Move over New York, we're now the Second City for murders in US, second to Chicago.

According to FBI crime statistics released this week, Chicago had more homicides in 2012 than NYC, or any other city in the country. There were 500 murders in Chicago last year, according to the FBI and New York City had 419.

In 2011, there were 515 homicides in the Big Apple, compared with the 431 in Chicago.

But residents of Chicago and NYC were much less likely to be victims of a homicide than those in Flint, Michigan where there were 63 killings, which is an unbelievable statistic considering Flint's population is 101,632. This means that 1 in every 1,613 residents were homicide victims. In Detroit, Michigan there were 386 killings in 2012, That is 1 in 1,832 homicide victims.

The FBI estimated the number of violent crimes increased 0.7 percent, according to the same figures. However, property crimes decreased 0.9 percent, marking the 10th straight year of declines for these offenses, collectively.

The 2012 statistics show that the estimated rate of violent crime was 386.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the property crime rate was 2,859.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. While the violent crime rate remained virtually unchanged when compared to the 2011 rate, the property crime rate declined 1.6 percent.

Guns were used in the vast majority of slayings in the United States last year. According to the FBI data, 69.3 percent involved a firearm.

Overall, violent crime — homicides and aggravated assaults — was up less than 1 percent in 2012, according to FBI data.

On the first day of gridlock, congress said to me.... Obamacare belongs in the bottom of the sea.

No, not again? Starting on October 1, 2013, the US economy could freeze over following a forced government shutdown because of the healthcare overhaul known as Obamacare.

The Republican-led US House of Representatives is about to to pass a bill that would fund government operations but not Obamacare. The president says some House Republicans are risking a US government shutdown.

Its Thanksgiving mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, aka Happy Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, i.e. A great day to eat lots of moon-cake, duck, crabs, fruits and my favorite, those delicious home made dumplings.

These moon-cakes eaten during Mid-Autumn Festival that takes place this long weekend are like Christmas fruitcakes: leaden, sticky, obligatory gifts made from recipes that became outdated generations ago.

Chinese folks bring these at family functions not because they delicious, but because you can’t show up without them.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 2nd grandest celebration after the Chinese News year, aka Spring Festival, is observed this year on September 19, 2013, the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The holidays is is also called Moon Festival, Moon Cake Festival, Zhongqiu Festival, and Lantern Festival, the day when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.