12.31.2008
Hey! I know this guy!
The following news story is being reprinted in full due to the short lifespan of news stories on their respective websites
From KSDK-TV, St. Louis: The St. Louis County Police Department issued an Endangered Person Advisory for a bar owner who disappeared last night and may have been kidnapped and held for ransom.
Police said 37-year-old James Kitchell was last seen at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday at St. Andrews Restaurant and Pub at 3971 Bayless.
Kitchell is a bar owner. His vehicle, keys, cell phone and a ransom type note were found in the parking lot.
Kitchell is described as a white, male, 5' 11", 230 lbs, with blonde hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, with a tattoo on the right arm (red dog), wearing blue pullover wind breaker, blue levis and black tennis shoes with green soles.
There is no suspect vehicle Information at this time and there are no suspects.
If you see Kitchell, call 911 or call the St Louis County Police Department at (314) 615-5360.
I went to grade school with Jimmy, and was in Scouts with him. Tim knows him as well, as they're both in the first responders field, and they hung out in similar circles.
He and I have always been cool...I hope nothing bad has happened to him.
From KSDK-TV, St. Louis: The St. Louis County Police Department issued an Endangered Person Advisory for a bar owner who disappeared last night and may have been kidnapped and held for ransom.
Police said 37-year-old James Kitchell was last seen at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday at St. Andrews Restaurant and Pub at 3971 Bayless.
Kitchell is a bar owner. His vehicle, keys, cell phone and a ransom type note were found in the parking lot.
Kitchell is described as a white, male, 5' 11", 230 lbs, with blonde hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, with a tattoo on the right arm (red dog), wearing blue pullover wind breaker, blue levis and black tennis shoes with green soles.
There is no suspect vehicle Information at this time and there are no suspects.
If you see Kitchell, call 911 or call the St Louis County Police Department at (314) 615-5360.
I went to grade school with Jimmy, and was in Scouts with him. Tim knows him as well, as they're both in the first responders field, and they hung out in similar circles.
He and I have always been cool...I hope nothing bad has happened to him.
12.24.2008
Be kind
Eight years ago, I was an assistant manager at the CVS at 10th and Passyunk in South Philadelphia. I had Xmas off, and worked the day shift on Xmas Eve.
About an hour before quitting time, another assistant manager busted a shoplifter...mostly cosmetics and H&B items. The amount she stole was over $100...a felony in Pennsylvania (though she insisted that we were padding the totals--apparently she was aware of the $100 line). She was apparently a crack addict, living in some dilapidated joint over in Grays Ferry (a run-down neighborhood in South Philadelphia, about a mile or so from the store).
I got picked to sit with her while waiting for the police to arrive. Though the police station was just down the street, it took them almost an hour to get there. So, I sat with the shoplifter in our break room. The store sprang for food and drink for the day, and it was all laid out back there.
We had been sitting back there for a bit, and the shoplifter asked me if she could have a sandwich...we had a bunch of mini deli sandwiches sitting on the table that we were sitting at.
I considered saying no...after all, this woman had just tried to steal $100 of merchandise from the store...why should I offer her any food? Goddamn, she was awfully greedy.
But it was Xmas Eve. It was likely that she would be in jail for at least 2 days (Xmas Eve was on a Sunday in 2000), she didn't look very healthy and it would probably be the best meal she'd have for a while. So, I fixed her a plate, and later poured her some ginger ale.
After the police picked her up, I got 50 kinds of hell from my co-workers. They were mainly giving me shit, but I think they were genuinely curious as to why I would feed someone that had just shit on us. For the most part, my reply was simple..."It's Christmas." And I think they understood.
You may not celebrate Christmas, but you can certainly be down with going out of your way to help someone during December. Think of it as a head start on good points for the New Year...or a way to catch up on the dying year. It doesn't have to be dramatic...just being nice for 5 minutes to someone you dislike will do.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. God bless.
