By Steve Rhodes
Hello, I watched part of the impeachment hearings this morning from a chair in a dentist’s office, how did your day go?
Posted on November 21, 2019
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Trump quote at Cabinet on freedom of the press: “The press really, in this country, is dangerous. We don’t have freedom of the press in this country. We have the opposite. We have a very corrupt media. And I hope they can get their act straight now.”
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) November 19, 2019
Posted on November 20, 2019
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
On this day in 1990, the National Academy of Arts & Sciences took back the Grammy they had awarded Milli Vanilli the year prior for Best New Band. Of course, even if Milli Vanilli had sang the songs they were actually just lip-synching they would have been far from the best new band of the year; there were undoubtedly a couple dozen bands in Chicago alone better than that factory pre-set of a band, even if some of their songs were undeniably catchy.
But I digress. I’m really here to remind you of the item “Missing Milli” in my August 27 column and to plead once again for cultural literacy in our newsrooms – even if it’s culture we don’t necessarily like. It’s our job to know what’s up.
Posted on November 19, 2019
The [Monday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Ald. López and even Spielman sound a little forlorn at Eddie Burke’s political demise.
— Mike Klonsky (@mikeklonsky) November 17, 2019
Quite.
Posted on November 18, 2019
The Weekend Desk Report
By Steve Rhodes
“Astronomers recently discovered a star whizzing out of the center of our galaxy at the seriously blinding speed of four million miles an hour. The star, which goes by the typically inscrutable name S5-HVS1, is currently about 29,000 light-years from Earth, streaking through the Grus, or Crane, constellation in the southern sky,” the New York Times reported this week.
I’ve long advocated that science news of this nature – and really, any nature – get more prominent play by media organizations. And not just because news like this has the “Holy shit!” factor, but also because we rarely contemplate the very nature our our universe, our reality, our existence – at least in a way that is “news.”
For example, this is the way this kind of news should be presented if given the proper weight of its implications:
Posted on November 16, 2019
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“A man at the center of a race-related incident last month at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville was known to restaurant staff for making racist comments and would send back food unless it was served by a white employee, according to Naperville police reports,” the Tribune-owned Naperville Sun reports.
Whoa. That certainly adds another level to the story. Instead of botching one incident, the Naperville restaurant tolerated this customer over time, adding culpability to what happened in October when a group of patrons was asked to move because a customer didn’t want to sit next to black people.
Posted on November 14, 2019
The [Wednesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
“Shoveling isn’t just about being a good neighbor – it’s the law in Chicago,” the Tribune notes.
Even more so than it used to be: “The shoveling law was amended in 2015, and now is in effect seven days a week.”
I guess shovelers used to get the weekend off.
Posted on November 13, 2019
The [Tuesday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Every winter it’s like the first time anyone has flown in snow! https://t.co/IbhsrDtGky
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) November 11, 2019
Posted on November 12, 2019
The Weekend Desk Report
By Steve Rhodes
“A now-elderly hoodlum who led the Chicago mob’s London diamond heist in 1980 is back on the street and his Outfit accomplice has one foot out the door of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, staying in a Chicago halfway house,” ABC7 Chicago reports.
“Together, career mobsters Art Rachel and Jerry Scalise stole the famous Marlborough diamond from a U.K. jewelry store on September 11, 1980.
“Now mob-watchers are wondering whether the Outfit duo is planning a 45-carat reunion when Rachel joins Scalise in newfound freedom from the Bureau of Prisons.”
Posted on November 9, 2019
The [Thursday] Papers
By Steve Rhodes
Spent the morning at the dentist and I’m gonna need a root canal on Tooth 18.
I asked the dentist if there was a downside to just pulling it because that would be less expensive and he said, “It’s a good tooth, I wanna try to save it.”
I guess dentists really do have a thing for teeth.
And he’s right, it is a good tooth. It’s done yeoman’s work for me over the years. But it’s not really earning its keep.
Posted on November 7, 2019