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Better that 10 guilty men go free than one innocent man suffer - William Blackstone The ratio of 10:1 has become known as "The Blackstone Ratio" in our judicial system, however, the idea of "Innocent until Proven Guilty" is one that is at the very heart of America. It is something that we are taught as a child and something that we hear everyday if we turn on the TV and watch any show from Law & Order to COPS. But why is it that when we read a news story or hear a friend tell a story that we don't stand by these words?

Facebook has become part of the fabric of our everyday lives. One of the most interesting things about such a social median is being able to get the thoughts of your friends, but mostly the thoughts of your acquaintances real time. One recent time I remember most was the acquittal of Casey Anthony on the charges of murder of her daughter. The uproar was outrageous! Everyone was saying "How could she get away with this?" "Our legal system is flawed!" "There is no justice anymore!" Yet everyone who said this had no true knowledge of the case. They were not a juror, they were not in the court room. They were not eye witnesses to the crime in question nor did they probably even read the case in detail but instead formulated an opinion based on a few moments of media coverage but mostly based on their emotions.

Currently we see hate crimes taking place against the LGBT community and the complete outrage when someone is not convicted. Again, the same posts are thrown on Facebook "Our legal system is flawed!" "There is no more justice!" But again, you weren't a juror were you? Were you a witness to the crime? Then how can you be so quick as to make a judgement of guilty or not guilty?

Why am I writing this? I'm writing this because it annoys me to see the increased immaturity of society. A society where we jump to conclusions so quickly that we forget the basic Law and Order that is the basis for a democracy.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one to be soft on crime. I am as conservative as it gets when it comes to someone breaking into my home in the middle of the night and I believe in very strict punishments for the most disgusting and heinous crimes. However, at the same time I have faith in our legal system. I have faith in such a system not because it is perfect. It is not perfect and many times guilty go free and sometimes innocence gets put behind bars. But at the end of the day it is the best that we have and it is what we live by.

So the next time someone "gets acquitted" don't bitch that they should be guilty because if there was enough evidence they would have. Don't bitch unless you were on the jury and you sat through all the testimony. If you really feel strongly regarding the guilt of all the suspects you read about on the news and on articles posted on Facebook then send yourself to law school and become a prosecutor. Until then, don't bitch and complain about the judicial system that we have in place.

There has been a great deal of negativity on Facebook and on other social media sites in recent months. Everyone has something bad to say. Either they feel they're not free, they have a terrible life...the list goes on. So in the true spirit of Thanksgiving here are some POSITIVE thoughts....

What am I thankful for? I'm thankful for living in a country where I am free. I am thankful for the rights that I DO have as a gay man. I'm thankful for the thousands of people who came before me and fought for those rights so I can walk into a bar without worrying of being attacked and sit in one without the worry of police raids. I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the right to continue to fight to earn the rights we believe we should have.

I am thankful that right now there are thousands of troops defending my freedom and defending my right to be sitting in my living room peacefully writing a blog such as this. I am thankful for the thousands of men and women who have died defending such freedom for this country.

I am thankful that I live in a country where hard work and smart work DOES pay off. I'm thankful for the values and work ethic I was raised with. Values and work ethic that have allowed me to continue working despite the fact that that I was in the very center of the hell we know as the credit crisis.

I am thankful to have friends and family that love me. Friends and family that when times get tough I can turn to for support and not turn to to bitch and complain. I am thankful to have a boyfriend that loves me and cares for me, despite the fact that he can be a little bitch at times like this morning "Where is my coffee?! Why didn't the alarm go off in time?!" Ugh

I am thankful that I am not blinded or jaded by the few difficulties in my life and I am able to see the world and this country as the wonderful place and the amazing opportunity that it is. I am thankful that I understand life is not perfect, challenges will come my way but am thankful I have the understanding of how to deal with these challenges.

I am grateful for all that I have from loved ones and friends to friends that are loved ones. There is no other time in the world or country on this earth I would rather live in than where I am today. I am proud to be who I am and where I come from. I am thankful that I can realize that and thankful to ALL those who make it possible everyday; my friends, my family, the random people on the street and those defending our freedom on a daily basis.

