Staff columnists
Ask Amy
Bride wants her maids to do the robot - July 23, 2011 - Dear Amy: Ever since I was a child, I've wanted my cousin "Sandy" to be the maid of honor at my wedding.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Fred Mitchell's Around Town
Alomar feeling Blue - July 22, 2011 - Roberto Alomar had two stints with the White Sox (2003 and 2004), but the soon-to-be-Hall of Fame inductee is best remembered as a member of the Blue Jays.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Barbara Brotman
Like kids, elderly need to get outdoors - July 20, 2011 - One time when my mother was doing a stint in rehab — the post-fracture nursing home variety, not the Lindsay Lohan kind — I took her out of the New York facility and drove her to a nearby waterfront.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Steve Chapman
The real effects of gambling - July 21, 2011 - Gambling has proliferated in America in recent years, and it's not about to stop. The Illinois Legislature has approved a bill authorizing more casinos as well as slot machines at racetracks. Ohio has four new casinos in the pipeline. Maine...
Bio |
E-mail |
Teddy Greenstein
18 Holes with … Gar Forman - July 23, 2011 - I offered to take Gar Forman to a fancy club. Perhaps somewhere with valets, chateaubriand sandwiches and complimentary aftershave in the locker room.
David Haugh's In the Wake of the News
Essian can relate to Quade's woes - July 22, 2011 - In the Cubs dugout that day 20 years ago, Harry Caray reminded first-time manager Jim Essian he wasn't in Iowa anymore. As only Caray could.
Melissa Harris' Chicago Confidential
Northwestern prof works to give convicted teens second chances - July 21, 2011 - By the time Bernardine Dohrn drove more than 100 miles in her silver Buick with two lawyers to the Pontiac Correctional Center, a quarter-century had passed since Mark Clements began serving four life sentences for a 1981 arson...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Philip Hersh
Timing not right for U.S. in 2020 - July 1, 2011 - While a U.S. bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics still seems very unlikely, USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun didn't rule it out this week.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Jon Hilkevitch's Getting Around
Smartphone thefts boost CTA robbery rate, Chicago police say - July 11, 2011 - The robbery rate is running higher this year on the Chicago Transit Authority system, new data show, and police link the crime increase to "Apple picking" by young thugs stealing smartphones from passengers.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Rex Huppke's 'I Just Work Here'
The big question: Raises - July 18, 2011 - So I hear about this guy named Mike Michalowicz, who has this idea that companies should institute "library hours," a chunk of time each day when everyone in the office shuts up, unplugs from the Internet and focuses on work.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Chris Jones
Casting announced for 'My Fair Lady' at Paramount - July 19, 2011 - The Paramount Theatre has announced the cast for its first self-produced musical: Jim Corti's fall production of "My Fair Lady."
Gregory Karp
Why we blunder when we buy - July 22, 2011 - Consumers might say they like easy buying decisions, but they don't.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
John Kass
Chicago needs school vouchers. And Rahm needs to meditate. - July 22, 2011 - Mayor Rahm Emanuel certainly made news over his angry, finger-wagging scolding of NBC Chicago TV reporter Mary Ann Ahern the other day.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Julia Keller
Sick and wrong: Chronicle of Chicago's Public Hospital - July 22, 2011 - Forget politics. Just for a moment, assume politics doesn't exist in the United States. Pretend there is no such thing as Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians, members of the Green Party or the tea party. Or even the Green Tea Party....
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Rick Kogan's Sidewalks
Forgotten hero saved city streets - July 22, 2011 - The children playing in the street in the photograph know little about the history of their street.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Greg Kot
Amy Winehouse, dead at 27: One acclaimed album, great promise left unfulfilled - July 23, 2011 - Amy Winehouse, who was found dead Saturday at her home in London, left behind a small body of celebrated work and immeasurable unfulfilled promise. She was 27.
Gail MarksJarvis
Consumers hold high hopes for new bureau - July 22, 2011 - If you've ever thought someone was playing fast and lose with the rules on your credit cards, credit score or mortgage, but you had no idea where to go with your complaint, you now have a place to turn.
Bio |
E-mail |
Nina Metz
A quartet of summer film festivals at the Music Box - July 22, 2011 - A master of mind games, humiliation and passive aggression, a French business exec played by Kristin Scott Thomas in the film "Love Crimes" artfully manipulates her doe-eyed young colleague (played by Ludivine Sagnier) and doesn't even try to...
Clarence Page
When politics head toward crisis mode - July 17, 2011 - Former first lady Betty Ford's funeral Thursday reminded many of us what a great person she was. She also left some timely reminders of how great we could be too.
