By Steve Rhodes
I’m going to ease back into the papers after my brief absence so I don’t get the bends. Let’s start with what I’ve missed in the Sun-Times‘s groundbreaking, six-part series into Chicago’s changing kitchens.
* “Local celebs’ kitchen IQs put to the test.”
* “Local chefs invite you into their home kitchens.”
* “Real men master their kitchen domains.”
I feel this series building toward a big finish on Friday. Perhaps the word “formica” will finally be used.
Rope-a-Dope
Sun-Times editorial page editor Steve Huntley weighs in with a full column today about the big-box ordinance, comparing his grocer’s job at age 16 in the piedmont hills of North Carolina to the jobs at Wal-Mart that adults in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods might land should the company build there.
Daley Dope
Huntley also observes in his column that there is “No doubt Daley built his own political organization. What politician does not?” Well, the chief revelation of the recent City Hall corruption trial was just that: That Daley, unlike previous mayors content to work within the party organization, built his own.
Joementum
The Tribune editorial page weights in on Joe Lieberman’s loss: “Lieberman votes his conscience. Democrats said that wasn’t good enough.”
Democrats didn’t oust Joe Lieberman because he votes his conscience. They ousted him because his conscience is too close to George W. Bush’s conscience for comfort.
Nedmentum
Meanwhile, Michael Van Winkle writes on the Tribune‘s Op-Ed page that Lamont’s victory is just the latest indicator of a political culture that leaves “more moderate, less ideological voices underrepresented.” Because the Bush Administration and war supporters are moderate, non-ideological voices.
Naderman
* “‘Think about if you wake up Wednesday morning, Nov.8, and George Bush is our president-elect because you voted for Nader,’ Lieberman said. ‘Electoral votes in Washington state, Oregon, could determine the outcome of this election. That’s how close this is. Is that what you want to have happen?'”
-“Lieberman Addresses Nader Backers,” AP, 10/27/2000
* “U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman harshly criticized Ralph Nader Monday for running for
president, joining a chorus of Democrats who fear that Nader supporters will help send George W. Bush back to the White House.
“‘I argued and Al Gore did in 2000 that a vote for Ralph Nader was effectively a vote for George Bush, and if you care about the environment and fairness and the economy as Ralph says he does, than you ought to vote for the Democratic ticket,’ said Lieberman.”
– “Lieberman urges Nader to rethink run for president,” AP, 2/23/2004
– Tim Willette
[Editor’s Note: Perhaps Lieberman is playing the same “I’m Only Trying To Help You” game that Ralph Nader plays so well, as described by our very own Marilyn Ferdinand in “Games People Play.”]
Olympic Millstone
The big obstacle to Chicago’s Olympic bid is obviously the fact that the new Soldier Field is too small to host opening and closing ceremonies, as well as several key events. Why doesn’t somebody just say it? The mayor spent $650 million on a stadium nobody liked and it’s not fit for the Olympics or, for that matter, a Super Bowl. Oops.
House of Stroger
The county has unpaid bills dating back to 2003. Debate question for Tony Peraica to pose: Mr. Stroger, are you proud of the way your father ran a county government that didn’t pay its bills, and if elected, will you follow in the family tradition?”
Two Views
Headline juxtaposition of the day: “Boy’s Shooting, Jon Burge – No Wonder Blacks Are Fed Up,” next to “State Needs Lawsuit Reform, Topinka Says.” (Sun-Times)
Evans Explained
A juror explains to reporter Natasha Korecki why Michael Evans, who spent 27 years in jail for a rape he didn’t commit, was denied a financial award this week.
Crappy Transit Authority
The CTA is spending $1.3 million to test a $25 million system that will let you check online to see if your bus is running on time. Maybe they should spend that money to make sure the buses run on time. And the trains.
Kid News
“The studies got attention because they confirm the notion that today’s kids are being poisoned by a culture that glorifies all the wrong things. But parents have been thinking that at least since Beaver Cleaver’s era. This time, at least, they’re wrong.”
– Steve Chapman in the Tribune, on highly flawed recent studies about teen sex and violence
Bullseye
While I like the pro-big-box ordinance people more than the antis, I don’t think it’s appropriate for the Chicago City Council to set the wage rates for a particular industry. At the same time, I don’t believe taxpayers ought to subsidize private industry. In other words, if Target is going to benefit from $68.5 million in tax-increment financing from the city, then maybe the city can dictate some rules as to how they operate. I’d prefer to let government govern and business do business instead.
Sneedlings
Phil Rosenthal did it so I didn’t have to: The illness of Fidel Castro gave Michael Sneed yet another opportunity to crow about her trip to Havana as Gov. George Ryan’s personal secretary in 2002 and mention, by Rosenthal’s count, Castro’s drinking of Asian water buffalo milk for the 11th time since. (last item before the birthdays)
But that’s not all. “Most curious was Sneed’s mention of eating yak yogurt this time around,” Rosenthal reports. “The first time she mentioned Castro’s yogurt she said it was buffalo yogurt. The next five times it was goat’s milk yogurt.”
Sneed, of course, has never mentioned Castro’s repression of journalists in his country. Here is the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index:
161. Cuba
162. Libya
163. Burma
164. Iran
165. Turkmenistan
166. Eritrea
167. North Korea
At least Kim Jong-Il knows the going rate for an American gossip columnist is well within his budget.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Lactose intolerant.
Posted on August 10, 2006