed to get all nine digits on the first try, but at the very least they could predict the full numbers of 8.5% of those born after 1989 in fewer than 1000 tries, they report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Horrors!

This paper is an open access article which you can get from here.

Zz.

Teen Outsmarts Doctors In Science Class

I am so impressed by this teen, who managed to find what's wrong with her, no thanks to her doctors.

"Not knowing much about a disease you're growing up with is not only nerve-wracking, but it's confusing," Terry told the Sammamish Reporter.

So when local pathologists stopped in to teach students in her Biomedical Problems class how to analyze slides, the high school senior decided to give her own intestines a look.

What she found? A large dark area showing inflammation, otherwise known as a granuloma--a sure sign of the intestinal disease.

It's too bad they didn't go back to her previous and asked them how could the lab missed something like this, even if it is difficult to spot. I mean, if she could find it herself using a class microscope.....

Zz.

Best Airports in the World

A survey of airline travelers has revealed the top airports in the world. Seoul's Incheon airport was voted as the best airport, followed very closely by Hong Kong International Airport, and Singapore's Changi Airport. Not surprisingly, not a single airport in North America made it into the list.

Having flown in and out of Changi Airport a few times, I can certainly understand why it is rated very highly. In fact, the survey revealed that the top 3 airports list could easily come out one way or another since the scores were very close. Changi Airport was just jaw-droppingly gorgeous, with amenities most of us in the US can only dream of. Here are some pictures that I took the last time was there waiting for my flight back to the States.

TV lounge, you say? They have several of these lounges with very comfortable seats, showing everything from movies, to news channels, etc.


There were also several of these quiet and tranquil area for someone to take a nap.


Free internet kiosks.


A very pleasant seating area next to the food court.


More seating area around the food court.


There's a freaking shopping mall right at the gate!


You want a fish pond, you say?


Now, it made for a very contrasting and embarrassing comparison when one left a very modern and efficient airport, and flies into Bradley international terminal at LAX. It looked like an airport from a third world country, with wires hanging out of the ceiling panels, and the area perpetually boarded up under construction (a construction that so far has lasted 10 years?). I'm surprised more Americans are not utterly embarrassed that for many visitors, this run-down terminal is the first thing they see when they arrive in the US.

Zz.

The 2009 Tony Awards

Memo to the Academy Awards Producers:

Date: June 7, 2009.

Dear Mr. Producers,

I've just finished watching tonight's opening number on the Tony Awards, and it was a showstopper. It was lively, concise, fun, glorious, and nowhere near a dud. They are performed by amazing talents who can dance and sing. This is entertainment at its best. How come you guys can't learn from these people who produce the Tony Awards shows?

It's not as if this is the exception. Almost every year, the Tony Awards shows are a lot more intriguing, fun, and certainly not a yawner, and they showcase these amazing stage drama and musicals without being a bore. There's a feeling of looseness in the show, not stiff and rather stogy the way the Oscars have been.

So please, LEARN from the Tony Awards. I don't want to spend another agonizing evening watching your Oscar award show and cringing at the bad musical number that sometime is embarrassingly bad!

Sincerely,

Zz.

Best Kept Secret of Chicago 1

So periodically, I'll post what I consider as some of the best-kept secret of Chicago that most visitors do not know of, but the locals certainly do. As the risk of changing these things as no longer being secrets by revealing them here, I still think that if I were to put myself in the shoes of these visitors to our great city, I would want to know such a thing.

This series will start with, what else, but food! If you are in downtown Chicago, there are a gazillion places to eat, with as many variety. So I will choose just one particular, narrow niche - food court. It is convenient, there's a huge variety (so that various people in your party can get whatever they like), it is quick, and more importantly, it is CHEAP! But since this is me, no run-off-the-mill mall food court will do. No sireee! There has to be something unique and a wide range of selection to be a food court that I would recommend.

One of the most overlooked food court for many visitors (because it isn't obvious since it is at on the top floor), is the food court at the North Bridge shopping mall. This is the mall inside a building just south of the Chicago river on Michigan Ave, and connected to a Nordstrom. There are many eating establishment in the mall, but the food court itself is on the top level, Level 4. So many visitors to the city probably would not venture into it, much less, go all the way to the top level, but many locals certainly do.

You will not find the regular food court chain here. Many of the vendors at the food court I've never seen elsewhere. The available food choices range from typical burgers, to roast turkey dinner (with the actual whole roasted turkey being carved in front of you), to standard chinese, to japanese noodle dishes and freshly made sushi, etc... etc. In other words, if you are tired of the typical mall food court meals, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the selection (and quality) that you'll find here.