Bio |
E-mail |
Michael Phillips
One and only cowboy who lays down a beat - July 23, 2011 - Chris Sand, a resident of Dunn Center, N.D., northwest of Bismarck, where he lives in a house he bought for $1,000, goes by the handle "Sandman, the Rappin' Cowboy." This sweet, side-winding little documentary from director Elizabeth Lawrence...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Mary Ellen Podmolik
Rulings keep homeowners' lawsuits on track - July 15, 2011 - Federal judges in Chicago and Boston have issued rulings in the past three weeks that keep alive two long-running lawsuits brought by homeowners, including two suburban Chicago residents, who have suffered as a result of the housing crisis.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Dan Pompei
Bears should stay home for camp - July 20, 2011 - Sending an NFL team off to a training camp in a remote, steamy location surrounded by corn fields and two-lane highways is an idyllic notion. The concept of isolating players from family and friends, forcing them to rough it and encouraging deep,...
Howard Reich
Celebrating America's greatest composer: George Gershwin - July 22, 2011 - Seventy-five years ago, George Gershwin played the Ravinia Festival, drawing capacity crowds for a program that included his "Rhapsody in Blue," "Cuban Overture" and "An American in Paris."
Phil Rogers
Gillick perfect man to run Cubs - July 22, 2011 - Hall of Famers generally speak of the past, not the future. But not Pat Gillick.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Phil Rosenthal
Borders, Sun-Times moves: Turning pages in the increasingly digital era - July 20, 2011 - For decades, much of the power of the press was in the printing press itself.
Bio |
E-mail |
Ameet Sachdev's Chicago Law
U. of C. professor argues privatization of public assets just like borrowing money - July 22, 2011 - Mayor Rahm Emanuel may want to update his summer reading list with an article by a law professor at the University of Chicago.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Mary Schmich
Miss Birch pontificates on grammar — sort of - July 22, 2011 - Today some letters to Miss Birch, the ghost of my sixth-grade teacher, who occasionally appears in this space to tsk and tut about the state of the English language.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Dawn Turner Trice
Final tribute sought for environmental activist - July 18, 2011 - The office for the environmental justice organization People for Community Recovery sits in the back of a strip mall in the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood. Inside the office is a photograph of founder Hazel Johnson with President Bill Clinton and...
Bio |
E-mail |
Phil Vettel
Out to Lunch: Sam & Harry's Steakhouse - July 21, 2011 - Sam & Harry's Steakhouse
E-mail |
John von Rhein
Conlon, CSO rock Ravinia with Rachmaninov rarities - July 23, 2011 - Rachmaninov can always be relied upon to lure warm bodies into concert venues, especially in the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. True to that formula, James Conlon trotted out one of the composer's greatest hits, the "Rhapsody on a Theme by...
Ellen Warren
Top off summer style with classic hat - July 23, 2011 - Think about it, fellas. How many times are you stopped on the street by a complete stranger who tells you you're looking great.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Jen Weigel
Your cheating heart - July 22, 2011 - Our column about infidelity was quite the feedback generator. Here are some highlights from Facebook and in e-mails.
Jon Yates' "What's Your Problem?"
Problem Solver: Exposed gas line exposes rift - July 21, 2011 - Loretta Cook was fast asleep at her in-laws' house in South Carolina when her cellphone rang at 1 a.m.
Eric Zorn
The watchdog pledge - July 22, 2011 - Earlier this week, Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson took a few indirect whacks at the mayor, pointing out in his quarterly report that the IG's office has neither the independence, the power nor the broad mandate it needs to fulfill its...
Bio |
E-mail |
Other columnists
Julia Allison's Social Studies
How to avoid new-mom angst on Facebook - July 19, 2011 - DEAR JULIA: I am a mom of an 8-month-old and use Facebook regularly. Many of my Facebook friends have babies, too -- and, unfortunately, they brag about their perfect lives. I'm sorry, but when you're up all night with a baby or struggling to get...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Matt Bowen
Waiting for name to be called on draft day nerve-wracking - April 24, 2011 - The dynamic of the NFL draft goes much deeper than first-round picks walking across the stage in three-piece suits (bought by their agents) to shake the commissioner's hand.
Dennis Byrne
How banks are assaulting the housing market - July 19, 2011 - America's big banks, among others, that helped send us spiraling into the Great Recession are at it again. They're warning of even more dire consequences if we don't follow their advice and raise the U.S. debt limit.
Bio |
Meghan Daum
Jaycee Dugard and the feel-good imperative - July 15, 2011 - To watch Diane Sawyer's interview Sunday night with Jaycee Dugard was to wonder at times if that was Dugard herself on screen or an actress hired to play the role of the quintessential survivor. Dugard was so serene and lacking in rancor that it...
