By Steve Rhodes
1. Devin Hester’s Wikipedia entry includes this fun fact: “Hester is in a relationship with Tamara James, a former women’s basketball player he met at the University of Miami; James currently plays professionally for the Washington Mystics.”
2. Let the Devin Hester endorsement sweepstakes begin.
3. “You’re one of college football’s most exciting players, but you’re not a starter on your own team.”
– Hester being interviewed by the Black Sports Network when he was a college junior.
4. I’m pretty sure Hester reads The Beachwood Reporter.
Just sayin’.
5. Dock Walls files more nominating petitions than Daley. Evidence that Daley is nothing without the street operation that has been eviscerated by the fed? A tactic to not appear heavy-handed in the face of minimal opposition from two African-American candidates? Or a way to lessen media scrutiny of his operation by shrinking the target?
6. The way Daley’s re-election announcement was played elsewhere.
* The New York Times.
* Bloomberg.
* AP.
* Chicago Tribune.
7. I kid you not – the Tribune just posted the following breaking news: “Orange Line Traveling In Reverse Around Loop.”
In related news, Frank Kruesi just logged on to Monster.com.
8. The anguished and disturbing letter from Joe Jackson, last week’s downtown office shooter.
9. You wouldn’t know it by the local coverage, but Denny Hastert is anything but a kindly, cuddly wrestling coach. He’s a venal pol who tried to cover-up Foleygate.
10. “In reality, some Democrats did let partisan motives warp their judgement. When a staffer for the Democratic Caucus got copies of the [Foley] e-mails, he forwarded them to the press and the Democratic congressional Campaign Committee,” the Tribune editorial page complains this morning.
Um, how was that wrong? Should the Democrats have kept the story out of the papers?
11. “The investigation found that after Foley resigned, Shimkus told another Republican member of the page board why he never informed the Democratic member of the board, Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan, about Foley: ‘Dale’s a nice guy, but he’s a Democrat, and I was afraid it would be blown out of proportion,’ Shimkus told Rep. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia,” the Springfield Journal Register notes.
12. Are we supposed to be proud that the University of Chicago’s famed “free market” economists helped a mass murderer design his imperious economy?
13. Do we really need to read for the zillionth time that people used to dress up to fly? Lord, the last thing I want to do is put on a suit for a three-hour flight. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Tomorrow: Where have manners gone?
14. Wasn’t the lowering of dress standards while flying part of deregulation?
15. Remember when doctors made house calls and you could get a live person on the phone when you called customer service?
Next week: I thought they were crazy people talking to themselves, but they’re just talking on their phones!
16. Your guide to the college bowl season. For fans and non-fans alike.
17. God, My Boys sucks. Has another show ever gotten Chicago so wrong?
18. Do you think if we all pitched in we could make Jim Belushi go away?
19. Sun-Times TV critic Doug Elfman is apparently immune to embarrassment. But we can be embarrassed for him.
20. You have to see the photos of Elfman in costume for the full effect, but the Sun-Times isn’t making those available online because the Internet isn’t really a visual medium.
And I’m not kidding, they actually put an outfit on him and took photos.
21. The dirty little secret to Susan Lucci’s Youthful Essence.
22. Why is every Tribune Company newsroom in revolt except the one in Chicago?
23. SantaCon Chicago.
24. A letter to Judge Dibs.
25. What you can’t get on eBay.
26. My favorite parts of the federal government’s latest filing in its case against former Sun-Times owner Conrad Black:
Birthday Party.
On December 4, 2000, approximately two weeks after receiving close to $12 million as an alleged non-compete in the CanWest transaction and $4.3 million as an alleged non-compete in the CNHI (II) sale, Black held a surprise birthday party for Mrs. Black at New York City restaurant La Grenouille. Before the event, a party planner sent Black a letter confirming the number of guests, cocktails, menu, birthday cake (which was to read, “Happy Birthday Barbara”), the pianist and singer for the guests’ entertainment, and the types of champagne and wine that would be served. At the party, Black made a toast concerning his wife’s birthday. The total invoice for the party was approximately $54,000. On the invoice, Black wrote to one of his executive assistants regarding payment, “Lets call it 1/3 personal and 2/3 corporate.” Black’s assistant followed this instruction, and International paid two-thirds of the party expenses.
Bora Bora.
In July and August 2001, Black and his wife took a vacation to Bora Bora. They then attended Wagner’s Ring Cycle at The Seattle Opera, in Seattle, Washington. The Blacks used one of International’s coporate jets to travel from Toronto, Canada, to Bora Bora, then to Seattle for the operas, then back to Toronto. The cost to International for use of the jet for this trip was Cdn$565,326.
On or about January 29, 2002, International’s controller asked Black where the flights to Seattle and Bora Bora should be charged. Black responded that beause the flights were “mainly” within the United States, “let’s charge them to [Hollinger] International. I’m happy to pay, as to half, personally, if [this will] cause difficulties”
27. LeTowele: Always By Your Side When You Need It!
The Beachwood Tip Line: Pretty much always by your side.
Posted on December 12, 2006