By The Beachwood Circus Trip Affairs Desk

“After a long period of constantly changing its spots to chase the competition, the Greatest Show on Earth has, these last couple of years, settled more easily into its own distinctive, time-honored skin,” Chris Jones wrote for the Tribune this month.
“The enjoyable latest edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus – entitled Barnum’s FUNundrum – takes its cue from the 200th anniversary of the birth of that great showman P.T. Barnum, and thus is a cheerfully – even defiantly – retro experience that re-centers this last of North America’s great traveling circuses in the carnival tradition.”
The circus was in Rosemont until the 14th, then played at the former Chicago Stadium through Sunday night. Here are some highlights.
1. The Train.

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Posted on November 29, 2010

By David Rutter

1. Rusty Wallace, WTF?
Owing to a change in state law, Rusty Wallace’s history of saying anything for a buck might be curbed. The former NASCAR star is the local happy-go-lucky mouthpiece for Midwest Title Loans, which has charged 10,000 percent interest (only marginally hyperbolic) on loans that have to be repaid by the end of the month. On Jan. 1 the law will forbid payday loan vermin from pillaging cash-poor citizens at the same three-figure rate.
About time.
Payday loans are slightly better than loan sharks. Nobody comes to break your kneecaps. They do come to take your car, though, not to mention your dignity.

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Posted on November 26, 2010

By The Beachwood Bar Travels Affairs Desk

High alcohol content and high drinkability at Old Chicago.

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Posted on November 24, 2010

By Majik773

“The All Stars Project has brought its successful approach to developmental community organizing to Chicago’s youth. Director of the All Stars Project of Chicago (ASP of Chicago) David Cherry, is a grassroots organizer who has worked in Chicago’s diverse communities for 16 years and is committed to building a vibrant community of growth and development for Chicago’s inner-city youth.
Cherry launched the All Stars Talent Show Network in Chicago in March of 2007 and produced the first show at Bogan High School on the South Side. Since its inception, the ASP of Chicago has reached more than 1,000 young people from Chicago’s South and West Sides.”
*
On November 6th, the Chicago All-Stars brought its talent show to Englewood High School. Here are the highlights, courtesy of Majik773’s YouTube channel.

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Posted on November 22, 2010

By David Rutter

WTF Goes Tweet, Tweet.
1. WGN radio’s delightful purge, WTF?
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
2. Half-naked woman in car with sex toys, WTF?
Apparently, a suburban trend.

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Posted on November 19, 2010

By The Beachwood Forward Unit Affairs Desk

“8fifty8 is reinventing the nightlife experience making each party its own work of artful conception.”

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Posted on November 18, 2010

By J.J. Tindall

SON OF SOME OTHER GUY
“Some other guy is sippin’ up her honey like a yellow dog, oh now
Some other guy, now, has taken my love just like I’m gone, oh now
I’m the lonely one
As long as I can feel all right”
****
Previously, on “Some Other Guy:”
“Awake in the razor’d dark
to the consummate torture
of my own imagination…
Him, luxuriating
in her inspired lewdness…”
****
O Muse!
Evil bitch!
O Love!
Cruel Fate!

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Posted on November 17, 2010

By The Federal Citizen Information Center

As the unofficial start to the holiday season, Thanksgiving is a busy time full of travel plans, good food, friends and family. These tips from the Federal Citizen Information Center can help make this time less hectic and more fun.
If you’re flying this holiday season, make sure you brush up on the latest rules and regulations from the Transportation Security Administration. Find out what items are safe to pack in your carry on before heading out, and on your way you can check for any airport delays or last minute flight changes from the “My TSA” mobile app.

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Posted on November 16, 2010

By Jerome Haller

Thanks to dumb luck, the road not taken or closed off has sometimes turned into a blessing in disguise for me. Years ago, I did not hit on a voluptuous neighbor who turned out to be a drug dealer. I did not get a pricey liberal arts graduate degree that’s currently unmarketable. And I decided not to move into a more expensive apartment just before getting laid off from my longtime gig.
Recently, my good fortune struck again.
Twice over the last three years, I interviewed with one of the biggest local security companies. I wore a suit, filled the application, and patiently answered the interviewer’s questions. Both times, I did not get a rejection letter or even a call back.

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Posted on November 15, 2010

By David Rutter

1. Bad teachers, WTF?
Something rotten – you can decide what for yourself – makes public schools lousy. Forget about the fat cat suburban prep palaces with fencing and water polo teams. For the rest of them, the record in Illinois is crummy.
But try to pick on any cause – go ahead, try – and the chorus of denial screeches into hysterics. The latest is this study, which points out that the largest producers of teachers in the state (Southern Illinois U. and Northern Illinois U.) do a particularly lousy job.
Based on the response from the ed fortress, the researchers might just as well have called them Al-Qaeda bombmakers.

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Posted on November 12, 2010