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« May 2008 | Main | July 2008 »
June 30, 2008
The [Monday] Papers
I was in Los Angeles over the weekend so I'm still catching up on the news I missed back here in Chicago. But I assume every pol is still corrupt, every company is still trying to rip you off, every employer is still abusing you, and mean people without hearts or souls are still trying to crush the beauties and treasures of this city for financial gain and ego gratification. Glad to be back!
Beachwood Baseball
You know what they call the Angels-Dodgers interleague games? The Freeway Series.
You know what they call the Giants-Dodgers series? Nothing. They play all the time.
You know what they call the White Sox sweeping the Cubs at The Cell? Revenge.
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"One thing is certain as we bid adieu to the latest interleague interlude," our very own Jim Coffman writes in SportsMonday. "Neither the Cubs nor the White Sox will run away and hide with their divisions in the next month or two."
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Find out why Jim Edmonds is like Ralph Malph and Scott Eyre is like Potsie in The Cub Factor.
Train in Vain
"The best that can be said about the level of safety on the Chicago Transit Authority rail system is that riders are not putting their lives in jeopardy," the Tribune reports.
Actually, that's a lot - a lot more than I expected. I kind of think the CTA is putting lives in jeopardy. But if true, maybe that should be a screaming front-page headline: "Report: Riding The CTA Not Life-Threatening!"
Blog Crawl
* Endless Supply of Weird Old Chicago Stuff on eBay.
* A CTA driver's view of bus bunching.
* What does an epidemiologist know about reducing violence in Chicago?
* "[Sam Zell is] falling back on his roots as a scavenger, dismembering the Tribune Company in what amounts to a vicious circle," Lynn Becker writes. "He's selling of the best assets to pay off debt, thereby dramatically reducing the cash flow available to service the remaining debt, which will be reduced by another wave of sell-offs of less valuable assets, with another reduction in cash flow, and so on and so on, down to zero.
"It's fascinating to watch - like witnessing the dissection of a pig - but odds are in the end the results will the same . You get a great show, you learn a lot, but all you're left with is a dead pig."
* "Is there anything the Park District has been doing well?" Mick Dumke asks of Erma Tranter.
North By Northwest
"I challenged people's sensitivities and the way they think," Mike North told Rob Feder last week.
I thought that was Don Imus's job.
Independence Rock
On July 4th, Sound Opinions hosts Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis will spin their favorite songs about America.
I Love L.A.
I mean, really, how great is this?
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Another perfect day.
Posted by Lou at 10:15 AM | Permalink
Amish Craze Going Mainstream?
Commodity Prices Changing Life As We Know It
Start with ethanol. Developed to make our cars more fuel-efficient, our foreign oil dependence more remote, and our farmers more money, this theoretical savior as of just two years ago is now being blamed for putting a greater pinch on the consumer wallet by thinning corn reserves.
In a time when even a technological advancement like E85 can go from beneficial to questionable to ironic, it seems like every move we make is a no-win situation. The solution, says Steve Shenk, director of eFoods Direct, is to take matters into our own hands.
An expert in the food business for 27 years, Shenk offers your listeners a unique perspective on how to look ahead by looking back, with a return to the self-reliance practices of generations past.
"While some might make cynical jokes about a horse-and-buggy society in response to our negative economic trend," says Shenk, "there is some merit in examining that lifestyle, just from the standpoint that we can all benefit by relying less on the government and doing more to prepare ourselves for tougher times ahead."
The economy has shown a bump in consumer spending following the wave of tax rebate stimulus checks, but on the heels of that, there isn't much to look forward to. The price increases in energy, food and other staple cost-of-living items will not wane, and a rebound in the frail housing and job markets is a long climb.
According to Shenk, consumers need to buy with a big-picture mentality and an economist's view. He's available for interviews to explain this and offer your audience other insights that can really make a difference.
About Steve Shenk and eFoods Direct
For the last 27 years, Steve Shenk has been the director of the J. Michael Stevens Group, the premier nationwide supplier of bulk, high nutrition, low moisture foods, directly to the consumer. He is the foremost authority on agricultural projections, trends and conditions as they relate to food on the family dinner table.
Steve is an unbridled optimist on a mission to help people rediscover the spirit of rugged, self-reliance that made America strong. With his quick wit and charming, Minnesota, country-boy attitude, Steve will leave you and your listeners believing that there's real hope for the future. The sons and daughters of the pioneers still have what it takes to make America "The land of the free and the home of the brave".
The first step in becoming fearless of the worldwide famine is to have your own food. By getting a supply of bulk food and learning to use it a family can feed themselves tomorrow at today's prices.
Summary Points
* What families need to do is the same thing that speculators and commodity investors are doing and that is to buy tomorrow's, next month's and maybe even next year's food at today's prices.
* The families who are already in trouble with food costs need to buy a good quantity of bulk, low moisture food (which will cost less than half grocery store prices) and then learn to cook. Buying "cheap" and learning "fast and easy" "real home cooking" methods will save them 75% of their present grocery cost.
* To find top-quality, nutritionally well-balanced and organized bulk food supplies contact efoodsdirect.com or 800-409-5633.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL WITH SHOW PREPARATION:
Food price spike: Is ethanol to blame? A devastated corn crop is likely to exacerbate costs at the grocer. Some people are pointing a finger at the ethanol production laws.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - It's hard to miss: Americans are paying more at the supermarket checkout these days.
Prices have increased 5% since last year, and it could get worse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that food prices will bump up another 5.5% in 2008.
One of the reasons is that the price of corn - a staple ingredient in a variety of foods from cereals to cola and the main ingredient in animal feed - is selling above $7.50 a bushel, about 119% above the price from a year ago.
The nation's corn crop was hurt by an unusually rainy spring. More recently, the havoc-wreaking floods in the top Midwestern corn-growing states wiped out farms and threaten future harvests.
"It seems pretty clear that we'll have a substantially lower planted acreage than last year, and we'll probably have a lower yield too," said former U.S. Department of Agriculture chief economist Keith Collins, who was commissioned by Kraft Foods to study food prices. "We're looking at a good drop in production, and as a result, corn prices will spike."
Now the rising price of corn is fueling a movement to reduce the amount of corn ethanol that is added to American gasoline.
Ethanol's primary component is corn, so demand for the crop has soared since the ethanol standard was enacted in 2005 and increased with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The government passed the legislation in an effort to support the U.S. farm and ethanol industry, to promote cleaner-burning fuels and to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
But in late April, Texas Gov. Rick Perry petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to grant a 50% waiver on the nation's 9 billion gallon corn-based Renewable Fuel Standard.
"While the RFS was a well intentioned policy, it has had the unintentional consequence of harming segments of our agriculture industry and contributing to higher food prices," Perry wrote in his petition.
The EPA has opened a period of public comment about the standard and will make a decision on the waiver by July 24.
The EPA requires that 7.76% of gasoline products be blended with ethanol in 2008. That amounts to about 9 billion gallons U.S. ethanol producers have to put out this year. Next year, they will have to produce 10.5 billion gallons.
Gov. Perry said the "artificial pressure" on the corn crop created by the mandate threatens "irreparable damage" to livestock operations across the country.
Ethanol puts pressure on food prices
Critics of the program argue that a corn shortage could be exacerbated by the government's demand for ethanol, thus raising food prices even further for consumers.
"A lot depends on how badly this weather has devastated the corn crop," said Thomas Elam, an agricultural economist at Indiana University who was commissioned by the Balanced Food and Fuel Coalition to release a study on the matter. "A smaller crop will be devastating to meat, dairy, and poultry producers if the Renewable Fuels Standard is maintained, and consumers will suffer as food and fuel costs rise."
About 5% of the world's corn supply goes to producing bio fuels - representing a whopping three years of growth in typical crop production, according to Elam.
