One Day...

One day until the big announcement on who will hold the 2016 Summer Olympics.  I have to say, I'm nervous, bad nervous, like I would imagine this is how I would feel if the Cubs were up 3-0 after seven innings, up 3 games to 2 in the NLCS... sure it'd be cool if the Cubs won, but I don't want them to.  Same thing with the Olympics, sure it'd be cool if Chicago won, but I don't want them.  And I'm not alone.  I think, going into tomorrow, it's Rio's to lose.  They've got Pele.  We've got Oprah.  I'll take Pele.

Once again, if Chicago doesn't get the Olympics, the Derrion Albert tragedy will be a major reason why.  Two Sun-Times columnists chime in this morning.  Roper states the obvious.  Mary Mitchell does her thing.  And the Trib had a chilling editorial on youth violence in Chicago.  Second City Cop chimes in about the rumors of a squad car being near the scene where Albert was beaten and not doing anything.

And then just when Daley and company in Copenhagen thought it couldn't get worse... another student is beaten, this time on the North Side.  Thankfully, this one is in the hospital.  I can't believe I just typed that.

Talks with Iran begin today.  Follow them here if you'd like.  Will Obama drop by tomorrow since he'll be in Copenhagen anyway?  

And by the way, Obama going to Copenhagen is the biggest joke in his almost nine months in office.  Really Obama?  Going to Copenhagen just to pitch Chicago?  Really?  On the U.S. tax payers dime too?  And what about all the green house gases you're releasing just for a "what's up, IOC and Danish peeps?"  What a joke.  I know your house will probably increase in value if Chicago gets the Olympics, and you going is totally rational by going to Copenhagen since you have the means and if we get it then your house will be worth more... but come on.  There are much much bigger issues going on in the world today.

I know everyone keeps telling us the economy is getting better and the stock market has reacted as such... but the last week has been nothing other than "banks continues to deleverage" and "____ was lower than expected".  Are we starting to see a drop in the market again?  There's been a lot not good news, but the market has been acting like there has been a good news.  I'm not sure what the true value of the US stock market is, I'm not expert there, but it does seem high to me for what it's worth.

Lastly, interesting editorial in the Trib today on... Cuba (I know, you'd think they would run something Olympic or Iran or health care or clout related...).  It's good, it's interesting, but just weird timing.  "U.S. businesses are eager to do business with Cuba. And Cuba has a lot to offer the U.S. market -- everything from sugar to cigars to major league pitchers."  However, Cuba doesn't have sugar to offer us because we have a stupid sugar tariff which probably costs the American consumer more than you'd ever guess.  Seriously, our sugar policy might be the second most backward policy in this country (the Cuba embargo, probably takes the cake... and I forgot about Iraq, so
maybe we'll move sugar to #3). 

Just thinking out loud, but if Chicago does get the Olympics, who runs them?  Who would Daley appoint?  Who could Daley appoint?  He only has a few options because of the 'brain drain' that has occurred with Obama taking half the city to D.C. and I'm assuming that no one there would leave D.C. to run the Olympics...