Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Love Never Dies continues Phantom of the Opera tale The sequel to the phenomenal play The Phantom of the Opera, called appropriately, Love Never Dies, continues the thrilling tale of love on stage at the start of the 20th Century. Playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago’s Loop, it’s well worth the time and…
Read More “Love Never Dies continues Phantom of the Opera tale” »
Arab American empowerment continues to grow Arab Americans have been fighting for a place at the American table from the day they set foot in America. But in recent years, their empowerment has increased despite the increased discrimination in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In recently years, Arab Americans have…
Remembering Billy Graham and Christian Arabs The Rev. William “Billy” Franklin Graham Jr. died this week at the age of 99. During his life, Graham once held the Palestinian Christians of Bethlehem in the highest esteem. And when my mother passed through one of his evangelical conventions one day, Graham held her hand high up…
Snow isn’t only thing making the week rough Chicagoland was slammed by a few days of compressed heavy snowfall. But clearing the nearly 18 inches of snow wasn’t the only problem we had. Politics in Illinois has made the experience even worse. Maybe we should have a GroundHog that predicts whether we will have good…
Lipinski-Newman Congressional fight has nation’s attention Six term Congressman Dan Lipinski is no stranger to controversy. Appointed to succeed his father Bill, Dan Lipinski has faced criticism from Day One. He’s no media darling and his conservative Democratic beliefs often pit him against more liberal and “progressive” colleagues. This year’s election challenge from Marie Newman…
Read More “Lipinski-Newman Congressional fight has nation’s attention” »
Cloverfield “franchise” destroys a great original theme Some one should explain to J.J. Abrams that it isn’t enough to just put a word in a movie title to create a franchise that will excite the public. I loved the 2008 movie “Cloverfield.” But the two films int he so-called “Cloverfield franchise” don’t even come close…
Read More “Cloverfield “franchise” destroys a great original theme” »
Pritzker, Brannigan and the “politics” of apologies Some Arab American and Muslim activists have launched a vicious campaign against Palos Township Trustee Sharon Brannigan who expressed opinions critical of the “Middle Eastern” community that they claimed were racist. Brannigan apologized three times but they refused to accept her apology. However, J.B. Pritzker slammed Muslims as…
Read More “Pritzker, Brannigan and the “politics” of apologies” »
Anti-Drug Industry Media Firestorm: Unscientific, Dishonest, Dangerous Guest columnists Sandip Shah and Helen Shao argue that drug companies are being unfairly criticized, that development of drugs costs far more than media claims. Drug research is expensive By Sandip Shah and Helen Shao Have drug companies been lying about their development costs to justify high prices?…
Read More “Anti-Drug Industry Media Firestorm: Unscientific, Dishonest, Dangerous” »
Rejecting the Cloudy Logic of EPA Ozone Rules Businesses should not be strapped with over-burdensome Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations set by the Obama administration regarding ozone levels. Guest columnist Merrill Matthews argues that Ozone levels have dropped and restrictions should be eased. By Merrill Matthews The Environmental Protection Agency just missed a court-ordered deadline…
Super Bowl was fun, but could have been better I’ve been watching Super Bowl games since the very first one and I’d like to say they haven’t changed, but they have. The half-time show has become a major attraction but the music just isn’t up to par for the audience. And worse is the growing…
Read More “Super Bowl was fun, but could have been better” »
Rod Blagojevich getting revenge against political foes Most people believe former Governor Rod Blagojevich is guilty of misconduct in office, but there are just as many who believe that the punishment was excessive and driven by the hatred that Illinois’ Democratic establishment had against him. Blagojevich was arrested in 2008, prosecuted and convicted. The judge,…
Read More “Rod Blagojevich getting revenge against political foes” »
Less booze at SoxFest 2018 than at CubsFest We skipped the CubsFest this year because the Cubs went from Lovable Losers to difficult to speak with World Series ego maniacs. I hope they keep winning, cuz maybe they’ll start to get back to their lovable selves one day. In the meantime, we decided to go…
Tomasulo’s Man of the People offers refreshing chuckles in mad, mad, mad, mad world “Common sense perspective” returns to American TV late night comedy in Pat Tomasulo’s “Man of the People” on Saturday nights at 10 pm on WGN TV. Tomasulo is the only host on TV offering original comedy that isn’t driven by the…
Read More “Tomasulo’s Man of the People offers refreshing chuckles in mad, mad, mad, mad world.” »
Stoking the fears of nuclear war Residents of Hawaii woke up one morning last week to an alarming text message and emergency broadcast alerts warning of an impending ballistic missile attack and emphasizing “This is not a drill.” Many Hawaiian residents believed it might be the end of life and that nuclear holocaust was impending….
Rauner’s Blago Ad shows he fears Pritzker most Gov. Bruce Rauner launched a new series of ads attacking J.B. Pritzker, associating Pritzker with disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich. But the ads are premature and come during the March 20 Democratic Primary rather than in the November General Election campaign. It suggests that Rauner fears Pritzker…
Read More “Rauner’s Blago Ad shows he fears Pritzker most” »
Movie Review: “The Post” when newspapers had more respect The new movie “The Post” is a powerful film that takes Americans back to 1971 when journalism was a profession dominated mostly by principle. Truth outweighed political partisanship. But in watching the movie this week, it only made me sad. Because it reminded me how badly…
Read More “Movie Review: “The Post” when newspapers had more respect” »
Double dipping tipping is getting out of hand Service industry businesses like restaurants, limousines, hotels and cruise lines are getting into the habit of imposing a 20 percent “tip” for services rendered to customers. But they are still asking for an additional “tip” when the bill arrives. A “tip” is supposed to reflect a customers…
Holidays today are not like holidays of the past It was so much better in the “old days.” Movie theaters were more enjoyable and traveling on airlines and even cruises were simpler. We knew what we were getting upfront for the single cost we paid. Today, traveling is a gamble, and going to the movie…
Read More “Holidays today are not like holidays of the past” »