Chicago - A message from the station manager

The [Friday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

Me and Jim “Coach” Coffman discussed Kenosha and the ensuing events on our sports podcast today, check it out.
The Beachwood Radio Sports Hour #319: Business As Usual Is Canceled
Made us look. Plus: The Giolito Shuffle; Cubs Hit Rough Patch – Except Financially; Bears’ Broken Backfield; Crow Dough; Chicago Skyward; Fire Torch Orange & Blue; Gold Stars For Red Stars; and The NU/ND Report.
If you click through, remember to scroll down for the Show Notes.


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Programming Note
For completists and archivists, there was no column Wednesday or Thursday because the census buried me.
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Real Death Toll
“The official COVID-19 death toll in Illinois may not account for at least 1,000 fatalities – and potentially far more – that could be attributable to the pandemic, according to a Tribune analysis of federal data.”
From everything I’ve read up to now, it’s deep into the “potentially far more” category. But let’s see what the Trib has to say.

Through July 25, Illinois had officially recorded 7,397 COVID-19 deaths. But public health experts say that for a fuller picture of the pandemic’s toll, it’s important to look at so-called excess deaths – or deaths beyond the number that would typically occur during a given time period.
Examining excess deaths can help capture both COVID-19 cases that went uncounted and the greater numbers of deaths from conditions exacerbated by the pandemic, such as untreated heart attacks or fatal drug overdoses . . .
From Feb. 2 through July 25, Illinois had officially recorded 10,252 more deaths than typically would be expected, according to historical data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Helping explain much of that excess are the 7,397 COVID-19 deaths reported during that period. But that still leaves an additional 2,855 deaths beyond what is typical.
In essence, that’s 1 in 4 “excess” deaths in that period not explicitly labeled as being caused by COVID-19.

That’s a lot of death that far too many seem numb about. Just let those number sink in.
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You’ll have to click through for the nitty-gritty of the data, and a number of charts, but I’ll highlight this:

Regardless, the data shows the toll has fallen heavily on nonwhite residents. In early May, for example, Hispanic residents of Illinois saw three times as many deaths as has been typical for that period – with most, but not all, of those extra deaths blamed on COVID-19.

It might seem trite to say, but can you imagine the response of this city, this state and this country if rich people saw three times as many deaths as typical?
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The Status Quo Was Uncivil
“The Chicago Police Department is preparing for a potential wave of weekend protests in the wake of civil unrest north of the Illinois border, sparked by the Kenosha police shooting of Jacob Blake,” the Sun-Times reports.
Can we stop using the phrase “civil unrest?” Say what you mean: protests in the wake of shootings by police and a teenage militia member that have left two dead and one severely wounded.
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“Civil unrest” is not just a vague, antiseptic piece of jargon; it makes the protesters the protaganists of the “unrest,” instead of the police, whose actions have caused the protests. If anything, people are protesting police unrest, but it’s not just unrest, it’s a spate of state-sponsored murders. That’s just the fact, Jack, and that’s what our business is about.
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“The department’s new Critical Incident Response team, consisting of about 200 officers, will be deployed downtown. ‘Arrest teams’ outfitted with helmets and shields will enter crowds to arrest alleged ‘agitators,’ [police chief David] Brown said.”
In other words, no lessons have been learned. The biggest reason why public opinion has shifted so dramatically so quickly in favor of the BLM movement is because nice white people can no longer deny what they’ve seen with their own eyes: That the main agitators are the police themselves.
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“The department also conducted its ‘first of many tabletop exercises’ on Thursday night with an emergency safety drill downtown, following two waves of looting in the Loop.”
Here’s how those ended, which doesn’t give me a lot of confidence:

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Chicago Weather Forecast Is WAP
Don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player.


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New on the Beachwood . . .
Remembering Justin Townes Earle
Once a Rogers Park resident, always in our hearts.
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How The World’s Billionaires Are Cashing In On COVID-19
Oxfam calls it “pandemic profiteering.”
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Where Have I Heard These Trump Lines Before?
From the KKK, that’s where.
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Kenneth Copeland Loses Gig
Hipster megachurch replacement also a piece of work.
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Evanston’s Golden Child
“You can already peer over the hill and see that titanic neighborhood struggle. If Notre Dame or hometown Northwestern beats out the other for him, the loser will be depressed. The only way it would worse for the Irish is if long-hated Michigan wins the battle,” our very own David Rutter writes.
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Chicago: American Medina
Muslim Chicagoans share their stories of faith, identity, and personal journeys.
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Harlem Globetrotters’ New Mobile Game
Including cameos by the Washington Generals.
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ChicagoReddit

Does anybody know where star lounge used to get their almond croissants? from r/chicago


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ChicagoGram


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ChicagoTube
Fender Custom Shop 1952 Telecaster HS “Chicago Special”

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TweetWood
A sampling of the delight and disgust you can find @BeachwoodReport.


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It just goes on and on and on.


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Maybe he meant crime in the executive branch.


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I despise Chicago Exceptionalism.


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The Beachwood Grip It And Rip It Line: Rip it good.

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Posted on August 28, 2020