By Helene Smith
On Grand Rapids’ West Side.
(ENLARGE FOR PROPER VIEWING)
Posted on February 24, 2017
At The Ukrainian National Museum | Celebrating Women Of Courage
By DH Marketing
In celebration of National Women’s History Month in March, the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago welcomes Celebrating Women of Courage, a traveling exhibition curated by local Vietnam Veteran/Artist Jerry Kykisz (U.S. Army).
The exhibition features photography, paintings, mixed media, poetry and short films of and by more than 15 courageous artists from across the country who have overcome extreme difficulties in their lives.
Posted on February 20, 2017
Beachwood Photo Booth: Old Glory
By Helene Smith
“Old Glory is a nickname for the flag of the United States. The original ‘Old Glory’ was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver (March 17, 1803-March 3, 1886), who flew the flag during his career at sea and later brought it to Nashville, Tennessee, where he settled. Driver greatly prized the flag and ensured its safety from the Confederates, who attempted to seize the flag during the American Civil War.”
(ENLARGE FOR PROPER VIEWING)
Posted on February 17, 2017
Chicagoetry: Lope
By J.J. Tindall
Lope
And the caravan
Is calling:
A train of camels lopes
Across the Sahara
Of my insomnias, train
Festooned with worn tassels,
Cheap rope and tattered rugs.
A couple camels
Carry supplies, of course:
Grass, seeds and grains for them,
Fruit, jerky and water for me.
Posted on February 13, 2017
Beachwood Photo Booth: Lincoln’s Cozy Corner
(Amid A Boom, Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Look To Future Markets
By Scott Gordon/WisContext
Wisconsin growers produced between 5.85 and 5.9 million barrels of cranberries in 2016, according the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. That harvest would come close to a record they set in 2013 with a crop of more than 6 million barrels – about 6 million pounds, as a barrel equals about 100 pounds of fruit.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate in August 2016 forecast production closer to 5.2 million barrels for the year, but growers look to have exceeded this estimate.
In any case, no state challenges Wisconsin’s dominance in United States cranberry production – its nearest competitor, Massachusetts, produces less than half as much.
Posted on February 8, 2017
In Russia, McDonald’s ‘Golden Arches’ Have A Russian Shine
By Maria Kiselyova and Olga Sichkar/Reuters
MOSCOW – When McDonald’s opened its first Russian restaurant in 1990 in Moscow, it was not unusual to see wedding receptions held there, so strong was the appeal of the quintessential American brand at the end of the Cold War.
In recent years, with U.S.-Russia ties increasingly frosty, the fast food chain has pursued a different strategy: go native.
“We say it every time: we are a Russian company,” Khamzat Khasbulatov, the head of McDonald’s Russia, told Reuters. “I don’t think there’s a single company that can call itself more Russian than us.”
Posted on February 7, 2017
Tips For Growing Blueberries In Wisconsin
By Jill Nadeau/Wisconsin Public Radio
For some gardeners, growing blueberries is a test of their skills. Conditions must be just right for blueberry plants to survive and produce fruit. And although Wisconsin’s climate is perfect, the soil – especially in the southern part of the state – isn’t what blueberries like, said Vijai Pandian, a horticulture educator with University of Wisconsin-Extension Brown County.
“Blueberries are very picky about their soil pH. They like an acid soil, ranging from 4.5 to 5.5 pH,” he said. “Most soil in Wisconsin is 7, slightly alkaline, that makes it very challenging to grow blueberries.”
Posted on February 6, 2017
Beachwood Photo Booth: Chicago Embassy
(Poem [“The Beachwood Inn Has Collapsed!”]
By Tim Willette and J.J. Tindall
Poem [“The Beachwood Inn has collapsed!”]
with apologies to Frank O’Hara
The Beachwood Inn has collapsed!
I was checking Accuweather and suddenly
it started raining or snowing
and you said it was hailing
but hailing hits you on the head
hard so it was really snowing and
raining and I was in such a hurry
to meet you but the traffic
was acting exactly like the sky
and suddenly I see a text msg.:
THE BEACHWOOD INN HAS COLLAPSED!
there is snow tonight in Wicker Park
there is always rain in Illinois
I have been to lots of other bars
and acted perfectly disgraceful
and collapsed here and there but not like this
oh Beachwood we love you get up
Posted on February 1, 2017