"Corn will have to go to at least $8 a bushel to squeeze out enough food use to keep up with corn for ethanol," he said. "Food prices will be significantly impacted by corn if RFS goes to 10.5 billion gallons for 2009."
How significantly? Collins said food costs could rise 23% to 35% above the normal annual inflation rate of 2.5% over the next two to three years if the RFS mandates are not reduced. Elam said food price inflation rate could go as high as 7% without a mandate reduction.
The USDA also maintains ethanol has an impact on food prices, even if it is an indirect link.
"Higher ethanol production definitely and directly raises the price of corn," said USDA economist Ephraim Leibtag. "Higher corn prices have an impact on food prices on the retail level."
By contrast, if the government were to reduce the RFS by just half, both Elam and Collins agree that corn prices would fall $2 a bushel, which could save more than $9 billion in feed and food costs.
The case for the ethanol standard
Not everyone is convinced that ethanol poses such a definite threat to food prices.
"Collins' conclusions are at odds with the conclusions of a number of other ethanol studies," said Geoff Cooper, director of research at the Renewable Fuels Agency. "The global food index has increased 40% and ethanol is only responsible for 2% to 3% of that," he said, referring a study conducted by Bush administration economists.
It's also possible that the corn crop will rebound before the growing season ends in the fall. As a result, Cooper noted the impact that ethanol will take on food prices this year is still up in the air.
Another RFA spokesman suggested that Collins' study was biased, since it was sponsored by Kraft Foods, which would benefit by a reduction in the RFS.
Kraft said that it expects the company's commodity costs to increase 12% or $1.7 billion in 2008, but dismissed the RFA's claim.
"Dr. Collins is a widely-respected, credible and award-winning researcher and former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Michael Mitchell, a spokesman for Kraft. "His credentials speak for themselves."
Ultimately, Cooper said he doubts that Gov. Perry's waiver request will succeed, because the EPA can only accept a waiver if the law creates significant economic hardship on a state.
Posted by Lou at 08:15 AM | Permalink
SportsMonday
One thing is certain as we bid adieu to the latest interleague interlude, one that was lopsided just about everywhere but here (the American League was much the superior combatant for the fourth year in a row): Neither the Cubs nor the White Sox will run away and hide with their divisions in the next month or two. We haven't seen much of it in Chicago, but in other places teams have been known to build decent leads early on, maintain them and then stretch them out as July turns into August. That won't happen around here because . . .
Despite departing the weekend with a three-game lead (in the loss column) over the Cardinals, the Cubs' schedule is just starting to toughen up (after an early season stretch that featured a disproportionate number of home games). The forecast is not great for re-starting any long win streaks any time soon. And while the Cardinals haven't been setting the world on fire of late (5-5 in their last 10), they also have officially avoided a June swoon. And here come the Brewers (seven games over .500 heading into this week).
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Still, Zambrano is due back this week, Soriano isn't far behind and everything still feels reasonably solid. I hated to see Carlos Marmol take the loss on Saturday (that was the game to win wasn't it? You just knew Mark Buehrle would put it all together on Sunday). But Marmol threw strikes. And so did Sean Marshall on Sunday.
The White Sox have a different problem, namely that they had a highly successful week and the Twinkies not only don't go anywhere, they make up a little ground. At some point Minnesota's ridiculous run will end (Sunday's win over the Brewers was their 11th in their last 12 games); in fact, it should at least slow way down this week. That's when Minnesota, which went 14-4 in interleague play this summer, goes back to playing real competition from the American League.
And the Tigers are coming! The Tigers are coming! They pulled themselves above .500 for the first time all season with a win Sunday.
On the other hand, neither team will be falling completely out of contention any time soon either. Quite simply, the pitching on both sides of town is just too good.
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Moving right along:
I caught a little of the track and field Olympic Trials over the weekend (I watched from 11 to midnight on the USA Network on Friday night) and would love to watch some more in the coming week. The ideal would be to alternate between track and field and the swimming equivalent, which has also just kicked into gear.
Based on world championship competition in 2007 as well as many, many glimpses of greatness so far this season, the U.S. has a great chance to dominate track and field (and not just in the sprints - the home team could bring home more medals in distance events than it has in many a decade). And it could do even better in swimming. In terms of all the high profile Olympic sports with multiple medals on the line, the biggest lock for an American medal harvest is girls gymnastics, where the two best competitors in the world call the U.S.A. home. But gymnastics involves judges and when I'm taking a break from baseball and umpires in particular (nice call throwing Piniella out of the game Sunday even if as he was going back to the dugout Blue!), I'm looking to minimize the impact of judges in my sporting entertainment.
And there is plenty more to be said for races. The drama of finding out who will get there the fastest never fades. Neither does the well-edited drama of who will jump the highest or the farthest or throw something heavy the farthest (although I could take or leave that hop, skip and jump thing - aka the triple jump).
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Soccer has just about turned the corner in America: Attendance is up. New soccer-specific stadiums have either recently been completed or will be in about a half-dozen major markets. The Euro 2008 tournament that concluded Sunday (way to go Spain!) was a big hit featuring all sorts of epic matches filled with exciting, attacking soccer. But soccer is coming on despite the local MLS franchise. What an incredibly boring bunch the Fire is this year, turning in its third straight scoreless performance Saturday and doing so at home against the previously struggling San Jose Earthquakes (fortunately the visitors didn't score either - and fortunately I didn't buy tickets for the always dreadful scoreless tie).
A total of well over 15,000 people showed up at Toyota Park in Bridgeview for the Fire's uninspired effort. That certainly beat the 3,200 on hand at the Chicago Sky's big WNBA win over the Detriot Shock at the Pavilion. But I think everyone would have had a lot more fun at the old ball game.
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Jim Coffman appears in this space every Monday with the best sports wrap-up in the city. You can write to him personally! Please include a real name if you would like your comments to be considered for publication.
Posted by Lou at 08:06 AM | Permalink
The Cub Factor
The Cubs were not only swept by the White Sox over the weekend, they lost their fourth straight for the first time this season and they've lost eight of 12. Feeling sentimental for happier days, we here at The Cub Factor got to thinking about how the Cubs are kind of like the cast of Happy Days.
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Cub: Jim Edmonds
HD character: Ralph Malph
Why: No one really likes him, but it turns out he's still got it.
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Cub: Derrek Lee
HD character: The Fonz
Why: He's certainly the coolest Cub, but also because what he does with the glove to save errant throws from Aramis Ramirez is as magical and reality-defying as Fonzie banging on a jukebox to select a song.
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Cub: Alfonso Soriano
HD character: Joanie
Why: His nickname may be Fonzie, but if there were a jukebox in the clubhouse Soriano would lose it in the sun. No, Alfonso is more like the little sister who looks up to older brother Derrek Lee but in the end is still just Erin Moran.
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Cub: Ryan Dempster
HD character: Richie Cunningham
Why: The good-natured guy who is quietly the key player whom everything actually revolves around. Plus, Richie would have done the same kind of Harry Caray impersonation had he grown up a few decades later in Chicago instead of 1950s Milwaukee.
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Cub Jason Marquis
HD character: Chuck
Why: Richie's older brother began the show as part of the starting cast, but mysteriously faded away after the producers squeezed as much out of him and sent him packing.
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Cub: Scott Eyre
HD character: Potsie
Why: He keeps getting hurt but apparently has a great voice in the shower.
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Cub: Jenny Piccolo
HD character: Felix Pie
Why: The hot, fast friend of Joanie has all the talent in the world, but we never see any of it on display because apparently it's all just hype and she's not ready for prime time. Previously played by Corey Patterson.
