Diary of a Newspaper Hawk

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 ...