Diary of a Newspaper Hawk

Nothing good coming out of Ravenswood. Nothing good. Keep up with the craziness of Senate seat selling . Maybe Rod Blagojevich will finally be a man and step down. Meanwhile, the weather's getting warm. 54 tomorrow. And as it is Sunday, I won't be selling papers or Senate seats. Church. I'm among the few that still go because they want to. We're not alone, and by 'few', I means 'millions of people'. Chicago Bears seem to be getting better. Too late?

Rain's coming down hard. My papers are wet, but apparently, so is Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Now, everyone knows Judy Barr Topinka was no charmer, and she lost for good reason against Blago. However, Blago himself turns out to be suspect for corruption. Is he guilty? Beats me. I'm not on the jury. Is he a victim of Republican watchdogging? Could be. Either way, we're looking at a new governor sooner or later, and those who dissed George Ryan for his own corruption are at a loss. Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges

Fighting a cold and selling papers on a cold day are a difficult mix. Sometimes, there isn't enough coffee to warm what is cold. Chicago Tribune no more? With Sam Zell's leadership apparently a failure, and internet news competing with local papers, the Chicago Tribune is considering bankruptcy. What's is a world without the Trib? Fewer sales for me. End of tradition. Death of an era. I'm no hockey fan, but even I am impressed with the headline " Chicago Blackhawks rout Phoenix Coyotes 7-1 ." There's a labor sit-in . I haven't followed this one, but if workers are getting screwed over, I say skip sitting in at the factory. Instead, go to the guy who is making the decision and sit quietly outside of his house. Chicago's Police Department continues to lament the PR impact of idiot ex-officers like Anthony Abbate. He's the huge guy that beat up a little 115 pound female bartender. Although Abbate is a clear disgrace to male honor as well as the i...

There are days a man doesn't want to sell a paper. Not in Chicago. This day was coming since the moment he was born. It took 96 years to finally close shop, but I'll bet he was at a typewriter at the last possible moment.  Studs Terkel lived a life that was about everyman. It didn't matter that he was wealthy beyond belief, hob-nobbing with the literary elite. He still had class. So that's the news. It might be why you are here. Now, it's true. I got papers to sell, and it is Saturday. Used to be the working man grabbed a paper, got some coffee, and read the news. Now he logs on, and clicks through. So do I. Me too. But Studs was a writer and radio guy. Today, now, he's on the front pages of the Daily Herald, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. He's on PBS, and every local station. He knew everybody, and met everyone else. I even shook his hand once. Short little Jewish man with a big mouth. Won't ever forget that. Good guy, now gone. Sure, I don'...

The rains soaked every ounce of this city, most of which landed in my bones. Ain't coffee that I need, but more rest. Papers won't sell themselves tomorrow. But, I'm sick, bedridden, barely focused enough to use my laptop. The news has been a wild lot lately. With John McCain's campaign surging, with a woman helping him lead, I cannot help but think Barack Obama might be worried. It looks like he hasn't got this campaign and the media as wrapped up in bed like it looks. Of course, we need Obama out of Illinois if we want a real man (or woman) in the Senate again. Old Obama has been chasing the White House so much he forgot he has a day job as a senator. I mean, who does he think he is, Carol Moseley Braun? That's true incompetence . Carlos Zambrano threw a no hitter for the Cubbies. Chicago had a half marathon yesterday, as wet as the rest of the city. This was the 2008 Banco Popular Chicago Half Marathon. I gotta give a salute to those crazy runners who decid...

I sat in a restaurant watching the Cubs. It occurred to me how often I do this now. It helps the Cubbies are winning, but the places are smoke free now. I'm sinking my cash into joints I'd never go to five years ago. No griping from the tobacco addicts. No one says you can't smoke. Just do it outside. Chicago needs more pollution if we're going to beat Beijing in the Olympics. Smokers, you go ahead, light up until the clouds are dark, and windows are covered with a yellow dinge. We can't do this alone. Of course, we need to get the Olympics first. Daley's on it. And, more importantly, Cubbies are up 5.5 games and the White Sox are clinging to a 0.5 game lead. We'll take it. The News Meanwhile, nepotism is hitting the streets again. Barack Obama mentor Illinois Senate President Emil Jones is trying to get his kid into politics . Cook County boss John Stroger (now deceased) put his son into office too. There's a new political machine in town, and it looks ...

The news is sad. Although the Olympics started amazingly (Mayor Daley cameos throughout), the morning's joy is squashed by the death of Bernie Mac . He had his ups and down. The Bernie Mac Show was a class act. His support of Barack Obama gave us some low notes. But, he was through and through a Chicago man. White Sox fan to the hilt. Rest in peace, Bernard Jeffrey McCollough. Bernie Mac, I'll miss you.