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Cub: Larry Rothschild
HD character: Big Al
Why: He leaves his mound visits shaking his head and muttering, "Yep, yep, yep, yep."
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Cubs: Matt Murton & Micah Hoffpauir
HD characters: Laverne & Shirley.
Why: They can't find much playing time on this team, but they'll be stars on another show.
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Cub: Lou Piniella
HD character: Mr. C
Why: In his downtime, Lou runs a hardware store.
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Cub: Reed Johnson
HD character: Chachi
Why: A cool guy who fans like but not an everyday player.
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Cub: Alan Trammel
HD character: Mrs. C
Why: As bench coach, he's the one who knows where the knives and forks are in the clubhouse and where the kids are at.
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Cub: Ryan Theriot
HD character: Pinky Tuscadero
Why: The new kid on the block who wows everyone and sells a lot of adoring merchandise.
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Cub: Mike Fontenot
HD character: Leather Tuscadero
Why: He's Ryan Theriot's younger sister. And he wants to be just like him. Or, um, her.
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Cub: Kosuke Fukudome
HD character: Mork
Why: He arrived from a foreign land, didn't speak English too well, and raised everyone's level of play. Plus, also, the merchandise thing.
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Cub: Tribune Company
HD character: Arnold
Why: Through luck and stupidity, they've created a happy place where people love to hang out but whose fans and legacy has totally jumped the shark.
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Week in Review: The Cubs two of three at home to the Orioles and then got swept by the White Sox at The Cell. Someone call AAA because the bandwagon is broken.
Week in Preview: The Cubs limp into July with four in San Francisco and three in St. Louis. Keep AAA on speed dial because that's a lot of miles for a broken bandwagon.
The Second Basemen Report: Most notably this week, Eric Patterson played in left field again just to prove to Cubs management that Alfonso Soriano isn't the only converted second baseman who can't judge fly balls. Just like Hendry drew it up.
In former second basemen news, Paul Noce is the baseball coach at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He is missed.
The Zam Bomb: Zam is no longer furious, just getting angry while he awaits activation off the DL. Towel drills actually calm big Z.
Lost in Translation: Sweepasaka is Japanese for revenge.
Sweet and Sour Lou: 69% sweet, 31% sour. Lou is down six points on the Sweet-O-Meter this week due to crappy pitching and losing. And just like your real crazy drunk uncle, Lou doesn't want you to say a word. Just shut the hell up and do what you are supposed to do.
Center Stage: Jim Edmonds started in center for all six games this week while Reed Johnson is still on the DL. Expect another center fielder to show up out of somewhere very soon. Like out of a hat or something, you know, just like Hendry drew it up.
The Cub Factor: Catch up with them all.
Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by the The Cub Factor staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has determined that injuries are no excuse.
Over/Under: The amount of outfield in San Francisco that Jim Edmonds has to cover this week: +/- too much.
Mount Lou: Though Mount Lou exploded on Sunday night, the Mount Lou Alert System remains at Code Red because of indications that more magma is burbling just beneath the surface. If you are within three miles of Mount Lou, please take cover. And all airport security personnel and airlines staff between Chicago and San Francisco should take special precautions.
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Posted by Lou at 06:43 AM | Permalink
Obama & Me
The Beachwood is hitting the campaign trail this summer with Citizen Kate.
"Politics are pretty complicated. So I've elected myself to uncover the process, and make it easy for regular people, like me, to understand," Kate says. "I've already spoken with John Edwards, Chris Dodd, and Abraham Lincoln. Yeah. I thought he was dead too.
"I'll cover the Republicans, Democrats, and even Al Gore if he runs last minute. You'll also get to find out how a first time voter, like me, will vote. Everyone should vote. It's all about your voice being heard, and influencing the decisions made by great leaders.
"There are so many party choices: Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Labor, Light, Moderate, Natural, Prohibition, Reform, Socialist, Socialist Equality, Socialist Labor, Socialist Workers, U.S. Marijuana, Peace and Freedom, and more. This is gonna be tough!"
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From the Trail: Obama & Me
Stay tuned for more from the Beachwood and Citizen Kate TV as we take back our politics and media from the politicians and media!
Posted by Lou at 03:26 AM | Permalink
June 28, 2008
The Weekend Desk Report
You'd better read these reports while you can. It looks like there's a 50/50 chance we'll all be treading water by September.
Market Update
Mortgage lending groups this week announced they would no longer accept payment in 10W-40 as no one can afford it. They will still accept payment in corn, however. At least, this month they will.
End of an Era
It appears our much-loved Triumvirate of Terror may be history as key axis member Britney Spears shocks the world with a reconciliation few thought they would ever live to see.
Recycled Joke of the Week
Flush with pride at solving one major international crisis, President Bush announced he is now "totally ready" to fix the Middle East, "for reals" this time.
Community Policing
Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis this week announced plans to increase police presence on city streets in an attempt to eliminate criminal elements. Not wishing to be outdone, Chicago Transit Authority Chairman Ron Huberman this week announced plans to increase train presence to the Loop in an attempt to eliminate problem customers.
Clinbama Rising
Do you see how they've coordinated their pantsuits? And so it begins.
Finally...
And in other news, duh.
Posted by Natasha at 03:19 AM | Permalink
June 27, 2008
The [Friday] Papers
I'm flying out to L.A. very early this morning to teach at SPJ's Citizen Journalists Academy on Saturday, so there won't be a Papers column today, but stick around for the rest of the site, it's very good! New posts today in Sports and People, Places & Things in particular. The Weekend Desk Report will appear as always on Saturday and we'll have fresh material as always on Monday. I may even post some new material here and at Division Street from L.A.'s (relatively) new subway system, who knows.
The [Friday] Papers
As Phil Ponce put it, Barack Obama made a "rare" appearance before Chicago reporters on Wednesday, and he made a challenge to the locals that they failed.
"You will recall that for my entire political career here, basically, I was not the the endorsed candidate of any political organization here. That I didn't go around wielding a bunch of clout. That my reputation in Springfield was as an independent. And my reputation here was also as somebody who would to try to work with everybody. There is no doubt I had friends and continue to have friends who come out of the more traditional school of Chicago politics but that's not what launched my political career and that's not what I've ever depended on in order to get elected and I would challenge any Chicago reporter to dispute that basic fact."
Ooh, ooh! Me! Me!
"But you once told Emil Jones that he could make you a United States Senator. And you exchanged endorsements with Richard M. Daley - whom your wife once worked for - and your political career here was funded by Tony Rezko. You also endorsed the organization candidate over the reformer every single time and never spoke out against 'the more traditional school of Chicago politics', by which you mean 'corrupt,' or led an independent or reform movement. In fact, while traveling around America as the candidate of change, you recently told the Tribune editorial board that you would leave criticism of Chicago corruption up to others, like John Kass."
Not a single reporter said anything even close to that. In fact, in the video of this exchange I saw on Chicago Tonight, no reporter responded to Obama's challenge.
But the Sun-Times has an entire page today about what's on Obama's iPod, another half-page about good luck charms he and others carry in their pockets, and Obama's response to Ralph Nader's ridiculous proposition that Obama is "talking white" to appeal to voters.
Public Service Announcement
I suppose now I have to disclaim to my more sensitive readers that I am not supporting John McCain for president, just as I did not support Hillary Clinton in the primary. Nor did I support Obama. I support reporters doing their jobs, politicians telling the truth, and citizens thinking rationally without blinders.
Charming
"Obama showcased a pocketful of trinkets to reporters in New Mexico on Tuesday" - Tuesday! - "including a lucky poker chip, an American eagle pen, and a small gold statue of a Hindu monkey god, which he said represented his faith in luck and voters," the Sun-Times reports today.
Setting the Hindu monkey god aside, does Obama also employ an astrologist?