I've been to Taverna 750 several times for drinks but tonight was my first night to sit down and have a meal at Boystown's newest restaurant. For those of you not familiar with Taverna 750 it inhabits the home of what used to be "Cornelia's." If you're worried that the decor might be the same, don't! There has been a complete 180 renovation on the space.

My boyfriend (Edward) and I sat down right around 7pm on a Friday night. When we first walked in Taverna was relatively dead. However, by 7:30 every single table was full and if you wanted to dine you needed to wait at least 30-45minutes. This was a great thing to see. Our waiter was named Chris. His service was prompt, he was polite, professional...I have no complaints. One of my friends was working there, Jason, who recommended a couple items on the menu. We took him up on his recommendations and ordered the Risotto Cakes to start, followed by a couple soups and braised pork shoulder and lemon chicken.

All in all the food was very good. My favorite part of my meal was my Butternut Squash soup and the Polenta that came with my braised pork shoulder. Whenever I go to a restaurant I like to judge everything by VALUE. I look at what I am paying versus the quality that I get. The braised pork shoulder was a very very healthy helping and was only $9. The risotto cakes as an appetizer were only $6 and the soup was only $4. We ordered a carafe of Chianti for only $30, followed by an amazing desert and espresso martinis to cap off the night. So here are my thoughts on Taverna 750!

The decor is great. They have done a great job of creating a true restaurant but also a place where you can enjoy a cocktail in a comfortable yet upscale atmosphere. Is it the best Italian food I've ever had? No, however dollar for dollar I would say it is some of the best food I've had. I know that Paul, the owner, isn't trying to compete with the 5 Star Italian restaurants of the world. Instead he is taking great family recipes, great concepts and mixing them together with great drinks, service and prices that literally everyone can afford. When I first opened the menu I was surprised at how cheap everything was (entrees from $9 to $12). I assumed that when the food would come the items would be small portioned but that was not the case! All items were very generous and this was great to see.

So to break down exactly what we had to eat here is what we had and you can judge for yourself!

We had a carafe of Chianti (carafe is equal to 1 liter), we ordered Risotto cakes for an appetizer. We then each had a soup (I had butternut squash and Edward had a chicken ravioli). For entree's we had Braised Pork Shoulder and Chicken Limone (Lemon Chicken breast with fettucini noodles and brussel sprouts). We had the "Butter Brown Cake" for desert which was basically an amazing apple pie type thing with...I don't know, it was good! We then each ordered an espresso martini. Total bill with roughly a 23% tip was $56 a person.

We had a great night and I can say we definitely spent more than 50% of our bill in liquor versus food, so if you are not a drinker you will have an even a cheaper night at Taverna. Lastly, I would like to say one of the greatest things I saw at Taverna was neighbors walking into the restaurant. Even couples with their kids, people coming after work, etc. Taverna is starting to build a reputation around Lakeview and not just the Boystown community which I think is a huge plus not just from the business perspective but also from a "reality check" perspective. We don't just live in part of a community, but we live in a neighborhood. I'm very happy to see Taverna become part of this neighborhood and congratulations to Paul and all the staff at Taverna 750!

If you have not been to Taverna yet please do come by. It is very very reasonable and the atmosphere is great! The drinks are to die for and are truly unique. You will not be sorry!

And the 99% Continue....

My Grandmother and Grandfather came over to the US in the late 1940's. Prior to that they were in Nazi work camps. My Grandmother was Ukrainian and my Grandfather was Ukrainian and Czech. When they arrived in the US they picked cotton; they were indentured servants for a year. They then traveled to Chicago as many Ukrainians did. Here they got jobs and gave birth to my mother a year later. Eight years later my Grandfather died. My Grandmother continued to work without complaint and despite the fact that her education was not in excess of the 6th grade here in the States. She put my mother through college, bought her a car after graduation and gave my mom a downpayment for her first home. My Grandmother even owned rental property. Both my Grandparents were factory workers (Campbell Soup and Nabisco - worked on the line). Sure my Grandmother was modest, never having expensive things but more importantly she never complained. When her husband died at the age of 38 she didn't bitch.

