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YOUR VOICE. OUR VOICE. ONE VOICE. WEEK OF MARCH 26, 2009 CHICAGO EDITION VOL 1 No 8

Printed with Explicit permission From Each Content Provider

Steven Karl Metzer | tpburl.com/hzv480 Chicago

Welcome President Rodriguez! Now Fix the CTA’s $155 Million Deficit By CTA Tattler | 3/1/09 | CTA Tattler tpburl.com/2tk3mb Talk about an unwelcome welcoming gift! At the same meeting Wednesday where CTA board members ratified Mayor Daley’s appointment of Richard Rodriguez as the transit agency’s new president, Board Chairwoman Carole Brown said service cuts and more fare hikes are definitely under consideration to plug this year’s $155 million deficit. Makes you wonder if the poor guy even knows where the bathroom and lunchroom is, before being faced with this gaping hole in the budget caused by the slumping economy. But the CTA has ideas to bridge more than half that gap with other savings and efficiencies. In a report to the board, Paul Fish, the CTA’s vice president of budget and capital finance, suggested these 11 cost-saving ideas: • Lower Injury And Damages Reserve • Allocate Remaining Lease Deal Money • Reduce Non-operational Vacancies • Restrict Non-Emergency Overtime • Improve Bus and Rail Scheduling Efficiencies • Identify Savings by increasing Bus and Rail Car Rehabs

Charles Dawley | tpburl.com/gz9t1j

Willis? Whatever is Willis?

(Off topic)

By Brian Dickie | 3/16/09 | Brian Dickie tpburl.com/5t0p79 Well Willis, it appears, is one of these complicated multi this and that companies with connections to “financial services”. These folks by and large don’t get great reviews these days. And Willis are said to have an “edifice complex”. So this may be an excellent reason for the fierce objection in Chicago to renaming the Sears Tower the Willis Tower. Maybe this is another AIG - it appears to be heavily into insurance. And its share price is not much to shout about. Much the same as the rest of them. The problem is that we trust NONE of these people any longer. This is of course rather unfair on the good ones. Maybe Willis is a good one. They (whoever they are) renamed the Enron Field the Minute Maid Field after the last big meltdown. Who knows? - maybe our beloved Sears Tower will become the Big Whopper Tower when Willis has done with it. Apart from these musings this has been a lovely day in Chicago. We spent a happy afternoon at the Merle Reskin Theater with the DePaul Opera Theater’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Harry Silverstein as always directed a polished production and Eric Weimer in the pit conducted sympathetically and stylishly. He knows this rep inside out. Just the person to do it with these young people. It was also an agreeable social occasion. There are many DePaul people close to us, and the array in the audience included Dean Casey, Jane Bunnell, Marc Embree, Elsa Charleston, Ross Beacraft, and some other people from our Chicago opera world inspecting, as we do, the work that the Music schools are doing here.

• Restructure Management Positions • Maximize Real Estate Opportunities • Review and Renegotiate Contracts • Non-operational training • Review Compensation and Hiring Strategies

These would save $80 million. I (and other readers) offered many of these same ideas, so glad to know they look to us for advice. For the other $75 million, Fish proposed RTA loans and “other funds” (not sure which funds though). And finally, in the “other options” category, he mentioned: • Labor Solutions To Lower Cost And Retain Labor Force • Service Cuts • Fare Increases Rodriguez and his new staff will offer details on how to get out of this mess at its April 7 board meeting. It seems inevitable that either service cuts or another fare hike -- or both -- will be part of that balancing equation. Unless the RTA does come up with a solution at its own board meeting on April 2. Fish’s presentation also showed how the CTA now expects to get 21% less than originally budgeted from sales tax and real estate transfer tax revenue, accounting for the $155 million budget gap. My question is this: Since this deficit is related to the slumping economy, when we come out of this and the tax revenues presumably recover to “regular” levels, would any service cuts or fare hikes be rolled back? Advertising

Views expressed in Content do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or the printed blog inc.

Politics

PHOTOS

No Mention of Iraq in Bush’s Presidential Library Bio By Amanda Terkel | 3/1/09 | Think Progress tpburl.com/sk1j3v Last week, Politico reported that President Bush’s advisers have decided to downplay the Iraq war in presentations for his presidential library: The president’s advisers are still chewing over what topics to emphasize. Iraq is unlikely to be one of them. Advisers say they have made a specific decision to leave that verdict to history and not try to defend it at a time when Iraq could still wind up as either a democracy or a disaster.

Not only will the Iraq war be de-emphasized, it may not show up much at all. TP reader Grumpy Demo points out that Bush’s official 483-word bio on the presidential library website doesn’t have a single mention of the Iraq war. In fact, the man who once declared “I’m a war president,” has just one short paragraph devoted to national security issues — with no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan. He instead devotes a long section to his domestic accomplishments: He signed into law tax relief that helps workers keep more of their hard-earned money, as well as the most comprehensive education reforms in a generation, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This legislation ushered in a new era of accountability, flexibility, local control, and more choices for parents, affirming our Nation’s fundamental belief in the promise of every child. President Bush also worked to improve healthcare and modernize Medicare, providing the first-ever prescription drug benefit for seniors; increase homeownership, especially among minorities; conserve our environment; and increase military strength, pay, and benefits. […] On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked our Nation. President Bush took unprecedented steps to protect our homeland and create a world free from terror. He is grateful for the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform and their families. The President remains confident that by helping build free and prosperous societies, our Nation and our friends and allies will succeed in making America more secure and the world more peaceful.

Also noticeably absent from Bush’s list of accomplishments is Social Security reform. In January, he cited his failed push for Social Security privatization as what he was most proud of during his time in office. (A few days later, however, he backtracked and said he regretted it.) PHOTOS

