Ask Amy
Once fat, man won't date big women - October 20, 2011 - Dear Amy: After 30 years of a wonderful marriage I was widowed at the age of 51.
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Barbara Brotman
A retro idea to keep banks in check - October 17, 2011 - For those infuriated by plans by banks to impose debit card fees, consider this radical suggestion:
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Steve Chapman
On weed: Dazed and confused no more - October 20, 2011 - Candidates running for president can easily wreck their campaigns with one serious misstep. Back in 1976, one Democrat said he favored getting rid of criminal penalties for marijuana use. Can you imagine how Americans of that primitive era...
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Teddy Greenstein
Michigan State earning rough reputation - October 18, 2011 - Michigan State has become the Raiders of Big Ten football — a rough, tough crew that racks up penalty yards, makes no apologies for it and, for the most part, just wins, baby.
David Haugh's In the Wake of the News
Cubs, Red Sox need to find common ground - October 18, 2011 - When debating what constitutes fair compensation for a man billed as the city's next baseball messiah, let logic guide you. Theo Epstein is more likely to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame than any Cubs player in the entire organization.
Melissa Harris' Chicago Confidential
Investment execs not singing the blues - October 16, 2011 - Chicagoan Matthew Hulsizer has been in the news because he's trying to buy the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues.
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Globetrotting by Philip Hersh
Patrick Chan: a skater for all seasons - October 20, 2011 - The summer season in Olympic sports has yet to end -- witness the Pan American Games, a multi-sports event of summer disciplines, which runs until Oct. 30 -- yet the winter sports season arrives this weekend.
Jon Hilkevitch's Getting Around
Parking solutions don't have to be taxing - October 17, 2011 - Before rushing ahead with a weekday parking tax proposed last week for the downtown area, Chicago officials should closely study a new experiment on the West Coast, experts say.
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Ask Rex Huppke: I Just Work Here
Psst: It's OK to cheat on your employer - October 9, 2011 - Brace yourselves. I'm about to come out in favor of infidelity.
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Chris Jones
Pascal and Rapp headed to Skokie - October 20, 2011 - "Rent" stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp are to make a joint concert appearance Saturday night at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.&...
Gregory Karp
Conquering with complaints - October 7, 2011 - Consumers today are more empowered than ever after they've been wronged by a company. That's because squeaky wheels have more and better ways to squeak.
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John Kass
Cheers for 'Boss,' even if it blurs reality a bit - October 20, 2011 - At one point in "Boss" — Starz's entertaining new TV drama of Chicago political corruption and steamy hotel-corridor sex that premieres Friday — the mayor of Chicago grabs a small Latino alderman.
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Julia Keller
New novel by Russell Banks tackles tough subject - October 13, 2011 - The late John Updike once opined that we are all "trapped in solitary confinement inside our own skins." We can't ever really know what someone else is feeling, no matter how hard we try or how desperately she or he wants us to. Our unique souls...
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Rick Kogan's Sidewalks
Time of Your Life Players are proud to act their ages - October 14, 2011 - In 1974, Bob Dylan wrote “Forever Young” and in that lovely song are these lyrics: “May your hands always be busy/ May your feet always be swift/ May you have a strong foundation/ When the winds of changes shift/ May your...
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Greg Kot
Cymbals Eat Guitars rises above - October 20, 2011 - When his band Cymbals Eat Guitars self-released its debut album, “Why There Are Mountains,” in 2009 to significant acclaim, Joseph D’Agostino and his bandmates hit the road hard, and the road hit back.
Gail MarksJarvis
Wall Street protests hitting home with everyday Americans - October 19, 2011 - — The Occupy Wall Street demonstrators have been criticized for being permanent protesters, hippies and excitement seekers who can be ignored because they have no specific agenda.
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Nina Metz
Finally, a comedy film fest in Chicago - October 14, 2011 - I'm betting the timely nature of the real estate nightmare driving "The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue" is strictly coincidental. And yet in a confluence of jokey, drunken inspiration and true-life drama, this comedy-horror hybrid also quite plainly...
Clarence Page
When chaos can be a plus for Occupiers - October 19, 2011 - After spending an afternoon with Occupy DC, the District of Columbia's branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement, I now understand why the protesters avoid designated leaders. For one thing, when things go wrong, it's easier to spread the blame...
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Michael Phillips
Artistic vision survives death, 3-D - October 20, 2011 - Even when decked out with international flags and Chicago International Film Festival signage, as it has been these past two weeks, the 21-screen AMC River East complex in downtown Chicago cannot pretend to offer either the glamour or the ferment...
