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J U LY 29 - A U G U S T 4, 2009

YO,R CITY FROM THE STREETS

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H E L P P E O P L E H E L P T H E M S E LV E S TO S E L F - S U F F I C I E N C Y T H R O U G H G A I N F U L E M P L OY M E N T

About our survey By Bruce Crane Executive Director

For the last two weeks we have had the kids home and with them comes our only, to date, grandchild. In addition to enjoying him immensely, it is really fascinating to watch this microcosm of an ongoing learning process in action. Just like any successful organism, he needs to adapt to, or learn from, his environment. Obviously, our kids went through this process. But I don’t recall it in the same way. Perhaps that is because I was more of a participant, as a parent, rather than an occasional observer as a grandparent. StreetWise, as an organization, should be no different: an organism reacting to its environment with on-going learning and adaptation. A well-run business should have a culture that values and strives for continuous improvement. Some of this we can do internally, by our own interpretations of the environment and what we feel it requires of us. However, we can’t do it all internally. If we did, we run the huge risk of being myopic and not optimizing the benefit of input from others within our environment. This is where you come in. We need you! The input of our readers, supporters, donors, and yes, even critics, is essential for our continued success. Inside this issue is a survey. Would you take

a few minutes to help us learn from you? Your few minutes will help us see what we do that really is working in your view, and what is not; what you appreciate, and what irks you. Increasing circulation, readership, is essential to a publication. This can only come from providing value to the public in the item they purchase. StreetWise recognizes that ours is a divergent model for a publication. We are a social enterprise whose mission aims to help a segment of our society that has very few resources to help itself. Our publication, StreetWise, is the most visible vehicle we use to accomplish this. When you buy StreetWise, you get value not only from the publication, but from knowing you are helping another individual directly, and a segment of society indirectly. The better the publication, the better chance we have to increase circulation, and the better opportunity we can offer the men and women who come to us, and work so hard selling StreetWise. This enables them to take the next steps in becoming self sufficient, through their own ongoing learning process, as any healthy organism must. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and helping us learn and improve what we do. We will make your investment of time worthwhile by taking the serious looks and doing the work needed to react to you, our environment. When you buy the magazine you help the vendors to help themselves. By returning this survey you will empower us to do a better job for them.

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J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

Wise Questions NBC5’S Anna Davlantes

Local anchor talks about her favorite stories to cover, what needs more attention, and her biggest on-air oops. page

StreetWise Survey We want to know your thoughts! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey regarding our magazine’s content. This survey is also available online at our Web site, www.streetwise.org.

page

Entrepreneur Spotlight

Chicago doesn’t make list

Brothers reunite Roarke Moody, a long-time StreetWise vendor and community poet, was able to reunite with his younger brother after more than 10 years.

A look at America’s biggest violators of homeless peoples’ civil rights: from Los Angeles to Florida to nearby Kalamazoo, Michigan. Plus a look at Chicago’s 10-year plan. page

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news

streetwise

entertainment

volunteer

INSP page 5 This Week in Chicago page 9 Cover Story page 14-15

The Playground page 18 Vendor Profile page 19

Ginny & the Chef page 6 DineWise page 6 Health & Fitness page 7 Theatre page 8 Event Calendar page 12-13

Volunteer Chicago

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Wise Questions: with NBC5’s Anna Davlantes Davlantes: I recently covered a story about an injured vet who returned home from Afghanistan, badly burned over 95 percent of his body. His wife married him at his bedside at Walter Reed Hospital as he emerged from a coma.

SW: What was an embarrassing moment that was caught live during a broadcast? Davlantes: My very first time on the anchor desk, in Fort Wayne Indiana, I fumbled the words “baby boomers” and said “baby boners” on the air.

SW: What world topic does not get the coverage it deserves?

Grace Federighi StreetWise Staff grace@streetwise.org

Who: Anna Davlantes, anchor and reporter at NBC5 in Chicago and host of Rewind on WTTW/Channel 11. StreetWise: How has the news changed since you first started working in the industry? Anna Davlantes: There are so many platforms for getting news now – from laptops to mobile phones to elevators and the back seats of taxicabs. As a journalist, it’s both exciting and daunting to be part of this major transformation.

SW: What story have you covered that touched you the most?

Davlantes: Our veterans returning from war. Because of advances in medicine, vets are coming home with injuries they would never have survived in the past. Over the last two years, I partnered with a grass roots veterans group, and threw two fundraisers. We raised more than $400,000 in those two events, for our local wounded heroes.

SW: How can the media bring more attention to homelessness in Chicago? Davlantes: StreetWise does a good job. Yet I wish more people knew that the people selling StreetWise are working hard and how it’s a great way for the homeless to make money and get back on their feet. Too often, I see people brush right by the guy selling StreetWise, without maybe realizing what it’s about.

SW: How did the idea for your show Rewind come about? Davlantes: The WTTW/Channel 11 show builds on the idea that Chicagoans, as a rule, are incredibly opinionated. Look around this city, and not only do we have wonderful diversity, we have people who celebrate their strong opinions.

SW: Who have been your most intriguing guests? Davlantes: We’ve had everyone from a retired cop to a Chicago socialite on the show. The beauty is in the diversity and the opinions.

SW: You cover the news in the best and worst of Chicago weather. Which do you prefer: a linen suit, raincoat, or a warm down coat? Davlantes: The biggest, thickest, ugliest, most puffed out down coat available!

SW: We hear that you are from Rogers Park. Any recommendations for great eats and shopping? Davlantes: I love so many of the Indian restaurants on Devon Avenue!

SW: To date, what story or moment in your broadcast career would you want to be remembered for? Davlantes: I broke the girls’ Powder Puff hazing story that drew incredible attention nationwide to the subject of hazing. Stories of government corruption and political accountability come to mind. Of course, in Illinois, we’ve certainly had our share of those stories lately! Keeps us busy...