I often go there for a quick lunch, especially when I'm out shopping or just walking along Michigan Avenue. People that I've brought to there have always been surprised that there's a food court up there, and the range of selection that they can get. So if you're in the city next time and want something convenient and fast, check out the food court at North Bridge. And no, I don't work for the mall or any of the businesses there.

Zz.

Best Pizza In America

If you want to start a fight, just trying bringing up the question of the best pizza anywhere. You'd have a major fist fight just asking that question in New York City alone.

Still, Alan Richmond (didn't he used to be on the Food Network when it first started and had a show with another woman titled "TV Diners?") of GQ Magazine had the balls to rate the best pizza in the US. And to my surprise, he rated a place here in my own lovely city of Chicago as having the best pizza. And I've never heard of the place!

1. Great Lake
Mortadella pie

I phoned at 6:15 p.m., ordered a cheese pie, asked when I could pick it up. The reply: 8 p.m. When I arrived a few minutes early, two of the fourteen people seated in the tiny storefront shop were eating. The rest looked exasperated. Nick Lessins, the Polish-Czech co-owner and pizzamaker, seemed happily oblivious. I stood inside, watching for twenty-five minutes as he fashioned three pies, mine among them. No man is slower. He makes each as though it is his first, manipulating the dough until it appears flawless, putting on toppings one small bit after another. In the time he takes to create a pie, civilizations could rise and fall, not just crusts. His cheese pie, prepared with fresh mozzarella made in-house, grated Wisconsin sheep’s-and-cow’s-milk cheese, and aromatic fresh marjoram instead of basil, was slightly shy of unbelievable. The next day I returned to try the same pie topped with fresh garlic and mortadella, the dirigible-sized Italian sausage that looks like bologna, tastes like salami, and is usually cut into chunks. He sliced the meat very thin and laid slices of it over the pie the moment it came out of the oven. The mortadella, with its combination of burliness and creaminess, was a meaty addition to the earthy, bready crust. This pie—creative, original, and somewhat local—represents everything irresistible about the new American style of pizza-making.

Well, if it took him that long to get a pizza before, it will be utterly impossible to get a pizza from there now after this publicity.

Still, I'm rather curious to see how the pizza really tastes like. So maybe I'll venture out and get some sampling.

Zz.

The Earliest Porn?

So what if you don't have the internet, you don't have DVDs, you don't have movies, you don't have magazines? What do you do for porn?

Why, you CARVE and make pornographic sculpture!

It appears that that's what our ancestors were doing way back then! Archaeologists digging in Germany have uncovered statues that may be pornographic in nature dated back at least 35,000 years ago, which makes it one of the oldest sculpture ever found.

The tiny statuette--just under 6 centimeters tall and 3.4 centimeters wide--was carved out of a single piece of mammoth ivory. It has dramatically exaggerated breasts and a detailed, enlarged vulva. The headless figurine is topped with a knob that Conard suggests might have been used to attach it to a thong or cord for use as a necklace or personal ornament.
.
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There's no way to know what the statuette was used for or what meaning it carried, although scientists theorize that it might have been used in shamanistic rites or was simply pornography. Anthropologist Paul Mellars of Stony Brook University in New York state says the focus on exaggerated sexual features fits with other artifacts found from the period, including phalluses carved out of bison horn and vulva inscribed on rocks. "It's sexually exaggerated to the point of being pornographic," Mellars says. "There's all this sexual symbolism bubbling up in that period. They were sex-mad."

You go, Mr. Primate!

Zz.

Irish Student Hoaxes World's Media with Fake Quote

Here's another reason why you should read and "believe" Wikipedia at your own risk. And considering that even the "established" media fell into this, one might want to consider even reading such sources with full caution.

When Dublin university student Shane Fitzgerald posted a poetic but phony quote on Wikipedia, he was testing how our globalized, increasingly Internet-dependent media was upholding accuracy and accountability in an age of instant news.

His report card: Wikipedia passed. Journalism flunked.

The sociology major's obituary-friendly quote -- which he added to the Wikipedia page of Maurice Jarre hours after the French composer's death March 28 -- flew straight on to dozens of U.S. blogs and newspaper Web sites in Britain, Australia and India. They used the fabricated material, Fitzgerald said, even though administrators at the free online encyclopedia twice caught the quote's lack of attribution and removed it.

A full month went by and nobody noticed the editorial fraud. So Fitzgerald told several media outlets they'd swallowed his baloney whole.

