By Zay N. Smith
News Headline: “Fiscal cliff looms over U.S. economy.”
OK. Wait.
If the fiscal cliff looms over us, doesn’t that mean we already fell off it?
Forget the economy.
We’re losing control of our metaphors.
Posted on December 5, 2012
The Streets Under The Streets Are Back
By Steve Rhodes
When I was a kid growing up in suburban Minneapolis, my parents would sometimes take me and my brother to Chicago for a weekend in the summer. My father had an uncle who lived here and used to work in the cab business; he knew how Chicago worked. Later he married well and moved to a pricey condo in Water Tower Place. We would do the museums and restaurants and so on, blah blah blah. But my favorite thing about Chicago was what I called “the streets under the streets.” I always asked for one more drive on these subterranean marvels. It was just the coolest thing ever. (Memo to David Daskal: You don’t have to live here to get it; quite the opposite. Native Chicagoans are much more nonchalant about the lower drives.)
Well, the city announced last Friday that the streets under the streets were back – open for driving after a lengthy reconstruction project. Let’s take a look.
Posted on December 3, 2012
QT: Different Desecrations For Different Folks
By Zay N. Smith
News Headline: “Woman hangs flag upside down to protest Obama victory.”
News Headline: “Indonesian Muslim protestors burn U.S. flag.”
The two stories seemed to go together, for some reason.
Posted on December 3, 2012
QT: Or Try Ezekiel 23:19-20
By Zay N. Smith
News Headline: “Church steeples rented out as cell phone towers.”
And don’t think the sexting community isn’t grateful.
Joe Lueken, owner of supermarkets in Minnesota and North Dakota, on why he will transfer ownership to his 400 employees upon retirement:
“My employees are largely responsible for any success I’ve had, and they deserve to get some of the benefits of that.”
Lueken knows an important truth about free enterprise:
He built that.
And so did they.
Posted on November 30, 2012
Helmut Jahn Explains The O’Hare Tunnel
And The Dreaded Thompson Center
“The O’Hare United Tunnel connects two terminals and is since its opening in 1987 a glorious merge of art and architecture,” writes Dennis Bangert on this YouTube upload.
“The idea of a subterranean landscape came from Helmut Jahn, the music and light installation from artist Michael Hayden.”
Posted on November 29, 2012
QT: Not With A Bang But A Tweet
By Zay N. Smith
News Headline: “Can books endure in a 140-character world?”
So. Let’s see.
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago–never mind how long precisely–having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me o
Well. OK.
Maybe not.
Moby-Dick is 8,609 tweets long, by the way.
Posted on November 28, 2012
The Chicago Toy & Game Fair
Super-Sized!
Catching up with this year’s show.
1. The Inventor of Operation!
Posted on November 27, 2012
Chicagoetry: Bird Of Prey
By J.J. Tindall
Bird of Prey
I won’t say
I’m no longer a child but
I am not the child
I used to be.
Posted on November 26, 2012
QT: Can’t You Feel It In The Air?
By Zay N. Smith
News Headline: “Christmas season is finally here.”
News Headline: “Man punched in face, pulls gun on line-cutting shopper.”
News Headline: “Shots fired outside Walmart.”
Ho, Ho, Ho!
Posted on November 26, 2012
That Balloon Tastes Like Apple
Comes With Pin
It doesn’t fill you up, but you do get way more than your recommended daily allowance of helium.
But is it an hors d’oeurve or dessert?
And can it be baked into a pie?
Posted on November 23, 2012