Staff columns
Ask Amy
Disappointed dater ponders chastity vow - October 10, 2012 - Dear Amy: I am in my mid-20s and recently decided that the next time I am in a relationship, I do not want that relationship to be sexual until I am either engaged or married (in other words, until I have a ring on my finger and we...
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Christopher Borrelli
'Argo' director/star Ben Affleck grows smarter and more ambitious with each picture - October 10, 2012 - In the last shot of Ben Affleck's "Argo" — relax, there are no spoilers here — the camera pans slowly along the shelves of toys in a young boy's bedroom. The year is 1979; the film spends most of its time on the true story of how a...
Barbara Brotman
Brotman: Grab your sunscreen and a good book - July 2, 2012 - Move over, Mikhail Lermontov.
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Steve Chapman
The multitudinous Mitt - October 7, 2012 - In Wednesday's debate, Mitt Romney said he will "stop the subsidy" to public broadcasting. That's good to know, because Mitt Romney's campaign website says he will merely "reduce subsidies for … the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
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Mark Caro
Chicago is Yo-Yo Ma's cultural soapbox - October 10, 2012 - The Chicago Public Schools, the Silk Road Ensemble, the Humanities Festival, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Citizen Musician, "cultural entrepreneurship" — Yo-Yo Ma has a way of filling his plate during his...
Bill Daley
Was James Beard the Jolly Green Giant? - October 9, 2012 - Q: I really did enjoy everyone celebrating Julia Child's birthday. But, I do remember another chef that was on television before her, James Beard. I remember seeing his cooking shows and I guess there are no tapes or films that were saved, or maybe...
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Julie Deardorff
One minute with pushup champ April Calderon - September 18, 2012
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Teddy Greenstein
Is Ohio State playing video games? - October 2, 2012 - The topic that made some coaches squirm on Tuesday's Big Ten conference call could be summarized as: Sex, Lies and Videotape.
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David Haugh's In the Wake of the News
Hard to argue with Smith's success - October 9, 2012 - If everybody is honest about it, Lovie Smith's disregard for the public aspect of his job can make it hard to say nice things about him.
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Melissa Harris' Chicago Confidential
Many Chicago Democrats untapped by pro-Obama super PAC - September 23, 2012 - So far, almost all of Chicago's top Democratic donors have abstained from giving to Priorities USA Action, the leading super PAC supporting President Barack Obama's re-election...
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Globetrotting by Philip Hersh
Speedskate case conundrum: Simon says, Simon doesn't - October 8, 2012 - Simon says.
Jon Hilkevitch: Getting Around
Transportation in a disaster zone - October 8, 2012 - If catastrophe struck the Chicago area, many thousands of evacuees would require transportation out of the disaster zone and a place to receive medical care, food and temporary shelter.
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Ask Rex Huppke: I Just Work Here
When it comes to your job, don't hate -- investigate - October 8, 2012 - I feel sorry for jobs.
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Chris Jones
A sexy 19th-century president needs no amping up - October 10, 2012 - THEATER REVIEW: "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" by Bailiwick Chicago Theater ★★ ... The seventh president of the United States set some traps.
Blair Kamin
New Ronald McDonald House serves families, not skyline - July 17, 2012 - Does a good cause inevitably lead to good architecture?
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Gregory Karp
Tax-free toast to your health - September 28, 2012 - Do you hate more money?
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John Kass
The other side of the emergency room curtain - October 10, 2012 - When you're in the ER alone, do you ever listen to what happens on the other side of the curtain? And afterward, what do you tell yourself about what you've heard?
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Rick Kogan's Sidewalks
Danny Goldring's long Chicago acting career paying off with 'Boss' - September 28, 2012 - Look at that face in the photo and try to tell me that is not a great neighborhood face. Aging handsomely and full of life, it is the face of actor Danny Goldring — even the name is neighborhood perfect, Danny — sitting in the...
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Greg Kot
Tonight's top show: Beth Orton at Lincoln Hall - October 8, 2012 - Beth Orton: The U.K. singer-songwriter has been quiet for six years, only to return recently with the dusky, late-night ruminations of a new album, “Sugaring Season” (Anti), 8 p.m. Monday at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Av., $25;...