There's more to read! To read the full Interview and learn more about Anna Davlantes log on to www.streetwise.org Contributing Writers

Ginny & the Chef: Originally a professional chef, Chef J now writes a syndicated weekly newspaper column on food and fitness in Chicago. He’s also the president of the Chicago Research Chefs LLC and president emeritus of the Chicago Nutrition Association. Ginny has written nutrition and fitness articles for several local and national publications, such as the Chicago Tribune and On-Health magazine. She has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science and dietetics and a master’s degree in nutrition communications and marketing. Alex Filipowicz was born in 1992. He is a student at Northside College Preparatory high school. He learned to speak Polish from a young age. He enjoys making surreal drawings. He also enjoys listening to obscure music and watching dark comedies. He plans on becoming a fiction writer.

John Godoy is a Chicago-based wellness consultant and personal trainer with a leading prevention-based, integrative health and wellness provider.

about gospel great Mahalia Jackson, the Oprah of her day, whose dream of equality 60 years ago was fulfilled by Barack Obama’s election to the White House.

Julie Cameron has over 16 years’ experience in the fashion and retail industry. She is also president of Urban Shop Guide, a Web site that has been featured in publications such as Daily Candy, Elle UK, and American Airlines’ in-flight magazine. Urban Shop Guide explores Chicago’s best neighborhood shopping secrets with tours for both residents and visitors. Cameron is a member of The Fashion Group International and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, and she participates in local neighborhood merchant associations.

Temple Hemphill is a Chicago-based journalist, author, media professor and children’s advocate. If you know of a Chicagoan significantly impacting the community, please send spotlight suggestions to templehemphill@alumni.indiana.edu; write “The Good Life” in the subject field.

Ruth L. Ratny is celebrating her 30th year as chronicler of Chicago's visual media industry. Also a screenwriter, she is working on a movie

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Tracy Woodley is a senior at Lincoln Park High School and plans to pursue Journalism in college. Editor of the foreign and political news pages on the LPHS newspaper, she is interested in writing and languages. She is working as a summer intern at StreetWise.

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

INSP: International Network of Street Papers Street News Service

Displacement Traumatic for Pregnant Women

By Ashfaq Yusufzai Article donated by Reuters PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pregnant women uprooted by the violence in the Malakand region of northwest Pakistan have suffered acutely in refugee camps for IDPs, or internally displaced persons. Displaced women from Swat, Buner, and Dir, the three affected districts, have critical health needs that relief operations must urgently address, says the United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA. According to its estimates, some 69,000 pregnant women have been displaced since the start of military operations on April 27 in the three adjoining districts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). There were nearly 6,000 births in June, of which at least 900 newborns required surgery because of complications, the UN agency reports. Peshawar-based gynecologist Prof. Anjum Wakeel, who’s helped establish clinics for women in the IDP camps, says new mothers and their infants are facing severe health and nutritional problems everywhere in Pakistan because of the generally poor food, sanitation, and medical conditions. The Pakistan Pediatrics Association (PPA) has set up a special 20-bed ward for newborn babies of IDPs in Mardan and Swabi district hospitals, but it’s merely a drop in the ocean—the PPA-run wards admitted 6,075 patients in June.According to the records, 1,391 were admitted for diarrhea, 288 for dysentery, 276 for urinary tract infections (UTI), and 122 for meningitis. "Our doctors had examined about 191 newborn children, of whom 144 were underweight and 125 severely malnourished," says Dr. Abdul Hameed, president of the PPA. He adds that there is severe overcrowding—two or three children can be admitted on each bed—and there aren’t labor rooms to handle delivery-related complications. "The situation could slip out of control if immediate measures regarding strengthening of child care in the camps aren't initiated," he told Inter Press Service. On a visit to Pakistan, John Holmes, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, was reported as saying, "We still need to do more to help [internally displaced] people both now and in the coming months." Antonio Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees, has described the massive displacement of civilians caused by escalating skirmishes between Pakistani forces and Taliban militants as "the most challenging protection crisis since Rwanda [in the mid-‘90s]." "My son has severe diarrhea. There is no improvement. He is pale, and not responding to breast-feeding," Jamala Bibi of Buner in the Shah

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A packed children's ward in Mardan district: IDPs face severe problems (Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai ) Mansoor camp, Swabi, told this reporter on May 20. Pakistan has a population of 160.9 million that is growing at a rate of 1.8 percent. According to observers, the country is unlikely to meet goals four and five of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which call for reducing child mortality and improving maternal health, respectively, by 15 to 50 percent in the next six years. Every family in the Malakand region has at least five or more children. The conservative Islamic groups allied to the Taliban, who made Dir, Swat, and Buner their stronghold two years ago, targeted nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working with the community on reproductive health goals: field workers were kidnapped, and the NGOs were threatened with dire consequences if they didn’t pull out of the districts. A worried Ajmal Khan, 40, is unable to express his feelings about the birth of a daughter—his sixth child—at the Jalozai camp, near Peshawar, on July 3. The camp, which had sheltered Afghan refugees till last year, was opened for Pakistani IDPs. "Under normal circumstances I would have been happy. But not this time, because my daughter is very sick," he says. His wife, just 25 years old, had screamed in pain all night till the baby was born, Khan adds. An elderly traditional birth attendant from a nearby camp was brought in to help her, and in the morning she was seen by Prof. Wakeel, the doctor confirmed to IPS. Most pregnant women W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

among the IDPs need antenatal care, but it isn’t available, Wakeel says. "We have tasked the Lady Health Workers to compile data about pregnant and lactating women and provide them medical assistance so they could deliver in normal circumstances and avoid complications," says Zahir Ali Shah, NWFP's health minister. Now the UNFPA has scaled up its support for reproductive health care for the displaced population, and has launched a $3.9 million global appeal to provide comprehensive maternal, neonatal, and child health care and psychosocial support, both in camps and nearby medical facilities, in 2009. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA's executive director, told IPS in May that the agency was working with partners to provide life-saving services to pregnant women, and psychosocial support and basic hygiene facilities for displaced families. "We are basing our help on the specific needs of women and families, with a focus on safeguarding human dignity," he said. Shah, the provincial health minister, promised that his government was assessing the reproductive health needs of IDPs, and apart from establishing health services in the camps, nearby hospitals would be provided with the means to support the needs of displaced women. Courtesy of Inter Press Service © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