Love,
T-$
About an hour before quitting time, another assistant manager busted a shoplifter...mostly cosmetics and H&B items. The amount she stole was over $100...a felony in Pennsylvania (though she insisted that we were padding the totals--apparently she was aware of the $100 line). She was apparently a crack addict, living in some dilapidated joint over in Grays Ferry (a run-down neighborhood in South Philadelphia, about a mile or so from the store).
I got picked to sit with her while waiting for the police to arrive. Though the police station was just down the street, it took them almost an hour to get there. So, I sat with the shoplifter in our break room. The store sprang for food and drink for the day, and it was all laid out back there.
We had been sitting back there for a bit, and the shoplifter asked me if she could have a sandwich...we had a bunch of mini deli sandwiches sitting on the table that we were sitting at.
I considered saying no...after all, this woman had just tried to steal $100 of merchandise from the store...why should I offer her any food? Goddamn, she was awfully greedy.
But it was Xmas Eve. It was likely that she would be in jail for at least 2 days (Xmas Eve was on a Sunday in 2000), she didn't look very healthy and it would probably be the best meal she'd have for a while. So, I fixed her a plate, and later poured her some ginger ale.
After the police picked her up, I got 50 kinds of hell from my co-workers. They were mainly giving me shit, but I think they were genuinely curious as to why I would feed someone that had just shit on us. For the most part, my reply was simple..."It's Christmas." And I think they understood.
You may not celebrate Christmas, but you can certainly be down with going out of your way to help someone during December. Think of it as a head start on good points for the New Year...or a way to catch up on the dying year. It doesn't have to be dramatic...just being nice for 5 minutes to someone you dislike will do.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. God bless.
Love,
T-$
12.09.2008
Blago's gotta go
I liked Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich when he was first elected in 2002...and anything was better at that point than George Ryan. But he's been looking like George Ryan over the past few years...and the shit finally hit the fan today. From the Chicago Tribune (full story being printed due to the short lifespan of online newspaper stories):
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested Tuesday for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called a "political corruption crime spree" that included attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Blagojevich and Harris were named in a federal criminal complaint that alleged a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy aimed at providing financial benefits to the governor, his political fund and to his wife, First Lady Patricia Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was taken into federal custody by FBI agents at his North Side home Tuesday morning—one day shy of his 52nd birthday.
The arrests dealt a tumultuous blow to Illinois government, at once raising questions about the leadership of the state and the fate of the open Senate seat—which the governor alone has the power to fill under the state law.
The allegations against Blagojevich provide a sharp contrast to a Democratic governor who campaigned for office promising reforms in the wake of disgraced, scandal-tainted Republican chief executive George Ryan. The complaint against Blagojevich comes little more than two years after Ryan was sentenced to 61/2 years in prison on federal corruption charges.
Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office, characterized Illinois' place in the pantheon of political corruption.
"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," Grant said. And Fitzgerald, whose office also prosecuted Blagojevich's predecessor, said Blagojevich's "conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave."
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn called on Blagojevich to step aside, at least temporarily, or resign because the governor is "seriously impeded from carrying out his oath of office."
"I think he knows what he needs to do for the people," said Quinn, a Democrat.
Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, who had been viewed as a likely 2010 challenger if Blagojevich sought a third term, said the governor should immediately step down. Madigan, the daughter of longtime Blagojevich nemesis House Speaker Michael Madigan, also said she was moving forward on legal issues if the governor did not resign.
Despite facing myriad federal investigations throughout his five-year tenure, Blagojevich has maintained he committed no wrongdoing. On Monday, Blagojevich said any discussions he has had were "always lawful."
The stunning, early morning arrest followed a series of Tribune stories revealing federal investigators had compiled secret recordings of the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant. In recent days, the focus of federal investigators expanded beyond a probe of allegations of wrongdoing involving state jobs, contracts and appointments in exchange for campaign dollars to the possibility that the Senate succession process had become tainted by pay-to-play politics.
Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes about 6:15 a.m., according to the FBI. They were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago. Blagojevich appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan early in the afternoon and heard the charges read against him before being released on his own recognizance.
