unPHILtered – Chicago Tonight Blogs

It’s a luxury to be able to take an occasional trip, and one of its many pleasures is in an airport bookstore purchase.  I did that recently when I picked up a copy of Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens.

Buying an airport book is not easy for me.  I’ve always been suspicious of books that have raised, gold lettering on the cover.  And I don’t easily gravitate toward fiction since–when I’m reading fiction– it’s hard for me to forget that it’s the product of someone pretty much making things up.  (I say that in spite of arguments that fiction can be the greatest vehicle for truth and that no genre contains more fiction than autobiography!)

Arguably is a big book and not cheap, 750 pages at $30. But two things appealed to me about it when I paged through it: first was the range of topics–from women and humor to an airplane ride Hitchens took with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Sean Penn.  The second was the length of the essays–anywhere from two, to six or seven pages; in other words, the perfect length for someone who sometimes only has time to read in bits and snatches.

And Hitchens, regardless of what you think of him, is a great example of the benefits of a liberal arts education. Some examples later.

In preparation for an interview that airs next week with PBS film-making team Ken Burns and Lynne Novick, I got a sneak preview of their new series, “Prohibition” which will air on Channel 11.  Chicago gets heavy face time in the series; some of the things I learned:

• It was prohibition and the structure needed to sell illegal booze that gave rise to the Chicago crime “outfit.”
• During the height of Chicago’s “beer wars” there was a drive-by execution in front of Holy Name Cathedral.
• During prohibition, drug stores could still sell alcoholic beverages if they were prescribed by a doctor and Walgreens went from 10 drug stores to 500.
• The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was not just a one-note organization but was considered progressive and worked on many issues including womens’ education and rights, the rehabilitation of prostitutes and raising the age of legal consent to 16 from 10!
• Al Capone had three portraits in his Cicero office:  Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Big Bill Thompson, the crooked Republican mayor he helped put in office.

And the nuggets about Chicago abound.  The “Prohibition” series is a fascinating look at a subject which is surprisingly nuanced and which continues to bear lessons.  Ken Burns says one of those lessons is the power — and vulnerability — of single-issue movements.  Hmm.  The series airs on WTTW the nights of October 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  I give it four stars!

I recently had the opportunity to interview U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. He was in town to make an appearance at the IIT Chicago Kent College of Law and to promote his book, Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View. The book deals with two main issues: how the public has come to accept the Court’s decision-making role as legitimate and what the Court can do to continue to merit the public’s confidence. The book is beautifully written — clear and accessible to a general audience. I recommend it; it offers compelling insights into the mind of a judge who appears to be at the top of his game.

But the real pleasure came in encountering the Justice himself. He was incredibly smart, articulate in a very accessible way and witty. But what really struck me about him is what a grownup he was. One of the points he made — and with passion — is that even though he’s been in the minority in several major cases, it is important to keep in mind that there are two sides to every case and that many decisions are closer than people might imagine. And he emphasized the importance of deciding the most contentious issues in the calmest possible way.

When one looks at the vitriol that is emanating from Washington, it was not only refreshing to hear someone so committed to a reasoned and civil approach to democracy, it was downright inspiring. He speaks eloquently about his regard for the Constitution, the country and its institutions and the sense that we are all in it together. And, as a member of the Court’s so-called liberal wing, he sincerely seems to hold no animus towards the conservative justices who currently hold sway. He’s clearly a big-picture person who loves this country. What a patriot. What a privilege to have interviewed him. Click the links below to watch the interviews.

• Part 1 of Interview with Justice Stephen Breyer
• Part 2 of Breyer Interview
• Part 3 (airs tonight)

How is the new mayor tackling key issues since taking office, including budget cuts, layoffs, crime prevention and education? And how he has communicated his strategy to the public and the media?

Those questions will be the subject of what should be a lively discussion among a powerhouse panel I will moderate tomorrow night:

- Mick Dumke, who covers City Hall for the Chicago Reader
- Kristen Mack, political reporter for the Chicago Tribune
- Carol Marin, Chicago Tonight segment host, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and political reporter for NBC-5
- Charles Thomas, political reporter for ABC-7
- Laura Washington, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and political commentator for ABC-7

The forum will be held Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus in Kasbeer Hall, on the 15th Floor of the Corboy Law Center, 25 E. Pearson Street. Click here for a campus map.

The event is sponsored by the School of Communication and Loyola’s Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. All are welcome. Hope to see you there!

Mother Nature made it pretty clear over the weekend that summer was over when she abruptly flipped the switch to fall.  And there was nothing subtle about it.  On Friday, it was in the mid-90s, and then over the weekend, I suddenly needed a long-sleeved sweatshirt to work in the yard.

Yesterday, Labor Day, everyone in my immediate family was together on a cool and sunny picture-perfect day.  And yet, I have to admit, that I suffered from a touch of melancholy.  I think the passing of the season had a lot do with it.  It underscored the larger arc of the passing of time–the realization that my children are all young adults, and no matter what our age, all of us are in the process of evolving to another stage.