FoodWise with Ginny & Chef J

By Ginny & Chef J StreetWise Contributors (www.ginetics.org, www.researchchefs.us)

Healthy Savings in Las Vegas It may surprise some people to learn that Sin City has become one of the world’s top dining destinations. Many of America’s best chefs have opened signature restaurants there serving truly excellent food, including Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, and even our old friend (and the Chef’s former classmate) Emeril Lagasse. As a chef and food writer, Chef J. finds himself visiting them often. They say, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but in his experience what stays in Vegas usually turns out to be his money. Gone are the days of the $3.99 buffet; the restaurants in the city of sin certainly aren’t cheap. Here are a few tips on where to find some deals. The most food for the least cash in Las Vegas is found at Circus-Circus Casino. To be more specific, it’s found in the Slots a Fun mini casino on the strip in front of Circus-Circus. For decades, Slots a Fun has been serving what’s billed as America’s

Biggest Hotdog: for only 99 cents you get a hot dog that’s 18 inches long and contains more than half a pound of meat. A few hundred yards south of Circus-Circus, at the Sahara Hotel, you’ll find an old-fashioned Las Vegas buffet, and even more amazingly, you can still get it at a great price. All-you-can-eat prime rib, roast chicken, fish, pasta, baked potatoes, soups, salads, desserts—you’ll find it all, and it’s all good. Best of all, if you sign up for a free Sahara Club discount card, the buffet only costs $6.99. This truly is an old-fashioned Vegas meal deal. What about the best upscale dinner deal in Vegas? Hands down, you’ll find it at the Wynn Hotel. Nestled next to the water garden is the namesake restaurant of superstar French chef Daniel Boulud, and his food at the Wynn proves it! (If you arrive before 7 p.m. you can get a three-course prix fixe menu for only $48, including dessert.) That may sound like a lot, but it’s less than one-third the standard price for the same items when ordered from the dinner menu. But wait, there’s more! At 8:30 every night, the fountain in the lobby comes alive. One of the best free shows you’ll see in Vegas happens in the water garden at the Wynn: music, lights, smoke, dancers, sea serpents, and a giant singing frog rise from the fountain and perform. This is no kiddie show, it’s a multimillion-dollar extravaganza for adults and families alike, and it’s free to those dining at Daniel Boulud. For Ginny and the Chef, this is the absolute best “meal deal” in Vegas. So have fun in the casino, see a magic show, and maybe get married while you’re there! But whatever you do, save a few dollars for the best restaurant dining experience in the city.

Chicago DineWise The Berghoff Cafe Chicago: Continual Excellence By Lee Barrie & Cindy Kurman Barrie StreetWise Contributors The Berghoff and Berghoff Cafe continue one of Chicago’s longest restaurant legacies while offering a unique, quality experience for today’s tastes. Part 1: Berghoff Cafe Chicago Unquestionably, the Berghoff is one of Chicago’s most illustrious restaurants, with a history dating back to 1882. The large, multiroom German-American restaurant actu ally started as a brewery, and the namesake beer continues to be its signature offering. The Berghoff got major publicity two years ago when word got out that it was closing. Of course, the rumors weren’t quite accurate. Fourth-generation owner Carlyn Berghoff opened the Berghoff Cafe Chicago, a casual cafeteria-style space, downstairs, and launched 17/West in the original space. But she soon realized how important the Berghoff legacy is in Chicago, and so 17/West is now known simply as the Berghoff and the Cafe operates downstairs as planned. Both offer many family favorites plus more contemporary comfort fare.

The Berghoff Cafe is open Monday through Friday during the lunch rush and is an excellent place to enjoy a wide range of German specialties, signature sandwiches, panini, salads, and pizza. Gu ests can order at the counter and seat themselves in the spacious dining rooms or simply stop by for carry-out. The Cafe’s specialties include the traditional Wiener Schnitzel and Sauerbraten, hearty and perfected throughout the year. For a taste of Chicago history, you must give them a try. You won’t be disappointed. Italian dishes include the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich with homemade potato chips; the Italian Combo Sandwich with Genoa salami, provolone cheese, pepperoncini, capicola, and Italian dressing; Cheese-filled Tortellini with pesto; a pasta of the day; an Italian Salad with Genoa salami, provolone cheese, capicola, and Italian vinaigrette; and either Pepperoni or FourCheese Pizza. At the carving station you’ll find hearty, tasty sandwiches, including Corned Beef, Roast Beef, Roast Turkey, Turkey Meatloaf, and the Cafe’s traditional Bratwurst, all served with a Berghoff pickle (sauerkraut is optional). The Cafe hasn’t left out Chicago’s latest sandwich preference: panini. Choices include Black Forest Ham with brie and apricot wasabi; the Corned Beef or Turkey Reuben with Swiss W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

Chef J’s Secret Recipe Easy Chicken Cacciatore (serves 4) Ginny’s Shopping List: • 4 skinless bone-in chicken breast halves • Pinch of sea salt • Fresh ground pepper to taste • 1 Tablespoon olive oil • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into thin slices • 1 each medium red and green bell pepper, cut into thin slices • 1 cup of mushroom caps [Cleaned and rinsed] • 2 cloves of garlic, minced • 1/4 cup red wine • 1 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes • Half teaspoon dried oregano • Half of bay leaf • Half-tablespoon fresh basil

Chef’s Cooking Instructions: • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. • Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. • Brown chicken breast on both sides. • Transfer chicken onto a side plate. • Reduce heat in skillet. • Add onion, bell peppers, and mushroom caps. • Stir a few times, cover, and cook until vegetables begin to soften. • Add garlic and cook while stirring for a couple minutes. • Add wine, cook for five minutes. • Add tomatoes and juices. • Add oregano and bay leaf, cover and simmer 10 minutes. • Return chicken breast to skillet and simmer in mixture, then cover. • Simmer covered on low heat for 25 minutes. • Taste and season with fresh basil.

