Column: Saying goodbye to the lows and highs of a life in newspapers
The lowest moment in the first 19 years of my life occurred late on a Saturday night midway through my sophomore year in college. I was seated on a dormitory...
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Column: You didn’t ask, but here are some words to live by in the long run
Another dispatch from Somebody Nobody AskedTM, America's preeminent unsolicited advice columnist. In January 1998 I decided to ease the sting of turning 40 by heaving myself off the couch and...
Poll: Is this the last Tweet of the Week poll? It is decidedly so
Welcome to the final Tweet of the Week poll. My deepest gratitude and thanks to all of you who have read the entries and/or voted in the last 7-plus years....
Column: The laughable idea of campaign spending limits for Chicago school board elections, and other notes on the news
Backers of the recently passed bill that will result in Chicago having an elected school board are promising to refine the legislation to install guardrails on campaign contributions to prevent...
Column: Resolved: That Americans need to learn how to debate again
Part of me still believes in the healing power of spirited dialogue; still has faith in the capacity of the frank exchange of views to promote understanding, respect and possibly...
Column: Subtitles — not just for foreign movies and the hearing-impaired anymore!
We turned the subtitles on with no discussion or debate. When my wife, son, future daughter-in-law and I sat down the other day to stream "In the Heights," the cinematic...
Poll: Use the Tweet of the Week poll or lose it!
Instructions: Click the box next to each tweet that amuses you -- no limit to the number of choices. Voting closes Friday at noon Chicago time. Winner is published in...
Column: The issue of renaming Lake Shore Drive isn’t necessarily black and white
Recent public polling has shown racial differences on the question of whether the City Council should vote next Wednesday to rename Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a...
Column: You can take them with you: The long-term fate of childhood love objects
For decades, the expressionless, well-worn faces of Elephant and Teddy have peered out from inside a coffee cup in my parents' house. My father carried them on a ship across...
Column: Break up the ‘Southside’ and other verdicts on words
All rise in anticipation. Language Court is now in session. Self-appointed Judge Zorn presiding. Southside v. South Side This matter came to the attention of the court earlier this month...