The sad thing here is that there are so many people who read Wikipedia and somehow accept what they read wholesale! There doesn't seem to be any more interest in the quality of one's sources of information anymore nowadays. It's all "convenience" at the expense of accuracy.

Zz.

Joan Rivers and Gay Marriage

The funniest quote I've heard in a couple of weeks! It came from Joan Rivers as she was interviewed on Larry King Live after Donald Trump picked her to win the latest Celebrity Apprentice.

Gay marriage, I am so against it because all my gay friends are out. And if they get married, it will cost me a fortune in gifts.

:)

Zz.

Shadow Chair Defies The Law of Physics?

Mind-boggling, isn't it? But it isn't as mysterious as it appears. The "shadow" is actually the base of the chair!

More info on the design of it can be found here. What is gravity-defying is its price : $1057. OUCH! Now I wish that could be an illusion!

Zz.

"Moost Have Been Something You Said"?

OK, you have to have noticed this too and hung on to the back of your head. I'm sure you've heard Cutting Crew's "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight". If not, here's a music video of the tune:



Now, didn't the vocalist actually said "Moost have been.... "? I know more than a few people who swear that that was what he sang! :)

Zz.

I Don't Get White Castle

No, I don't mean that there are no White Castle joints around where I live (how can that be possible in Chicago, of all places?). What I mean is, I don't get the concept.

I did not grow up with White Castle. In fact, I didn't even know what it is until I was in my 30's. It happened one fateful day. I was hanging out with a bunch of friends when someone suggested that we buy White Castle hamburger and bring them back to the house for lunch. So I said (now, don't laugh!) "OK, I'll take one, with lettuce, tomato, onions, but no mayo".

So of course, I got strange looks coming my way and they said, among other things, that you don't just order ONE White Castle hamburger. Of course, I was curious and asked why. Someone said that they are small. I then asked how small. "It's small!" was all I got. So I said, whatever, just buy me enough for lunch.

So a couple of people went to get the burgers while the rest of us waited and shot the breeze. It was when they came back that I got an inkling on what's going on. When I opened my "bag of burgers" and took out one of them, I initially thought it was a colossal joke. I mean, really! Burgers barely the size of tennis ball, with a thin layer of "meat" with holes, and a sprinkling of chopped onions? You've got to be kidding me!

You see, my idea of a burger is thick, juicy meat on toasted buns, and topped with green leaf lettuce, thickly-sliced onions and tomatoes, etc., not this "micro" burger that barely had any meat in it.

But then again, I now understand why people orders a dozen of these things. Still, why not just make a bigger burger and order just.... oh, I don't know.... ONE?

Of course, a number of my buddies at that time just ate it up! I learned later on that some people actually have cravings.... CRAVINGS.... for these White Castle hamburgers. Yup, I don't understand that either. There have been stories of people looking for a White Castle joint at 3 am in the morning because of such cravings, or people coming off airplanes after being away for a while and heading straight to a White Castle.

I have a hypothesis which I've checked a few times and no one has shown it to be wrong. The hypothesis is that if you grew up eating White Castle hamburger regularly, then you'll still want it as an adult. If you never grew up with White Castle burgers, then you have no desire for it, or indifferent about, it as an adult. My point here is that only if you got "indoctrinated" by it as a child will you have a desire to eat it. So far, everyone that I've met and where I've tested this on have confirmed my opinion.

And no, I haven't had a White Castle ever since my first introduction to it many, many years ago, and I have zero desire to consume one, probably for as long as I live.

Zz.

A Gorgeous Day In Chicago

It was a Chamber-of-Commerce weather here in Chicago today, even though it was quite a bit on the chilly side (high 40's F) with a gentle breeze from the lake. Still, we had a lovely time walking by the lake in the early afternoon and enjoying the weather.

The neighborhood looks very quite and peaceful, especially in this gorgeous weather.


Belmont Harbor is still empty, but won't be long before it is filled with boats.



Enjoying the sights and scenery on the lakefront.



This is the view from Diversey harbor. I know I'm bias, but it is a gorgeous city.


Zz.

India's Contribution To Global Warming - Cows With Gas

This is a serious piece that is utterly (udderly?) hilarious. The cows and other livestock in India actually contributes more greenhouse gasses than motor vehicles in that country.

By burping, belching and excreting copious amounts of methane - a greenhouse gas that traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide - India's livestock of roughly 485 million (including sheep and goats) contribute more to global warming than the vehicles they obstruct. With new research suggesting that emission of methane by Indian livestock is higher than previously estimated, scientists are furiously working at designing diets to help bovines and other ruminants eat better, stay more energetic and secrete lesser amounts of the offensive gas.

