I've been outside in my T-shirt throwing the football around with my wife and son on a day that feels even warmer than the reported 56 degrees, particularly in the sun. But the fact that it's 12 degrees warmer than the average high of 44 is not evidence of global [...]
Reader Tom F. from Arlington Heights writes:
Maybe 8 years ago you wrote a column about a an interrogation of an American POW where his captors showed him tape of protesting American students burning the flag. His response was along the lines of " you guys don't get it, this is [...]
The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said the vote (to allow the health-care reform bill to the floor for debate) was anything but procedural — casting it as a referendum on the bill itself, which he said would raise taxes, cut Medicare and create a "massive and unsustainable [...]
This Gap commercial has the usual suspects worked up into their annual lather:
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The Mississippi-based American Family Association last week issued a fatwa against Gap Inc. -- the retailing giant whose brands include Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic -- calling for a "two-month boycott" [...]A veritable caravan of terrorist sympathizers trooping across the heartland to visit their al-Qaida brethren imprisoned near the small' [...]
A veritable caravan of terrorist sympathizers trooping across the heartland to visit their al-Qaida brethren imprisoned near the small [...]
Dan Hynes' campaign has produced this video that show Gov. Pat Quinn apparently fighting sleep during one of yesterday's debate. I remember the little jerks of the head from my college days when I was struggling in lecture classes to avoid the clutches of Morpheus. But at no point does [...]
Dan Hynes' campaign has produced this video of our governor apparently fighting sleep during yesterday's Campaign for Better Healthcare Candidate Forum at Chicago’s Holiday Inn Mart Plaza.
The images are painfully familiar: The fidgeting. The yawning. The rocking in the seat. The snapping open of eyelids that' [...]
My wife and kids are fans of "Glee" so I sat and watched it with them last night. It was just one episode. And they said it wasn't a particularly good one. So perhaps this preliminary judgment is off base, but...
"Glee" it struck me' [...]
New York Times tech columnist/blogger David Pogue is on the warpath against Verizon ...
The more Verizon gouges, the worse it looks. Every single day, I get e-mail from people saying they’re switching at the first opportunity, or would if they could. In time, the only people who will stay [...]
Is the current Newsweek cover shot of Sarah Palin sexist? Maybe. Trivializing, for sure. Had they asked me I'd have advised against using it if only for the reason that it doesn't really illustrate the story/series of essays in the magazine or capture this particular [...]
Will we be able to top Bob Dylan's version of "Must Be Santa"? We'll sure try, though the break-away chandelier may not be in our budget:
Songs of Good Cheer 2009 tickets are officially sold out, but we expect a limited number of tickets to go on sale by phone [...]
The one sentence that puzzles me in "Bartender beating: More video footage shown in Police Board hearing --Commission to decide whether Anthony Abbate gets to keep his job."
The hearing was completed Monday, and the board is expected to make its decision within weeks.
Weeks? Weeks? This beating took place in [...]
Clinging to a six-point lead with a little more than two minutes to go and facing a 4th and 2 in their own territory, the New England Patriots went for it. Gained one yard. Then lost the game when the Indianapolis Colts quickly marched into the end zone. Most observers [...]
Clinging to a six-point lead with a little more than two minutes to go and facing a 4th and 2 in their own territory, the New England Patriots went for it. Gained one yard. Then lost the game when the Indianapolis Colts quickly marched into the end zone. Most observers [...]
I cringe when I watch this video assembled after President Obama bowed like a suppliant when greeting Japanese Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday. "Submission Accomplished," to quote Jon Stewart. Doesn't he have social and political advisers to help him plan these moments? Sheesh.
' [...]
GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan "Mr. Tea" Proft released a statement following his meeting yesterday with Democratic State Sen. James Meeks, a South Side pastor:
I went into the meeting impressed with Rev. Meeks’ willingness to stand up to the teachers’ unions. I came out of our meeting with great [...]I had lunch today with Bill Leff, host of WGN AM 720's new Saturday 9 a.m. --1 p.m. show "ChicagoNow Radio" (lest I get on the bad side of Rob Feder, I'll note that both the radio station and the ChicagoNow blog [...]
