Diary of a Newspaper Hawk

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...

A new year is coming, and somehow, within the ticking of a clock, 2007 becomes a sentimental land of whim and misty-eyed baloney. Give me a break. My papers, every one of them, are going to be filled with Best of 2007 nonsense. True, looking back has merit, but we'll do it as it is a history lesson. You know the sort which gets into this. Imagine the scene: a party, everyone is having a great time, and some bonehead needs to pull out his or her cell phone and snap some pictures. That's fine, except for the part in which they show them to everyone immediately. What? Are we having a better time because you can show me what happened :30 earlier? What's wrong with enjoying right now, rather than reminscing about a minute ago. Give me people, not pictures of people. I want real relationships, not virtual ones. Speaking of real people, I must tell you about this former fat guy I know . He's keeping a blog about how he is losing (present tense) 60 pounds. Hopefully, he's l...

Christmas in the Hawk household is no different than many other Chicagoans. No work, much cheer. Strange, though, as today is a big day to read a newspaper. However, as busy as my corner is most of December, today is the least travelled. This is not to say the corner is empty. It never is. Monday to Friday, mostly, I am there, as are thousands of businessmen and women. Also, somehow not always as obviously, are other men and women. These are homeless, or semi-homed, if that can be said. It is hardly just Chicago. Every big city has people who need a meal and place to lay their head. And it is not just big cities, but the posh suburbs. Now, before you get on your high horse about how the rich burbanites don't care, get a load of PADS . They are based in the wealthy west suburbs, specifically in Wheaton, IL. They got a lot of churches (130 churches!) working together to help feed and provide a place to sleep. The deal is simple: every night, a different church provides a floor and sl...

Today is only colder than yesterday, but the coffee seems warmer. The salary girls and smokers are less apt to wander outside. Better for me, as I get tired of the stink of cheap perfume and second-hand smoke. At least the salary girls are fun to look at, unlike the smokers. Thinking of the days when newspapers did not include computers, I came across this fellow's site . That's his blog selling old bookbinding equipment. Intrigued, I see that he's got this whole old world style of bookbinding going on, with some very impressive samples, Weird seeing it on the internet. It is like seeing an Amish or hermitage website. Gilded Leaf Bindery Maryville, Tennessee The News As news blogs go, this one is hardly thorough, but very interesting: Hungarian News - http://hungariannews.blogspot.com . Where is a copy of the Budapest Sun when you need one?