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Mike Mulligan
Cool hand Lovie - October 18, 2011 - You couldn't help but laugh Sunday at the contrast of coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz combusting in Detroit while Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier stared across the sidelines from each other here in Chicago. The Jims almost came to blows...
Mary Ellen Podmolik
The new economics of refinancing - October 7, 2011 - Every week seems to bring more good news on mortgage rates, and a new group of consumers starts calling around, seeking to capitalize on record-low or near-record-low mortgage rates by refinancing their loans.
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Dan Pompei
Cutler gets F in leadership - October 19, 2011 - Tell (Mike Martz) I said (blank) him. — Jay Cutler
Howard Reich
A massive jazz weekend in Chicago - October 20, 2011 - One of the biggest jazz weekends of the fall season begins now:
Phil Rogers
Manager's chess game goes to La Russa - October 20, 2011 - ST. LOUIS — One of the beauties of baseball is that every game you see something you've never seen before. That was certainly the case in Game 1 of the World Series.
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Phil Rosenthal
Yes, Siri, that's my baby - October 19, 2011 - It's her eagerness to help that's so seductive. At first you're surprised by how much she knows about you and the world around you. But the more she helps you, the more you want to help her, and she's a good listener.
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Ameet Sachdev's Chicago Law
Legal-aid charities, trying to address declining funding and rising demand, try to help each other out by merging - October 14, 2011 - Legal-aid charities have felt the impact of the economic downturn with declining funding and increasing demand.
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Mary Schmich
From one holiday season to next - October 19, 2011 - "Is it Halloween tonight?"
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Dawn Turner Trice
New generation trying to revitalize North Lawndale - October 17, 2011 - Talk to Marcus Betts about redevelopment in North Lawndale and you can feel his optimism. Drive around the beleaguered community and, with the exception of a few rays of hope on the development horizon, you might wonder where Betts' optimism...
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Phil Vettel
Deconstructing the menu - October 20, 2011 - Roka Akor, a splashy sushi and steak concept that originated in London, opened in July in River North (only its second North American outpost, after Scottsdale, Ariz.). But its lunch menu didn't debut until after Labor Day, so we took a look at...
John von Rhein
Despite deficit, CSO says it's fiscally sound - October 19, 2011 - There was bad news and good news to report at Wednesday's annual meeting of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, the orchestra's parent body.
Ellen Warren
A stiff whiff can cut your raving craving - October 19, 2011 - Of course smell is important when it comes to eating. When we walk into a movie theater, our sense of smell is why we're instantly dying for some popcorn — preferably drenched in butter.
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Jen Weigel
Are you ready for winter? - October 20, 2011 - With winter just around the corner, I asked fellow moms, readers on Facebook and an etiquette expert to help me compile a winter checklist so you'll be ready for the change in seasons.
Jon Yates' "What's Your Problem?"
Problem Solver: Numbers don't add up on credit card charge - October 20, 2011 - Roger Greenwood thought he had heard of every conceivable bank fee. Then he received his September credit card bill.
Eric Zorn
Zorn: Obama should swap Hillary for Biden - October 19, 2011 - I'm not saying I think President Barack Obama will ask Vice President Joe Biden to step aside and ask Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to take his place on the 2012 ticket.
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Matt Bowen
Going deep shouldn't be too big a stretch - October 15, 2011 - The Bears can generate opportunities in the passing game by moving the pocket and targeting the Vikings with a three-level route scheme. The OVS concept (outside vertical stretch) is a Cover-3 beater when Jay Cutler has targets that break...
Dennis Byrne
Should pensions be a top priority? - October 18, 2011 - Illinois' biggest problem is the state budget; the budget's biggest problem is the plush pensions for public employees; lavish pensions are a problem because of a constitutional clause that bans the "diminishment or impairment" of their benefits.
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Meghan Daum
Snatching the 'hope' mantle from Obama - October 14, 2011 - Liberal fervor, which took a hit when it became apparent that Barack Obama the president was not going to live up to the promise of Barack Obama the Shepard Fairey poster, is back in action. From the streets of Manhattan to the pages of Facebook,...
Don Dziedzina
Reeling in memories - October 14, 2011 - It was 30 years ago when my wife, Judy, and I last took our daughter, Lisa, on a fishing trip to Northern Wisconsin. She was 12 years old, and I can still picture her sitting on the dock at Lac Vieux Desert.
