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People, Places & Things

Chicagoetry: Djinns Of Catalina

By J.J. Tindall

Djinns of Catalina
March has been usurped by May
in this season of strange days.
The heat mirages, djinnis of oil,
already shimmer up Harlem Avenue
and the squalls along the eastern horizon
conjure a Catalina off the Third Coast:
holographs of Hearst and Chaplin
yachting with Rosetta and Loretta Martin,
Old Man Wrigley’s battery ditching practice
to swim with invisible sharks.
Outside the women come and go
talking of the marriage that is in woe.

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Posted on March 18, 2012

Teaching At The Oasis: Part One

By Roger Wallenstein

First in a series.
We’re nearing the close of the morning language arts period, and it’s time to clean up. Roberto (I’m not using any real names for kids here), who struggles with speaking, reading, and writing English, has everything back in its proper place – books back on the shelf, papers in his folder, pencils returned to his desk drawer – and he comes running back to the table. “What did you forget?” I ask. “Forgot to push my chair in,” he responds. This is a kid who easily could hate school. It is so difficult for him. Yet he needs to make sure his chair is pushed in. Unreal!
* * *
Few schools in our country have students from poorer circumstances than Roberto’s school, Oasis Elementary in Thermal, California. I happen to be fortunate in that I can spend much of the winter escaping Chicago’s elements in the desert of Southern California. For the past couple of winters my wife Judy and I have added to our good luck by volunteering in a fourth grade classroom at Oasis.

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Posted on March 12, 2012

Leinenkugel’s Introduces Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

By The Leinenkugel Brewing Company

The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company on Monday launched Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, the first in a series of daring, yet delicious Big Eddy brews to be released in 2012. Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale captures the signature warmth and comfort of traditional scotch ales, one of the most majestic beer styles in the world.
Thanks to an intensive brewing process, Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale offers significant malt complexity, including eight malts and grains for a robust richness. The brew, which adds a touch of hops to balance the malts, features assertive chocolate, toffee and caramel notes, with a hint of smoke and dark fruity undertones subtly emerging throughout.

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Posted on March 6, 2012

‘Stache Act To Ways & Means

By The American Mustache Institute

Greetings,
As you probably know, last week on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the American Mustache Institute launched its Million Mustache March in support of the proposed Stache Act (details and white paper here). This week, the office of of Maryland 6th district U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett informed AMI that the congressman has begun the process of ensuring the ‘Stache Act becomes law by passing the proposal to the House Ways and Means Committee for study.

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Posted on February 28, 2012

Video Of Spike Lee’s Appearance At Chicago State University That He Inexplicably Doesn’t Want You To See

Does The Wrong Thing

Maybe Lee didn’t want it gotten out that he said, “We’ve got to start taking education more seriously as a people and as a nation. Education is key.”
On the other hand, maybe this wouldn’t be well-received in all quarters: “If you’re on the corner, drinking a 40 oz. of that malt crack liquor, smoking a joint, holding your privates; pants dropped below your waist – then you’re hip, you’re black, you’re gangster . . . but what you really are is ignorant. And the crime is they don’t even know they’re ignorant.”
In any case, Big Marcus wasn’t going to be denied. Well, if just for a brief moment. Here’s his video, uploaded to YouTube on Sunday.

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Posted on February 28, 2012

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