Barack's Blarney
"I think one thing about Chicago is that people try to get stuff done for their constituents."
Um, is this the start of a George Carlin joke?
"I do think that there is a non-ideological approach to Chicago."
Yes. There are no Republicans here and Cook County Democrats have no ideology.
"It's not unique to Chicago, I think it's Midwestern in some way."
Right. Chicago politics is very similar to, oh, let's say politics in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa . . .
Policy Wonk
By the way, in case you didn't notice, Barack Obama supports the death penalty, which came up yesterday. And just to remind you, he's against gay marriage - on religious grounds. The right-wing notion that Obama is some sort of ultra-liberal or even radical is absurd, just as it was with folks like Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. More importantly, liberals should understand that Obama is a centrist, and that includes his positions on the economy.
More Change
From today's Quick Takes:
"News Item (2007): Barack Obama says he will filibuster against an updating of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that includes legal immunity for phone companies that helped carry out domestic spying without court permission.
"News Item (2008): Barack Obama says he will vote for an updating of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that includes legal immunity for the phone companies.
"Or do you have something against the politics of change?"
Left Flank
The liberal netroots are livid about Obama's FISA vote, by the way, but you'd never know it was even an issue by reading the local press. If only it was on his iPod.
McObama
Along with campaign finance reform, meeting with dictators and his record in Illinois, Obama is ceding flip-flop territory to McFlipFlop himself.
Getting Things Done
"A longtime city contractor and boyhood friend of Mayor Richard Daley was the winning bidder for industrial property owned by the developers of Bridgeport Village, a luxury housing development that fell out of favor with City Hall and ended up in bankruptcy," the Tribune reports today.
Non-Ideological
"In July 2004, state pension board member Allison S. Davis voted to turn over as much as $100 million in state workers' retirement cash to an investment management firm. Months after it won the lucrative deal at Davis' urging, that investment firm hired Davis," the Sun-Times reports today.
"Davis is a 67-year-old lawyer and real estate developer with long ties to Mayor Daley and Sen. Barack Obama, as well as to the governor.
"He served on the Chicago Plan Commission and, with his former law firm, Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, was a boss to Obama early in the presidential hopeful's career."
For Constituents
"City Hall's inspector general is investigating whether Richard Daley's budget director fully reimbursed the city for the cost of a shower installed in the director's office in February," the Tribune reports today.
Beliefs You Can Change
"The Obama campaign, getting ready for an expected Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.'s gun control legislation, reverses a statement it put out last year that the ban was constitutional," Politico reports today.
Fair Warning
From an impassioned Obama supporter.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Your local change agency.
Posted by Lou at 03:45 AM | Permalink
The Five Dumbest Ideas of The Week
1. Actually, I don't much mind the idea of a bistro specializing in canine cuisine. Picture Lady and the Tramp sharing a strand of spaghetti to the strains of "Bella Notte," the dogs' owners pressing their wet little noses against the window, the waiter proffering a gnarled suede bedroom slipper as an amuse bouche. Nope, what bugs me is naming the joint Doggie Style.
2. How do you find Barack Obama in a crowded room? Hint: He's the one standing in front of the blue pseudo-presidential seal. Or at least he was for all of one day when said seal was deep-sixed due to embarrassing reviews. Now Illinois' favorite front-runner will have to look presidential without any aid from the prop department. Fortunately, that's not very hard, considering how much Bush has done to lower the bar.
3. My phallic skyscraper is better than yours! It was just a matter of time until Chicago's screw-shaped Spire was one-upped by an architect with an even bigger Edifice Complex than Santiago Calatrava. Italian architect David Fisher recently unveiled plans for a tower that's in perpetual motion. The good news is that it affords a 360-degree view. The bad news is it will cost you up to $100,000 per degree.
4. Who has the patience for Eight Minute Abs or even those silly belts that zap your obliques into submission? No need when you can paint a trompe l'oeil version of a six-pack on your tummy, courtesy of Abs in a Box for Men. Quicker than you can say "speedo," you have a chiseled midsection that will fool anyone standing . . . at least 20 feet away.
5. If you build it, they will come. Or so thought the group of Ukrainian undertakers responsible for "Eternity," presumably the world's largest coffin-shaped theme restaurant. The inside is a funereal black, accented by columns of coffins, ghastly floral arrangements and votive candles at every table. Finally, a place to go to unload those annoying eHarmony dates.
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Honorable Mention:
- Bonnie McGrath suggests the UK might want to rethink approval of a diet drug already linked to suicide and depression.
- Julia Gray is more than a little put off by the notion of a mobile whorehouse.
Posted by Lou at 01:43 AM | Permalink
The Return of the Crosstown Classic Crucible!
Participating this go-around: Cub Factor correspondent Marty Gangler, White Sox Report correspondent Ricky O'Donnell, and Twins fan Steve Rhodes.
1. What are the chances of a White Sox sweep?
GANGLER: Like I said last week, there is a 3 percent chance of anything happening.
O'DONNELL: Well, either it's going to happen or it's not going to happen so . . . 50/50. Duh.
RHODES: The same chance Mayor Daley changes his mind about the Children's Museum.
2. What are the chances of a Cubs sweep?
GANGLER: See No. 1.
O'DONNELL: See No. 1.
RHODES: See No. 1.
3. Who will Ozzie offend next?
GANGLER: You know how the Sox have that take your dog to the ballpark day? I think Ozzie is going to somehow offend the dogs.
O'DONNELL: All of rap nation.
RHODES: Himself. And then he'll refuse to apologize.
4. Which player outside of A.J. is most likely to be the villain?
GANGLER: That Cuban Missile guy.
O'DONNELL: Dude, at The Cell, A.J. is a hero. The villain clearly has to be a Cubs player, so let's go with Edmonds. No one likes that guy anyway.
RHODES: Dude, at The Cell A.J. is a hero because he's a villain. But yes, Edmonds.
5. Who is more unlistenable, Ron Santo or Hawk Harrelson?
GANGLER: Put it on the board . . . NOOOooooo!!! Let's put Steve Stone and Pat Hughes together and make them do both sides of town's games. Everyone will get smarter that way.
O'DONNELL: I'll take the guy with legs.
RHODES: Harrelson actually watches the game, but Santo never says "duck snort." So it's a push.
6. Odds of a Red Line derailment.
GANGLER: 97 percent. It's just the opposite of the 3 percent chance of it NOT derailing.
O'DONNELL: Slightly greater than the chance of a Blue Line derailment.
RHODES: O'Donnell is stealing my material.
-
Previously:
* The Crosstown Classic Crucible
Posted by Lou at 12:13 AM | Permalink
June 26, 2008
The [Thursday] Papers
As Phil Ponce put it, Barack Obama made a "rare" appearance before Chicago reporters on Wednesday, and he made a challenge to the locals that they failed.
"You will recall that for my entire political career here, basically, I was not the the endorsed candidate of any political organization here. That I didn't go around wielding a bunch of clout. That my reputation in Springfield was as an independent. And my reputation here was also as somebody who would to try to work with everybody. There is no doubt I had friends and continue to have friends who come out of the more traditional school of Chicago politics but that's not what launched my political career and that's not what I've ever depended on in order to get elected and I would challenge any Chicago reporter to dispute that basic fact."
Ooh, ooh! Me! Me!
"But you once told Emil Jones that he could make you a United States Senator. And you exchanged endorsements with Richard M. Daley - whom your wife once worked for - and your political career here was funded by Tony Rezko. You also endorsed the organization candidate over the reformer every single time and never spoke out against 'the more traditional school of Chicago politics', by which you mean 'corrupt,' or led an independent or reform movement. In fact, while traveling around America as the candidate of change, you recently told the Tribune editorial board that you would leave criticism of Chicago corruption up to others, like John Kass."