Chad Cress | tpburl.com/v5pr9z

Chris Smith | tpburl.com/b05xnq Business

A New Era - Take Action By Tim Nagle | 3/13/09 | American Express Forum tpburl.com/21wrvz It is a new era. Every day we realize that in fact each day is unique and uncharted waters, truly a new era is in front of us and all around us. I can look at these words ”new era” in many different ways and apply the meaning in so many different aspects of our lives. We set goals to achieve, accomplishments we want to obtain and a life we want to enjoy. For many of us small business owners, we started a business to serve our lives. A business that serves our lives enhances every goal and accomplishment and fulfills us. Our proud life. A business that serves our life is one that is dedicated to making our business function and trying to reach our goals. A life that serves our business consumes us and makes us reactive, not proactive. The difference between business serving life and life serving business could be the difference between succeeding and not succeeding. Gone are the days of having time to recover a business from bad decisions. Gone are the days of having the time to have a long learning curve trying to establish your business and reach your goals through trial and error. Proactive or reactive, which one describes you? A proactive person is pragmatic, thinks about their business and plans strategy before tactics, but takes action to implement this plan. Good decisions are based off good information, but we will never know the fruit of our planning if we don’t take action. The worst plan is one that never comes to action. A reactive person usually does not plan strategy before tactics and will put the cart before the horse. This type of planning or lack there of, requires timing and luck. If you miss your timing you are only left with luck and you will probably need plenty of it. It is hard to rely on luck. I was partners with a very successful man that grew his business from one office and one truck to a national company with multiple factories. Needless to say he was a great business man. He always said a couple phrases to me over and over and they are worth repeating now. “Without sales, you might as well throw away the key to the front door, because without sales, there isn’t a business ”and“ If you aren’t marketing you don’t get the opportunity.” What did he mean I thought the first time I heard him say that. Opportunity? I found out quickly that opportunity meant staying in business to keep selling and creating revenue. As small business owners it is time to get back to the basics that make small businesses so great. The new era is about small business and making good decisions. The new era is about taking action and responsibility for ourselves and refusing to fail. Zen philosophy says life is full of 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. Small business owners are resilient, we bounce back realizing that any failure is just an event. The ability to keep focused on your goals, ability to keep building your dreams one step at a time, planning and putting strategy in place before tactics and taking action is a proactive approach to having our business serve our lives.By being proactive and saying that I will market wisely and take advantage of my resources, we are developing an aggressive proactive approach to having our business serve our lives. Marketing isn’t about spending more than your competition in the marketplace. Marketing for small business can be simple, effective and affordable. There are resources if you are proactive. More importantly, operating a successful business is about doing all the little things properly and building your operation organically, one block at a time. The stronger the foundation, the stronger the structure. The stronger the structure the longer it will stand and weather any storm. Remember it is a new era and it is our time to shine. When times are challenging, it the successful ones that rise above, not by luck, but by taking action and doing the little things right one block at a time. PHOTOS

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The Printed Blog

PHOTOS

Usual Suspects

Or Maybe You Just Shouldn’t Do Whatever the Bathroom Wall Tells You To Do By The Bloggess | 3/15/09 | The Bloggess tpburl.com/85dqhs So I was in the bathroom at Taco Cabana and someone had written “LIVE EVERY DAY AS IF IT WAS YOUR LAST” on the wall of the stall which is really horrible advice because if it was really my last day on earth I’d spend that day calling all the people who have wronged me to tell them they’re assholes. But then you’d wake up the next morning and BAM, you’re still alive and now your voicemail is filled with people yelling at you because they all got the messages you left last night. I was going to write this all on the stall but I couldn’t find a sharpie. And then like a month later you’d be at a party and you’d totally run into one of the people you called but you don’t remember telling them how much they suck because you were probably drunk because who’s going to be sober on their last day on earth? Not me, motherf’ckers. And so I’d be all “Oh hi, you!” and they’d be like “Um…didn’t you leave me a voicemail calling me a giant whorebag?” and then I’d be all “Oh. Awk-ward.” But then I’d be all, “But I mean, you are kind of a whore. You slept with my ex-fiance, remember? Whore?” Which would actually be kind of awesome. Okay, I’ve changed my mind. This is excellent advice. Expect some calls tonight, assholes. PS. I tried to look up the “Live every day like it’s your last” saying to find the author but google was all “Did you mean ‘Live every day like no one’s watching’?” which I think means you can dig your underwear out of your butt during important business meetings. I am totally going to get promoted. PPS. In utterly unrelated news, I got a letter from my doctor saying my final tests came back positive for rheumatoid arthritis but that my x-rays showed “no obvious deformities yet” and the doctor ended the letter by assuring me this “was all good news”. I don’t know medicine terminology but I suspect when your doctor tells you the good news is “no obvious deformities yet” in layman’s terms it means “Lady, you are totally fucked”. Someone start building my blog scooter now. Also, I want ramps everywhere and from now on all the handicap parking spots really do belong to people in wheelchairs and not just to people who feel like they’re disabled because they have really bad cramps that day. And also, if you’re in a wheelchair you get frontsies in line at the liquor store. We need to get this all passed in congress before I’m disabled because then it’ll look like I’m just doing it for me because it’s what Jesus would do.

You don’t want your fingers to smell like vagina By Kimberlee Auerbach | 3/12/09 | The Nervous Breakdown tpburl.com/86jhsw When I was a little girl, I liked two things: getting naked and touching my vagina. Nothing wrong with that. Totally normal. Completely natural. Yet, not so appropriate during dinner parties with my parents’ friends milling about the living room eating Brie cheese on water crackers. I had a knack for unveiling myself at the strangest times, in the most unlikely of places. There’s a photo of me, age 5, standing on top of my tricycle seat, trying hard to keep my balance, wearing nothing but a red bandana on my head. In another shot, I’m chasing our dog around the backyard wearing my baby doll’s dress, which basically comes up to my neck, and no underwear. You’d think I’d be the type to go to Burning Man, boobs bouncing around a bonfire, but I’m not. I’m actually rather buttoned up, and I’m not sure why, or how I went from being a little girl who relished her birthday suit to a woman who often wears a bra to sleep. It’s not like my mom tried to rain on my “I hate clothes” parade. She never punished me or scolded me or told me I was going to hell. She had been sexually abused as a child and was determined to make me feel good about my body, to normalize sexuality, to empower me. When I was 16, she even gave me a “back massager,” and told me to put it “down there.” Her feeling, God bless her, was that if I learned how to give myself pleasure, then I’d be able to tell a man how to pleasure me one day. She didn’t warn me that no man’s fingers would ever be able to vibrate with the same velocity as a vibrator or that certain men in my life would actually feel threatened by it. My college boyfriend once hid my “back massager” to see how long it would take me to notice it was missing. Two days. Still, I never stopped masturbating, not for him, not for anyone. To me, it’s always felt sacred, something that’s all mine, something no one can take away from me. I know that sounds super dramatic, but I’m serious. For most of my life, I’ve told myself that I wasn’t smart enough, pretty enough, whatever-the-fuck enough— disgracing Stuart Smalley and all his fine work—so there’s something about making my body feel good that smacks of self-love and basic survival. It’s gotten me through two bad relationships with men who didn’t like to kiss me or go down on me, and it’s helped me last long stretches of no man land. Recently, I had a relationship, well, relationship is too strong a word, given he didn’t want to call it anything, so I’ll just say, recently, I fell in love with a man who rocked my world sexually. He lives in LA and I live in NY, so we didn’t see each other that much, but, man oh man, when we did, the first thing he would do was tear off my panties and dive down, and then he would stay down and keep going, and I would keep going, and it was amazing. Turns out, I’m multi-orgasmic. Who knew? When it ended, I cried and cried and cried. I cried because I missed him, yes, and because I thought we had potential, blah, blah, blah, but more because I didn’t want to give up how he made me feel. When people had asked me about him, I would say, “He makes me laugh and come all the time. What could be better than that?” Nothing. That was the problem. When I went back to my “back massager,” it wasn’t the same. Sure, it still vibrated at ungodly speed and with unhuman consistency, but it wasn’t him. It wasn’t warm, even with the heat on. I tried watching porn to get me going, to keep me going, but I got bored. There’s only so much in and out and strings of spit you can watch before getting disgusted. And then it occurred to me, this whole time, my whole adult life, I thought I had been a good lover to myself, but my vibrator had been doing all the work. I didn’t know how to love myself at all. When I was in seventh grade, pre-vibrator days, my mother came up with a slogan for me to run for Vice President: “Don’t Dance Around The Issues, Vote Kim Auerbach for Vice President, She Bops!” not knowing “She Bops” is another way of saying “She Masturbates.” When I asked my mother what “masturbate” meant, she said, “Well, Kimmi, you know how when you were a little girl you liked to touch your vagina, well, it’s kind of like that, it’s not polite to do in public, and it’s important to wash your hands after, you don’t want your fingers to smell like vagina, but Kimmi, sweetie, there’s nothing wrong with masturbating.” Well intentioned, I know, but it set something up. It set up the notion that vaginas smell bad. I’m not blaming my mother for my distant relationship with my vagina or for my addiction to my vibrator or for my tolerance of men who don’t like oral sex, but I am realizing that that kind of message can shut you down and make you self-conscious. I don’t want to be shut down or self-conscious. I want to get naked and touch my vagina. Pure and simple. So, I’ve put away my “back massager,” and I’m choosing to kick it old school. After all these years, I’m finally learning how to give myself the pleasure I thought only a machine or man could give me. Granted, I can’t rip off my own panties, and I can’t lick my own pussy, but my fingers, well, let’s just say, they’re doing a fine job, and while I do think it’s a good policy to wash my hands after, I like when my fingers smell like vagina, when they smell like my vagina. I may never bounce my boobs around a bonfire in the desert or balance naked on a tricycle ever again, but I plan on reclaiming that little girl, on being free again.

