Where Is The Gold?

Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:

They . . . brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned . . . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features . . . They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane . . . They would make fine servants . . . With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.

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Posted on November 28, 2013

Book One In The Hamlin Park Irregulars Mystery Thriller Series

“Investigative journalist Christina Thomas and the other stay-at-home mommies she has met in Hamlin Park have put-on-hold careers. They are jarred out of their mind-numbing boredom by something dangerously amiss in their upscale Chicago suburb.
“When an odd but avuncular stay-at-home dad, a houseful of shadowy men, a creepy dentist with an eye for young busty strippers, and a secretive Israeli family move into her neighborhood, Tina’s reporter-radar kicks in. Determined to uncover the breaking story that will reboot her career and spare her the monotony of writing society-page fluff pieces, she launches an investigation worthy of her Washington Post glory days. What she discovers, with a little help from her friends, will blow your mind!”

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Posted on November 25, 2013

Plus: Cries From Chicago’s Wilderness

1. The Chicago Book Expo Is Happening On Sunday In Uptown.
“The Chicago Book Expo is a pop-up bookstore and literary fair open to the public being held on Sunday in the Uptown neighborhood from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at St. Augustine College, 1345 W. Argyle. An aftershow will follow at 5 p.m. at Fat Cat, 4840 N. Broadway.
“The event features an expo with Chicago’s best independent publishers and authors selling books, plus free author readings, panel discussions, writing workshops, and bilingual/Spanish programs. Nonprofits and associations serving the writing and publishing communities will be represented. All events are free and open to the public.”
Here’s the schedule.

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Posted on November 22, 2013

Collection Valued At $1 Million

“Holy auction block, Batman! Comic book collector and industry legend Maggie Thompson has decided to put some 500 pieces of her personal collection up for auction over the next few months,” AP reports.
“The first wave alone includes the first issue of The Avengers, Journey Into Mystery No. 83, which features the first appearance of Thor, the first issue of The Incredible Hulk and the original cover art for the fourth issue of Conan the Barbarian.
“News of the auction has comic lovers’ wallets tingling. The books are in exceptional condition; auctioneers expect the total collection could fetch $1 million by the time sales wrap up next year.”

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Posted on November 21, 2013

By The World Alamanac and Book of Facts

What were the most memorable milestones of 2013? Which Winter Olympic moments in years past had us at the edge of our seats? What essential information can prepare voters for November 2014 elections?
The answers to these questions and more can be found in The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2014, available in print and as an eBook for all platforms on November 26.
This latest edition of America’s best-selling reference book will be your go-to source in the upcoming year, containing thousands of facts that are unavailable publicly elsewhere.

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Posted on November 20, 2013

Runaway Blog Now A Runaway Book

“Modernism marked an aesthetic shift in the world of art,” John Winters writes for the Brockton, Massachusetts Enterprise.
“The idea or concept emerged to be just as important as content. The best exhibitions, of course, feature both.
“Which brings us to Humans of New York, a collection of street photos by Brandon Stanton, a great idea that has produced some wonderful art – first, a blog full, and now an entire book. (See some of the photos.)
“The beautiful volume virtually recreates the thrill of going to a compelling exhibition and wondering what’s around the next corner. Crack open Humans of New York, and you can’t stop turning the pages to see what street scene or interesting person pops up next. It’s as an addictive art experience as I’ve ever had.
“Stanton traded stocks for two years in Chicago before being laid off. He bought a camera with some money he’d won betting on football. With his free time, he started photographing people on the street, but hit pay dirt when he came to New York City.
“There he found a bouillabaisse of normal, crazies, beauties, lovers, haters, heroes, losers, freaks, children and even two failed terrorists, each with a story to tell. When he began posting his work online, the project became the perfect mix of social media and social interaction. (By the time you read this, he’ll have close to 2 million followers.). Meanwhile the book has already topped the Times bestseller list.”

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Posted on November 19, 2013

Memories Of Moscow, Nixon

“In October 2013, PEN partnered with independent researchers at the FDR Group to conduct a survey of over 520 American writers to better understand the specific ways in which awareness of far-reaching surveillance programs influences writers’ thinking, research, and writing,” PEN, the world’s leading literary and human rights organization, revealed on Monday.
“The results of this survey – the beginning of a broader investigation into the harms of surveillance – substantiate PEN’s concerns: writers are not only overwhelmingly worried about government surveillance, but are engaging in self-censorship as a result.”
Let’s take a look at some of PEN’s key findings.

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Posted on November 12, 2013

By Steve Rhodes

Ald. Brendan Reilly’s father is the executive vice chair of medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Gladys and the Roland Harriman Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
I learned this after Reilly tweeted the link this week to an excerpt from his father’s new book in the Atlantic.
The excerpt, “How CPR Became So Popular,” is from One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine. Let’s take a look.

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Posted on November 8, 2013

Penn Jillette, Persepolis & Orland Park Porn

1. WGN vs. Penn Jillette.
WGN-TV’s Robin Baumgarten offended by Penn’s book title.
2. Kids vs. Adults.
“The Illinois Library Association presented Lane Tech College Prep High School with its Intellectual Freedom Award, honoring the school for protesting the removal of the graphic novel Persepolis from Chicago Public Schools,” DNAinfo Chicago reports.
Seems adults never learn this lesson.

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Posted on November 7, 2013

Another Beachwood Special Report

“Chicago’s showcase Harold Washington Library is in line for a $6 million facelift – including a new roof, generators, heating and cooling systems – courtesy of tax increment financing,” the Sun-Times reports.
“TIF funding for the library equivalent of a 100,000-mile checkup for the 26-year-old central library – and the same for the 30-year-old Sulzer Regional Library – is tucked away in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s 2014 budget.”
Sources tell the Beachwood the tune-up will include:

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Posted on November 1, 2013