Not a single reporter said anything even close to that. In fact, in the video of this exchange I saw on Chicago Tonight, no reporter responded to Obama's challenge.
But the Sun-Times has an entire page today about what's on Obama's iPod, another half-page about good luck charms he and others carry in their pockets, and Obama's response to Ralph Nader's ridiculous proposition that Obama is "talking white" to appeal to voters.
Public Service Announcement
I suppose now I have to disclaim to my more sensitive readers that I am not supporting John McCain for president, just as I did not support Hillary Clinton in the primary. Nor did I support Obama. I support reporters doing their jobs, politicians telling the truth, and citizens thinking rationally without blinders.
Charming
"Obama showcased a pocketful of trinkets to reporters in New Mexico on Tuesday" - Tuesday! - "including a lucky poker chip, an American eagle pen, and a small gold statue of a Hindu monkey god, which he said represented his faith in luck and voters," the Sun-Times reports today.
Setting the Hindu monkey god aside, does Obama also employ an astrologist?
Barack's Blarney
"I think one thing about Chicago is that people try to get stuff done for their constituents."
Um, is this the start of a George Carlin joke?
"I do think that there is a non-ideological approach to Chicago."
Yes. There are no Republicans here and Cook County Democrats have no ideology.
"It's not unique to Chicago, I think it's Midwestern in some way."
Right. Chicago politics is very similar to, oh, let's say politics in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa . . .
Policy Wonk
By the way, in case you didn't notice, Barack Obama supports the death penalty, which came up yesterday. And just to remind you, he's against gay marriage - on religious grounds. The right-wing notion that Obama is some sort of ultra-liberal or even radical is absurd, just as it was with folks like Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. More importantly, liberals should understand that Obama is a centrist, and that includes his positions on the economy.
More Change
From today's Quick Takes:
"News Item (2007): Barack Obama says he will filibuster against an updating of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that includes legal immunity for phone companies that helped carry out domestic spying without court permission.
"News Item (2008): Barack Obama says he will vote for an updating of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that includes legal immunity for the phone companies.
"Or do you have something against the politics of change?"
Left Flank
The liberal netroots are livid about Obama's FISA vote, by the way, but you'd never know it was even an issue by reading the local press. If only it was on his iPod.
McObama
Along with campaign finance reform, meeting with dictators and his record in Illinois, Obama is ceding flip-flop territory to McFlipFlop himself.
Getting Things Done
"A longtime city contractor and boyhood friend of Mayor Richard Daley was the winning bidder for industrial property owned by the developers of Bridgeport Village, a luxury housing development that fell out of favor with City Hall and ended up in bankruptcy," the Tribune reports today.
Non-Ideological
"In July 2004, state pension board member Allison S. Davis voted to turn over as much as $100 million in state workers' retirement cash to an investment management firm. Months after it won the lucrative deal at Davis' urging, that investment firm hired Davis," the Sun-Times reports today.
"Davis is a 67-year-old lawyer and real estate developer with long ties to Mayor Daley and Sen. Barack Obama, as well as to the governor.
"He served on the Chicago Plan Commission and, with his former law firm, Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, was a boss to Obama early in the presidential hopeful's career."
For Constituents
"City Hall's inspector general is investigating whether Richard Daley's budget director fully reimbursed the city for the cost of a shower installed in the director's office in February," the Tribune reports today.
Beliefs You Can Change
"The Obama campaign, getting ready for an expected Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.'s gun control legislation, reverses a statement it put out last year that the ban was constitutional," Politico reports today.
Fair Warning
From an impassioned Obama supporter.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Your local change agency.
Posted by Lou at 08:14 AM | Permalink
ESPN Drops The Euro Ball
The first semi-final of the Euro 2008 tournament, pitting Germany against Turkey, had all the earmarks of cracker of a game. Shame ESPN dropped the ball (I know it is soccer!), because I would of loved to have seen it. The game was overshadowed by the technical difficulties that plagued ESPN's telecast. Bad thunderstorms were to blame apparently, but when you have exclusive rights to one of the biggest professional sporting events in the world the handling by ESPN was, well, amateurish.
I had settled in at my favourite pub like thousands of other Americans to watch the game on Wednesday. Things started out well with a injury- and suspension-ravaged Turkey throwing caution to the wind and going at Germany tooth-and-nail from the kickoff. The Turks' tenacity finally paid off in the 22nd minute when a weak shot by Kazim Kazim hit the crossbar and the rebound was poached by Uger Boral with a shot that deflected off German keeper Jens Lehman's legs and in.
It didn't take the Germans too long to reply. In the 26th minute Bastian Schweinsteiger brilliantly deflected a cross from Lucas Podolski past a helpless Turkish keeper to even the game. The rest of the first half was punctuated with a fairly relentless Turkish attack and a number of questionable calls and non-calls from the Swiss ref, Massimo Busacca. The best efforts came from Hamit Altintop and Kazim Kazim, who had a shot hit the post.
After several visits to the men's room and a fresh beverage, my comrades and I at Small Bar settled in for what promised to be an exciting second half. Six minutes in saw the closest thing to a penalty when Turkish defender Sarioglu checked Philipp Lahm a meter or so into the box. Lahm went down with a knee to the inner thigh (ouch!). Mr. Busacca was having none of it. Play evened up in the second half with Germany finally getting their attack together. That's when things started to go wrong for ESPN.
Around the 75th minute we lost the picture. The startled studio crew had to ad lib as they sweated out the affair. The best they could do was give a shot of one of the fan zones (viewing areas with huge screens for those unfortunate enough to not have a ticket). It was through watching the reaction of the German fans that we learned that the Germans had scored (a header by Miroslav Klose that would do Aussie Rules proud with it's athletic leap . . . apparently). Then we got the picture back. Feeling a little cheated we were determined to enjoy the last 15 minutes or so. Turkey has had quite a knack for the comeback in this tournament - just ask the Czechs and the Croats! Lightning struck again at that point. Back to the studio and shots of the fan zones. You'll never guess what happened then will you?
Turkey scores (a tighter version of the Schweinsteiger goal started with a beautiful move at the right corner by Sabri, who then squared the ball to Semih Senturk who deflected it in . . . apparently). Was this really happening? Could this get any worse? Well . . . yeah! This time we regained the picture in time to see the Turks celebrating what was looking like one of their trademark comebacks. Everyone was now hoping just to watch the last five minutes or so with no more interruptions. Wrong! We lost the picture with about two minutes to go. Once again we learn from fan reaction that Germany has scored (Philipp Lahm finishing off a great give and go at the top of the box . . . apparently). And that was that.
After commiserating with my fellow patrons we came up with some advice for ESPN: If this were to happen again they could play the radio broadcast (they still have them I think) instead of forcing the studio analysts to grasp at straws. One ingenious suggestion was to turn the camera from the faces of the fans onto the screen which they were watching! But the most sage advice would be to rent out some backup satellite space. After all, it is just one of the biggest professional sporting events in the world, although you'd have never have known it on Wednesday . . . apparently!
-
Andrew Kingsford is from Australia. That's why he talks funny.
-
COMMENTS:
1. From Dave:
It wasn't just ESPN. The official international feed out of Basel was lost. Cuatro, ZDF, ATV, TF1, HRT - all went dark. ZDF in Germany resorted to pirating the signal from idee suisse out of Switzerland, the only channel with an independent feed from the stadium. They even plastered their logo over SFsport after a while.
Posted by Lou at 04:02 AM | Permalink
Taking Birth Control With A Soy Latte?
Planned Parenthood plans on going Upscale
Like any business, Planned Parenthood is trying to respond to the market. People in more affluent communities struggle with unwanted pregnancies as much as anyone. But according to critics of the non-profit's new chain of more upscale, urban health centers across the country, the organization's "market response" is just that - marketing - and not in line with its benevolent mission statement.