Gail MarksJarvis
MarksJarvis: Lessons from the crash - October 10, 2012 - It's an anniversary filled with a sense of relief and foreboding
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Nina Metz
They're 'Mortified,' we're entertained - October 4, 2012 - As a genre, the celebrity interview hasn't changed much over the years. The standard talk show appearance is home to the carefully sculpted anecdote. In-depth magazine profiles tend to pivot around a contrived field trip or two, or leave you with...
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Josh Noel
Don't just take it, fliers - October 9, 2012 - The well-chronicled labor troubles at American Airlines are nothing but headlines to most of us, until it comes time to fly American. Then we learn firsthand about the hopefully temporary state of an airline that statistically has lagged behind its...
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Clarence Page
Preferences? What preferences? - October 10, 2012 - Is the U.S. Supreme Court's doomsday clock ticking for racial preferences? Maybe, but states that already ban race-based admissions show how you can build diversity by other means.
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Michael Phillips
Undercover doc lacks clarity - October 6, 2012 - Who is the ambassador? He's not a real ambassador. He's a fake ambassador, a persona adopted by Danish documentarian Mads Brugger, the man behind this sardonic investigative essay on the corrupt blood diamond trade centered in the Central African...
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Mike Mulligan
Bears' pass rush making all the difference - October 3, 2012 - The popular joke when the Bears traded for Jay Cutler in 2009 was that they fleeced the Broncos by including two first-round draft picks because such selections were worthless in Chicago. The trade simply spared the Bears the indignity of making...
Mary Ellen Podmolik
Property flipping regains traction in Chicago area - October 4, 2012 - Property flipping is gaining speed again in the Chicago area.
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Dan Pompei
Pompei's NFL power rankings - October 9, 2012 - 1. Texans (3 last week): They have outscored opponents by 76 points this year, which tells you something about all three phases of their game.
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Howard Reich
Revisiting the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, through film and jazz - October 9, 2012 - Long before flood waters spilled into New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, an even greater deluge engulfed the region (and beyond).
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Phil Rogers
Your Morning Phil: Baez, Cueto, Selig - October 10, 2012 - Talking baseball while wondering how quiet Medinah seems these days.
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Steve Rosenbloom
No reason for Bears to extend Smith now - October 10, 2012 - Bears coach Lovie Smith can be a spinner of fairy tales at times.
Phil Rosenthal
Choices not so sweet for Hostess Brands workers - October 7, 2012 - Remember how Hostess Brands, mired in its second bankruptcy in recent years, was going to let its unions vote on whether to accept the cuts management said were a prerequisite to avoiding liquidation?
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Ameet Sachdev's Chicago Law
Chicago lawyer pleads guilty in tax shelter scheme - September 14, 2012 - The tax-shelter-fraud case against Chicago lawyers and accountants took another strange twist Thursday when one defendant pleaded guilty to criminal charges months after her conviction was overturned.
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Mary Schmich
On the tip of our tongues: Words can date you — and so can snacks - October 10, 2012 - Honey, do these M&Ms; make me look old?
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Dawn Turner Trice
West Side woman wants to liberate residents - October 8, 2012 - The Cynthia Bell of today is a passionate cyclist who puts on her helmet and rides from her North Lawndale home to her job in downtown Chicago. Sometimes during the day she even rides to far-flung neighborhoods for appointments.
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Phil Vettel
Four stars for Next Kyoto menu - October 4, 2012 - To eat at Next is to share skull space with some of the most creative culinary minds in America. That is manifestly apparent after one dines at Kyoto, the sixth production, if you will, of Next's culinary repertory.
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John von Rhein
'Elektra' a bloody good show, electrifying opener for Lyric - October 9, 2012 - OPERA REVIEW: 'Elektra' 3-1/2 stars; through Oct. 30 at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $32-$239; 312-332-2244, ext. 5600; lyricopera.org.
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Ellen Warren
Our eyes are locked on these key rings - September 28, 2012 - We all carry them: Our keys. To the house. The car. The bike lock. The office drawer. The gym locker. A loved one's heart. Well, maybe not that.