Spurring federal investigators to act was Blagojevich's pending appointment of a Senate successor to Obama, whose resignation took effect Nov. 16. Blagojevich had said he expected to name a new senator around the end of the year.
Prosecutors said they had numerous recorded conversations of Blagojevich discussing the merits of potential candidates, including their abilities to benefit the people of Illinois as well as the financial and political benefits he and his wife could receive.
Prosecutors said their recordings revealed Blagojevich expressed feeling "stuck" as a sitting governor and he spent a large amount of time weighing whether he should appoint himself to the vacancy—possibly to avoid impeachment and help remake his image for a potential 2016 run for the presidency. A recent Tribune poll found Blagojevich with a record low 13 percent job approval rating.
Under state law, the governor has the sole unfettered discretion to name Obama's appointment. Despite his arrest, he continues to have the naming authority and some lawmakers discussed looking for ways to wrest it from him.
Prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services or wanted an ambassadorship in the new Obama administration, or to be placed in a lucrative union-affiliated job in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett, a close friend and adviser to the president-elect to the Senate seat. Jarrett eventually took herself out of the running and Fitzgerald said "we make no allegation" that Obama was aware of Blagojevich's attempt to leverage the appointment.
Fitzgerald quoted a Blagojevich conversation in which the governor said the Senate seat is "a bleeping valuable thing. Y ou just don't give it away. ... I've got this thing, and it's bleeping golden."
Obama spoke briefly about the arrest today in Chicago. "Like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office today," Obama said. "But as this is an ongoing investigation involving the governor, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."
As reporters we being escorted from a brief photo opportunity following a nearly two hour meeting with Gore, reporters shouted questions about the matter at the president-elect. "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening. And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois," Obama said.
Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year's end when a new tougher law on campaign donations, prompted by the governor's voracious fundraising, would take effect.
Even Blagojevich's recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and "green lanes" on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged. The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, [expletive] 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.
Blagojevich and Harris also allegedly conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.
Fitzgerald thanked the Chicago Tribune, which had been reporting on the investigation, for honoring a rare request about eight weeks ago not to report on certain aspects of the investigation that he said could have been jeopardized.
Tribune Editor Gerould Kern said today that the newspaper delayed publishing some stories at the request of the U.S. attorney's office during the course of reporting on the accelerating investigation of Blagojevich.
"On occasion, prosecutors asked us to delay publication of stories, asserting that disclosure would jeopardize the criminal investigation," Kern said. "In isolated instances, we granted the requests, but other requests were refused."
So...what did Obama know and when did he know it? There are plenty of people ready to preside over the Big O's downfall, after all. But Rod and the Big O aren't close, and based on some of what Rod was saying, I don't think he likes Big O. So I don't think Obama is involved in this racket.
Innocent until proven guilty is the law in this country...but it's hard as hell to argue this bullshit. Especially some shit like item 65 from the indictment.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested Tuesday for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called a "political corruption crime spree" that included attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Blagojevich and Harris were named in a federal criminal complaint that alleged a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy aimed at providing financial benefits to the governor, his political fund and to his wife, First Lady Patricia Blagojevich.
Blagojevich was taken into federal custody by FBI agents at his North Side home Tuesday morning—one day shy of his 52nd birthday.
The arrests dealt a tumultuous blow to Illinois government, at once raising questions about the leadership of the state and the fate of the open Senate seat—which the governor alone has the power to fill under the state law.
The allegations against Blagojevich provide a sharp contrast to a Democratic governor who campaigned for office promising reforms in the wake of disgraced, scandal-tainted Republican chief executive George Ryan. The complaint against Blagojevich comes little more than two years after Ryan was sentenced to 61/2 years in prison on federal corruption charges.
Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office, characterized Illinois' place in the pantheon of political corruption.
"If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," Grant said. And Fitzgerald, whose office also prosecuted Blagojevich's predecessor, said Blagojevich's "conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave."
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn called on Blagojevich to step aside, at least temporarily, or resign because the governor is "seriously impeded from carrying out his oath of office."
"I think he knows what he needs to do for the people," said Quinn, a Democrat.
Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, who had been viewed as a likely 2010 challenger if Blagojevich sought a third term, said the governor should immediately step down. Madigan, the daughter of longtime Blagojevich nemesis House Speaker Michael Madigan, also said she was moving forward on legal issues if the governor did not resign.
Despite facing myriad federal investigations throughout his five-year tenure, Blagojevich has maintained he committed no wrongdoing. On Monday, Blagojevich said any discussions he has had were "always lawful."
The stunning, early morning arrest followed a series of Tribune stories revealing federal investigators had compiled secret recordings of the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant. In recent days, the focus of federal investigators expanded beyond a probe of allegations of wrongdoing involving state jobs, contracts and appointments in exchange for campaign dollars to the possibility that the Senate succession process had become tainted by pay-to-play politics.
Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes about 6:15 a.m., according to the FBI. They were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago. Blagojevich appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan early in the afternoon and heard the charges read against him before being released on his own recognizance.
Spurring federal investigators to act was Blagojevich's pending appointment of a Senate successor to Obama, whose resignation took effect Nov. 16. Blagojevich had said he expected to name a new senator around the end of the year.
Prosecutors said they had numerous recorded conversations of Blagojevich discussing the merits of potential candidates, including their abilities to benefit the people of Illinois as well as the financial and political benefits he and his wife could receive.
Prosecutors said their recordings revealed Blagojevich expressed feeling "stuck" as a sitting governor and he spent a large amount of time weighing whether he should appoint himself to the vacancy—possibly to avoid impeachment and help remake his image for a potential 2016 run for the presidency. A recent Tribune poll found Blagojevich with a record low 13 percent job approval rating.
Under state law, the governor has the sole unfettered discretion to name Obama's appointment. Despite his arrest, he continues to have the naming authority and some lawmakers discussed looking for ways to wrest it from him.
Prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services or wanted an ambassadorship in the new Obama administration, or to be placed in a lucrative union-affiliated job in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett, a close friend and adviser to the president-elect to the Senate seat. Jarrett eventually took herself out of the running and Fitzgerald said "we make no allegation" that Obama was aware of Blagojevich's attempt to leverage the appointment.
Fitzgerald quoted a Blagojevich conversation in which the governor said the Senate seat is "a bleeping valuable thing. Y ou just don't give it away. ... I've got this thing, and it's bleeping golden."
Obama spoke briefly about the arrest today in Chicago. "Like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office today," Obama said. "But as this is an ongoing investigation involving the governor, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."
As reporters we being escorted from a brief photo opportunity following a nearly two hour meeting with Gore, reporters shouted questions about the matter at the president-elect. "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening. And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois," Obama said.
Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year's end when a new tougher law on campaign donations, prompted by the governor's voracious fundraising, would take effect.
Even Blagojevich's recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and "green lanes" on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged. The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, [expletive] 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.
Blagojevich and Harris also allegedly conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.
Fitzgerald thanked the Chicago Tribune, which had been reporting on the investigation, for honoring a rare request about eight weeks ago not to report on certain aspects of the investigation that he said could have been jeopardized.
Tribune Editor Gerould Kern said today that the newspaper delayed publishing some stories at the request of the U.S. attorney's office during the course of reporting on the accelerating investigation of Blagojevich.
"On occasion, prosecutors asked us to delay publication of stories, asserting that disclosure would jeopardize the criminal investigation," Kern said. "In isolated instances, we granted the requests, but other requests were refused."
So...what did Obama know and when did he know it? There are plenty of people ready to preside over the Big O's downfall, after all. But Rod and the Big O aren't close, and based on some of what Rod was saying, I don't think he likes Big O. So I don't think Obama is involved in this racket.
Innocent until proven guilty is the law in this country...but it's hard as hell to argue this bullshit. Especially some shit like item 65 from the indictment.
12.07.2008
Orbz promo
12.06.2008
Good news...I think
It's not as good as April getting a job, but we'll take whatever we can get at this point.