Chris Slattery, president and founder of EMC Front Line Pregnancy Centers, is one of those critics, and he's available to offer his side of the debate in an interview.
"As part of a reasonable and healthy discussion, even when you oppose something, you hear the argument," says Slattery. "But this completely rails against Planned Parenthood's traditional position that their services are in place to meet the specific needs of lower income women who cannot afford to raise a child."
On the other side, Planned Parenthood officials say that offering birth control and other sexual health care services to those who can afford them enables the organization to make enough money to offset losses in low-income communities. This, in turn, makes it possible for Planned Parenthood to subsidize its other operations, including those that serve the poor.
For Slattery, the new facilities are simply too over the top to persuade him from his anti-Planned Parenthood stance. "It's just too ridiculous to buy their argument when you look at the investments in these sites. Average square footage seven times that of their low-income-community counterparts? Amenities that include muted lighting, hardwood floors and consultant-selected color palettes? Are you kidding me?"
ABOUT CHRIS SLATTERY
Chris Slattery, founded Expectant Mother Care, also known as EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, in 1985 in Manhattan. EMC has grown to 15 office locations in 6 counties, including Westchester, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Hudson County NJ.
Chris was honored with the "Champion for Life" award, a pro-life tribute, from John Cardinal O'Connor, and had the privilege of being the Confirmation sponsor of the famous Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the producer of the acclaimed videos, The Silent Scream and Eclipse of Reason.
Chris's opened NYC's first full time crisis pregnancy center locations, and quickly implemented on site clinic care with ultrasound and full pre-natal care programs 20 years ago, to supplement the main work of crisis pregnancy counseling. EMC's counselors have served over 70,000 girls and women since they opened, and have saved over 12,000 from a certain abortion in that time. Thousands have turned to abstinent lifestyles, as well. They provide one-on-one friendly counseling and in many locations on site medical care, in addition to referrals for adoption, housing, and legal aid, and provide material supplies for mothers and babies.
Chris has been sued by two NY State Attorney Generals, Robert Abrahms, and Elliott Spitzer, and by numerous abortion mills.
He also recently won a quick settlement of suit filed against a major NY abortion mill chain for their deceptive advertising in the Yellow Pages.
Chris has been a pro-life leader for over 25 years . . . organizing Operation Rescue in NYC, prayer vigils, protests at Planned Parenthood conferences - their Board meetings& their abortion sites, Marches, Life Chains, Truth Tours, training sessions, conferences, press conferences, lawsuits against his opponents.
Chris has granted hundreds of TV, radio, and print media interviews with local, national and international media in the past 20 years.
More info at: www.nationalproliferadio.net.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY HELP WITH SHOW PREP:
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
June 23, 2008, 8:59 am
Planned Parenthood Goes Upscale
Posted by Sarah Rubenstein
Planned Parenthood is setting its sights on the affluent.
As part of a "rebranding" of the nonprofit to appeal to those with more financial means, Planned Parenthood affiliates are building a broader network of suburban clinics and posh health centers, according to a front-page article in today's WSJ.
Two elegant new health centers have been built, and at least five more are on the way, the largest of which will be 75,000 square feet. They include muted lighting, hardwood floors, airy waiting rooms in colors selected by marketing experts - plus, walls designed to withstand a car's impact should an antiabortion protest turn violent. Planned Parenthood has also opened more than two-dozen quick-service "express centers," many in suburban shopping malls.
Despite some critiques to the contrary, Planned Parenthood insists it's not compromising is long-held focus on serving the poor with birth control, sexual-health care and abortions. Officials there say they take a loss of nearly $1 on each packet of birth-control pills distributed to poor women under a federal program that funds reproductive care. But they make a profit of nearly $22 on each month of pills sold to an adult who can afford to pay full price. That money helps subsidize other operations, including care for the poor as well as pursuing Planned Parenthood's political agenda.
"It is high time we follow the population," said Sarah Stoesz, who heads Planned Parenthood operations in three Midwest states. She recently opened three express centers in wealthy Minnesota suburbs, "in shopping centers and malls, places where women are already doing their grocery shopping, picking up their Starbucks, living their daily lives," she said.
Posted by Lou at 12:31 AM | Permalink
June 25, 2008
The [Wednesday] Papers
Following up on yesterday's column about Lewis Lazare, young people and the state of the newspaper industry:
* "Lewis Lazare, who reviews ads, passes on vicious industry gossip, and wears a bowtie for a living, thinks the Web is making America stupid. He's afraid that this will cripple the industry's ability to sell shit to people," Whet Moser writes in an excellent examination at Chicagoland. "No, seriously."
* "I'm pretty sure that this Lazare also thought Elvis and the Beatles were the devil's music," my brother wrote to me in an e-mail. "I'm about to be 47 years old and we canceled our newspaper subscription. Why? Not because of the internet . . . because the paper sucked. So, I guess middle-aged men are also stupider than they used to be."
* "Boy oh boy, [Lewis] Lazare has a bad case of the Andy Rooneys today," Margaret Lyons wrote at Chicagoist.
* The editor of the Spokesman-Review in Spokane said my column "prompted a discussion this morning . . . should the [Spokesman-Review] do a hot fans contest?"
Time Warp
Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice took to the airwaves last night on Chicago Tonight to address the future of newspapers. See, she said, unless you've been living under a rock, newspapers are changing! They have to! But how?!
Um, it's 2008. Just catching up?
The very idea that the facts of a new media world - and the underappreciated facts of the newspaper industry's gross negligence and essential journalistic malpractice of the last three decades - are still dawning on our nation's newsrooms is just incredible. The time to ask how and why is long past.
You can't take a singles-hitting team and ask them to hit home runs. You have to change the personnel. Fire 'em all and start from scratch. I see no signs of intelligent life on these distant planets.
*
Trice, like so many Old World journalists, describes a newspaper that doesn't exist when she posits what we will supposedly lose to Internet dominance. As if the Tribune and Sun-Times every day are filled with journalism essential to democracy and civic goodness. Oh, were it so!
Mostly, though, a newspaper these days is filled with (stale) sports news, crappy formulaic features, columnists re-typing press releases, the world's worst comic strips, horoscopes, painfully awful advice columns, reporting of official statements filled with lies, the enabling of manipulative political strategists, and the occasional burst of insight or journalism that is actually meaningful. Just keep the last part! That will cut your newsprint costs! A four-pager every day!
*
Can you imagine the civil rights movement without newspapers? Trice asked. If the Internet was around, certainly! Can you imagine! YouTube video of Bull Connor and Internet fundraising for SNCC and MLK blogging directly to the people. Progress would have come much sooner.
Life Look
Later, Chicago Tonight discovered Second Life, which launched in 2003 and "came to international attention via mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007."
And to Chicago a year after that.
Duncan Donuts
Arne Duncan tries to explain why giving cars to 12-year-olds with good attendance records is a swell idea.
Thanks, Richie!
Duncan notes that 85 percent of Chicago Public Schools students are live under the poverty line. 85 percent. It's a good thing Daley didn't let Chicago turn into another Detroit.
The Flintstone Times
"News organizations are very dinosaur-like in the way they are trying to reach [the younger] audience. I think we tend to be dumbing down the news," Southtown Star columnist Kristen McQueary told students at Illinois State University earlier this year, "thinking that will bring in new readers instead of putting good quality news out there that appeals to your generation."
Master Your Domain
How Seinfeld can help Obama.
Barry Angel
"If America's liberal newspaper editorial boards were high school girls, they'd be listening to sad songs on the car radio just about now, driving mournfully in the rain, because Sen. Barack Obama has found somebody new," John Kass writes this morning.
"Can't you hear them sing this oldie?