Derek Wood | tpburl.com/1d0w2t

HoggiN By Neal Boulton | 3/16/09 | Bastard Life

tpburl.com/pn835f

Big really is beautiful, especially in the bedroom. A new study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that overweight women have more sex than women with so called “normal weight.” The research, conducted by Universities in Oregon and Hawaii, investigated the sexual behavior of 7,000 women. It looked at the relationship between body mass index and sexual behavior, including sexual orientation, age at first intercourse, number of partners, and frequency of intercourse. According to the study, “92 per cent of overweight women reported having a history of sexual intercourse with a man, as compared to 87 per cent of women with a normal body mass index.” The findings debunk the myth that fat chicks have less sex and are less sexual. The results actually show the reverse to be true – that overweight women are more likely to get-it-on. The study also showed that overweight women had a higher chance of unexpected preg nancy than so called “normal women.” So fellas, bag it when you bunk a big, beautiful babe.

Views expressed in Content do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or the printed blog inc.

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Cute As Hell: Pet Social Networking Goes Viral

Mashable

How To: Find a Job on Twitter By Sarah Evans | 3/13/09 | Mashable Tough economic times call for innovative approaches. An estimated 51 million people internationally are expected to lose their jobs in 2009, and with the unemployment rate on the rise, how does one find career opportunities fast? One great option is Twitter. Twitter is evolving as another resource, in addition to traditional methods, for both job searching and recruiting. Get the most out of your page Make your Twitter presence “employer-friendly” ° Put your job pitch in your Twitter bio (which is 160 characters) ° Use a professional looking avatar ° Tweet about your job search Utilize your Twitter background. There’s lots of space you can use to promote yourself. Don’t know how to create a professional-looking Twitter background? Use this free template to design your own. Include a link to an online CV or resume in your bio. Use a tool like VisualCV. (For more information on building an online resume, see Dan Schawbel’s post HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume) Establish yourself as an expert in your field on Twitter. It’s important to note that you should not misrepresent yourself. If you’re not a medical doctor, don’t play one on Twitter. As those on Twitter become interested in your content, when employers are looking at you, you’ll have more than just your resume to back up your knowledge and experience. “It’s about who you know” How do you get to know the right people? It’s not always about who you’re looking for, some people on Twitter are actually looking for YOU. There are many job recruiters who use Twitter to look for potential candidates. Before contacting a recruiter via Twitter, check out: • Their bio • Follower/Following ratio (Have they been around a while? Do they follow people back?) • Click the link to their website • Ask others in your network whether or not the recruiter is a credible source Here are a few recruiters representing different professions and industries on Twitter: Christa Foley a.k.a. @electra - Christa is the recruiting manager and recruiter at Zappos.com. Christa gives followers an inside look into her career at Zappos. She tweets out examples of negative recruiting interactions with potential clients, outreach she does with high school and college students, and ultimately looks for potential Zappos candidates.

Craig Fisher a.k.a. @Fishdogs - Craig is an IT and executive recruiter who co-founded A-List Solutions staffing firm. On Twitter he offers tweets on how to find a job in the web industry, hiring tips and tricks, along with professional career advice. Jim Durbin a.k.a. @smheadhunter - A social media recruiter, Jim is active on the Twitter scene. His goal is to partner “social media gurus” with the right companies. Jim responds to followers’ questions, offers general recruiting advice and sends out “teaser” tweets for positions he thinks followers might be interested in. Jennifer McClure a.k.a. @CincyRecruiter - Jennifer is an executive recruiter/coach. She often tweets out specific advice for job seekers, including words not to use on a resume. Jennifer is accessible to her followers and tweets about non-recruiting topics as well. Laurie DesAutels a.k.a. @biotechjobs - Laurie recruits a specific niche, looking for senior level leaders in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Her tweet stream includes links to other job search resources and lots of Twitter information. Job search tools & resources A reactive job search on Twitter probably isn’t the best way to find a job. There are many new Twitter tools and applications to assist with a proactive job search.