In Court set to hear George Ryan's plea to keep government pension we read of the argument scheduled for Wednesday in front of the Illinois Supreme Court over whether imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan will get the $65,000 a year, pension benefits he accrued before he held the offices [...]
Joshua J. Gordon, now 21, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the May 16, 2007, murder of James Keniski, 46, of Villa Park. He and three other young men went to Keniski's home to rob him, and prosecutors allege one of his accomplices, Semaj Walker, [...]
Two debate have broken out in the comment thread of the Oxford University Press blog where the lexicographers have announced their Word of the Year: "Unfriend"
unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook. As in, “I decided to unfriend [...]
At some point I may grow tired of this joke, but I'm not there yet. I particularly like "Charlie bit me" --
' [...]
I pulled two slices of cinnamon raisin bread from the bag on the counter. My sister watched me as I painstakingly picked out the raisins and flicked them into the sink.
"Why do you have Dad buy that bread if you don't' like raisins?"
"I don't like the raisins themselves, but their'" [...]
I tuned in to WLS AM 890 at noon today to get my weekly dose of bilious, self-righteous invective from ousted, indicted former governor, Rod Blagojevich, and instead got two hours of host Bill Moller flogging the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, infomercial style, with no explanation to listeners about what [...]
I tuned in to WLS AM 890 at noon today to get my weekly dose of bilious, self-righteous invective from ousted, indicted former governor, Rod Blagojevich, and instead got two hours of host Bill Moller flogging the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, infomercial style, with no explanation to listeners about what [...]
Did the University of Michigan football team stink up Camp Randall Stadium today worse than the Chicago Bears stunk up Candlestick Park Thursday night?
Are the Bears (4-5) comparatively more hapless, a bigger disappointment, a poorer emotional investment than the Wolverines (5-6)?
Hard to say. Both clubs are losing games [...]
In Sunday's print edition of Change of Subject:
Huberman wants to end the silly high school admissions game in Chicago
Entertaining doubts about my doubts about the `stroller girl' story
The surgical mute button for dogs that won't stop barkingThe spam plague is over, has anyone noticed?
Click through [...]In Catholic archdiocese gives ultimatum to D.C. we learn:
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it would be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District of Columbia if the city refused to change a proposed same-sex marriage law.
The threat could affect tens of [...]During his heated closing argument to the jury this week, DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett turned to defendant Brian Dugan, pointed triumphantly and declared, "We got it right! We got it right, Brian! You raped and killed Jeanine Nicarico!"
If only they'd allowed beverages in the courtroom, I [...]
In the Cruz-Hernandez cases, the system and I failed to achieve a just outcome. And for that I am sorry.... former DuPage County State's Atty. (and Ill. Atty. Gen) Jim Ryan, in a statement released this afternoon.
Ryan's relentlessly poor judgment overseeing the case that resulted in a death [...]
From my column archives:
Jim Ryan's role in Nicarico case won't go away
September 19, 2002
The words on the press release were so moist with sarcasm they all but turned the paper translucent:
Gov. George Ryan, they said, "welcomes the attorney general's newfound concern for fairness and justice."
[...]
If you can't beat `em, join' em. Then beat `em. They'll never see it coming... Stephen Colbert
The opening one-liners from "The Colbert Report" are often quite quotable. There's a trove of them here, including this variant, "If you can't beat 'em, report 'em to Homeland Security. They will beat [...]
The Old Town School of Folk Music open house on Nov. 21 has an incredible lineup that includes (note I did not say "features") --"Songs of Good Cheer Preview with Eric Zorn and Mary Schmich" at 6 p.m.
We and the cast will be asking those in attendance to help [...]
Finger-tutting. Nope, me neither:
Source: Random Good Stuff
[...]
Following up on my item the other day about the challenge to Ill. Rep. Deb Mell's nominating petitions and musing on ballot-petition challenges in general, let me ask again:
Why must incumbents pass petitions?
The idea behind having a signature requirement to get on the ballot is to assure [...]
It was odd, late Tuesday night, when the media and interested family members were summoned to Courtroom 4000 at the DuPage County courthouse with the news that jurors had decided whether or not to sentence serial sex killer Brian Dugan to death, then sent away with word that ""a few [...]
...in this chart:
"The future will arrive some day," concludes Andrew Sullivan, who pointed me to the source.