Big news. Not exactly fresh, but it should be. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died. A real man, and real writer, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 because of books like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , and later wrote The Gulag Archipelago . To the punks who think they know what freedom is, read what not having freedom looks like. The News Two words: World Series. We dream it. Two teams, one city, one series. Let's duke it out. Might be. Could be. But will it be? Hopefully, if Harry Caray is in Heaven (and no one is taking bets on that one), I hope he whispers to God to let it happen. Democrat Arenda Troutman. What Chicago be without a corrupt Democrat in the news? Speaking apparently of herself as well as others (Clients? -- I hope not), she was recorded on tape saying, "Most aldermen, most politicians are hos." The Chicago Sun-Times writes that she guilty , having "admitted to taking bribes and extorting developers seeking zoning preferences....

While politics continues to be run by salary girls and imbeciles, we have two decent baseball teams. I don't mean the Kane County Cougars. Something bright. The News Jerome Holtzman, Dean Of Chicago Baseball Writers, Dies At 82 Not so bright. Sad. He knew the Chicago Cubbies and White Sox as well as could be known. Time to read No Cheering in the Press Box . There's no cheering tonight.

Our early leaders, though war ached their hearts, stood fast against tyranny in favor of freedom. Do our leaders now have the same sober valor? originally posted here: Let Freedom Ring! The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-...

Gas prices aren't that high. Are you a taxi driver? No? Barely making ends meet? No? Then quit yapping about how bad the gas pump is. I get it. Higher than ever. But the gas isn't anything like the hot air people have coming on that life is now hard. What are you paying more a month? $100? Sure, burning through $100 a month is not unimportant, and adds up at year's end, but Henny Penny 's sky didn't fall as fast as yours. The News Rush Limbaugh just signed on for eight more years . What does this mean? All those smug people who hate George W Bush might have John McCain as their next president, or Barack Obama is bound to be a one-term president. Either way, Limbaugh's getting the money because he has lots of listeners. How many? $400 million worth. Chicago White Sox are kicking tail . Cubbies too. Both are 2.5 games into first place. Ol' Hawk was getting some laundry done when the counter maven groused about the success of the Cubs. I told her that any true ...

Tomorrow looks perfect. A high of 70 degrees. Not as many gang twats killing each other last week. Sadly, though, there is much greater tragedy. Myanmar (or Burma for you oldsters) has had its putz leaders making political efforts to deny aid so its generals could look good. Don't tell me Bush screwed up New Orleans. Even moron Mayor Ray Nagin is better than the Myanmar jerks. Finally, though, aid is starting to move. ( US begins aid flights to Myanmar cyclone victims ) China had its massive earthquake, killing 10,000 so far. After they practically ruined the Olympics with their arrogant oppression of Tibet, sympathies might return. ( Earthquake measuring 7.8 Richter scale hits SW China ) This all outshines sunny days. The News Cubs are 18-19 and in third place. White Sox are 20-17 and also in third place. Pick Obama's VP Who should be Barack Obama's Vice President Running Mate? Pick McCain's VP Who should be John McCain's Vice President Running Mate? Plus the ofte...

I spent a lot of time on the L, and walking far from the Loop. That's where the roaches live. Incestuous slime, the Black Gangster Disciples, the Vice Lords, the Latin Kings. Then the Crips, the Jamaicans, and other fecal matter. Scum. The thug mentality has reached into the crotches of many young men's minds. A combination of insecurity, poverty-mindset and broken families have confused them what it means to be a man. The News Dad of slain teen: Chicago violence 'out of control' Fifteen people killed in Chicago over last two weeks. What more do you need to know? If you are a Chicagoan, turn these pansies in. They are infecting schools, churches, and the streets. American Street Gangs The Red Bandana Finding Fitness Through the Joy of Running. Every Friday.

Is it warmer on Mars today? I checked weather.com, and could not find it listed. Some cool cash was laid down by Mars for Wrigley, though. Not Mars the planet, but Mars the candy bar people. Chicago is for sale, and people are buying. How long before the Chicago River sells the naming rights and becomes the Primerica Filth Stream? My days are hot and cold. If you live in Chicago, my lament is also your reality. Some like it hot. Others like it as cool as a cucumber, which, on a warm day turns into hot relish. Freezing alert tonight. 82 degrees last week. The salary girls just don't know what to wear. They could take a fashion tip from Miley Cyrus and go topless . She's that sort now, but I don't think anyone is surprised. Such too has been the sales of papers. Up and down, but I think people are tired of tawdry politics. Chicago's a Democrat town. You are not allowed to live here unless you are a registered Democratic, and not allow to stay unless you voted at least tw...

