Watching the DVR now. Just had dinner with Steve Sawyer and wife Marcy. Haven't seen him in years so it was a lot of fun. Marcy and Denise have a lot in common ( sociial work, psych etc ) so Steve and I could geek out on tech, music, woodworking etc. Marcy is presenting at a conference tomorrow and they'll stop over for dinner at our place on their way back to Detroit tomorrow.


>Thanks for the smile. I seem to have stepped on three third rails at once. And no, I have no idea what Karen Lewis's sexual orientation is, otherwise I might have hit for the cycle.
>
>It looks like the game between the White Sox and Tigers tonight will be washed out, which is a good break for the Sox. (Smooth segues R Us). The scheduled starters are/were Aaron Sale and Justin Verlander. Sale has been having a great season but any time you get to duck Verlander, that's good news. So now I will be able to give my full attention to Lambeau Field. I imagine you will be watching as well.
>
>>Some of my best friends are Fat, Black and Female... <s>
>>
>>>I did not word it that harshly but it's probably a distinction without a difference. What I was attempting to convey was that she does not fit the profile of the leader of a prominent political organization. I did not mean that those who are female, non-white, or overweight are incapable of leadership. More the opposite, actually. It's just unusual. Personally I admire her.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Yeah, I'm being nit-pickish but I'm feeling a wee bit snarky this morning - why do you describe the female side of the equation as, and I paraphrase, "Fat and Black"? What difference does that make in this discussion?
>>>>
>>>>My point is, you give us, essentially, a resume for Emanuel yet his opponent is "Female, Fat and Black".
>>>>
>>>>>Here in Chicago it is at the top of the news 24/7, even over the presidential election and the assassination in Libya. It was supposed to be day 3 of school. Talks were called off over the weekend and so far most schools remain closed other than some charter schools. This is actually rare in the famously combative relationship between the city and the teachers' union. They almost always settle at the 11th hour.
>>>>>
>>>>>In this corner: relatively new Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, a.k.a. Rahmbo. He was a top adviser to Bill Clinton and has now returned home to lead our fair city. He has made clipping the wings of the CTU a priority. The city is in financial disrepair and he doesn't want to give an inch. This is a guy who once sent a political opponent a dead fish. Another time he stabbed a Chicago steakhouse table repeatedly while saying, "Dead! Dead! Dead!"
>>>>>
>>>>>in the other corner, CTU leader Karen Lewis. She is female, black, overweight, and every bit as combative as Mayor Emanuel. The relationship between the city and the union has been combative without abatement since time immemorial. This is the first time in 25 years there has been a strike. All we need is a pit bull ring.
>>>>>
>>>>>And now in the third corner, a man who needs no introduction in Chicago, the Very, Very Rev. Jesse Jackson. He evidently heard the whir of news cameras and is all over the local TV stations offering to bring the flocks together.
>>>>>
>>>>>Chicago politics, there's nothing like it. When Carl Sandburg called Chicago the city of big shoulders he had no idea.
>>>>>
>>>>>John Ryan, if you are in the vicinity of the Chicago Hilton in the south loop, you could spend your evening less wisely than to head down there and see bare knuckled democracy in its full glory.
>>>>>
>>>>>UPDATE 9/13 6:44 a.m. CDT: The local news media are reporting that the two sides met until close to midnight yesterday. The leaders of both sides expressed optimism that the differences can be settled and schools might reopen as soon as tomorrow.