As I was standing in the security line today at the DuPage County Courthouse I saw guards send three or four people back to the parking garage so they could store their camera-equipped cell phones in their cars. Prominent signs at the entrance and in the parking garage warn visitors [...]
I'm a big fan of Roe Conn's quick-witted former sidekick Bill Leff, who's been doing fill-in work recently on WGN AM 720. So I was very happy to see this on ChicagoNow:
ChicagoNow Radio, a new kind of talk show for Chicago, launches this Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. Most [...]
My parents recently adopted a four-year-old Chihuahua/terrier mix with a persistent, annoying yet raspy little bark.
The rasp, they explained, came from efforts the dog's previous owners made to solve her barking problem surgically -- snipping away at her vocal cords.
I'd never heard of such a [...]
Candidate: I'm taking a look at that idea, yes.
Sparking this fantasy is a radio interview I heard Sunday [...]Candidate: I'm taking a look at that idea, yes.
Sparking this fantasy is a radio interview I heard Sunday night [...]Greg Hinz reports:
Northwest Side State Rep. Deb Mell may have screwed up her nominating petitions, with a real risk that she'll be knocked off the February Democratic primary ballot.
A challenge filed Monday afternoon by an attorney for Joseph Laiacona, the only other remaining candidate in the [...]
Here's Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ill. Sen. Kirk Dillard Sunday night during an hour-long panel discussion on WLS AM 890:
We need to look at every incentive the state of Illinois offers.
I clearly believe that Illinois should be a better financial center or hub than we've been in the past... I'm looking' [...]
Earlier this week I blogged on the movie "Call Northside 777" and touched on the true story behind the 1948 film classic shot in Chicago.
On that post, the son of the real-life prison inmate on whom the story turns, left an extended comment, which I'll re-publish here along with [...]
Evidently serial sex killer Brian Dugan is taking a pass on the opportunity to testify at his own sentencing hearing. Tsk. After he tried so hard to speak out at one of his court dates, after he had a note slipped to the media, after he tried to arrange for [...]
The child is [...]
Stop watching cable TV news and listening to politicians. Using them as a gauge of how divided we are is like using the National Hockey League to estimate the level of violence in America.... Steve Chapman
[...]The CTA Tattler at ChicagoNow asks What's your opinion on what happened in the stroller accident? and posts the poll below showing (at the time of this posting) only 3 percent of 245 respondents saying they believe the mother's story:
Many of these responses and the comments [...]
The CTA Tattler at ChicagoNow asks What's your opinion on what happened in the stroller accident? and posts the poll below showing (at the time of this posting) only 3 percent of 245 respondents saying they believe the mother's story:
Many of these responses and the comments (add yours to [...]
Illinois is mentioned far too often in The Impact of State Income Taxes on Low-Income Families in 2008
While some working-poor families get help lifting themselves out of poverty through exemptions from state income taxes, in many states they continue to face substantial state income tax liability... Six states — [...]
Good fortune:
A reader reminds me that the last one (above) is from a TV commercial. Here's the famous baby/stroller video from Australia:
And a couple more compilations. Some repeats here:
' [...]
A collection of online resources to deepen your understanding of the TIF issue.
Neighborhood Capital Budget Group -- a TIF primer & Who Pays for the Only Game in Town?
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) -- a 97-page Civic Federation Issue report
Ben Joravsky's TIF archive in the Chicago [...]
In After Mickey’s Makeover, Less Mr. Nice Guy, the New York Times reports today that the Walt Disney Company is finally planning to restore some definition to the Mickey Mouse character.
Thirteen years ago, during what must have been the 30th time through the velveeta hip-hop tune "Mickey Mania" I [...]
I called in sick today yet, somehow Mary Schmich and John Williams carried on without me. They did not mention my name for fear, I suspect, that it would cause them to burst into tears:
Credit to the Reader's Whet Moser for the suggestion of WTIF?!? as shorthand for "What's a TIF?!?" Which, itself is shorthand for "What's a Tax Increment Financing district?"
And that's the question I want to ask of readers today.
Do you know how TIFs work?
Republican George Hutchins is running for Congress in North Carolina. A reader sent me this link to his web site, excerpted below using the original daffy typeface. I think this sort of sentiment is real and represents a significant portion of the electorate, particularly in the South.