By Stan Schroeder | 3/16/09 | Mashable

tpburl.com/p8h0rg @Microjobs Started by well-known PR professional, Brian Solis, @Microjobs was developed to bring together job seekers and recruiters through tweets. How does it work? Recruiters begin their tweets with @Microjobs, and then submit. The @Microjobs account automatically tweets out requests to its growing network of job seekers. TweetMyJobs Another tool born out of Twitter for job seekers and recruiters. Follow the hashtag #Tweetmyjobs and visit the website. This is a very simple (and free) tool for job seekers. You can subscribe to desired job channels and even have new openings automatically sent to your mobile phone. Even better? You can specify which cities you want notifications from. Job search accounts There are a variety of Twitter accounts dedicated to providing job listings by field, company, region, and more. Once you’ve decided which best match your job search, consider turning on mobile alerts for these accounts to be among the first to receive messages (if your mobile phone plan includes SMS messages). By company @attjobs – Jobs at AT&T @mtvnetworksjobs - Jobs at MTV @TRCareers – Jobs from Thomson Reuters By field @alldevjobs - Developer jobs @ArtDirectorJobs – Art director jobs @cwjobs - Copywriter jobs @jobsinhiphop – Jobs in Hip-Hop @journalism_jobs - Jobs in journalism @juicyjobs – Green jobs @libgig_jobs - Library Jobs @mediabistrojobs - Media job listings from mediabistro.com @medical_jobs - Medical jobs @media_pros – Jobs for media professionals @narmsjobs – Retail marketing jobs @PRSAjobcenter – Jobs in public relations, communications and marketing @reflectx - Physical Therapy jobs @seojobs - SEO job listings @socialmediajob - Jobs in social media @travelmaxallied - Healthcare jobs @travelnursejob - Jobs for traveling nurses @usmusicjobs - US Music Jobs @web_design_jobs - Web design and other graphics jobs By job type @findinternships – Internships and entry level jobs for college students @freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs @heatherhuhman – Entry level jobs and internships @Project4Hire – Freelance and temporary jobs @jewish_jobs - Jewish job listings By region @MyBristolJobs – Job listings from mybristoljobs. co.uk @chicagowebjobs – Web-related jobs in Chicago @ChicagoTechJobs – Technology jobs in the greater Chicago area @ITJobsLondon – IT jobs in London @ITJobsSydney – IT jobs in Sydney, Australia @JobsBoston - Jobs in the greater Boston area @jobshawaii – Jobs in Hawaii @NewYorkTechJobs – Technology jobs in the greater New York area @PDXJobs – Jobs in Portland, Oregon @sdjobs - San Diego technology jobs @sfmobilejobs – Mobile Web and Digital Media jobs in Silicon Valley @mtltweetjobs - PR/marketing/social media/tech jobs in Montreal @TopJobsInLondon - Top jobs in London, UK @web20jobs - UK-based web 2.0 jobs

Cute as Hell is a new social network for pet owners that just launched in beta. It’s created by Erick Laubach, who also has a travel social network called Driftr under his belt. Pet-related social networks aren’t exactly scarce, but Cute as Hell is interesting because it takes several tried and true viral concepts and integrates them into the network. It can probably best be described as a cross between Cute Overload, Hot or Not (for pets) and MySpace. Two features that make this so are the so called cuteness rating and the Thunderdome. The former lets visitors rate pets by their cuteness, while the latter is a tournament where pets can compete for the title of the cutest pet. The advantage of this approach is the fact that the site can be fun even if you’re not part of the social network; you can merely browse it for cute animals. Considering the popularity of sites like Cute Overload, it might bring in a significant number of visitors. It also engages users to participate in the site more, instead of just maintaining their pet’s profile and adding friends. Other features currently available are social shopping (users can rate and review products), comments and photos; videos, Facebook and iPhone app, as well as questions and answers are coming soon.

Jinni’s movie search now works with Netflix By Stan Schroeder | 3/16/09 | Mashable tpburl.com/rfy14t Want to see an action movie that features a future dystopia? Or, perhaps, something humorous and similar to Ted Demme’s wonderful 1996 movie, Beautiful Girls? Jinni is a semantic movie search engine that lets you do exactly that; and as far as semantic search goes, it’s one of the most useful tools I’ve seen. We’ve written about Jinni before, but now they’ve added a very interesting new feature: complete integration with the Netflix API. That means you can semantically search through the Netflix catalog even without visiting Netflix. You can also discover movies within the Netflix Watch Instantly catalog, add titles to Netflix queue, or even start streaming directly from within Jinni. Additionally, you can import ratings and reviews from Netflix, so that Jinni’s recommendation engine has something to base its initial suggestions on. Finally, you can import Netflix rental history, and Jinni will only recommend movies you haven’t seen. If you’re a Netflix user, I’m sure that Jinni will definitely be worth your time. It does for movies what Pandora’s done for music, and having it work with Netflix is a great practical implementation of the technology. PHOTOS

General @JobAngels – Helping the unemployed find jobs @indeed - One search. All jobs. @jobshouts – General job postings @simplyhired - Job search site @StartUpHire – Jobs at VC backed companies @twithire - Job board service To find additional Twitter job resources, use the Twitter search function and type in keywords important in your job search. For example, “job openings,” “looking for a job,” or “healthcare career.” Additionally, you can search out others in your desired career field on sites like Twellow, Just tweet it, and TwitterTroll. Your next job could be just a tweet away.

Charlotte Dunkley Trotman | tpburl.com/0r8z7c

PHOTOS

Joanne DeCaro | tpburl.com/n9mfwh

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tpburl.com/7x3mkf

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Chris Knight | tpburl.com/rf7532

Travel

Food

I’m a Travel Addict But Is It Nature or Nurture?

Eick makes me try things: Pizza Zing

By Amanda Kendle | 12/1/08 | Vagabondish tpburl.com/tchjvm The nature or nurture argument runs through all facets of life, and I often wonder how it relates to whether or not people have the travel bug. Is it something you catch from your family or are you born with this bug? The thing is, on this planet, there are people who love traveling (probably you, and definitely me), and then, believe it or not, there are people who would rather stay home. But how do people become lovers of travel: is it something they’re born with, a part of their personality, or does it depend on their upbringing? I’m going to take a look at both sides and then let you all decide. Nurture: Parents Who Love Traveling In my case, it’s fairly clear to say that there was some element of nurture in my love of travel. I was brought up in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city in the world, but my parents made sure that I knew there was more out there. Something that must have had a huge impact on me was a six-month trip we made with a mobile home around Europe when I was nine years old. (In case you’re wondering, Australian employers offer this amazing thing called “long service leave” which enabled my father to be away from work for six months but still get paid). Anyhow, we visited about twenty countries, staying in caravan parks along the way or sometimes just parking near a beach for the night. I was a curious child and loved crossing borders to find new currencies, different languages and exciting products in the supermarket, all of which I recorded in countless journals. We met interesting people from all over the world, saw all the sights, and had our hair cut by my mother in the distant corners of Dutch caravan parks. We also played a lot of cards. It was perfect. From that trip on – my first time on a plane – I was always interested in other countries. My parents repeated the travel bug experience by driving us around Australia for two months when I was twelve; they managed to send me on a month-long exchange to Germany when I was fourteen, and once I left home, all I wanted to do was get out of Perth. And they were always happy to see me traveling. Nature: What Personality Makes a Travel Addict? So you might conclude that my love of travel was instilled in me by my parents. But there’s always an exception: Enter my sister. She had the same experiences as me as a child but, although she does take a few vacations abroad now and again, she is far from being a travel addict. What are the differences between her and me? Well, we have fairly different personalities, of course. I seem to have a few key traits which make me more likely to become an avid traveler, including:

