Month: December 2010

Roeser for Rahm

Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff, form...
Him and the wolves of LaSalle St.

I find this of more than passing interest.  It’s Tom Roeser on Chicago mayor.  He dismisses Moseley Braun, naturally, for her “masterly ineptitude for administration.”  She would do to Chicago in one term what Coleman Young did to Detroit in 20 years.  (Make it 19.)

Roeser continues:

The only two I have any faith in are Rahm Emanuel and Gery Chico…but Chico is malleable and can easily be rolled by the Gray Wolves of the Council.

This be Chicago-dom.  The great Scylla and Charybdis of city politics: rapacious aldermen vs. powerful mayor running weak-mayor governmental form.  Roeser buys the second and says (at this point) he prefers Emanuel:

Rahm is so duplicitous and mean I think he’ll perceive it’s in his own interest not to let Chicago go the way of Detroit.

Point being, you don’t have to like the guy, you just have to respect his ability to save the city.

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Novelist musta dreamt it

Stumbled across while looking for something else, with apologies to the late Sidney Harris.  Novelist James McManus to PopMatters:

11. The best piece of advice you actually followed?
“Don’t fuckin’ do it!” delivered by my friend Reid Schaefer as my parents and grandparents were furiously pressuring me to enter a Jesuit seminary at age 14.

Vas ist dis Jesuit seminary taking 14–year-olds?  Never hoid of it.

He did this poker-playing book about Las Vegas.  Non-fiction.  Oh?

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Antecedent violation

From Chi Trib in yesterday’s front page Meeks story —  “As mayoral candidate who is also a minister, Meeks walks a fine line; Political rhetoric fills his sermons, but IRS rules prohibit campaign activity by churches” — this boo-boo:

From the pulpit . . . Meeks makes it clear he thinks the rules are aimed at preventing church leaders from mustering the power of the congregation behind a righteous candidate who is “saved” by their belief in Jesus Christ.

Their belief?  Whose?  Belief of a righteous candidate.  Singular.  So his belief.

The writer can’t say that because of current widely obeyed restrictions on gender-identification.

He can’t say “his belief” even though the antecedent is singular and in this case male, which is arguably beside the point. 

Instead, he gratuitously pluralizes the pronoun, creating nonsense on the spot, to avoid giving preference to the masculine. 

Neither does he want to say “his or her,” which looks priggish and would confuse the issue, since he is clearly talking about Meeks, who is male. 

This being male may annoy some, but that is beside the point, and no arguably about it.

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Ready for reform in Chicago?

You think you know achievement in your life?  Compare it with this, from pdb at Chicago’s long-overdue Department of Zoning Oversight Fellowship Forum:

Zoning dept-Pete

It’s as old as dirt, but what better way to nurture hope than through change, or the promise of change. Obama did it, see sweeping election. What comes after is open for analysis. The first and second quarter reports are in for the recent changes in the DoZ, and this Intern can’t find anything to complain about, although he’d like to.

Take this: interior renovation of a commercial storefront in a historic skyscraper down by M. Park. Only days before the scheduled appointment, the architect is able to push it back (2) days; no muss, no fuss.

Read the rest, a.k.a. Adventures of Super-Intern, saving the building world from mindless bureaucracy.

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Down-home cooking for Nigeria, Namibia, et al.

African arteries, get ready for clogging.

Good news:

The improved political stability of various African governments, the region’s vast population and a growing middle class in Africa—where chicken is a dietary staple—led [KFC owner] Yum to set its sights on the continent.

Why is there gold in them hills?

Approximately 40% of Africans live in urban areas now and the number of households with discretionary income is projected to increase by 50% to 128 million over the next decade, according to a recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute

It’s a trend:

“People are now focusing on the emerging world, with a bit of a gold rush going on,” says Graham Allan, CEO Yum Restaurants International.

“A lot of companies, especially Chinese ones, have invested in Africa,” Mr. Allan adds. “We share the general view that Africa over the next 10 to 20 years will have massive potential.”

Of the roughly one billion people in Africa, KFC estimates it currently reaches 180 million.

It’s what you call an emerging market, about to be served (exploited, say you class-warriors) by global capitalism.  Very good, but can cholesterol-reducers be far behind?  Maybe from a tree in India?

Maybe not, in view of African tastes:

The menus at African KFCs are similar to those in more developed markets, albeit with more chicken drumsticks and wings, and fewer boneless items such as sandwiches and nuggets.

“Africans are wary of processed food,” says Keith Warren, general manager of Yum’s Africa business. “They want chicken on the bone.”

Who doesn’t?

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Words to live by

The call for not thinking you are hot stuff:

1] At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven? [2] And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them, [3] And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. [5] And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.

The call for taking great care with people who look up to you:

[6] But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. [7] Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh.

Devastating consequences, big stakes:

[8] And if thy hand, or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. [9] And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. [10] See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

The one who takes great care with us:

[11] For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. [12] What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go to seek that which is gone astray?

The shepherd, by Lawrence OP

Please notice the language.  Figures abound, in some cases meaning is to be supplied.  But you can’t walk away untouched.

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