Pouring rain now as I set ready for bed. Up early, you know. Papers never sell themselves, my old boss Pete McDaniel would always say. Coffee timer is set to go tomorrow at 4:30. That's not always true. Selling a newspaper is easy. Getting someone to pay for it is the hard part. Was stiffed more than once, across the demographic range. Black, white, rich, poor. Whatever bias you've got, stick it back where you picked it from. Your people, your kind walked off with a paper without paying too. When Wally died two weeks ago , I sold a few more. Was tipped a bit better too. Maybe they remembered that this news shtick is a full-bodied thing, that there's a team of people hawking the paper. Not just the guy on a milk crate. There's the writer, the editors, the headline guy, the engineer, audio, video, the talent, the columnist. Wally was a radio guy, but directly connected to the print world. If he said anything interesting, I sold more papers. Simple as that. The News Moses ...

Wally Phillips kept this old newspaper hawk warm on the coldest days. There's not much more to say except I'll miss you. Wally Phillips, pioneer of talk radio, dies at 82 See more news Wally Phillips - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chicago Tribune's thoughts : Wally Phillips, whose wit and charm dominated the art of the on-air radio personality in Chicago for two decades, has died after battling Alzheimer's disease for the last five years, WGN Radio announced Thursday. He was 82. Phillips was the morning program host on WGN Radio from January 1965 until July 1986, and was number one in the morning slot from 1968 until his departure for an afternoon radio slot in 1986. He retired from WGN in 1998 after 42 years with the station, but came out of retirement the following year to host a weekly two-hour program on WAIT-AM, a station based in Crystal Lake.... Good-bye, old pal. R. Hawk, a faithful listener since childhood

It is 5:30 - I saw out the window - 40 degrees, pouring rain, completely dark, some guy chugging away jogging. Dedication. I'm sitting in a big comfy chair, cozy sweatshirt, steaming coffee, warm laptop. Not so dedicated. Yet, like the runner, I need to be on my shift, hawking papers, making my daily bread. I'll get there by 6:30 today. Want to tip me today? How about a Starbucks card? The News Jack Nicholson's in drag campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has predictably chosen to support Barack Obama, though somewhat weakly, "If you could take Barack Obama's image, add Hillary Rodham Clinton's money and John Edwards' voice, that would be my candidate," Simmons said in January 2007. No word on what Obama will do if he wins the nomination about his weekend job as senator. Sad news : one of the guys who helped begin the Jesus Movement of the the 1970s, Larry Norman, has died. He was a guy who grew up in a regular church, but s...

The days are getting longer, and not just metaphorically. It is nice to see daylight on my way back, but the sun has dwindled by the time I hike up to the Hawk home. My corner has been blessed recently by a squirrel which is not really a city dweller. It is alone, hungry, shivering. It comes by, looking for something to eat - can't find anything in the concrete - and stares at me at like a lonely puppy. It reminds me of the kids who move here, looking to be sophisticated, but end up looking for the same things they had trouble finding in small town USA. The News The word is, officially, that Kathleen Savio was murdered . Her name is famous because of the monkey on the left. Well, no, not a monkey. He's the man who proves Charles Darwin was wrong. No one knows for sure who killed who, but we know Drew Peterson's had two of his wives murdered. At least, we're pretty sure. And a third one isn't saying very nice things about how he treated her. Whether Peterson is a mur...

Rush hour has begun, it seems, earlier today. The flush of people grabbing newspapers at 4:00 was amazing, and continues. Valentine's Day plans, I suppose. Likewise for me. I will be home by 6:00 p.m. if the L goes on time. Breaking news The News Multiple Victims In N. Illinois Univ. Shooting In short, a student stormed into a room, shot some students and was apprehended. My prayers go out the students.

No one at the Hawk home will be voting tomorrow for Super Tuesday. Me? I think they are bums. The whole lot of them. Bums. When November comes, I'll send my love to the Chicago Bears, and, if the right bum is still running, to him. When the ones who say they care for the poor are raking in millions to suck up to the American public, I have got to say no. I know Chicago's a Daley Democrat city, and there's a good chance my dead Uncle Roberto is casting a few votes tomorrow, but I'm going with someone will kick Osama bin Laden in the behind. The News Huckabee's still running . The weather is strange. And I'm going to bed.