By Cary | 3/14/09 | So Good tpburl.com/z4b23d The other day, I received a small cardboard box in the mail. A small sticker affixed to the side told me to expect “Pizza Zing!” I was, as one would expect, excited. Idea: Take the Big Three pizza toppings from any NYC pizza-eatery (Parmesan cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes) and combine them in one easy-to-use container. You now have Pizza Zing! And yes, if you didn’t know what the Big Three Pizza Toppings were, you’ve never eaten New York City pizza. And if I may go one step further, if you reveal this to a native New Yorker, you will most likely be pelted by shoes. Beware the truth, it hurts. Like thousands of New York City shoes, raining down from the heavens. Presentation: It’s essentially a modernized Parmesan cheese container, as it should be. Its ridiculously bright yellow and red color scheme makes me think about eating pizza, which is strange. Perhaps this container has a hypnotizing effect? So yeah, bonus points for making me wonder if I’m getting programmed a la Manchurian Candidate. Favorite Visible Catch-Phrase: FLAVORFUL HEAT! Oh wow. LOVING THIS CATCHPHRASE. Let it roll off your tongue. Use it as your Facebook status. Let’s get together and create the new meme: FLAVORFUL HEAT. Just as one can apply Pizza Zing to any food, apply Flavorful Heat to any situation or person. Trust me, this is the new FAIL. Taste: We made an incredible mistake in ordering a deep dish pizza from Edwardo’s, one of the great Chicago deepdisheries. Myself and my companions applied vigorous amounts of Pizza Zing to the pizza, making sure to fit the word ZING! into the conversation as much as possible. This was fun. However, I would not advise one to apply Pizza Zing to top-of-the-line pizza products. It’s powerful stuff, and the 7 spices completely overwhelm the 2 “hearty” cheeses the bottle advertises. I mean, throwing red, jalapeno and cayenne pepper into the spice-blend is one thing, but adding in habanero as well? Overkill in my honest opinion, especially for those with an aversion to truly spicy seasoning. Remove the habanero, and lazy people every may indeed rejoice in a spice combo that will aid in pizza-loving. The Verdict: While spicy and flavorful, Pizza Zing lends itself to the frozen pizza crowd. On a Tombstone, Digiorno’s or Red Baron, this topping would help kick the flavor up a notch. Will it replace my Frank’s Hot Sauce or Sriracha hot sauce? No, probably not. But if you’re jonesing for those pizza seasonings, and find yourself bereft of a local shop that sells slices, Pizza Zing is right up your ally.

Restlessness I’m easily bored. Just ask my mother, who had to deal with my constant requests for new kinds of entertainment when I was a child. Traveling to new places helps to satisfy this restlessness and keep me interested in life. I’m really not that good at staying still. Curiosity If I was a cat, I’d be dead. I have to know everything about everything, preferably immediately. I want to know the differences between Danish and Swedish and I must explore the chocolate aisle in a supermarket in every new country I visit. When I meet people, I ask questions. (Politely, I hope). Open-mindedness If something or someone is different, that’s never really disturbed me. Perhaps it’s because of my curiosity problem! I tend to accept new places for how they are and don’t let lifestyles or cultures that are different to mine bother me.

So What’s the Answer? Nature or Nurture? Well, I guess from my case I’d have to say that it’s a bit of both. It’s interesting to ponder – if my parents hadn’t taken me traveling as a young child, would I still have had the urge to leave Australia and live in several other countries? Or if I had my sister’s personality which doesn’t have such a large dose of curiosity, would I have stayed home instead? Staff at The Printed Blog

Jeff Pelline / Managing Editor

Jeff Pelline is a veteran editor and award-winning journalist - in print and online. He was a business writer and chief technology writer for The San Francisco Chronicle for 11 years, covering the evolution of Silicon Valley. Jeff also was a founding editor and the Editor of CNET News, making him an online journalism pioneer. He also has been managing editor of a community newspaper in California, considered the last “sweet spot” of mainstream journalism. Jeff’s experience gives him a unique perspective on the convergence of print, online and “hyper-local” journalism. He has a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s from Northwestern University near Chicago.

Scotch Ain’t Stuffy By Knowist | 3/3/09 | Knowist.com tpburl.com/wfxvnr I’ve really come to love Scotch and Whisky (and Whiskey, but more on that later) So, I’m starting a new series called Whisky Tuesday leading up to Whiskyfest Chicago. To be fair, it might not always be on Tuesday, and I might continue writing about whisky after the fest, so the whole moniker is kind of messed up before I even get started. A quick whiksy primer: Whisky is distilled beer fermented from grains. Scotch is whisky made in Scotland. Bourbon is whiskey made in Bourbon Cty Ky. Everything else is just whiskey. (or whisky). At a party last week, I heard the comment: “People who drink Scotch are so stuck up about it” That struck me as kind of a shame. I just got back from Scotland a couple of months ago. Whatever the connotations of Scotch are here in the states, I take a different view. Scotch reflects some of the best parts of the people of Scotland! Point #1: The people of Scotland are very warm, and so is Scotch! During my trip, I was amazed at just how friendly everybody was there. In bars, cafes, shops, at the hotel. Pretty much everywhere we got into some great conversations about hiking, the land, politics, and of course Scotch. It was amazing. Some of the best people on Earth! Point #2: The people of Scotland are very down to earth and so is Scotch! In Scotland, folks drink Scotch because they enjoy it. They don’t drink it because it’s a status symbol. Actually, I’m pretty sure nobody does anything for status in Scotland. Well, actually, we did run into a kilt clad wedding party, and everybody knew they were awesome because of it. That ain’t stuffy, its heritage! Point #3: The people of Scotland invite you to slow down and enjoy life and so does Scotch! Nobody we talked to was in a rush. One gentlemen was stopping in a cafe for some tea in the course of his work day and ended up giving us a long chat on the history of the town of Aberfeldy. Which, interestingly enough, is completely gung ho about fair trade. Which is awesome! I think I’ll probably be doing a small Scotch tasting in preparation for Whiskyfest Send me a tweet or an email if you are interested.

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Evan Lane | tpburl.com/gs2t08 Views expressed in Content do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or the printed blog inc.

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PHOTOS

Lulu | tpburl.com/7dk0n8 Sports

Are Baseball Teams Headed for Financial Ruin? By Al | 3/10/09 | Bleed Cubbie Blue tpburl.com/tqk726 This flew under our radar, probably because we’re obviously not in the habit of discussing pro basketball here, but a couple of weeks ago the NBA opened a line of credit totalling $200 million for teams to tap if they felt it necessary. The LA Times article says “12 teams that have expressed interest in the funds”. But the very same day that article appeared, this Phoenix Business Journal article said: Derek Wood | tpburl.com/1d0w2t The Phoenix Suns are one of 15 teams tapping into the NBA’s credit line, majority owner Robert Sarver confirmed Friday morning. The Suns will use that credit line, which is secured through national television rights to games, and drop an existing line through a local bank. The team has used both lines of credit for the past five years.

