By Steve Rhodes
“We were going to write about something else this morning, but the big news that Google (GOOG) agreed to buy Motorola Mobility (MMI) in a $12.5 billion deal prompted us to change our plans,” Footnoted reports. The WSJ live-blogged the conference call and there’s plenty of other breathless coverage pointing out that this is Google’s biggest deal ever.
“But we thought it was more interesting to dive into Motorola Mobility’s filings. As footnoted regulars know, we like to plunge head-first into the filings, especially following a big deal. And it didn’t take us long to find this severance plan that was attached to the 10-Q that Motorola filed just over two weeks ago.”
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Nice. Do we get our money back now?
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Probably not.
Cicero Mobility
“A New Jersey dummy corporation tied to a $16 million theft provided the single largest cash contribution to Cicero Town President Larry Dominick at a critical time during his first run for office, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
“The company, Tea-Rific Beverage Inc., was allegedly used to launder millions of dollars stolen by two family members of Cicero’s current town attorney, Michael Del Galdo.”
World’s Fair Updates
* “Fire has ravaged a massive wooden replica of a stove that was built for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and became a Detroit landmark,” AP reports.
“Fire crews were called to the ‘World’s Largest Stove’ at the Michigan State Fairgrounds on Saturday night after storms moved through the area.”
* “Four carved wooden panels from Japan’s pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition are together again after a 118-year journey that spanned Jackson Park, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the area underneath Soldier Field’s bleachers,” the Sun-Times reports.
“The Art Institute of Chicago is the new home to the four ramma, which were hung together in the museum’s Japanese Art Galleries earlier this month. The panels were originally the show-stopping centerpiece inside Phoenix Hall, Japan’s home at the 1893 exhibition that stood out among the expo’s ‘White City.'”
Hot Dog Wars
“The nation’s two largest hot dog makers are taking their legal beefs Monday to federal court in Chicago, where a judge will determine whether Oscar Mayer or Ball Park franks broke false-advertising laws in their efforts to become top dog,” AP reports.
“Legal arguments in the long-ranging wiener war between Chicago companies pit Sara Lee Corp, which makes Ball Park franks, against Kraft Foods Inc., which makes Oscar Mayer. The case could clarify how far companies nationwide can go when boasting that their product is better than a competitor’s.”
Sorry, Charlie
“Governor Quinn Proclaims August 19 ‘Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez Day.'”
Second City Again
“The world record for the most people showering together has been broken on a British beach,” Female First reports.
“Up to 152 men and women donned their swimming trunks and bikinis to set the Guinness World Record on Bournemouth beach, breaking the previous feat of 145 individuals bathing together in Chicago in 2009.”
Motor City
“Somebody once said that if you stand on a street corner in Chicago long enough, everyone you’ve met in your life will eventually walk by,” Kurt Ernst writes for Motor Authority. “We’re not willing to try that particular experiment, but we’ll agree that Chicago can certainly play host to the unexpected. Like seeing the BMW i3 electric car concept rolling down Wacker Drive, for example.”
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Did somebody really say that?
Sugar-Free
Wrigley Mansion Faces Foreclosure.
Common Core
“There are few in the game who have witnessed as much as Common has over his long career,” Complex reports. “In his autobiography, titled One Day It’ll All Make Sense, the Chicago native details his experiences and stories involving Tupac, Biggie, Lauryn Hill, Barack Obama, and Nelson Mandela.”
Ald. Joe Moreno (D-Minor Threat)
“As this blog recently noted in a post about the Chicago City Council starting to demand a review of Lollapalooza’s long-term, tax-free sweetheart deal, the 1st Ward’s newly elected representative, Proco Joe Moreno, has been dubbed ‘the hipster alderman,’ thanks to profiles in Red Eye and the Onion’s A.V. Club,” Jim DeRogatis writes.
“The title isn’t one that the 39-year-old council member embraces – he prefers ‘contemporary’ – but Moreno may nevertheless be the only elected official in America with a vinyl copy of the 1984 Minor Threat compilation prominently displayed in his office.”
Snake Oil
“Despite a $7.5 million tax subsidy from the city of Chicago, Loretto Hospital hasn’t created any of the permanent jobs it promised when it was awarded the money in November 2009,” AustinTalks reports.
“The hospital also hasn’t provided any evidence that the taxpayer-funded renovation and expansion has spurred economic growth – one of the goals of the tax-increment financing program that provides the cash subsidy.”
Backup Bears Better Than Backup Bills
“The secret to preseason football success: Keep your first-string offensive line out there longer than the other team’s first-string defense,” our very own Jim Coffman writes in SportsMonday, which also includes video from the Arlington Million and the must-see Dennis Rodman speech from his Hall of Fame induction.
Invasion of the Nerds
They Came, They Geeked Out, They Played Red Rover: Chicago Comic Con 2011.
The Weekend in Chicago Rock
They played at a venue near you.
Big Z Envy
What Cubs fan wouldn’t like to do the same?
Kites and Koreans
Festival season in Chicago continues.
Jesus at the Ballpark
A matchup we’d like to see.
Programming Note
I’ll be back behind the bar at the venerable Beachwood Inn tonight, slinging cold Old Styles and manning the secret volume button for the jukebox. Stop by but remember: No politics, just rock. 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Blessed.
Posted on August 15, 2011