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cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing on rye; and the Grilled Portobello & Asparagus on olive bread with goat cheese and roasted peppers. Additional salad selections are spot on with today’s tastes: the Berghoff Cafe Cobb Salad, with turkey and choice of dressing; the Pear Salad, with mixed greens, pear slices, candied walnuts, and sun-dried cherries tossed in a champagne vinaigrette; the Asian Salad with chicken breast, tossed with Napa cabbage, radicchio, and wonton ribbons in a sweet peanut vinaigrette; and the Caesar Salad, with fresh romaine lettuce, croutons, and Parmesan cheese (grilled chicken is optional). While you’re in the Cafe, don’t forget to go upstairs to take a look around the Berghoff—its historic ambience is still a wonder to behold. We’ll talk about the main restaurant at a later date. In the meantime, grab a delicious casual lunch at the Cafe. Better yet, grab a colleague or shopping mate and enjoy it together. Berghoff Cafe Chicago 17 W. Adams, Chicago 312-427-7399 Hours: Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Prices: $4.25-$13.05 Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie are the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. Please visit their blog at gotbuzzatkurman.com

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Health & Fitness + The Good Life Health in the long haul By John Godoy StreetWise Contributor o matter who you are, no matter what your age, no matter how much money you have in the bank or how much power and influence you may yield, all of us at some time or another will be forced to come to grips with our mortality. For the fortunate few, that time may be decades in the future. However, for the overwhelming majority, that time will come without warning, and rest assured it will have a profound impact on your life. I believe it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who once said something along the lines of “If you

do not make time for health, you will be forced to make time for illness.” All too many of us in the pursuit of security, power, financial independence, or simply providing for our families, run ourselves physically and emotionally into the ground. The unfortunate consequence is that in so doing we weaken our bodies to the point where we expose ourselves to grave illnesses, diseases, and conditions that, if we’re lucky, deal a swift and decisive blow. However, more often they slowly incapacitate us, gradually stealing from us our faculties, our physical abilities, our spirits, and ultimately our independence. Consequently, we end up becoming a burden on either the system or our loved ones. It’s not something that anyone in their wildest imaginings would foresee for themselves, but it is virtually guaranteed.Your actions, choices,

or inactions today in regards to your health will dictate your long-term quality of life tomorrow. We as a community place too much reliance on a health-care system that was created to protect us from financial ruin due to some sort of unexpected health catastrophe, not to be used as some sort of day-to-day medical account. In so doing, we limit our responsibility for caring for ourselves. If we as a society are to become stronger, healthier, and more productive, it is imperative that each individual member immediately take responsibility for his or her own long-term health through conscious, deliberate actions. First, seek help from professionals—educate yourself through books and classes—and then simply begin making informed actions.

The Good Life with Temple Hemphill Temple Hemphill: Is it possible to become immune to folks in crisis? Brady Harden: I think there are certain levels of society that feel that way, particularly when it comes to men and women. The sad reality is that the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population is women and children. TH: Is the city’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness [endorsed by Mayor Daley in 2003] working?

Introduction and Interview by Temple Hemphill StreetWise Contributor

Inner Voice has come a long way from its 1984 storefront start, when the late Rev. Robert Johnson would offer a bag of beans and rice, shelter, and a sense of self-reliance to those struggling to remain housed. Fifteen years later, using city funding, the organization now directs Chicago’s Emergency Shelter Response Network, which includes 16 emergency shelter programs. Additionally, Inner Voice directs 12 interim housing and social services programs. Last year the organization placed 850 people in permanent housing out of 13,000 serviced, but Inner Voice president and CEO Brady Harden assures StreetWise that his team refuses to be satisfied with those numbers, all the while pumping the organization’s mantra: “Housing, housing, housing.” On board for the past 15 years, Harden’s corporate and family-business background—his family owned Brady’s Blues Lounge on 47th Street— helps him oversee Inner Voice’s multiple services, which include housing and rental assistance, interim housing, employment and educational programs, and veteran housing and support services. In the following interview he shares more about the organization, reminding all to remain focused on finding solutions to homelessness.

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BH: We [Inner Voice] emphasize permanent housing. Our housing placement has increased in the last year by 20 percent. Like all other organizations, we recognize the need to be in the solution phase of homelessness rather than the management phase. We sleep 1,500 people a night. Are we winning? Currently, I think we have the right attitude to end homelessness. All that’s left is [generating] the resources. TH: What are the top resources that can help Inner Voice thrive? BH: The “housing first” philosophy does work. Thus, the number-one resource is rental assistance dollars. And the creation of more affordable housing . . . The third resource we need desperately is for all of us—people in general—to recognize it is a solvable [issue]. TH: Does Inner Voice serve teens? BH: We only house teenagers who are a part of the family unit. Though we salute the other providers who work directly with homeless teens . . . we know that a great deal of our homelessness, particularly with teens, is traced to welfare reform . . . with all its good intentions. TH: Let’s talk about the Robert Taylor Homes and other low-income housing torn down under the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation. W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