Apparently, I have some money from my days at CVS that the Treasurer of Pennsylvania has been keeping safe for me. I think I remember this situation...maybe. CVS and I went back and forth on two weeks' worth of work not long after I started working there...so this was early 2001. I got paid for the work, but they kept sending me duplicate checks for these two particular weeks...and I would send them back. This went on for four months, and finally stopped just before I left the company. Well, apparently, CVS sent two paychecks to unclaimed property at the Treasurer's office 2 years ago. Are these the two checks I mentioned? I dunno...and I don't care at this point. It's been over 7 years since I worked at CVS...I'm taking the checks--or rather, the money. The Commonwealth sells off checks, stocks, etc.
I've known that I've had unclaimed property with the Treasurer's office for a while, but have been too lazy to look into it. Then I got a letter in the mail yesterday from company that offers to get your property for you--for a fee, of course. I knew it was a scam, so I finally looked up the claim and filed for the $$$. Whoohoo!
Then last night, April got a call from a detective in the North Patrol Division of the St. Louis Metro Police Department. The detective was looking for me, and advised April that my cell phone that was stolen in August had been recovered. Then April saw a story on the news last night about an apartment on the West Side that had been raided, and a ton of stolen shit had been recovered...the items were stolen from the area where I robbed around the same time as I was. Among the items recovered: 20 iPods. And look at this picture...do you think someone is actually going to claim that, um, marital aid?
Anyway, so my phone is definitely there. And maybe my iPod is too...that would be hella sweet!
Now, if we could just find some jobs...
Apparently, I have some money from my days at CVS that the Treasurer of Pennsylvania has been keeping safe for me. I think I remember this situation...maybe. CVS and I went back and forth on two weeks' worth of work not long after I started working there...so this was early 2001. I got paid for the work, but they kept sending me duplicate checks for these two particular weeks...and I would send them back. This went on for four months, and finally stopped just before I left the company. Well, apparently, CVS sent two paychecks to unclaimed property at the Treasurer's office 2 years ago. Are these the two checks I mentioned? I dunno...and I don't care at this point. It's been over 7 years since I worked at CVS...I'm taking the checks--or rather, the money. The Commonwealth sells off checks, stocks, etc.
I've known that I've had unclaimed property with the Treasurer's office for a while, but have been too lazy to look into it. Then I got a letter in the mail yesterday from company that offers to get your property for you--for a fee, of course. I knew it was a scam, so I finally looked up the claim and filed for the $$$. Whoohoo!
Then last night, April got a call from a detective in the North Patrol Division of the St. Louis Metro Police Department. The detective was looking for me, and advised April that my cell phone that was stolen in August had been recovered. Then April saw a story on the news last night about an apartment on the West Side that had been raided, and a ton of stolen shit had been recovered...the items were stolen from the area where I robbed around the same time as I was. Among the items recovered: 20 iPods. And look at this picture...do you think someone is actually going to claim that, um, marital aid?
Anyway, so my phone is definitely there. And maybe my iPod is too...that would be hella sweet!
Now, if we could just find some jobs...
12.04.2008
Back to the daily
On January 1st, I plan to return to posting every single day here at the Bosque. You might recall our previous streak of 531 days from November 2004-May 2006.
If you contributed to the old Bosque forum, you'll soon be receiving instructions on how to use the Bosque blog. In other words, you're being drafted. :) For the rest of you, if I know you well enough, and you want to help contribute to this mess that is the Bosque, let me know.
Thanks.
If you contributed to the old Bosque forum, you'll soon be receiving instructions on how to use the Bosque blog. In other words, you're being drafted. :) For the rest of you, if I know you well enough, and you want to help contribute to this mess that is the Bosque, let me know.
Thanks.
12.01.2008
The first day of December brings us the first...
...snow!!!
Actually, we got snow in the area yesterday morning, but it was mostly in the northern suburbs. Since we didn't get it in Sycamoreland, it doesn't count...today's does. :)
Actually, we got snow in the area yesterday morning, but it was mostly in the northern suburbs. Since we didn't get it in Sycamoreland, it doesn't count...today's does. :)