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Jen Weigel
Facebook for grandparents - October 9, 2012 - My mother recently announced a desire to join Facebook. While at first the thought of my 65-year-old mom "poking" people or "liking" things scared me, I soon realized this could be a good thing. And according to a Pew Internet Project Tracking...
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Jon Yates' "What's Your Problem?"
Problem Solver: Computer monitor never arrives, gift card refund lost - October 9, 2012 - Connor Loughlin's grandmother had nothing but the best intentions.
Eric Zorn
Blown coverage - October 10, 2012 - The headlines in the papers, on TV and online have been alarming.
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Other columns
American Voices
Joel Brinkley: Netanyahu foolish to take sides in U.S. election - October 10, 2012 - Benjamin Netanyahu is so eager to see Mitt Romney elected president that he's making a fool of himself.
Matt Bowen
'Swap' boot provides many options — long and short - October 6, 2012 - The Bears can move quarterback Jay Cutler out of the pocket Sunday in Jacksonville using boot action on third down situations needing 2 to 6 yards. The Bears can establish the run, set the bait and win on crucial downs by giving Cutler multiple...
Dennis Byrne
A dereliction of debating - October 9, 2012 - Watching liberals unravel after last week's presidential debate has been almost as entertaining as witnessing the thumping that Republican candidate Mitt Romney applied to the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.
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Steve Dale
Traumatized Vietnam vet credits service dog with saving his life - October 10, 2012 - At what point is anecdotal evidence so overwhelming that it matches or exceeds scientific discoveries?
Meghan Daum
Akin's remarks on rape may help clarify the abortion debate - August 24, 2012 - Like any sentient person, I was appalled by Missouri Republican Congressman Todd Akin's comments about "legitimate rape." I was shocked by the Limbaugh-ian proportions of his ignorance about the female reproductive system ("in cases of legitimate...
Leah Eskin
The eww for bread pudding is now mmm - October 7, 2012 - Bread pudding took no part in my nurture, nor does it figure in my nature.
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Jonah Goldberg
Quit blaming Bush - October 10, 2012 - "Now Gov. Romney believes that with even bigger tax cuts for the wealthy, and fewer regulations on Wall Street, all of us will prosper. In other words, he'd double down on the same trickle-down policies that led to the crisis in the first...
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Ilyce Glink & Samuel Tamkin
Attorney botches mortgage reaffirmation in bankruptcy proceeding - October 8, 2012 - Q: My Chapter 7 bankruptcy was discharged this spring. My attorney had me reaffirm my primary mortgage prior to filing the Chapter 7. He said this would be necessary in order to ask the court to dismiss the second mortgage.
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Victor Davis Hanson
Left wants multiculturalism to trump free speech - October 5, 2012 - The American Left used to champion free expression. We were lectured -- correctly -- that the price of being repulsed by occasional crude talk and art was worth paying. Only that way could Americans ensure our daily right to criticize those with...
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Arianna Huffington
Instead of debate zingers, how about serious proposals to boost employment? - October 4, 2012 - As the presidential debates begin, the focus shouldn't be on who is going to "win," but on whether we are finally going to get a serious debate on jobs and the economy. If not, then the real loser is going to be the American public. But I...
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Benny Kass
Don't buy house without these 3 contract contingencies - September 27, 2012 - Q: I am in the midst of house hunting. Do you have an example of contingency language for financing and inspections that you have used in the past?
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Joyce Lain Kennedy
Quit now or hold on until spring? - October 10, 2012 - DEAR JOYCE: I'm about $18,000 underpaid according to averages on payscale.com and salary.com. I've been holding off risking what I have to get a better position, but it looks as though the job market is looking up. If you were me, would you wait...
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Robert Koehler
War, vets and moral injury - October 5, 2012 - It's not just suicide. It's also drug overdose, car crash -- quasi- or secret suicide, carried out in fearful isolation.
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Charles Krauthammer
Barack Obama: Drone warrior - June 4, 2012 - WASHINGTON — A very strange story, a 6,000-word front-page New York Times piece on how, every Tuesday, Barack Obama shuffles "baseball cards" with the pictures and bios of suspected terrorists from around the world and chooses who shall die...