BH: The plan was created to get better homes, but there were more than 48,000 people on the waiting list when that process started. That plan is behind schedule, and the people on the waiting list have had a difficult time keeping pace with the housing market. We’ve placed many people in other housing authorities in other cities. In the last two years we’ve moved more than 40 families to Danville, Illinois, Waukegan, Illinois, Elkhart, Indiana . . . TH: Do you ever get a fight from these different communities? BH: No, we haven’t. Most communities have welcomed us. TH: What has Inner Voice gotten extremely right? BH: We’re able to provide people with keys, which is something most people take for granted. And there’s no greater joy than handing someone a set of keys . . . particularly when it’s a family unit. TH: How do you define the good life? BH: I try not to let a day pass that I don’t witness the joy of a kid smiling when they have a place to stay . . . or someone jumping up in joy because they’ve gotten a GED or a job. The good life is knowing that I’m allowed to share a piece of my time to make great things happen for other people. TH: StreetWise vendors and Chicago at large appreciate all that you do. BH: Thanks so much. For more information about donating or volunteering, please call 312-666-8110 or visit innervoicechicago.org.

StreetWise Theatre Original MGM Cat on a Hot Tin Roof movie poster

MANOLOBIG.COM

Spring Awakening comes to Oriental Theatre Spring Awakening swept the 2007 Tony Awards, winning 8 out of 11 statues, including Best Musical, Best Director (Michael Mayer), Best Book (Steven Sater), Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones), Best Original Score (Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater), Best Orchestrations (Duncan Sheik), Best Lighting Design (Kevin Adams), and Best Featured Actor (John Gallagher Jr.).

More than 50 years after the original stage and film versions of Tennessee Williams’s classic play, acclaimed Circle Theatre director Jim Schneider helms this gripping examination of social conduct in Southern society. Big Daddy’s 65th-birthday celebration stirs up trouble and mendacity among the Pollitt clan, including favored son Brick and his conniving wife, Maggie. Schneider’s most recent production for Circle, An Ideal Husband, was one of the best-selling productions in the theater’s history as well as one of the best reviewed. His direction of Noel Coward’s Design for Living not only received multiple Jeff nominations in 2005 but was selected by the Chicago SunTimes’s theatre critic Hedy Weiss as one of the ten best local productions of the year.

Based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play and set against the backdrop of a repressive and provincial late-19th-century Germany, Spring Awakening tells the timeless story of teenage self-discovery and budding sexuality, as seen through the eyes of three teenagers. Haunting and provocative, it celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, a poignancy, and a passion you’ll never forget. Tue 8/4-Sun 8/16, Oriental Theater at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 24 W. Randolph, oriental-theater.com. Ticket prices are $25-$95 and may be ordered through ticketmaster.com. Parental guidance is suggested: Spring Awakening contains sexual situations, partial

Half-price previews: Fri 7/31, Sat 8/1, and Tue 8/4, 8 p.m. Opening night: Wed 8/5, 8 p.m. Through 10/4: Thu 8 p.m. (9/17, 9/24, and 10/1 only), FriSat 8 p.m., and Sun 3 p.m. Tickets are $26 adults, $24 students and seniors (over 62). For more information call the box office at 708-771-0700 or visit circle-theatre.org. Circle Theatre is located at 7300 W. Madison in Forest

Juno and the Paycock at Theater On the Lake

WWW.BOOKRAGS.COM

Circle Theatre’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The New York Times’s Charles Isherwood said, “Broadway may never be the same. This brave new musical, haunting and electrifying by turns, restores the mystery and the thrill to that shattering transformation that stirs in all of our souls.” And the New York Post’s Clive Barnes raved, “An unexpected jolt of sudden genius!”

This rich and moving story centers on the lives of the Boyle family, scraping by in the tenements of 1920s Dublin. Juno supports her family while her roustabout husband, Captain Boyle, searches for ways to avoid work. Sometimes hilarious, at other times tragic, this relevant play weaves a tale of war, hard times, and family. Wed 7/29-Sat 8/1, 7:30 p.m., and Sun 8/2, 6:30 p.m., Theater on the Lake, 2400 N. Lake Shore Drive. Tickets are $17.50 and can be ordered at 312-742-PLAY or chicagoparkdistrict.com.

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W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

J U N E 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

By Alex Filipowicz & Sylvester Quast, Vendor #6908 StreetWise Contributor & Vendor Volunteer

25 Years Ago... This week in 1984, Mayor Harold Washington provoked controversy after verbally attacking CBS reporter Ed Bradley during the National Democratic Convention. He refused to apologize for calling the reporter unprofessional and “out of line.” When interviewed by the Chicago Defender, Washington disagreed with members of the media who called his rant “demeaning.”The mayor said,“I called him a low-life because he violated his request for a one-on-one interview when he turned and included Alderman Edward R.Vrdolyak (10th Ward) without my permission.” Along with Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward), Vrdolyak headed the bloc of 29 white aldermen who were able to stall Washington in the 50-member City Council. From the time Washington took office in April 1983 until May ’86—and special elections ordered by the federal courts to reflect growth among black and Latino voters—Vrdolyak was able to block mayoral appointments to the Chicago Park District, Chicago Transit Authority, Board of Education, City Colleges, and other organizations heavy with patronage, according to the Encyclopedia of Chica go. Washington accused CBS of “setting him up” and remarked that “If they wanted me to sit down with Vrdolyak, they should have said so. They might have been surprised by my answer. Under no circumstances will I allow anyone to play games (with me).” The media further insulted the mayor by saying he had walked away from the National Democratic Convention empty-handed, but according to Washington, he received 80 percent of what he wanted. He said he would continue the battle for the remaining 20 percent—jobs for the nation’s poor. While at the convention, Washington was labeled as a “loser and an embattled mayor,” but he responded that his delegation was the only one with a task: to gain support for a job plank. He reported that he met with two senators, labor leaders, and numerous mayors for this purpose. Ald. Timothy Evans (4th Ward) defended the mayor, saying he was very successful at the convention but the Democratic Party missed the opportunity to expand its base by rejecting the job plank.

