Posted inNews & Politics

The Straight Dope

I was intrigued by a recent news report that members of a formerly men-only club were upset now that women were being admitted because they could no longer engage in nude swimming. Now, it’s true I’ve led a sheltered life, having gone to school at the convent and all, but what exactly is the deal […]

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Tim and Jane

To the editors: Gary Rivlin’s otherwise commendable piece on the selection of Eugene Sawyer as mayor [“Seven Wretched Days,” December 25] contains one glaring and unfortunate error: He replays the chatter of a gossip columnist and various opponents of Alderman Timothy Evans, alleging that Evans supported Jane Byrne over Harold Washington in the 1983 primary […]

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City File

Where is the world’s largest gum ball factory? According to the Greater North Pulaski Development Corporation, at Leaf, Inc., 1155 N. Cicero. Watch out: the “garbage crisis” may spawn the “breathing crisis,” according to the Environmental Defense Fund. “Incinerators that burn ordinary garbage are emerging as a major source of air pollution and hazardous waste. […]

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Tot Control: The Fist Method

To the editors: Was very much interested in your article on “Tot Control” [November 13] and behavior modification. However, your article didn’t give any attention to the oldest, most time-honored method of child behavior modification. I refer to a system millions of years old and guaranteed to work 20 times faster than merely ignoring a […]

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Lousy Work If You Can Get It

To the editors: Thanks to Achy Obejas for reporting on the situation of day laborers [Our Town, October 30]. Obejas mentions some “working poor” as well as “street people” depend on the services for income. The services are increasingly used as a sole source of income for some working poor–people who if not for Chicago’s […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Fool for Love

FOOL FOR LOVE Actors Repertory Theatre at Victory Gardens Studio Theatre It’s amazing how much mileage Sam Shepard gets out of his Greek tragedy meets Edward Albee meets the Eagles routine. In the 1983 Fool for Love, which this weekend wraps up a brief run at Victory Gardens Studio, Shepard trots out the old reliables–fated […]

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More on Tot Control

To the editors: The article “Tot Control” [November 13] raises important issues. Children need structure and consistency to feel safe, cared for, and to learn self-control. For whatever reasons, if this fails both children and parents feel insecure and incompetent. The program described in “Tot Control” supports parents who find their children have difficulty learning […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Game Theory

You might say that Game Theory is the fruition of the whole “quirky pop” school, except that they’ve traded that format’s dinky-toy irresolution for surging emotionality, rigorous and radical musicianship, and “I Can See for Miles” dynamics. And, by the way, don’t insult them by calling it pop. Game Theory plays breathless, eccentric, hysterical music–just […]

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AIDS and the Church

To the editors: Not having been interviewed by Vicki Quade or anyone else at the Reader, I was surprised to find myself quoted in her article regarding opposition to the opening of Bonaventure House–the proposed facility for people with AIDS at Saint Sebastian’s parish [Neighborhood News, November 27]. While the quote attributed to me is […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Moonstruck

Good, corny fun develops when Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini (Cher) falls in love with her fiance’s brother Ronny Cammareri (Nicolas Cage). Director Norman Jewison and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley milk the New York settings, accents, and folkways for all they’re worth–although those familiar with certain Manhattan locations may be dismayed to find them transplanted in […]

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Browsing Through the Psychic Boutique

If it’s money they need, maybe Phil Watt and Annie Stebbins should hook up with J&M Enterprises, a Hoffman Estates-based outfit that runs “psychic fairs” throughout northeastern Illinois and the upper midwest. True, there’s a difference between psychics and channels, but there must be a niche for them somewhere in J&M’s stable of tarot readers, […]

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Two Different Moons

To the editors: Tom Valeo didn’t lie. His 11-20-87 review of Stage Left Theatre Company’s A Different Moon was by gosh unfair, just as he promised. I must admit, however, that other words came to mind as I finished reading it–words like “condescending,” “unprofessional,” and “self-indulgent.” It seems to me that a reviewer perceptive enough […]

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The Sports Section

Watching the Bears this season was like watching some amazing, intricate machine trying to get itself to work right. There were moments when everything fit together, when the Bears rolled rapidly over the opposition. These moments, however, were few and far between after the season’s first game, so that watching the Bears was more often […]