Dan McNeil
Jaguars give Bears defense chance to shine - October 4, 2012 - It doesn't look like a fair fight. The Bears, fresh off an explosive blowout victory over the Cowboys on the national stage, against the Jaguars, who've been outscored 54-17 at EverBank Field and are 1-3.
Pamela Dittmer McKuen
New FHA rules loosen association requirements - September 27, 2012 - Greater numbers of condominiums now qualify for mortgage financing insured by the Federal Housing Administration. That's because this month the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the FHA, loosened its requirements...
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Robert Pagliarini: Your Other 8 Hours
Top 5 personal coaching myths - December 24, 2011 - Personal coaching is all the rage. Harvard Business Review reports that coaching is a $1 billion a year industry, but just what is a personal coach, professional coach or life coach, and why are so many executives and individuals using them to...
Kathleen Parker
Face-off - October 3, 2012 - WASHINGTON — Not since Rocky Balboa met Apollo Creed have so many greeted a matchup with as much anticipation as Wednesday night's debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Mark Pearlstein
Condo owner wants to sell foreclosed unit - October 4, 2012 - Q: How can I sell my condo unit that is under an order of possession by my association? The association is renting the unit to recoup what I owe them. The unit is also in foreclosure, although there is no foreclosure sale date set. Based upon sales...
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William Pfaff
Romney's foreign policy a puzzle that doesn't fit together - October 10, 2012 - PARIS -- The principal problem with Mitt Romney's foreign policy statements is not that his position swings widely, or that he often reverses himself, according to the audience and the daily news. This is no surprise in American presidential...
Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Reality, a product of the vast left-wing conspiracy - October 10, 2012 - "Reality," Stephen Colbert once famously said, "has a well-known liberal bias."
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Janet Portman
Evaluating a rental applicant based on ex-landlord's opinion - August 23, 2012 - Q: I have a policy of always talking to an applicant's current landlord. But an applicant whom I'll call Sue has asked me not to call her landlord. She is afraid that if the owner learns she is looking, he will terminate her tenancy. Sue says...
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Bill Press
First debate: Romney delights, Obama disappoints - October 5, 2012 - When Mitt Romney took the stage in Denver, he already had two strikes against him.
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Mary Sanchez
Web companies need to step up on protecting kids' privacy - October 6, 2012 - Everybody can agree that the privacy of children needs to be protected when they use the Internet.
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Daneen Skube
Best advice of 2011 - December 19, 2011 - As many of you sit underneath brilliantly lit trees today opening gifts from "Santa," I'd like to add a few gifts for you to unwrap and launch you into 2012 with more peace, power and productivity. As my loyal readers know, I review my best...
Rick Steves
Another golden age for Amsterdam - October 10, 2012 - Amsterdam is a laboratory of progressive living and tolerance, bottled inside Europe's most 17th-century city. Like Venice, this city is a patchwork quilt of canal-bordered islands, anchored upon millions of wooden pilings. But unlike its dwelling-...
Cal Thomas
8.1 percent, 7.8 percent -- whatever - October 10, 2012 - To the millions of Americans unable to find work, to college graduates who can't get a job and are living with their parents, to the underemployed who are working at jobs far below their skill set and experience, and to those who have given up...
Joe Trost's Corner Kicks
Soccer | Joe Trost's Corner Kicks blog: Loyola to play in Naperville invite next season - May 26, 2012 - Loyola will play in the Naperville Invitational next season.
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Mary Umberger
Smaller real estate markets a big deal - October 4, 2012 - Want to invest in real estate? You're not the only one.
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Bob Weber
Test dipstick in morning - October 6, 2012 - Q: When is it best to check your motor oil on your car? I've heard after the engine is hot and you should let the engine cool down for a minute or two. Is that correct?
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Jules Witcover
A vice-presidential debate of note - October 10, 2012 - WASHINGTON -- Vice presidents usually gain the national spotlight only upon the death of a president, as has occurred eight times in the last 171 years, or upon his resignation, which has happened once. But the current veep, Joe Biden, suddenly...
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