Gee, I wonder if they could invent a hybrid cow..... ?

Zz.

Marriage to an 8-Year Old?

Remember my rant against those "islamic nations" that opposed the endorsement of gay marriages because it might lead to the sanction of pedophillia? I exposed the hypocrisy of such claim because taking a child bride is a common and LEGAL practice in some of these muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Well, this is one such example. A judge in Saudi Arabia refused to annul the "marriage" between an 8-year old girl and a 47-year old man. This man married this girl via an arrangement with the girl's father to, get this, settle his debt! But don't you worry, because the girl's husband has "... pledged not to consummate the marriage until the girl reaches puberty... "

Phew! Now that made us all feel a bit better, doesn't it?

UNBELIEVABLE!

No, it is not unbelievable that this happened. You'd expect something this stupid in a moronic society. What is unbelievable is that you'd get these countries to have the GALL to then turn around and oppose gay marriages based on the grounds that it will lead to pedophilia. What a load of hypocrisy crap!

Zz.

Hang Up And Drive, Before You Kill Someone!

A woman was texting while driving when she slammed into stopped vehicles, killing one person when one of the vehicles burst into flames.

If this doesn't break your heart for a senseless and PREVENTABLE tragedy, then nothing will. I mentioned earlier about all the studies and statistics that clearly indicated that the use of cell phones, be it hands-free or not, has been attributed to so many accidents, and in fact, as dangerous if not more, than driving while intoxicated, that it is mindboggling that cities, states, and federal laws are not not in the books to stop this silly practice, AND to enforce it as diligently as drunk driving laws.

The state of Illinois just passed a law that makes it unlawful to do texting while driving. BIG FREAKING DEAL! The city of Chicago already has a law against using hands-on cell phones, and I see people yapping on their phones all the time! So if such a law is not, or can't be, enforced, how is another law in the books on texting would make any difference? How is one going to enforce it when it is less obvious than yapping on cell phones? The city has all these cameras installed all over the city trying to catch people running red lights. Maybe they should also train those cameras on the driver inside these vehicles to see if they are on their cell phones. You want extra revenue from fines? There's one there!

Zz.

You Steal, Then You Admitted To That On National TV

So, if you have shoplifted many times, used your kids to do your dirty work, or even videotaped the unlawful deed, do you then go on national TV to brag about your crime? Most "rational" people (if you can call such people rational) would not.

These people are not rational. After they did their crime, they went on Dr. Phil and brag about it!

Are these people really THAT desperate for their 15 minutes worth of fame?

Zz.

No Decaf After Noon - Follow-Up

Thanks to Matt for bringing this to my attention.

I wrote earlier of my complaint that a Starbucks at a Target store that I went to stopped serving decaf coffee after 12:00 Noon, which I thought was rather strange. Well, it turns out that this is a new Startbucks policy that I missed!

To cut costs, the Seattle coffee giant has instructed its U.S. baristas to stop automatically brewing batches of decaffeinated drip coffee after noon, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by the company.

Instead, from noon on, baristas will brew decaf coffee only when a customer orders it, a process the company says will take an extra four minutes or so.

Stores that determine they have enough demand can continue to brew decaf regularly in the afternoon and evening. Starbucks spokeswoman Deb Trevino said the change shouldn't affect customers. "We're just saying brew it based on your store needs rather than a one size fits all," she said.

This makes very little sense! As I've said, one would think that people would want decaf coffee after Noon, and as the day progresses towards the evening. In fact, in that news article, someone mentioned the same thing.

I wonder if they're keeping track of how many people they turned away by this, and if they realize the amount of business they lost. Oh well. Looks like I'm visiting my Caribou Coffee joint more often now.

Zz.

US Endorses UN Gay Rights Text

Some time, you read something that is full of hypocrisy, it makes your blood boil.

The US, the so-called champion of "human rights", finally endorses the UN declaration on gay rights after the Bush administration made the US the only western country not to sign it.

But what made my blood boil was this part:

Some Islamic countries said at the time that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest. The declaration was also opposed by the Vatican.

The Vatican and the Catholic Church, of course, are experts in pedophilia and how to hide it. But how the "islamic countries" could actually be so uppity about such act while keeping a straight face is beyond me. Let's not forget that taking prepubescent child bride is alive and well in Saudi Arabia, the bedrock of Islamic religion where millions of muslims go for their pilgrimage. If this is not pedophilia, then what is it?