Don Dziedzina
Beating the Chain's traffic - July 23, 2011 - Heavy boat traffic can discourage fishermen, and nothing is busier than the Fox Chain O' Lakes.
Leah Eskin
Natural selection - July 22, 2011 - The young naturalist is the self-sufficient sort. He gets up early and packs his knapsack with pocketknife, Band-Aid and plum.
Ilyce Glink
Program rebuilt for unemployed homeowners - July 20, 2011 - In 2010, the official unemployment rate stood at around 10 percent, and there were 5 people looking for every job that was available.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Jonah Goldberg
Men behaving badly - June 3, 2011 - Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York is a very busy man. He sits on several important committees. He's newly married to a high-powered wife. He's planning a run for mayor of New York, which they call "the city that never sleeps" for a reason. In fact,...
Benny Kass
Who gets tax credit for purchase of new home? - July 22, 2011 - Q: My husband and I recently filed for bankruptcy after our home was foreclosed. My mother is willing to purchase a home in her name (as an investment property) and rent it back to us, as long as we can come up with the down payment for her...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Joyce Lain Kennedy
Relocation rejection: Will career take hit? - July 20, 2011 - Q. My husband was offered a promotion and transfer to an office in the next state. He turned it down due to housing and related issues. It was just too difficult, and we would have lost money. Do you think his turndown hurt his career? -- N.G.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Charles Krauthammer
Who takes us to war? - June 27, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Is the Libya war legal? Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, it is not. President Barack Obama has exceeded the 90-day period to receive retroactive authorization from Congress.
Dan McNeil
Bowman needs to make some moves - June 30, 2011 - Hockey on Fourth of July weekend? You bet. I love Rocky Wirtz.
Robert Pagliarini
Don't ask an expert -- ask the crowd - July 18, 2011 - I want to help you get healthier, become motivated, make more money, deepen your relationships, create more energy and live a better, fuller, richer life, but I don't think I can do it alone! You see, writing books, speaking at seminars, emailing...
Kathleen Parker
The just-vote-no crowd - July 12, 2011 - WASHINGTON — A debt crisis is a terrible thing to waste in a presidential election season, and Democrats and Republicans alike are responding on cue.
Mark Pearlstein
Enforcement of rules should be consistent - July 22, 2011 - Q: I live in a 48-unit condominium building that allows owners to rent their units for up to two years in hardship cases only. My unit has been listed for sale for over two years, and I am considering renting the unit and purchasing a home. I am...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Leonard Pitts
Bin Laden's efforts to rebrand al-Qaida - July 5, 2011 - One thinks of that scene from "The Wizard of Oz" where Toto pulls back the curtain and the "great and powerful Oz" is revealed to be only an old man manipulating a smoke and fire machine. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" bellows...
Janet Portman
Couple learns lesson about reviewing a lease - July 22, 2011 - Q: My husband and I rented a house in a particular neighborhood because we wanted our kids to attend that neighborhood school. When we visited the rental, we told the agent about our choice, and made it clear that we were choosing this rental...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Dean Richards
Out of the office: Carell enjoying family time - July 22, 2011 - — Steve Carell has come a long way from his days as a waiter at the Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago. It was his day job while he also did comedy at Second City comedy club here. Now he can walk away from plum jobs like his six-time Emmy-...
Daneen Skube
Get recharged at work! - July 18, 2011 - Q. Sometimes I get really exhausted dealing with people issues at work. Other people don't seem to find the politics so tiring. Am I just a wimp?
David Sobolewski
'We had bigger goals' - March 21, 2011 - Obviously, the Benet team and community had an extremely rough time with the unexpected end to the season.
Joe Trost's Corner Kicks
Girls soccer | Joe Trost's Corner Kicks: Madison County teams sweep the state tournament - June 9, 2011 - Darren Geisler, an avid soccer fan from downstate Illinois, sent an email last week thanking me for picking Granite City to advance to the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament last weekend.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Mary Umberger
Tighter lending standards the new normal - July 22, 2011 - For mortgage borrowers, it's one of those good news/bad news moments.
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
Bob Weber
Brake dust no big worry - July 23, 2011 - Q: The wheels on my 2011 BMW 128i are almost constantly filthy with soot coming from the disc brakes. I know some soot is to be expected from these brakes. It typically washes off quite easily, but I'm wondering if this is indicative of excess...
Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
George Will
Who will bat against 'Alibi' Obama? - July 8, 2011 - "If he popped up in the pinch he should of made a base hit and the reason he didn't was so-and-so. And if he cracked one for three bases he ought to had a home run, only the ball wasn't lively, or the wind brought it back, or he tripped on a...
|
|
