Author Archives: Robyn Michaels

I’m afraid I missed the point of [Mitzi-Jill] Rapkin’s story on [Catalina] Romero [“Atlas Shrugged,” June 14]. That we shouldn’t trust contractors? That government won’t help us against fraudulent businesses? That it is impossible to get legal contracts enforced? What I got out of it was that an illiterate woman with 15 children did not […]

To the editors: Thanks for running Grant Pick’s article on the Gaia boxes [July 20]. I got a good chuckle out of it. Several years ago, when I managed Chicago Resale for the Chicago Christian Industrial League, some of their supporters came to me for technical assistance. That is, they wanted to know how CCIL […]

To the editors: Please forward this thanks to Grant Pick for his story on Coy Pugh [January 28]. I work for the Chicago Christian Industrial League, & many of our clients have drug & social problems. Even tho I am a “white woman,” I found Pick’s article inspiring. Who knows what anyone can say–what will […]

michaels.qxd To the editors: I read Neal Pollack’s article “The New Prohibition” [October 2] with great interest, because we recently had a vote-dry discussion at one of our community policing meetings. In one of the precincts within beat 2431 (mine, actually), we have three bars and four liquor stores (or groceries licensed to sell liquor). […]

michaels.qxd To the Editors: Cate Plys’s feature on our aldermen [“Council Whores,” July 18] was amusing and frustrating. I’m sending it to friends in Africa who work for the government of Malawi. We remind ourselves that in a democracy we don’t get good government but representational government. It’s unfortunate, with the shenanigans going on, Larry […]

To the Editors: Harold Henderson’s “Environment: The Manufactured Crisis” [September 16] was a good review of the popular literature, but because Henderson seems to be scientifically illiterate, he misses the true issue: the concept of net energy loss. That is, how much energy (in BTUs or calories) we use to clean up the mess we […]

To the editors: I was disappointed by community-affairs writer Ben Joravsky’s article on landlord Marty Merel [Neighborhood News, August 20]. He made the problem sound like a pissing match between a few community residents, Joe Moore, and Merel, and didn’t do any of us in east Rogers Park any favors. Joravsky also made Jack Wuest […]

To the editors: Harold Henderson’s story [“What a Waste!” September 28] pretty well documents the dynamics of the negotiation breakdown between Chicago area environmental activists and the business community, but left out a few crucial facts which could have helped readers judge who was being unreasonable. The people who are fighting landfill and incineration sitings […]

To the editors: Thank you for running Doug Cassel’s article, “Is Tim Evans for Real?” [March 17]. When I was recruited as a volunteer for the Evans campaign, by unacquainted friends living in different wards, I was skeptical. I consider myself an anarcho-syndicalist. I’ll be pragmatic and vote, but work for a politician? Me? Tim […]

To the editors: Grant Pick’s story on “searchers” really affected me [March 6]. He did a great job with a great story. I am not adopted and have only a few adopted friends, but I do study cultural anthropology, and we’re one society that has a lot of stigmas, as though they give us in […]