75 Years Ago... Chicago experienced a series of beer-hall raids in 1934.The United States government had begun to take action against moonshiners, rum smugglers, and bootleggers, and Chicago had followed suit. Unlike the ones during Prohibition, these raids were only geared toward protecting whiskey drinkers from inferior moonshine alcohol; they were publicized as benefiting safe public drinking

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

and federal alcohol tax collection. As a result, one of the Loop’s brightest nightclubs was closed and its owner arrested: The raiders of Barney’s Rathskellar found a hoard of contraband, including 8 gallons of alcohol, 22 quarts of Old McBrayer, and half a gallon of moonshine hooch. They also found flavoring fluids to mix with alcohol for imitations of Jamaican rum, gin, Bacardi, Chartreuse, grenadine, absinthe, and Benedictine, as well as a library of wrappers and labels to make customers believe the bottles of fake liquor were real. The Barney’s raid served as a warning to other tavern keepers who were mixing “bonded goods” by blending whiskey with moonshine, which had been a common practice since Prohibition, or swindling their customers in other ways, such as refilling stamped and labeled bottles with inferior liquor or with colored and flavored alcohol. On August 1, General Hugh S. Johnson, administrator of the National Recovery Administration (NRA), was scheduled to fly to Chicago in an attempt to settle the labor dispute that had paralyzed the city’s stockyards. Meanwhile, union attorney Redmond S. Brennan optimistically predicted an end to the strike and an amicable settlement of the labor difficulties “within two days, or by the end of the week at the latest.” Stockyard officials had agreed to the union’s demand for a 48-hour workweek but still refused the weekly minimum wage of $20, which the union insisted on, Brennan said. “All we want to do is to get the men more money,” Brennan continued. “We will do our best to obtain better working conditions also, but they are of less importance. The stockyards’ officials have agreed to give back pay to those men who are entitled to it, and to restore their vacations, which were taken away this year, although on a half-pay basis, three days with pay and three days without.” As a result, the threat of a general strike loomed in the packing plants. Commission men who bought and sold stock in the yards had a meeting to decide whether they would attempt to resume business, which was at a standstill, with nonunion handlers. A few days later, on one of the hottest days in Chicago history (104 degrees), the 800 commissioned livestock handlers, “the cowboys of the stockyards,” joined the strikers when 40,000 cattle were unloaded in the yards. Half the livestock belonged to the federal government, “emaciated beasts shipped from drought-stricken farms where neither food nor water was left for them,” according to Time magazine’s August 6, 1934, issue. The government was unwilling to bring in strikebreakers, so only white-collar office workers of the stockyards—200 people in all—were on hand to feed and water the animals. After 36 hours of discussion with the striking workers, General Johnson settled the strike, Time reported a week later. He went back to the Drake Hotel and celebrated his 52nd birthday the next day with a cake topped by an NRA Blue Eagle. W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

WWW.ARCHIVES.GOV

This Week In Chicago

75 years ago: worker strikes at Chicago’s legendary stockyards

Book Alert: South Side writer John Hospodka and his Bohemian Pupil Press have launched the free multimedia “literary picture show,” South Side Trilogy, at bohemianpupil.com, featuring a collection of fictional works that also utilize sound and images. Chicago artists contributing to the project include Mierka Girten, A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble member and founder of the Mookie Jam Foundation; veteran Chicago actor Nicholas Cimino; Steven Badauskas, a selftaught artist and owner of Bridgeport’s 40-year family-owned institution Bernice’s Tavern; and the Additives, a Bridgeport-based band headed by Joe Ryan. In 2004 the late John Callaway called the paperback version of South Side Trilogy, Book 1 ”passionate, strong, and true” on WTTW’s Friday Night. “Here is a powerful new voice from Chicago's hardscrabble South Side. I only wish Nelson Algren were alive to read and encourage Hospodka. He's clearly a chip off the old Algren block. Watch this guy. Read this guy.” Born in 1966, Hospodka is a third-generation Chicago Bohemian whose grandmother’s family helped to found Bohemian National Cemetery. He named his publishing venture Bohemia n Pupil after hearing his father’s stories of ethnic pride. Hospodka selected July 23 as the launch date for bohemianpupil.com because the month is significant to the Bohemian experience: on July 24, 1915, hundreds drowned when the Eastland excursion boat overturned in the Chicago River; the victims are buried in Bohemian National Cemetery. And on July 26, 1877, federal troops seeking to break a railroad strike marched to 16th and Halsted in the thenBohemian neighborhood of Pilsen, killing 30 and injuring 200, including women and children.

StreetWise Reader Survey Overview: In an effort to continually improve your StreetWise experience, we would like for you to fill out this short survey. You can help us better understand the reasons why you purchase or why you do not purchase and the ways we can better meet your needs as a reader and supporter of StreetWise. This survey can also be done electronically at our web site www.streetwise.org. Thank you in advance for your help!

