By Steve Rhodes
Today’s world, as seen through The New York Times.
When wondering what in the world is going on in Englewood, consider this.
When evaluating the effectiveness of policing strategies, don’t forget this.
When you wonder what’s gone wrong in Iraq, remember, the correct answer is Nothing Except the Media Reporting Too Much Bad News.
When mourning the 2,300-plus American lives lost in Iraq, don’t forget that an estimated 33,000 to 37,000 Iraqis have died.
And why are the elderly so hung up on global warming, nuclear war, and Medicare?
Nike never fails to spot an opportunity, even when it comes to hijabs in Kenya.
Why doesn’t the Tribune or Sun-Times hire some heavyweights like Vanity Fair just did?
Maybe the Tribune Company should hire this Marimow guy; he seems to be doing a helluva job at NPR. Oh wait, they fired him.
Has the Barack backlash begun? Get ahead of the curve, because it’s coming.
The War At Home
Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, in an interview with the Daily Herald‘s Eric Krol, says he and his colleagues were bamboozled by the Bush Administration.
Q. You voted for the war when you were in the Senate. Do you regret doing that, knowing what you know now?
A. Certainly a lot has come out that has given me pause. For example, senators were called in and told there was evidence Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction. That he was importing these aluminum tubes and that he was trying to build nuclear weapons. We all know a lot of that was overdone. I regret that I didn’t have a better understanding beforehand, better intelligence to inform that vote. I do think it’s a good thing for the Middle East and for the world and for the people of Iraq not to be living under a dictator anymore. But our country has paid a horrible price and we have an ongoing civil war in Iraq that is not easy for us to extricate ourselves from. I hope we can get our men and women in uniform back as quickly as possible. Do I regret my vote? No.
Village Voice
If you’re not tuning in to WVON-AM at least every once in awhile, you’re not getting a full picture of life in Chicago. If you truly wanted to understand the full story of Fred Hampton Way, for example, listening to WVON would have been a good way to get beyond the narrow and ahistorical WGN/Tribune/Sun-Times point of view. Same with why Cook County President John Stroger has such a strong black base despite his well-chronicled failings. At least one reporter at the Tribune seems to be listening, though it would have been more interesting to explore the station’s brash and often controversial content and what it tells us about Chicago than to give the little radio station that could a pat on the head.
Q is for Quagmire
Catching up with Q’s big story on Sunday, “A Field Guide to Male Shoppers”
Next week, a story about men who leave the toilet seat up.
Answering Amy
In which we take one question posed each week to the Tribune‘s highly-paid, highly-marketed, highly-mediocre advice columnist and contrast her answer with ours. Edited for length and sanity.
Dear Amy: Please help me handle this like a sane woman. So far I’m not doing a good job.
My husband and I have been married for more than 25 years. We have two teenagers living at home. We golf together, enjoy working in the yard and doing home projects. We also have hobbies that we do on our own.
About three months ago my husband mentioned that he wanted to get a motorcycle. This is the first time that he was even remotely interested in them. After realizing I was making the motorcycle more desirable by resisting it, I told him it was OK with me, though I would rather he purchase something the family could enjoy.
I am very worried about him getting hurt, and I am distressed that he is already taking time away from the family to ride it.
– Worried Wife
Dear Wife: Women don’t always understand the desire that many men have to suddenly live on the edge at midlife. But men who do this are experiencing an important life passage and it is your tough job, as your husband’s life partner, to watch your guy become a thrill-seeker.
Welcome to the MIdlife Wives club.
If your husband needs to spend a few hours a week feeling the wind ripple his golf shirt, then let him do it.
Make sure he is aware that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Per vehicle mile, motorcyclists are about 32 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash.” Yikes.
A book you might find helpful is “How to Survive Your Husband’s Midlife Crisis: Strategies and Stories From the Midlife Wives Club.”
– Amy
Dear Wife (cc: Amy): Get off his back and let him enjoy his motorcycle in peace. And whatever you do, don’t go imagining that something deeper is going on, like that he’s having a midlife crisis, against all available evidence.
– The Beachwood Advice Affairs Desk
The [Sunday] Papers
In which we explore coverage of Englewood. Catch up with them here.
And fresh postings promised for today will be put up tomorrow. Sorry, we’re a little discombobulated today at Beachwood HQ. But only because we’re coming up with new ways to serve you better. On Tuesday we’ll also catch up with Patent of the Week and Trademark of the Week, which got lost in the shuffle of our weekend lineup.
Use our Tip Line if you must: And even if you mustn’t.
Posted on March 20, 2006