My Mother graduated college during a time when a college degree made it rather easy to get a job. Her degree was in education and my mother taught Special Ed for the Chicago Public Schools. She worked in one of the worst areas of the city and put in her dues. While she dealt with her fair share of problems she'd only bitch under her breath and was always thankful she had a job.

When I was in college I majored in Finance. Real Estate was booming beyond belief and shows on TLC and HGTV fueled my passion for the industry and I jumped in with two feet carrying my family with me. Then the real estate market crashed. Add on top of that my degree in Finance and I was staring into the abyss of one of the worst possible positions for a college graduate. My experience was in a business that was laying off left and right. My degree was in a business that was laying off left and right. Not only that but I was about to lose several investment properties to foreclosure.

I was angry and I was pissed. But I wasn't upset at the banks that loaned me money at the age of 19 nor was I upset at the government regulators or the CEO's of the investment banks that traded the mortgages I took out. I wasn't upset at my college for not preparing me, nor did I get angry at the gentleman driving an S-Class in front of me. Instead I was angry at myself. I was angry that I did not take great caution, that I did not study the markets better and that I did not see the change coming. Surely, very few people did, but I still had no one else to blame but myself. So what did I do?

Well, apart from seek competent legal counsel for my property business, I continued working in Real Estate. I started to realize that with less people buying then there would probably be more renters so I started to market myself to them. I could have whined, I could have bitched, I could have yelled at the banks but I didn't. Instead of expecting everyone else to change I decided to change. I got my hands dirty and dove into the rental side of real estate. While I've never lived on the street and always had the support of my parents both emotional and when needed financially, I still found myself in what felt like Hell. I felt despair. I felt like I wasted years. I felt like I let down people. But again, the common theme here is the word "I."

Now, while I'm unfortunately not part of the 1% I am surviving. I'm doing OK. I pushed myself through. So when I log in to Facebook in the morning I do have a right to be upset and angry at protestors in the street and "friends" of mine who are upset because they cannot find work and choose to hold up signs and hold up banners. I'm upset because I don't see change in them, only their wanting for others to change and for others to give them a handout. I'm upset because almost all the issues they are protesting are issues that I dealt with. Yet, I sit here holding no one accountable but myself.

When I was raised I was taught personal responsibility. I was taught hard work. Even though I was told to go to school I was never told to expect to receive a job just because I'm educated. I was never told I would receive a job just because of the MS, PHD, or JD after my name.

Sure people have a right to be upset. People have a right to be angry. I am angry, I am upset. But the difference is who are we upset with? And what are we going to do about it? Are we going to protest in the street and "hope" for change. Or are we going to take advantage of the wonderful capitalistic system we have and change ourselves and better ourselves?

This is why I say I am part of the 99% but I stand with the 1%. I don't expect the system to change, I don't expect other to change. I expect to change myself with in the system. Because that is all I can control, me.

Well Steve you built one hell of an empire. I first became a Mac user about 2 years ago when I bought my first MacBook. I have held off, using my Blackberry for recent years but made a decision the other day to pre-order the iPhone when I can on Friday (actual release date will be Oct 14th). Today I heard the news that Steve Jobs has passed away. While I didn't know him, as most you reading this did not, I was still surprised to hear the news.

There are the few who did not like him like the Westboro Baptist Church who plan to protest his funeral. But these people are just angry at the world for being born in poor communities, growing up in hateful environments or simply being born with a small endowment. Oh well.

At the end of the day Steve Jobs was one hell of a worker. He built his company from the ground up. He was radical at times and even called crazy and f***ing nuts, but he was brilliant. He reinvented a company to go above and beyond. He didn't just create a product, but revolutionized the industry. He kept running his company until he no longer could and ironically his resignation was probably just as fatal to him as the cancer that plagued his body.

Steve you will be missed by many, but to me you'll be missed because of inspiration of true capitalism you brought to the market place. Your company will live on, and my God, what one hell of a company it has become.