Gov. Pat Quinn came close to hitting the mark with his first TV commercial of the primary campaign season three weeks ago.
"Hold on, Dan," began the 30-second spot, which went on to knock down the central claim in the first ad aired by his challenger, Comptroller Dan Hynes, [...]
October 12-- Hynes v. Quinn on taxes
October 14 -- Democratic ad war continues
October 15 -- Join me deep in the weeds of tax proposals?
October 16 -- Which political TV ad for governor should we trust? (column)
October 19 -- Comparing (and combining) the Quinn and [...]
Wired has a behind the scenes look at a Twitter feed that I've been excerpting lately. See
Quinn and Hynes going back and forth on the TV ad issue. Quinn's office just released a statement even as Hynes is holding a news conference at 2 p.m. Monday.
Quinn's statement complains about this ad that Hynes rolled out over the weekend:
Transcript:
Here’s Pat Quinn at an editorial board [...]
So Jim Ryan is now running for governor, too.
Here are the GOP contenders:
Ill Sen. Bill Brady (Bloomington) Ill. Sen. Kirk Dillard (Hinsdale) DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom Adam Andrzejewski Dan Proft Andy McKenna Jim RyanDoes this seven-way scrum bode poorly for the Republicans?
Not necessarily. I remember another seven-way primary scrum -- [...]
It sounded as though 80 percent of Packer fans at Lambeau Field yesterday lustily booed Viking quarterback Brett Favre when he ran onto the field --- far more lustily, it seems, than convention dictates that one boo the opposing quarterback. Why? The Packers jilted him, not vice versa.
Is [...]
Tom Robinson was found guilty. Again.
Every time I read or watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" I have the utterly irrational hope that, in this particular version or edition or print, the jury will recognize the cruel, racist absurdity behind the charges against Tom Robinson [...]
Department signs seen at Old Orchard Shopping Center on Sunday. First at L.L. Bean:
Then at Macy's:
I felt like going to lunch afterwards at the Apostrophe Cafe.
UPDATE: From the comment thread, et tu, Illinois State [...]
SONGS OF GOOD CHEER:
Our fan page on FacebookTrivia quiz: So you think you know carols? -- Part One
Trivia quiz: So you think you know carols? -- Part Two .
Those who watched "Call Northside 777," the 1948 docu-noir movie set in Chicago that aired tonight on WTTW-Ch. 11, might be interested in the true story behind the fictionalized account by Rob Warden, head of Northwestern's Center on Wrongful Convictions.
The movie takes considerable liberties [...]
This is a goofy toy we bought many, many years ago and, because we stick batteries in it only once a year for one day, it still works. The "creepy" rubber hand that used to be attached to the plastic nub rotted away several years ago. But we love the [...]
SONGS OF GOOD CHEER:
Our fan page on FacebookTrivia quiz: So you think you know carols? -- Part One
Trivia quiz: So you think you know carols? -- Part Two .
An interesting exchange from a recent "On The Media":
CHRIS MOLANPHY (chart columnist at Idolator.com): As illegal downloading (of music) has taken off, whole chunks of the, shall we call it “underground economy” are not getting reflected on the chart week after week.Ten years ago at this time, the kinds [...]
SONGS OF GOOD CHEER:
Our fan page on FacebookTrivia quiz: So you think you know carols? -- Part Two .
From Mary Schmich's Sunday column:
This year we’re asking the clever and trivia-minded to create one or more questions related to holiday music. The questions should be multiple choice, preferably with four answers. The question should be amusing, maybe mildly informative, and one of the answers must be true.We’ll [...]
More the from the Fake AP Stylebook:
Under absolutely no circumstances should a head of state be described as "bootylicious," Assunta Meloni excluded.
Instead of prepositions, it's preferable to end sentences with propositions, so why don't we start a dry cleaning business?
If you cannot find the source of a [...]
More the from the Fake AP Stylebook:
Under absolutely no circumstances should a head of state be described as "bootylicious," Assunta Meloni excluded.
Instead of prepositions, it's preferable to end sentences with propositions, so why don't we start a dry cleaning business?
If you cannot find the source of a [...]