1. What is your zip code? _____________ 2. What is your sex? Female Male 3. What is your age? 0-18 19-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ 4. What is your marital status? Single Married Divorced Widowed 5. How many people live in your household, including children and roommates? __________________________________ 6. Do you have children, if so, how many? Yes. If yes, how many? ______________ No. 7. Do you have roommates? Yes. If yes, how many? ______________ No 8. What is your household income? Less than $15,000 $15,000 - $24,999 $25,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $100,000 More than $100,000 9. Which best describes your housing? Rent condo, house, or apartment Own condo or house Live with family, friends or other 10. Which best describes your employment? Full-time Part-time Retired Self-employed Student Underemployed Unemployed Other 11. What is the highest level of formal education you have completed? High school or less Some college Associates degree

Bachelors degree Some graduate course work Graduate degree Some post-graduate course work Doctoral degree 12. Which of the following best describes your occupation? Accounting / Financial / Insurance Administrative Consulting Creative / Performing arts Education Engineering / Computer science Executive / Management Government / Military Labor / Construction Legal Marketing / Sales Medical / Dental Not-for-Profit Retail Social / Human services Stay at home parent Travel / Hospitality Other 13. Which of the following best describes your ethnicity? Asian / Pacific Islander Black / African-American Hispanic / Latino East Indian descent Middle Eastern Native American White / Caucasian Other 14. Which of the following interests and activities do you enjoy. Check all that apply. Aerobics / Health club Antiquing Baseball Basketball Bowling Camping Casino Concerts / Music Cooking for fun Cycling Dining Out Football Gardening Golf Hiking / Walking Hockey Horse Racing Inline skating Jogging / Running Movies Museums / Art Photography Political events Poetry / Writing Reading / Book clubs Scrapbooking Shopping Skiing / Snowboarding Soccer Sporting Events Stitching Swimming W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

Tennis / Racquetball Theater / Plays Traveling / Sightseeing Volleyball Wine tasting Yoga / Pilates 15. Which of the following are your top two sources for information: Cable / Satellite General Interest Magazines Internet Local Newspapers Local TV National and International Newspapers News Magazines Radio Social Media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) 16. List up to three websites you frequently visit for news and/or relevant information 1)___________________________________ 2)___________________________________ 3)___________________________________ 17. Which is your primary mode of transportation? Choose one. Automobile Bike Bus Motorcycle Train Walk Cab

18. Which best describes your political affiliation? Conservative Independent Liberal Libertarian Moderate Other 19. Which languages do you speak at a somewhat fluent level, other than English? 1)___________________________________ 2)___________________________________ 20. List three to five issues that are important to you: 1)___________________________________ 2)___________________________________ 3)___________________________________ 4)___________________________________ 5)___________________________________ 21. List three to five causes that are important to you: 1)___________________________________ 2)___________________________________ 3)___________________________________ 4)___________________________________ 5)_____________________________________ 22. With what organizations have you volunteered your time? 1)_____________________________________ 2)_____________________________________ 3)_____________________________________ 23. How often do you volunteer or participate in service-related activities (i.e., at-risk youth, home-

J U LY 29-A U GU N S ET 4, M AY 27-J 2, 2009 7

StreetWise Reader Survey lessness, animal welfare, park cleanups, etc.)? Never Maybe once a year Three to four times a year Monthly Weekly

24. Help us understand why you purchase or have purchased StreetWise. For each of the following possible reasons, please answer either “yes, it is a reason,” or “no, it is not a reason.” a) I feel bad for the vendor Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. b) The vendor was so persistent that I finally gave in and purchased Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. c) To give money to the vendor Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. d) To enjoy the content and features Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. e) Do you have another reason you purchase? If so, please let us know here: ______________________________________ 25. Help us understand why you do not purchase or have not purchased StreetWise. For each of the following possible reasons, please answer either “yes, it is a reason,” or “no, it is not a reason.”

a) $2.00 price Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. b) Content and features Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. c) Vendor technique Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. d) Vendor appearance Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. e) Convenience Yes, it is a reason. No, it is not a reason. f) Do you have other reasons you don’t purchase? If so, please let us know here: ______________________________________ 26. Have you ever known anyone who has been homeless, not including a StreetWise vendor? Yes No 27. Where in Chicagoland do you buy the magazine?

28. How long have you been purchasing the magazine? Never purchased 0-6 months 7-12 months 1-3 years 4-7 years 7+ years

39. On a scale of 0-5, with 5 being the highest, Rate the following features of StreetWise:

29. When do you usually buy the magazine? Weekday. If so, (circle one) morning, afternoon, evening? Weekend. If so, (circle one) morning, afternoon, evening? 30. How often do you purchase the magazine? Weekly Every other week Monthly Once or twice a year Never 31. Would you consider purchasing a $100 oneyear mail subscription to your home or place of business? Yes. If so, would you still considering purchasing from a vendor? (circle one) Yes, No, Maybe? No. 32. On a scale of 0-5 how closely did the publication live up to your expectations. With 0 being “not at all” and 5 being “exceeded expectations.” (circle one) 0

33. How long do you hold on to an issue? One day Two-Three days One week More than one week 34. Do you pass along the magazine to another reader? Yes No Sometimes 35. On a scale of 0-5 how likely are you to be influenced to shop and support a business that advertises in StreetWise? With 0 being “not influenced at all” and 5 being “extremely influenced.” (circle one) 0

36. How often do you log on to www.streetwise.org? Never Hardly ever Somewhat often Very often

37. What type of cover would most capture your attention? Choose one Local person Social cause Entertainment Local or world issue

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38. How comprehensive do you think the cover story features are? Too short Just right Too long No Opinion

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No Opinion

________ From the Executive Director ________ Wise Questions ________ INSP Page (International Network of Street Papers) ________ FoodWise with Ginny & Chef J ________ DineWise ________ Health & Fitness ________ The Good Life with Temple Hemphill ________ Theatre Page ________ This Week in Chicago - x Years Ago ________ Event Calendar ________ Reel Chicago ________ Shopwise ________ Feature Story ________ Volunteer Chicago ________ Sudoku ________ Ask Eugene ________ Crossword ________ Entrepreneur Spotlight (vendor profile) 40. Do you have any additional suggestions for content? If so, please share here: _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ When your finished you can tear and fax your results to StreetWise at 312.829.2623 or mail it to our office at 1201 W. Lake Chicago, IL 60607 or log on to www.streetwise.org and take the online survey