"Barry Angel/How I love him/How I tingle when he passes by/Every time he says hello, my heart begins to fly. Barry Angel/How I want him/He's got something that I can't resist/But he doesn't even know that I exist."
The public financing thing is getting a lot more (critical) play around the nation - and the blogosphere - than back here at home. Natch.
Race, Gender, Class
* I hear Don Imus is in the running for Mike North's old job.
* Now, two chicks kissing is a different story.
* That's easy for Nancy Pelosi to say, she's the Speaker of the House. Way to stand up for everyone else.
If Only
I miss it too. But it's long-gone. And newspaper people helped kill it. They did it to themselves.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Stop the presses.
Posted by Lou at 10:48 AM | Permalink
Another Detroit
As Ben Joravsky noted recently at Clout City, one of the most familiar refrains from Mayor Daley's enablers is that Chicago would have become Detroit if it hadn't been for him. The good folks here at Beachwood Labs went to their computer banks to see if this was true and, indeed, this is the way life would be here if Daley had never become mayor.
*
1. We'd be in the Eastern time zone.
2. Eminem would have grown up here and married Ashlee Simpson.
3. Welcome to Hockeytown!
4. Canada would be where Gary is.
5. Berry Gordy Jr. would have produced "Kanye West and The Miracles."
6. We'd have a shitty public transportation system.
7. Housing would be far cheaper.
8. Cars, not bikes, would be allowed to use bus lanes.
9. Soldier Field would have been a domed stadium in Du Page County.
10. We'd have much cooler sister cities.
11. City Hall would be the tall building in the middle, flanked by the Cook County Building and the Children's Museum.
12. This would have been about us.
13. Doctor Chicago!
14. Dennis Rodman would have played here.
15. We'd have a mayor named Kwame.
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Bethany Lankin, Tim Willette, Eric Emery, Steve Rhodes
Posted by Lou at 08:13 AM | Permalink
I Shot the Band: Funhouse
Band: Funhouse
Song: "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll"
Date Added: June 24, 2008
Shooter: Chicagolandband
Locale: Bradley Fireman's Fish Fry, Bradley, Ill.
Video quality: Good
Sound quality: Good
Creativity: Strong. Serious panning action for crowd reax, zooming in on band members when they're soloing.
Difficulty: None. Free concert at at Kankakee County fish fry.
Overall Beachwood Shaky-Cam Rating: 8 (out of 10)
Comments: "You've been a great crowd, give yourselves a hand!"
Nothing says cheesy classic rock cover band more than that one line. And Frankfort's Funhouse has the fromage, from what we can tell from this five-minute clip of the thirty-something dudes wrapping up a big night at the Bradley Fireman's Fish Fry. We can tell from the video time stamp that this happened on June 14.
Shooter Chicagolandband must have some connection to the band, either by blood or by marriage, because he or she puts some tender loving care into this session, with some very impressive use of the zoom function to zero in on individual band members as lead singer Dean Schuldt introduces them and lets the guys take off on their solos, all the while churning out that all-time fave, Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll." If there was ever a better song for a classic rock cover band to close a set with, I'd like to know what it is. It just seems right after a long night of "I Want You To Want Me" and "Vehicle."
The video, in addition to the artistic band shots, also includes some fine crowd visuals . . . these people were attracted by that satisfying combination of fish and beer. You've got the jumpin' l'il kids (way past bedtime), the drunken, fist-waving guy who really feels the old-time rock 'n' roll, the biker-looking guy off on the side who's too savvy to actually move much, and the middle-of-the-frame band-starer. Some variation of this last person appears in every band video at some point. Hmmmm, not many ladies here. They must not like the old time rock 'n' roll so much.
Oh, and about the Bradley Fireman's Fish Fry, this is from its official press release (please note the parts about how disgusting fish really are and how waiting in long beer lines is actually F-U-N, fun):
"On the short list of things that are distinctively Kankakee County, the Bradley Firemen's Fish Fry ranks up there. If you've lived here longer than a week, you probably know the basics - the best-tasting fish is battered and deep fried, and it usually comes with coleslaw and French fries.
"But the people at the Village of Bradley Fire Department want you to know more about this curious phenomenon. The standard explanation for the unique Kankakee County tradition is that it evolved because the state's big Catholic population was banned from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. But there is much more to it than that, including the fishing culture of the Potawatomi Indians who lived around the Kankakee River.
"The only way for the Potawatomi to survive here was to eat fish, which they dried so they could make it through winter. There were populations who spent their lives making nets and cooking fish. Then all these immigrants descended on the area - Scandinavians, Belgians, French, Germans, Poles, whose cultures also relied heavily on fish. There's a love-hate relation with fish. There's something disgusting about fish, the way they smell, the huge quantities of them, the dead fish on shore.
"Cooking massive amounts of fish for big groups of people has been going on as long as there have been fishing cultures, usually in private gatherings and as fund-raisers. But it wasn't until around the time of Prohibition that eating fried fish in taverns and restaurants became part of Kankakee County's social fabric. The first evidence of commercial fish fries was an advertisement in the 1920s. Taverns had to find ways to bring people into their businesses because they could no longer sell alcohol, so they started offering fried fish on Friday nights. It was cheap enough for the whole family.
"And when Prohibition was lifted, people were so accustomed to their Friday night fish fry outings that they kept on going. But from then on, there was beer and brandy old-fashioned to wash down the fish. Even though Friday night fish fries are relaxed and casual, they have their own special etiquette.
"So remember at the Bradley Firemen's Fish Fry: you might have to wait in line at the beer tent, or for some of the best fish in Kankakee County, but that is the best part of the fun. (And you single folks . . . you never know who you could meet in line.) You will have a chance to meet people and find out the latest community gossip!"
Gossip on this, Kankakee County! Here's Funhouse making those dead fish really sizzle!
-
Previously in I Shot the Band:
* Company of Thieves: At Welles Park covering OutKast.
Posted by Don at 01:43 AM | Permalink
June 24, 2008
The [Tuesday] Papers
I read Lewis Lazare's column today on a book called The Dumbest Generation with interest because for the last couple of years Lazare has called me up periodically to complain about how dumb young people are these days, and he usually blames the Internet.
Why he calls me, I don't know. I've never met the man.
I also don't believe today's generation is dumber than those who came before because they don't read newspapers. I think newspapers are dumber.
And I'm not sure where a Sun-Times columnist gets off complaining that the Internet is dumbing down America while the paper is running a "Which Team's Fans Are Hotter?" contest.
The last time I spoke with Lazare, which was a few months ago, he was complaining about Facebook. Now, I'm a Facebook fan. It's very powerful, and I've hardly begun to exploit all of its capabilities. My favorite part of it are my friends' highly amusing Status Updates and the Pieces of Flair they send me. I feel smarter after spending time on Facebook; I feel dumber after reading the local newspapers.
Of course, they don't serve the same purpose, though an increasing number of newspapers see Facebook as a fruitful distribution system for their work - including the Tribune and Sun-Times. Maybe that's what was getting Lazare down, but it became quickly apparent to me that he had no idea what he was talking about.
"Um, have you ever seen Facebook?" I finally asked him.
"No."
"So you don't know what you're talking about!"
I'm not trying to pick on Lazare - well, actually I am - but he's emblematic of a newspaper creature that is just beyond me. See, he didn't want to know what he was talking about. He just didn't want to know.
As I've written before, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool newspaper lover. I've read newspapers since I was old enough to crawl to the door and get one. I'm one of those people who has said things all my life like "There's printer's ink in my veins."
But newspapers went off the rails at just the moment the Internet flourished as an even better place to do journalism and communicate with people. It should have been a glorious melding of the minds for a better, more creative and fun and civically inspired tomorrow, but all newspaper people could see was the threat, not the opportunity.
