Children Need Books And Books Need Children

“Did you know that 61% of at-risk families have no books at all in their homes for their children? Book ownership is a non-negotiable in any successful educational journey, and Bernie’s Book Bank is committed to making sure that Chicagoland’s at-risk children have the same opportunities that all other children have.
“Bernie’s Book Bank collects quality new and gently used children’s books; packages them into age-appropriate bags; and redistributes them to thousands of at-risk children in Chicagoland who have no books of their own, over and over and over again. Bernie’s Book Bank currently serves more than 35,000 children in Chicago and its suburbs.
“You can help us connect children needing books with books needing children by donating books, volunteering in our warehouse, and supporting us financially. Visit us at www.berniesbookbank.org.”

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Posted on February 21, 2012

By Storie Devereaux

Poetic Interpretations: Volume 1.
Spoken Word Demo Collaborations. J’s Bistro. Chicago, IL, 98th Western.

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Posted on February 20, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

“Jeffrey Zaslow – a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist who went on to sell millions of books with themes of compassion, inspiration and empathy – was killed Friday in a car crash in northern Michigan,” the Sun-Times reported over the weekend.
“Mr. Zaslow teamed up with some of the country’s most inspirational people to help tell their stories, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and Randy Pausch, the subject of Zaslow’s huge hit The Last Lecture, which has been translated into 48 languages and sold more than five million copies in English.
“He was a columnist at the Wall Street Journal at the time of his death. He was 53.”
Zaslow famously – and accidentally – won a contest to replace Ann Landers, resulting in the Sun-Times’s “All That Zazz” feature.
“He brought together a group of readers called the Regular Joes who would chime in with advice. He held an annual singles party that drew national attention – and led to many marriages,” the paper recalled.
“Mr. Zaslow launched school supply drives in his column. He also raised untold sums for the Sun-Times charity.”
Ah, yes, the charity. Here’s what the Sun-Times left out of its report.

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Posted on February 13, 2012

“Just like Rerun!”

It happened. From Jeff Pearlman’s Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton:
“If [Mary ‘Bullet’ Jones] was Jackson State’s Ginger Rogers, its Fred Astaire was Walter Payton. Throughout a freshman year noteworthy for gridiron excellence, Payton generated equally rave reviews for his improvisational dance talents. Wherever one looked, he could find Walter dancing. Inside classrooms. Within the corridors of Sampson Hall. Standing in line for lunch. On the bus rides to away games. ‘He danced just like Rerun from What’s Happening!!‘ said Jackie Slater, an offensive lineman who went on to a twenty-year NFL career. ‘The moves were crazy and wild and extremely athletic.’
“‘There was a porch in front of our field house, and as we were getting ready to play the football games Walter would stand there and dance, dance, dance, dance,’ said Porter Taylor, a quarterback. ‘Coach Hill would walk by, take a look at Walter moving all around and say, ‘OK, we’re ready.'”

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Posted on February 10, 2012

By NiqKush

“NiqKush (Niq James & Kush Thompson) at Young Chicago Authors’ WordPlay, a weekly open mic every Tuesday at 1180 N. Milwaukee.”

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Posted on February 9, 2012

By Tim Willette

Vomiting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Emesis” redirects here. For the butterfly genus, see Emesis (genus).
“Heaving” redirects here. For the up-and-down motion, see Heave.
“Puke” redirects here. For the district in Albania, see Pukë District. For the town in Albania, see Pukë.

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Posted on February 1, 2012