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Midwestern Elephants

Open your mouth about the impending corporate murder of the Marshall Field’s nameplate by the evil retail overlords at Federated and some heartbroken local will immediately insert their foot and claim the real Marshall Field’s is no more. Is that so?

How to Keep a Boyfriend Happy

The way to a man’s heart is most assuredly through his stomach and let no one steer you wrong about this. Our grandmothers knew what they were talking about when they passed on this failsafe gem. All you need is a game plan. Here’s mine.

Alvaro Villa’s “Five Days with Katrina”

Today at work I received a link to an astounding photo essay of the day-by-day effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. It was created by Alvaro Villa, a trapped resident of the French Quarter, and includes an ongoing narrative of the situation, as it grew worse and worse.

The Charity of the Many

It has been four years since I felt moved by both the pain and the passion of a city. Then it was due to the terrorist disaster that befell my hometown, New York. This time, though, there’s the federal government to blame–for the atrocious response to the the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

NOLA sinks, Bush Floats

Being a New Yorker who was living in Gotham during 9/11, I know all too well the feelings of despair and helplessness that the hundreds of thousands of refugee New Orleanians must feel as they flee their beloved city, now in ruins. Blame President Bush.

Watch the Cindy Sheehan TV Spot

It may not air in Utah, but Cindy Sheehan’s TV commercial will certainly play on a TV within earshot of President Bush.

The Millennium Park Effect

The Project for Public Spaces assesses Chicago’s universally loved Millennium Park and labels it a failure. Judging by the heavy use the park gets from Windy City locals, you have to wonder whether the organization actually visited it in the first place.

Chicago Dictionary for Suburbanites

We may share the same metropolitan area, but sometimes it seems like Chicagoans and suburbanites are speaking a different language.

“Stranded in Chicago, Please Help”

If it’s August, it must be CST, Chicago Stranded Time. You know them: a diverse band of scruffy youths sitting on the pavement up and down State Street holding up a worn cardboard sign: Stranded in Chicago, Please Help.’ Except they’re not.

Two Zorns Don’t Make It Right

A day after the Trib’s Eric Zorn supported President Bush’s decision not to meet with Cindy Sheehan, he’s doing some backtracking on his blog–thanks to a wave of dissenting opinions from Trib readers, including me.