Leah Eskin
Taco fusion - October 16, 2011 - Fusion is a scary concept. To the nuclear physicist, it's about squishing together two atoms until something explodes. To the cook, it's more or less the same idea: Take two perfectly nice cuisines and squish them together until something explodes.
Ilyce Glink
is it honorable to 'give back' home to lender? - October 17, 2011 - Q. My wife bought the home we currently live in back in 2003. We find we can no longer pay for the house. Is it possible, instead of a nasty foreclosure, to give the house back to the mortgage company?
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Jonah Goldberg
Debate jars Perry out of sweet spot - September 15, 2011 - Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are exactly where they want to be.
Benny Kass
File lien against deadbeat condo owner - October 14, 2011 - Q: My wife and I own a vacation condo in a small development on a lake in Wisconsin. There are about 32 units in the condo complex, of which 20 are occupied and the rest are still owned by the developer. The developer still controls the...
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Joyce Lain Kennedy
Considering the holiday job hunt - October 18, 2011 - Q, The good news is that both my husband and I have jobs. The bad news is that neither of us is happily employed, and we hope to change jobs after the holidays. We have accrued vacation time, and I would like to take it in December, but my...
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Charles Krauthammer
Gone in 60 nanoseconds - October 10, 2011 - "We don't allow faster-than-light neutrinos in here," says the bartender.
Dan McNeil
Be it resolved: Don't take Belichick rejects - October 13, 2011 - If you've had it with the Bears and find yourself rooting for more disasters so a regime change will be made, you could be in for a sober awakening.
Robert Pagliarini: Your Other 8 Hours
Why you're stuck: Change your path to change your life - October 19, 2011 - I'm a little embarrassed. Over the weekend, I dug into a fantastic book titled "Handbook of Motivation Science," and I had an epiphany. For a guy that is obsessed with progress and creating the best life possible for myself and others, what I...
Kathleen Parker
Obama allies: Don't play the race card - October 20, 2011 - — The call by some members of the black media for African-Americans to support President Barack Obama in racial solidarity is a terrible idea. Just as terrible as women supporting women only because of their sex, or any other group viewing...
Mark Pearlstein
Condo board members just won't leave - October 14, 2011 - Q: Our association has a seven-member board. The declaration does not have term limits for a board member, and we do not allow cumulative voting.
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Leonard Pitts
On race and Herman Cain: A darker shade of wail - October 17, 2011 - This is for those who keep asking what I think of Herman Cain. In particular, it's for those who want to know what the tea party's embrace of this black businessman turned presidential candidate says about my claim that the tea party is racist.
Janet Portman
Landlord claims signing bonus was 'error' - October 14, 2011 - Q: My lease says that I get a rent concession of $500 for the first month's rent, and $150 for every month thereafter. When I subtracted $500 from the first month's rent, the landlord returned the check, saying I was entitled to deduct only...
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Dean Richards
Bob Newhart to return to site of Cubs' gathering - October 13, 2011 - Legendary comedian Bob Newhart has come a long way from his days growing up in Oak Park. His journey took him to St. Catherine of Siena grammar school, St. Ignatius College Prep and Loyola University, where he graduated with a degree in business...
Daneen Skube: Interpersonal Edge
Thrive despite career setbacks - October 18, 2011 - Q. I have a friend who is very religious and believes that if you are a member of her religion, nothing bad should happen to you. I have had a string of bad luck in my career this year, and she keeps telling me this is proof God is punishing me. Is...
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
Boys soccer | Joe Trost's Corner Kicks: Sandburg season comes to surprising end - October 20, 2011 - On a night when many people wondered whether New Trier's 19-year streak of winning at least one state tournament game was going to come to end, Sandburg was the program that stole the unwanted spotlight.
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Mary Umberger
Credit reporting digs deeper - October 14, 2011 - Sometimes it's hard to escape the notion that our lives are being slowly, inevitably reduced to a single database.
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Bob Weber
Biodiesel can trigger check-engine light - October 15, 2011 - Q: I felt compelled to write and ask if you are aware of problems with diesel fuel cut with 5 to 20 percent biodiesel. I drive a 2009 E320 BlueTec and have recently noticed a check engine light. Any idea how serious this problem...
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George Will
Question time for the Republicans - September 5, 2011 - WASHINGTON — Wednesday's Republican "debate" in California will not resemble the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, in which one candidate spoke for 60 minutes, the other responded for 90 minutes, and his opponent had 30 minutes for rebuttal....