There’s at least one ominous sign in that quote -- that’s half of the NBA teams that are in enough trouble to tap into a national line of credit (as opposed to a local line that they’ve used in the past). While the national TV rights deal runs for seven more years -- presumably, the economy will improve enough by then -- does this mean that MLB is next? Some recent articles seem to give the indication that although a brave face is being put on by major league teams, there is crisis looming just under the surface. In last Friday’s Wall Street Journal, there are details about the troubles the Mets and Yankees (as well as the Dallas Cowboys) are running into trying to sell the high-priced amenities in their new parks: Public backlash forced New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office in January to give up, in exchange for cash, luxury suites the city had secured at the new Yankees and Mets stadiums. Bank of America recently ended negotiations with the Yankees over what would reportedly have been a $20-million-ayear sponsorship deal. Bank of America spokesman Joe Goode said the decision to walk away from the negotiations was due in part to the economic environment and “the mood of the country.”

The financial sector, one of the hardest-hit by the economic troubles so far, provided quite a bit of the individuals and businesses who were expected to pony up the huge sums that the Yankees, for one, were asking for seats (some of the best seats at the new Yankee Stadium cost $2500. Yes, that’s per game): But the affordable seats are fewer and farther away. Mets tickets will start at $11, but there are 15,000 fewer seats in the new park than at Shea. The Cowboys will have seats that go for as little as $59 a game, but they’re much farther from the action than in the old Texas Stadium. Mr. Jones notes the game can still be seen clearly on the video board. Even with slower-than-expected sales, the teams aren’t lowering published ticket prices. Jay Jaffe and a group of friends shared Yankees tickets for 11 years, but they won’t be making the move to the new stadium. The 20-game packages of $25-a-game grandstand seats they hoped to get were sold out. Instead, the Yankees suggested $85 seats deep in right field. “Literally, my words were, ‘Are you f- kidding me?’” Mr. Jaffe recalls. Sports executives acknowledge the current environment has disrupted their marketing plans. “If the economy were certain, these would’ve sold out in about six seconds,” Mr. Trost said recently as he showed off the $500-and-up Legends Club. “The problem is, people don’t want to be seen in a space like this.”

I suspect the New York teams will survive this; the only other teams that appear, at this point, to be recession-proof are the Cubs (who have already sold 2.7 million tickets at higher prices than last year), the Red Sox, both LA teams (the Angels, perhaps more than the Dodgers, especially after that ill-advised deal given to Manny Ramirez -- what happens if he sulks or gets hurt and the Dodgers collapse and their fans stop coming?) and maybe the Phillies, coming off their World Series win. Look, for example, at the Mets’ ticket pricing scheme -- can you even decipher that? Including their two preseason exhibitions against the Red Sox, there are 168 different pricing levels. Insanity. Not that any of us really feels sorry for the Mets or Yankees. And it’s not the small-market teams that are going to hurt the worst; teams like the Padres and Pirates have shed payroll (or are trying to, *cough Jake Peavy cough*) enough so that they can probably make it through. It’s what we might call, in an analogy to college sports, the “mid-majors” -- markets that are larger TV markets, but don’t have large, dedicated fanbases -- that may be in the most trouble. This includes teams like the Braves, Astros, Tigers (who raised ticket prices after having a terrible season in 2008 and being in a very depressed market -- idiocy, in my view), and others. Will MLB be forced to ask for a similar line of credit soon? And, given that MLB’s TV contracts don’t last as long as the NBA’s (they expire in 2013), would they be able to secure as much money? I don’t profess to be an expert in these matters, but I did want to put this out here for discussion (which, I would ask, will please keep away from politics). There are good summaries of many of these issues at Field of Schemes, a site dedicated to reviewing various sports stadium... well, schemes. Among them is the idea, with the A’s proposed stadium deal in suburban Fremont now dead, that the Oakland Mausoleum could be refitted for baseball exclusively (as the Angels’ park in Anaheim was), if only the Raiders and 49ers would agree to share a “regional” football stadium. Yeah, right. And just who is going to pay for such an edifice in today’s economic conditions? I think it’s time that both the owners and players who are the leaders and performers in all professional sports, not just baseball, wake up and realize that their financial model of the last 20 or so years just won’t work any more, given the changes in the economy. They either have to make adjustments, or risk losing everything.

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The Printed Blog

Steven Karl Metzer | tpburl.com/hzv480

PHOTOS

Lulu | tpburl.com/7dk0n8 Feminism

Tricia McKellar | tpburl.com/pjchgy

Do you call yourself a feminist? By Elysa Rice | 3/11/09 | Gen Pink tpburl.com/38jn19 Twenty something blogger, Sarah (aka Sarahbration) sparked quite a conversation on 20sb (20something bloggers network) all surrounding one word … feminist. The original question was quite simple and to the point: International Women’s Day got me thinking about feminism and how few people in our generation seem to identify themselves as feminists. I’m curious to hear what other 20-somethings think.

Three days later and 9 pages of debating back and forth I’m left with some interesting insight and answers to questions that I’d never even thought about. Sarah sets the tone with her initial blog post stating she is definitely a feminist “I’m not sure when I became aware of the f word, but it must have been fairly early on, because for as long as I can remember, I took for granted that the majority of people would say they were feminists. I mean, come on, who doesn’t believe women and men should be given equal rights and respect?”. The discussion begins with L.L saying she can’t call herself a feminist because it’s an ugly (hijacked) word. “I’m all about equality, for everyone. All colours, all sexes, all religions. However - to me, feminism has gone from calling for equality for women, to wanting women to be viewed as superior. I don’t feel that is right.” So essentially this raises the question what does feminist mean? How can you call yourself something if we can’t come to terms with what the word even means. Here’s a few of the distinctions offered by the 20sb community:

Teresa Horstmann | tpburl.com/y32t5p

Katherine Mitchell | tpburl.com/zhtyfq

• I think feminism just means that women want the right to be any kind of woman that they want to be… Which I’m 100% on board with. - Muppet • I think feminism is a hoax. “Lipstick” feminism, above all, is a contradiction in terms. I think men and women are created equal, but I usually disagree with most feminists on all of their politics. So many feminists want reparations for gender roles, they decide to make themselves into victims. Today’s feminists AREN’T fighting for my right to vote or… much else that really applies to me. THOSE first wave feminists didn’t just complain, they did way more than that. THIS wave of feminists is more of the sex and the city set - we have a right to be sexy, but we still talk about needing a man even though we think we’re independent.Kat • I’m a feminist. If I choose to wear lipstick it doesn’t make me not a feminist. If I wear my hair in french braids, or wear diamond earrings, or get a tattoo of a slice of pizza on my forearm, or wear a leather jacket, I’m still a feminist. Feminism is about choice… so anybody who wants to wear lipstick can, in my opinion. - Lisa • Yes. I am a feminist. I don’t hate men, I love my boyfriend, I love when he takes me on dates, and I want to get married and have children some day. I shave my armpits and legs and all that good stuff. But…when I go to work, I want the guy working along side of me with the exact same level of education and experience to make the same amount of money as I do and I want to be respected in public and the work place. Feminist has become such a dirty word, it’s all about equality! - Bethany • Some women of color choose not to associate themselves as a feminist but instead choose the term “womanist”. They feel feminism doesn’t speak to them or include them in the movement. As a women of color, I consider myself a feminist because I believe in equal rights. I’m sorry, but the basic definition of feminism, as Lisa has pointed out, is about equality and I believe WOC “womanists” are feminists too. - floreta • I think the joy of feminism is giving women, of all races, creeds and backgrounds, the chance to have the same opportunities and consideration given to them that men have. Feminism is about giving women the power to determine what they want to do, and supporting them in those decisions. - Elle Belle Lisa, changed the direction of the discussion, through a metaphor about Christianity saying that even though there are people giving Christianity a bad name people are still standing by that term and the term feminist should be no different. I read all 9 pages in one sitting and the discussion spun off in many interesting directions including: fathers rights in family court, maternity leave, the value of jobs historically held by women, gender discrepancy in the military, and decreasing BMIs of playmates. In the end, whenever I’m reading or listening to anything, I’m always looking for my take-a-way. I often ask my friends, at the end of movies, church and even conversations “what’s your biggest take away?”. I would say that in the whole discussion mine are: • “… feminism in no way means that we should shy away from or scoff at the value of traditional women’s roles. It simply means we don’t have to and aren’t expected to adhere to them if we don’t want to just like men shouldn’t have to follow the guidelines of traditional men’s roles.” - Sarah • And this statement which can apply to many areas of life “when you’re not extreme PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOU. They don’t write you off automatically. We’re definitely getting things done when we argue vocally with reason, passion, and grace. No screaming here. Usually. :)” - Ashley Marie

Evan Lane | tpburl.com/gs2t08

So my next question is … “so what? now what?” - maybe it’s the marketer in me but I’m looking for a call-to-action in all of this. I’m curious with all of the passion, research and energy that I saw displayed in this discussion what actual steps (if any) can/should/would someone take because of the information that has been so gracefully hashed out in the past few days via an informal forum. If before the election someone had asked “do you call yourself a Republican?” and a nine page discussion broke out at the end I would feel compelled to go vote - that’s my very clear action.

Views expressed in Content do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or the printed blog inc.

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Art

PHOTOS

Kevin Lustrup By Jason | 3/11/09 | What to wear during an Orange Alert tpburl.com/h0fm9c As an artist what you create is an intimate extension of your vision, but in forming your vision or concept of art is it all internal? Just like any other profession or endeavor, the artists needs a community to consult, to draw from, and to inspire. A collective is more than just a network of friends it can actually be your connection to the community as a whole. Chicago’s Infidel Group was formed in 2006 with the goal of uniting Chicago’s artists and public through laid-back exhibitions in comfortable alternative spaces. They use local music to draw and communicate with the public. Through local events they are able to share their enthusiasm and the benefit with local businesses. One of the first members the founders of the Infidel Group recruited was Kevin Lustrup. His work has a realness associated with it that at times is remarkable. He can paint straight portraits, scenes ripped from reality and wild street interpretations all in the same series. He tends to use more muted colors and is not afraid to pick up a spray can. Most of the time Kevin can be found in a studio in the Fox Valley, and from the sound of it he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Recently, Kevin was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work? Kevin Lustrup (KL): I used to say “virulent” which means ‘extremely injurious or poisonous’ and an extreme affect is my intention, a freshness, a rawness, energy creating, catalyzing funky fresh force for change, intra-personal revelations or wholescale revolution. I would liken it to a complex piece of music, call it a visualized symphony, where each piece contains many different ideas, emotions, textures and details that it maintains a fresh quality indefinitely, giving the person looking at it many new areas to discover. overpowered by funk OA: When painting portraits do you typically start with a point of reference, and if so, where do you find your images? KL: The Images chose me, something about their story also becomes part of mine and the person who finally buys the finished piece, we become related on a more ethereal level, sharing a deeper understanding of the subject. OA: Your website states you are a member of the Infidel Group. How did you get involved with the group and what does being involved with a group of artist like mean to you? KL: Danny Powell and Jono Tosch Incubated the idea for the group before i moved back from LA in 2005. Danny claims i was the ‘number one draft pick’ (which is an honor) and the timing of the group forming and when i came back to Chicago were perfect. It’s great to hang out with artists, discuss and share ideas freely and party like mad from time to time. We developed a sense of community and have taken it to a further level which involves working closely on developing new techniques and a cohesive set of fundamentals and influences and eventually a manifesto. The Infidels can be whatever we want and has attracted many people of diverse backgrounds and styles in an attempt to unify artists. OA: What are your thoughts on the Chicago scene in general? You’ve traveled a bit, do you feel Chicago is good place to be an artist? KL: My dream is to establish Aurora as a cultural center in the Northern Hemisphere. The Fox River is beautiful, underdeveloped and there’s a shitload of potential out there. Citys get wrapped up in their own identities and Chicago tends to ignore its own population of artists. Chicago thinks it has an international virtuosity that can’t be manufactured here, only imported, it is a culturally rich town with many smart, creative, hardworking people that should turn their back on it and move to Aurora. But the best place to be an artist is wherever you are. OA: When did you start making t-shirts and what is your process like? KL: Started to make stencils for grafitti purposes in Hollywood and then Danny Powell and I began to incorporate them into fine art pieces because of their immediacy. Stencils can also create textures using a fraction of a design to abstract them. We started sprayin em on our clothes, on garbage cans, trunks, amps. There’s also an extremely rare limited edition Lenny Bruce Space heater available ($6000) They looked good so we started to customize them for people we know, the images appear in the art, so its a way of sampling ourselves and our ideas and dispersing them. OA: What’s next for Kevin Lustrup? KL: The Studio in Aurora has a lot going on. Terry Swafford just started to paint portraits from life 2 weeks ago, very impressive. I’m constantly trying to finish pieces to start something new, evolving new techniques and styles and reading about art and music. Would like to do more from life and get involved in Public Art, bring it to the masses. Was very inspired by the Aztec Exhibit at the Field Museum so look for more aztec influences down the road. Bonus Questions: OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be? KL: Jesus, maybe he could explain god to me and i could tell everyone else the truth. but really Diego Rivera. I admire the Central American culture and his ‘immense’ body of work, but also, i would like to make my work as accessible as his and maybe he could shed some light on how we can get the public in America to embrace art and be conscious of it influencing positive change in their lives OA: You have a series painting focused on music, do you feel there is a connection between art and music? Who are a few of your favorites to listen to while painting? KL: Musicians paint with sound, my friend Brian Struc was reading a book in college called ‘Goedel, Escher, and Bach’ which was the first time i realized there was a scientific connection between math, art and music. I couldn’t choose one over the other, i would rather be dead than choose between being deaf or blind. The Best Music to Paint to is Live Music. Especially Jimi Hendrix, Zeppelin, The Clash, chili Peppers. Anything intense, raw like The Stooges, Bad Brains, NOFX anything that makes u emotional Elliot Smith, coldplay, outkast.