So maybe they just don't want protection for gays and lesbians (I'd like them to pull out statistics on how many lesbians have assaulted underaged girls) simply because they don't want competition for their pedophiles!

Zz.

No Decaf After Noon

Nothing fits better into this blogs intention of life's amusing musing than this blog entry.

I was at a Target store last Saturday in Niles, Illinois (6150 W Touhy Ave. Niles). On the way into the store, I notice that they had a Starbucks, so I stopped over to get a decaf coffee (I only drink decaf coffee nowadays, even their latte). After I asked for a grande decaf coffee, I was told by the person behind the counter that they do not serve decaf coffee after 12:00 noon.

WHAAAAAT????!!!!!!

I thought I heard or understood things wrongly, so I repeated something like "You stop serving decaf coffee after Noon?". And yup, I got the confirmation. I then proceeded to say thank you and walk away.

Now, obviously this is not a common policy of Starbucks. I know for a fact that I can get decaf coffee any time I want at the Starbucks in my neighborhood. The many times I've been in many different Starbucks in the city (and across the country), there was never any thing resembling a policy of not serving decaf coffee after Noon. So it is my strong suspicion that this silly policy is only unique to this particular Starbucks.

{Aside: I also do not know if this is an actual Starbucks, or only one of those that serve Starbucks coffee and other items, but not really a full-blown Starbucks}.

Now, obviously they can make whatever policy they want, but think of the rational behind this. One would think that, of all things, you WANT to start serving decaf coffee later in the day. That's when people are trying to wind down, and especially in the early evening, if they want coffee and still be able to sleep, they'd want decaf coffee. It is in the morning that, if they don't serve decaf, it would have understandable, since almost everyone want that caffeine jolt.

My friend who was with me suggested that I ask for a decaf latte, since they have to grind the beans anyway. I said no. If they are that dumb in making such policy, then I definitely don't want to give them any of my money.

I wonder who decided to do something like this....

Zz.

A Night At The Museum

Last Friday we spent the evening at the Field Museum of Natural History here in Chicago for their annual Members Night. It was our first attendance to one of these things and it was a great, great event. It is almost like the museum's open house, where the members not only get to see all the exhibits on display, but also get to go behind the scenes into areas that are not opened to visitors. We also get to talk to many of the staff and researchers doing various work at the museum, often in their own laboratories or offices. So that made it quite worthwhile.

Anyway, here is a photo essay of the evening.

This is the museum as we walk out of the parking ramp at the museum campus.


The museum was quite packed, since it was a Friday night. They had a cash bar right in the middle of the museum, and the food establishements were also open.


We couldn't go into their Pirates special exhibits since they have distributed already all the time slots for it, but we did managed to go do their Aztec exhibits. Sorry, no pictures for that since photos were prohibited.

We then walked around look at some of the areas that we seldom get to see during our earlier visits. One of them was the North American area that showed the natural habitat of N. America, and the native american lives before the arrivals of the Europeans.






We then walked into the bowels of the museum, which is the lower level that isn't opened to the public. This is known as the "CRC", which is the collections resource center.


The area that was most fascinating to us was the oversize anthropology collections storage room. This area stores large anthropological items that, I presume, get rotated to be on display. It's too bad that we couldn't get to see a lot more of the room beyond just the front.

This is one of the sculpture found in the room.


These HUGE jars were excavated at Pompei and were though to be storage jars for olive oil. They are really quite big, as tall as an average person.


More impressive sculpture. These and the previous one are in bronze.


Nice kitty....


A look at the areas that we couldn't go into in the oversize area storage room. There were several bowls and other artifacts that we could only see from a distance.


There were also a few Egyptian hieroglyphs carved on stones. We didn't get a chance to ask anyone there about them because it was very crowded and the staff there were quite engaged with the visitors.



Leaving the underbelly of the Field Museum, we then went upstairs to the 3rd and 4th floors, which again are typically inaccessible to the public. We essentially got to see the labs and offices where the staff and researchers work. We spent quite a bit of time in the anthropological area and got to talk to a couple of anthropologists about human evolution. There were replicas of the skulls and bones of Australopithecus Africanus, Homo Erectus, and Homo Sapiens. We would have stayed longer but our time for the Aztec tour was about to start, so we had to scoot out of there in a hurry. These are the view of the hallway in these upper floors.



It was a very pleasant evening spent at the museum. This event alone was worth the membership. Since it was such a gorgeous evening, we drove a short distance to the Adler Planetarium and parked there to get a view of the Chicago skyline at night. I never tire looking at this. It is a gorgeous city where I live.


Zz.