That may be changing out of necessity, but there are still an awful lot of Lazares out there, and they will not be the ones who will save news organizations; they instead are millstones dragging everyone else down. And how smart of a generation is that?
In today's column, Lazare approvingly recites what is apparently the author's complaint that a majority of young people polled use the Internet as an "instrument of peer contact."
I guess that's a smart person's way of saying they use the Internet to talk to their friends. The horror! (And we should only use the telephone in case of emergency! And stop doing that crossword puzzle - the newspaper isn't a toy!)
The evidence behind this complaint is a poll of University of Illinois-Chicago students that found that Facebook and MySpace were their favorite Internet destinations.
"Only 5 percent of those polled regularly checked out a blog or forum on politics, economics, law or policy," Lazare writes.
I have a feeling that's 4 percent more than the number of newspaper folk who check out "blogs or forums on politics, economics, law or policy."
I'd sure like to see how that question was worded. (And really, must one read a law blog to qualify as smart?)
Lazare, whom I'm quite certain has never read any such "blog or forum," should be heartened. Isn't that the stuff that's dumbing us down? Isn't it good then that our youth aren't polluting their minds with that crap? And is that to say that previous generations spent their time poring over policy journals and economics texts?
I could never figure out Lazare's argument outside of the fact that young people these days aren't familiar with the Broadway shows he thinks constitutes cultural literacy.
But maybe the giveaway is the apparent point of his column today: "Can such a generation of young people under 30 - and no doubt generations that will follow - be expected to have the intellectual wherewithal to create advertising that is more than a collection of juvenile punch lines?"
Is that what this is really all about?
As an advertising columnist, he should know that A) advertising has never been smarter; B) the Internet has spawned a creative explosion of new kinds of advertising; and C) who cares! It's advertising!
So enough already with the Internet is Evil thing. It's boring, it's stale, and it's dumb.
Ad Man
Lazare panned Mad Men, one of the best shows of recent vintage, and told me once that he had never seen one of my favorite ad campaigns, that of the Comcast turtles named the Slowskys. So apparently ignoring the Internet doesn't make you any smarter.
Logo Lazare
One time Lazare called me up and berated me for not coming out forcefully against the city's 2016 Olympic bid. Those who actually read me - instead of just calling out of the blue every once in awhile - know that I've long been, um, skeptical of the Olympic bid. To put it politely. In fact, I don't think I could be more forceful in stating that, while it would be cool to have the Olympics here from a pure sports and entertainment standpoint, the politics behind it is corrupt to the core.
But then, here's Lazare's version of coming out forcefully against the Olympic bid:
"OK. We've made it over the first of many bigger Olympic hurdles to come," he wrote in April 2007. "So, please, let's get down to the serious business of developing an Olympic marketing plan that really rocks . . . now we really have to show the world why the world must come to Chicago for the 2016 Olympics."
Later, Lazare ended a series of columns complaining about the city's Olympic logo with this: "Sadly, our underwhelming new logo won't help our cause much in the good fight that is ahead."
Yes, the good fight. The one you told me was a waste of money.
Word Games
As the Tribune acknowledges today, you still can't print George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" in the newspaper.
Now, is that because young people might be reading? Because I thought we established that they weren't.
Flight Plan
"United To Slash 950 Pilot Jobs."
Perhaps the airline will revisit the Beachwood's merger recommendations.
C.C. Rider
"One rival executive who has spoken to Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry recently came away convinced the Cubs will make a big play for a front-line starting pitcher in the coming weeks - perhaps an acknowledgment the Cubs believe they have all the other pieces in place to end the franchise's 100-year drought without a World Series title," the Washington Post reports.
And that pitcher is rumored to be C.C. Sabathia.
Car Wash
"I don't know what's crazier," Whet Moser writes, "that the CPS is bribing middle-schoolers with cars to attend class, or that it only took one-third of a school year of perfect attendance. Is Oprah behind this?"
The Beachwood Tip Line: Hub and spoke.
Posted by Lou at 09:39 AM | Permalink
We Can't Wait 100 Years
Now with new video! Scroll down . . .
We give so much, give our time and our money
We buy garages from Danley and just for you
We drink Old Style and we pay you $6.50
Though just between you and me that's not good brew
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And the price tag, to get hit with some concrete
That will crumble in our seat is $52
They say we're angry, but how angry can we be
When the Cubs security's like 92
And we can't wait 100 years
But we can't wait even one year more
It's been a whole damn century
It's time to even up the score
Missed the wedding, '69 and '84 and needed just five outs more 2003
Then a bridesmaid, '32 and '35 and '38 and '45, close as can be
This year we're betting, that we're gonna have a wedding
Cubbies gonna buy us all a Series ring
A celebration, gonna trample Cubbie Nation
Like that Filene's Basement bridal sale thing
'Cause we can't wait 100 years
But we can't wait even one year more
It's been a whole damn century
It's time to even up the score
Lou Piniella! Lou Piniella!
It's time to get your Cubbie fans some bling
Lou Piniella! Lou Piniella!
This is the year the Cubs will finally get the ring
No more called shots, no more balls through Leon's legs
No more disregard for Greg, no trading Lou
No more Garvey, no fans reaching in the park,
And please no more Will Clark or Stephen Drew
No more next year, that's the phrase that we all fear
That's why we drown ourselves in beer while dressed in blue
A celebration for the suffering Cubbie Nation
Nothing short of that, my friends, will ever do
Your fans have waited long enough for you
'Cause we can't wait 100 years
But we can't wait even one year more
It's been a whole damn century
It's time to even up the score
Lou Piniella! Lou Piniella!
It's time to give your Cubbie fans some bling
Lou Piniella! Lou Piniella!
This is the year the Cubs will finally get the ring
Fukudome! Fukudome!
Show these other Cubbies your discipline
Fukudome! Fukudome!
Show these other Cubs that you know how to win
"Cause we can't wait 100 years
But we can't wait even one year more
It's been a whole damn century
It's time to even up the score
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NEW VIDEO!
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More Beachwood Sports Audio:
* Let's Call The Crosstown Off
* The 12 Days of Cubness
* Louklahoma & Ozziecabana
* The Hester Man Can!
* Dusty Must Get Fired
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More Beachwood Sports Video:
* 99 Years Of Cubs Losses
* Cubs Fans: Please Stop Believin'
* Go Blame It On Steve Bartman
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See also:
* The Crosstown Classic Crucible
Posted by Lou at 07:22 AM | Permalink
Big in Japan: The Yokohama Cubs
Over the past few weeks, I have become more and more interested in Japanese baseball. Partly, my interest stems from an inability to watch the Cubs play live. The other part of me needs to have some baseball to pass the summer months.
And let's face it, at some point it's about sitting around drinking beer and watching the grass grow for three hours on a hot day. However, it is important that this is done in the appropriate environment.
Lucky for me, there is a bounty of baseball on the Japanese islands. In the Tokyo area there are three teams, the Yakult Swallows, the Yomiuri Giants, and the Yokohama Baystars. So I was faced with a choice . . .but which one to pick?
I knew that I wanted a team that was like the Cubs, but not so much like them that they were a poor man's version. They had to be like the Cubs I grew up with, the teams that I grew to love. I needed a few good players, one Ryne Sandberg for say every 25 Tyler Houstons. And they had to stink. How else could I grow to love them? After all, half the fun of watching the old Cubs was debating which inning they would begin their customary meltdown.
Logic - and everyone at the office - told me I should become a fan of the Yomiuri Giants. After all, the newspaper I work for, the Daily Yomiuri, is owned by the same company. Similar to the way that the Tribune Company owns the Cubs, the Chicago Tribune and Wrigley Field, Yomiuri Co. owns the