More snow at my door step. A guy can't catch a break, but I can sure catch the snow. The morning rush is starting to trickle. Luckily, the Super Bowl is causing a couple of Chicago Sun-Time sales. Tips from Chicago Sun-Times readers come in nickels and dimes. They are the "Just keep the change" kind. Chicago Tribune readers tip in large chunks. The guy might walk by a hundred times without tipping, then whamo! He gives me a 50-spot. It even out, and in each case, I'm thankful. It is nice to know they know this is a hard life. Time to poor another cup. Almond this morning. The News Nationally, the big news is the Super Bowl victory the New York Giants had over the presumed winner, the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was no match over Eli Manning. Even in Chicago, they are cheering . We understand underdogs. Locally though, we know that five women were murdered by some two-bit thug in a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park. There are more details, but so far, that is about ...

The snow is unbelievable. I've seen more snow, but this much and at such an inconvenient time. My regulars stayed home today. Oh, the train commuters and workaholics are in, but the salary girls, the work-a-days, the project managers - all home. It is shooting me in the foot. A few flakes and I'm not selling papers. The politics are picking up, so I'm thinking I'll see a few more sellable headlines as the primaries close in on Chitown. The News You might think the news is politics, but frustrated voters are getting tired of the hogwash coming at them. Bobby Fischer died, but that's old news now , and you knew that. Drew Peterson is looking less guilty if the photos that look like his missing wife Stacy are really her. If those photos are Stacy, there will be big apologies to Drew. If they are not, and worse yet, Photoshopped, then Drew will look more guilty than ever. Amy Winehouse is living up to her name . Don't ask illiterates Kelly Pickler or Charlize Ther...

The news in Chicago is quietly sad. Before this Mayor Daley, and after the last Mayor Daley, we saw a few mayors. Among them was Eugene Sawyer. And in the middle of it all was Cook County Board president John Stroger. Both men are dead, and Chicago is a little smaller. I will not presume their families read this blog, but my condolences to them. Monday's newspaper will be grim. Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer Dead At 73 Sawyer died at Hinsdale Hospital at 11 p.m. Saturday; he had suffered a series of recent strokes, the most recent in November, and he was hospitalized Friday with heart problems, his brother, John Sawyer said. Sawyer was 73. John Stroger dies at 78 Chicago Tribune John Stroger, who rose through the ranks of local Democratic politics from assistant precinct captain to powerful ward boss to become the first African-American elected Cook County Board president, died Friday after a long illness. Mr. Stroger was best known for his efforts to expand county-provided health ser...

Frigid cold begets frigid fingers, rustling papers dryly, miserably. Wind chills are achingly numbing, painful and unrelenting. A gift received recently was a coffee shop card from someone just stopping by for a Chicago Tribune. It was awfully decent of her - the five bucks bought me three coffees. I gave one of those coffees to my friend Jimmy who stood shivering while telling me all his latest adventures. He makes up some of his adventures, but some are truer than the true ones, so it all gets hard to sort out. He's not quite what I'd call an honest man, but he is loyal and truthful about the important things. The News There's a massive story that is not talked about enough. Bobby Fischer is now arguing chess position with the chess master Himself. No longer is it a cake walk for Bobby. He's dead .

Sometimes, a newspaper gets smaller. Such is the fate of the Chicago Sun-Times. Smaller size, smaller staff. I wish I sold more papers too, guys, but here I am, fighting online because people are buying fewer where I am. Departing 'Sun-Times' Biz Editor Miller Says Newsroom Mood Actually 'Improving' Despite Cuts The News The Chicago Bears are out of the playoffs. They never made it in. Mafia thugs are taking a hit in their home city of Sicily, Italy. Web, crackdowns weakening Mafia's grip . These are not men who love their families, and certainly not their God. These extortionists are like the terrorist pigs in Iraq and elsewhere who are scamming to kill their neighbors. To the men protesting: You have honor. The Mafia is less than the scum between your toes. Stay strong. PALERMO, Sicily - When it came down to business, Cosa Nostra could always count on fear. No more. In a rebellion shaking the Sicilian Mafia to its centuries-old roots, businesses are joining force...

Hawking newspapers brings me to read a lot of what's what on the matters that matter. One thing I see dying out is the good letter to the editor. Too often, the ones writing these things are PR reps from this campaign or that. Or, they are just a flaming, ranting idiot with all emotion and no brains. So I'm saying, figure out something you believe in and write a letter to your favorite newspaper. Then, of course, come by my corner and buy five copies for your mother. She needs to see she raised you right. Seriously, do this. You'll feel better. A letter hardly answers all of life's problems. We'll still have terrorism, corruption, and bums in office. This is hardly the only thing you can do, but it is relatively easy. Local papers, like the Daily Herald, are very open, and the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times love the everyman view. Put the PR writers out of work. There's enough crap coming out them supporting the big money scams like Big Tobacco, Big Abort...