Araceli Arroyo | tpburl.com/41t5zj Sports

Top 10 single game performances by Chicago athletes By Eli Kaberon | 3/15/09 | Top Ten Chicago Sports tpburl.com/5dc8q2 Chicago’s first pro sports team was the Cubs, then known as the White Stockings, who began playing ball in 1867. Since then, the White Sox (1904), Bears (1920), Blackhawks (1926) and Bulls (1966) have joined them, making our town one of the greatest sports cities in the entire country. The five teams combined have played thousands of games throughout the years, and in those games, there have been quite a few amazing performances. But what was the best game ever turned in by a Chicago athlete? It’s a simple question, but the answer’s not so easy. Lot’s of great games were considered, but we settled on the ten best, with the goal to include at least one player from each of the five pro teams. So here they are, the ten best single-game performances by a Chicago player. And don’t worry, we know we missed some great ones, so feel free to comment on amazing moments we failed to include.

10: Nate Thurmond - First ‘official’ quadruple-double in NBA history

This is what people mean when they discuss impressive debuts: In Thurmond’s first game in a Bulls uniform, he turned in 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks. That October 1974 game, a 120-115 Bulls overtime win over Atlanta, was the first ever quadruple-double recognized by the league (The NBA didn’t start counting steals and blocks as official stats until 1973). Thurmond finished the ‘74 season averaging double-figures only in rebounding.

9: Lance Johnson - Six hits- inc. three triples- in 1995 White Sox game vs. Twins

Two things stuck out when examining the White Sox single-game record book. First is that surprisingly only one of the records was set this decade and the other was just how awesome One Dog was in this game versus the Twins. Johnson tied or set team records with the six hits and three triples, and also drove in four runs in the Sox’s 14-4 victory. His 12 total bases are also pretty amazing as well, considering he was hitting lead off.

8: Grant Mulvey - Scored five goals and dished out two assists in 1982

For a lot of hockey players, it might take them a couple of weeks to record seven points. Mulvey did it in one night. Five goals and two assists helped the Blackhawk right-winger to set a team record during a win over the St. Louis Blues. The output was especially rare for Mulvey, who only scored 149 goals total in his 586-game career. He is now the treasurer for the Blackhawks Alumni Association.

7: The Ryne Sandberg Game



June 23, 1984. Cubs trail the Cardinals 9-8 in the bottom of the ninth. Hall-of-Fame bound closer Bruce

Sutter is on the hill for St. Louis. Ryne Sandberg, who is heading to Cooperstown as well, at the plate. After fighting off some tough pitchers, Ryno finally gets a hold of one, crushing a homer to Wrigley’s left field bleachers. Tie game. Top of the tenth, the Cards score two, making it 11-9. Head to the bottom of the inning, Sutter’s still throwing. Now with a man on, the second baseman comes back to the plate. He fights off some more pitches until again getting a hold of one, smacking a second homer in two innings versus the best relief pitcher of the decade to tie the game at 11 apiece. One inning later the Cubs drive in another run, winning 12-11 in 11 innings, sending them to an eventual NL East crown and Sandberg to the ’84 NL MVP.

6: Michael Jordan - 35 points, six three’s in first half of Gm. 1 in ’92 Finals

This list could have been entirely devoted to Jordan games, but I decided to limit it to two of MJ’s best. One was obvious- see #2- but choosing the second was tougher. Other TTCS staffers suggested his 69-point night versus Cleveland, the 63 he dropped on Boston in the ’86 playoffs or the double-nickel game against the Knicks. But I felt this performance topped them all, simply for the fact that it showed fans something new. Mike had never been and never was a long-distance shooter. But for those 24 minutes of game one, Jordan was hotter than a Las Vegas summer. Add in the famous shrug and you have a game for the ages.

5: Pat Seerey - Four home runs in White Sox game

Most of Seerey’s career wasn’t note-worthy, as he was a lifetime .224 hitter for the Sox and Indians. But in June 1948 against the Philadelphia A’s, Seerey swung his way into the record books by hitting four homers in one game. He’s the only player on either side of town to pull off that accomplishment and one of only 15 players all-time to do it.

4: Walter Payton - 275 rushing yards on 40 attempts

On Nov. 20, 1977, the man known as Sweetness ran into the NFL record books, as his 275 yards versus the Vikings edged the former record, held by OJ Simpson, by two. The amazing part of the game was how #34 got better as the game went on. Payton ran for 77 yards in the first quarter and 67 more in the second. The third quarter saw 48 yards and then finally in the fourth Payton dropped the hammer on Minnesota, running for 83 yards in the game’s final 15 minutes. Payton’s single-game rushing record stood for 23 years before Cory Dillon of the Bengals ran for 278 yards. Since then, both Jamal Lewis of the Ravens and Adrian Peterson of the Vikings have topped Dillon.

3: Gayle Sayers - 6 touchdowns in one game ties NFL record

How crazy is it to score six TD’s in one game? Last season it took Bears rookie star Matt Forte to week 12 before he crossed the goal line for the sixth time. Sayers was the definition of an all-around threat, as his six touchdowns versus the 49ers in December 1965 consisted of one TD catch (an 80-yard screen pass), four rushing scores (21, 7, 50 and 1 yard runs) as well as an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown. By the end of the game Sayers had accounted for 134 return yards, 113 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards, as the Bears won over San Francisco 61-20 at Wrigley Field.

2: Michael Jordan - 38 points in 44 minutes during NBA Finals with stomach flu

It’s one of those stories nobody would believe if it weren’t actually true. The greatest player of all time in bed all day throwing up after eating some bad food, barely able to warm up, decides to play for the Bulls in game 5 of a tied NBA Finals series versus Utah. Jordan ends up scoring 38 points, including the gamewinning three with 25 seconds left, to give the Bulls the 90-88 win. The ‘Flu Game’ goes down in the history as the gutsiest and most courageous performance in MJ’s amazing career.

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Blank Canvas Chicago - A Design Showcase Date: March 27, 2009 Time: 6:30 to 9:30pm Location: Enclave (220 W Chicago Ave) chicagotweetups.com/2009/03/18/blank-canvaschicago

Assault Apparel Website Launch - Rocker tshirts and apparel for the counter culture. The only true enemy of democracy is apathy. New website launched last week assaultblog.com

1: Kerry Wood - 20 strikeouts against Houston in fifth career start

Talk about peaking too soon. Kid K, who wasn’t even old enough to celebrate at his favorite Wrigleyville establishment, fooled with Houston and the Killer B’s (Craig Biggio, Derek Bell and Jeff Bagwell) like they were a team of four-year old T-Ball players, not the eventual NL Central champs. The combination of a high90’s fastball and knee-shattering breaking ball helped Wood throw what many statisticians call the greatest game ever pitched. And Cubs fans know were it not for the slow glove of third baseman Kevin Orie, the 20K game would have also been a no-hitter

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