Achy Obejas

May. 3, 2013

The absurdity of Tebow vs. Collins

May. 3, 2013
You may have seen this tweet, or a variation, in the last few days:

 

Tim Tebow: I’m Christian.
Media: Keep it to yourself!
Jason Collins: I’m gay.
Media: This man’s a hero!

Oh, the self-pity, the false equivalency!

Both men became free agents in their respective sports recently, both making news, but that's about where the similarity in their situations begin and end.

Yet Tebow's fans seem all bent out of shape that their man—long known as a Christian—didn't get the kinds of love Collins provoked by revealing his homosexuality.

Can we just review?

Tebow is part of an American majority: A straight Christian male.

Collins is part of several American and global minorities: An African-American gay male.

…Read Full Entry

Lee Bey

May. 3, 2013

Old North Side firehouse up for sale

May. 3, 2013

 

The city this week has begun seeking reuse proposals for a former Chicago firehouse.
 
Under the city's request, issued Wednesday, the ornate two-story firehouse, 5720 N. Ridge, could be reused as "a commercial and/or not-for-profit development focusing on arts, recreation or culinary activities that are open to the public." In other words: A nice place to visit, but you couldn't want to live there. "Residential uses will not be considered," a summary of the requests states.
 
Other forbidden uses include gas stations, payday loan establishments, currency exchanges, liquor stores or pawn shops. The building is also a protected city landmark.
 
Built in 1929, the building was the home of Chicago Fire Department Engine Company 59, Truck 47. Firefighters there moved to a new facility at 6030 N Clark St in 2008. The retired firehouse is among a cluster of vacant city-owned properties now up for sale including the 88-year-old former Stock Yards National Bank, 4146 S.

…Read Full Entry

John R. Schmidt

May. 3, 2013

Sears Tower tops NYC

May. 3, 2013

Forty years ago today—May 3, 1973. Has it really been that long?

On Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, the Sears Tower was topped off. Our city now had the tallest building in the world.

Sears had maintained its main office in North Lawndale for decades. During the late 1960s the company decided to build new headquarters. After looking in the suburbs, they chose a centrally-located site, just west of the Loop

The original plan was to build two separate buildings. That was changed to a single structure, 1,454 feet high. As board chairman Gordon Metcalf explained, “Being the largest retailer in the world, we thought we should have the largest headquarters in the world.”

Construction began in 1970. The foundations were dug, and the steel frame began to rise slowly over Wacker Drive. At the 1,369-foot mark the Sears Tower passed the former record holder, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

Raw, windy weather nearly postponed the May 3rd topping-off festivities. The ceremonial final girder contained the signatures of the 12,000 people who had worked on the project.

…Read Full Entry

Photo of the Day

May. 2, 2013

March: Photo of the Day - May 2, 2013

May. 2, 2013

…Read Full Entry

Jim DeRogatis

May. 2, 2013

Wire: Rock’s greatest super geniuses (after Eno)

May. 2, 2013

Asked to assess the most important part of the legacy of long-running English art-punks Wire, most fans will cite the quartet’s first three albums—Pink Flag (1977), Chairs Missing (1978), and 154 (1979)—which chart a startling arc of growth and creativity that echoes and inspires to this day.

If you value my opinion at all, and you do not own these recordings, you should download them immediately. Your life will be richer for it, and I’ll wait.

Done? Good. Because here I will venture that as extraordinary as that music is, a case can be made based on Read & Burn: A Book About Wire, an impressive 400-plus-page appreciation of the band by Wilson Neate newly published by Jawbone in the U.K.

…Read Full Entry

Claire Zulkey

May. 2, 2013

Cubs are like a bad girlfriend

May. 2, 2013

The following three items are completely unrelated.

1.) I will be on the radio today on The Afternoon Shift to talk about my King Spa and alone time experiences at around 2 p.m., if you'd like to hear me.

2.) The Cubs' owners threatening to move the team if they don't get their way is the kind of bratty empty gesture that I hope they follow through on, just because it would be the most interesting thing to happen to the team in 100 years. However, I have a feeling the Cubs are like the girlfriend and the city/fans are like the boyfriend in this sketch (NSFW):

3.) And finally, pease don't forget Funny Ha-Ha is Friday. It'll be a delightful show and a wonderful way for you to kick off your weekend.

Follow Claire Zulkey @Zulkey

…Read Full Entry

Nico Lang

May. 2, 2013

What hating Gwyneth Paltrow says about us

May. 2, 2013

Last week, Gwyneth Paltrow pulled one hell of a pop culture hat trick. In addition to breaking international box office records with her newest film, a little movie called Iron Man 3, People named her as the world’s “Most Beautiful Person.” The world, however, proved itself not so fond of the multi-hyphenate actress.

…Read Full Entry

John R. Schmidt

May. 2, 2013

Lost Chicago landmark: the old Old St. Mary's church

May. 2, 2013

The Archdiocese has delayed demolition of St. James Church. That calls to mind a historic church that wasn't saved: the old Old St. Mary’s.

St. Mary of the Assumption was the city’s first Catholic church, built in 1833 on Lake Street west of State Street. Three years later the building was moved to Michigan Avenue and Madison Street. In 1843, when Chicago was established as a diocese, a new St. Mary’s Cathedral was constructed at the southwest corner of Madison Street and Wabash Avenue.

The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed St. Mary’s Cathedral. Afterward the Catholic bishop decided to rebuild his cathedral in Holy Name parish. He also purchased the five-year-old Plymouth Congregational Church at 9th and Wabash, rededicating it as St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The parish was placed under the direction of the Paulist Fathers order of priests.

The decades passed, and the South Loop went into a long decline. Anyone with money moved out. By the 1930s the area was mostly commercial—and what wasn’t commercial was slum. Aging gracefully while the neighborhood deteriorated, the church remained one rock of stability.

…Read Full Entry

Pages