And I won’t deny that all the coverage of the 9/11 anniversary is having an impact.  The stories can be ineffably sad.  The attack was traumatic and many people may still have something akin to post-traumatic stress disorder.  I know I find it painful to look at the images and–left to my own devices–would probably avoid the coverage all together.

But back to nature–the next couple of days are supposed to be beautiful, sunny and cool.  If summer is over, at least this stretch of weather will have been idyllic–a needed balm for a wistful week.

Last night, we did a segment with Sam Amirante, one of the lawyers who defended John Wayne Gacy at his trial.  Amirante has co-authored a book about his experience as Gacy’s lawyer, John Wayne Gacy:  Defending a Monster.  Amirante was a riveting guest with tales about the alcohol-aided conversation in which Gacy finally admitted to him the extent of his crimes and how Gacy used his rosary (which he always carried with him) to demonstrate to prosecutors how he would use a rope to strangle his victims.  If you didn’t have a chance to see the interview, click here for the link.

But he told me a story off-camera that I wished we’d gotten to during the interview. Amirante did not defend Gacy on appeal; other attorneys did.  Once when Gacy was on Death Row, he called one of his attorneys to complain about something.  Apparently that was not a surprise to the attorney, as Gacy apparently called her frequently.  This time he was calling to complain about the temperature  in his cell.  He told his attorney that it was so hot that the paint was peeling off the walls.  The attorney listened, paused for a second and then replied, “John, if you think it’s hot now, just wait.”

John Wayne Gacy went to his grave having convinced himself that he had not committed the crimes after all.  How he convinced himself of that is a mystery.  Also a mystery–the setting of his current thermostat.

I received a beautiful handwritten note from a person who was involved in teaching people cursive.  He not only taught students and teachers, but also was in the publishing industry producing textbooks on handwriting.  When I saw his letter, I asked him to send me a sample of his writing that I could post on this blog.  I find it beautiful, don’t you?

As you may know, teaching cursive is now optional in most states and actually forbidden in Indiana (because it’s not relevant to testing).  But as you look at the sample below, losing this skill would truly be a lost art, don’t you think?

A Vanishing Art?

Yesterday I asked readers to see if they could find the hidden image in our cat’s fur.  And yes, we have a winner!   Blue Sunflower “saw a 5 and possibly a 50″ on Macy’s coat.  Congratulations, Blue Sunflower, whoever you are, on your keen eye.  Although I have to admit that I can kind of make out a girl with pigtails as julieako suggests.

Had we noticed this “50″ emblazoned on her coat when we first got her from PAWS, “Macy” (a family name on my wife’s side) might not have been our name of choice.  In homage to the non-controversial rapper, 50 Cent, we probably would have named her “Fitty” (something we occasionally call her anyway).  Not that it matters.  The only thing Macy really responds to is the rattling noise made by the box of dry cat food as a serving is poured into her dish.

Normal View

If you’re like me, it’s easy to stop really “seeing” someone or something that you think you know really well.  You’ve downloaded an image and unless there’s a radical and immediate change, that image persists.  It may be laziness triggered by familiarity.  But I had the experience fairly recently of seeing something completely new in something I thought I already knew intimately.

New View

We’ve had our cat, Macy, for several years; she’s affectionate and well-behaved.  I’ve always thought her markings were random and attractive.  But one day not too long ago, I was looking at her from a particular angle and a distinct image jumped out at me.  It was startling and funny.  See if the image jumps out for you too. If so, post your answer in the comments below!  (For those of you who see nothing, the answer tomorrow.)

Even before the recent heat wave, I had stopped wearing my watch every single day.  It finally dawned on me that wearing it was largely redundant since my cell phone always has the time on its face.  Not wearing a watch just seemed like one more way I could simplify my daily routine.  And I was put off by the thought of strapping it onto my wrist on recent days when the heat index was above 100.

Apparently more people may be feeling the same way.

There was a recent report that Swiss watchmakers are worried that younger generations rely so much on cell phones to get the time, that luxury watches may fade into fashion history (like spats , I guess, which, incidentally, the conductor at a recent Ravinia concert wore, making him look like a gesticulating penguin).

So the Swiss are ramping up their marketing efforts to get Americans to buy luxury watches as status symbols, a status they apparently have in Europe.  That may be a hard sell.  If the political parties don’t get their act together on the debt ceiling soon, our 401(k)s and mortgage rates will take a hit and people will clamp down on personal spending even more.  A luxury watch resurgence may have to wait.

I will still wear a watch occasionally, I suppose, but until Tom Skilling tells me the coast is clear, my left wrist will go blessedly unadorned.

P.S. No offense to the Swiss, of course.  The watch I normally wear is a $125 Swiss Army watch — an idea I copied from my ex-boss, Jim Lehrer — who does not wear spats.