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Reel Chicago Floored, a doc on CME’s final days, aims for theatrical release James Allen Smith plans a local theatrical release for his recently completed documentary Floored, about the final days of open-air trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. While his core audience is finance wonks, “Floored is about people going through a tough transition in less than ideal times,” Smith said. “I think a lot of people can relate to that.” Smith is a former Web designer for CME trading firm Local Knowledge. For years he’d discussed with Steve Prosniewski, a partner at Local Knowledge, the possibility of documenting the adrenaline-fueled, insular world of the CME. “He told me that it was such a tight community that it would be very difficult to get anyone to open up,” Smith said. “Years went by and that community started to fade away. In late 2006 it seemed the time to make the film had come. We approached [CME member] Joseph Gibbons together and started production almost right away.” With $100,000 in financing put together by Prosniewski and Gibbons, Smith filmed through the aftermath of last year’s closing of the trading floor, when the CME merged with the Chicago Board of Trade. Though he started out with the goal of documenting the industry’s transition to computer-based trading, Smith increasingly focused on the traders who struggled with the transition. As public anger against the financial industry boiled over last year, “I wanted to focus more on the bluecollar guys and break down some of the stereotypes,” he said. “I wanted the audience to identify a bit more with the characters and maybe even find they had more in common than they expected.” Smith has a 77-minute cut of Floored that he’s hoping to premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival this October, followed by a local theatrical run, then on to DVD and VOD. He’s also considering a shorter cut for domestic and international TV. “About 40 percent of our Web site traffic comes from overseas,” he noted. After dropping out of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1994, Smith fronted the Springfield, Missouri, nerd-rock band Glitterboy and ran a rock club, booking acts like Cheap Trick, the Wallflowers, and Sugar Ray. Smith is also finishing his long-in-progress documentary “My Name Is Smith,” about his mother’s dishonorable discharge from the Army over allegations of sexual misconduct. For more information on Floored, visit flooredthemovie.com. —Ed M. Koziarski

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.NORTHALSTED.COM

Event Calendar for July 29-August 4

Saturday & Sunday: Northalsted Market Days

Wednesday Raise money for community gardens (NeighborSpace) while playing Veggie Bingo for prizes such as locally produced honey and hot sauce, handmade soaps, and—the grand prize—a box stuffed with fresh fruits and veggies. Also includes free hot dogs and tofu dogs and a guest caller each week. The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., 6-8 p.m, through 9/9; $1 per card, $5 for six cards. For more info call 773.227.4433.

Thursday A jazz tribute to presidents Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama features the Chicago Improvisers Orchestra with Orbert Davis, Maggie Brown, Henry Godinez, and others. Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., 6:30 p.m. For more info call 312.742.1168. Free.

Friday Fans have called D-Erania the "goddess of sound": not only does she play saxophone and piano and sing, her music also captivates audiences to the point of being nearly hypnotized. Heartfelt and imaginative, romantic and timeless, her music celebrates the richness of black music; it’s firmly rooted in the R&B traditions of the ’70s, yet it reflects the spontaneity of jazz and the distinct vibe of today. Featuring percussionist Sammie Torres, this is a free concert with free parking; doors open at 6:30 p.m., with a 7 p.m. start time. SGI-USA Chicago Culture Center, 1455 S. Wabash. For more information call 312.913.1211 or visit sgi-usa-chicago.org. The 52nd annual Gold Coast Art Fair features work from more than 350 juried artists, food and wine vendors, music, painting and sculpting demos, and more. Fri 7/31, noon-5 p.m., and Sat 8/1-Sun 8/2, W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

10 a.m.-5 p.m. River North Gallery District, 700 N. La Salle St. For more information call 847.926.4300. Free.

Saturday More than 25 cooks showcase their best recipes during the Windy City Chili Cook-Off, just one of the highlights of the 15th annual Retro on Roscoe festival. Also featuring live music on three stages, artisans and antique vendors, fare from local restaurants, an antique car show, and a family area. Sat 8/1-Sun 8/2, noon-10 p.m., 2000 W. Roscoe St., between Damen and Oakley. For more information call 773.665.4682. $5. Village People and En Vogue perform at the 28th annual Northalsted Market Days, billed as the Midwest's largest outdoor two-day fest. Additional highlights include food and drinks, four stages of live music, and more than 350 vendors selling arts and crafts in the Lakeview neighborhood. Sat 8/1-Sun 8/2, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., 3500 N. Halsted St., between Belmont and Addison. For more information call 773.868.3010. $6 donation. Northalsted Market Days music lineup Saturday Belmont Stage Roscoe Stage 3:30 p.m. My Dear Disco Noon: Everalle 5:15 p.m. Dot Dot Dot 1:15 p.m.: Jason Antone

2 p.m.: Brian Kent 2:45 p.m.: Kelly King VIP Stage 4:15 p.m.: Levi Kreis 3:30 p.m. Syesha Mercado 6 p.m.: Eric Himan 5:20 p.m. Lucas Prata 8 p.m.: Sixteen Candles 9 p.m. En Vogue Sunday Belmont Stage 2 p.m. BPM 7 p.m. Catfight

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

Event Calendar for July 29-August 4 Roscoe Stage 12:30 p.m.: Project Ultra 2:15 p.m.: The Hat Guys 5 p.m.: Abba Band 6:45 p.m.: Linda Clifford 8:30 p.m.: Village People

Sunday The 29th annual Belize Day in the Park takes place in the southwest area of Washington Park and offers a taste of Belizean beats with live music and DJs, plus vendors and traditional fare. 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Washington Park, 5700 S. King Drive. For more information call 773.881.0412. Free.

Monday The Chicago Park District is offering an Eco Explorers program for both kids and families this summer at Humboldt Park, 1359 N. Sacramento. The multiple-day nature camp encourages participants to relate to the natural world through environmentrelated games, activities, and experiments. For more information call 312.742.5039. Handel’s opera Acis and Galatea will be performed by members of the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, with Francesco Milioto conducting. 6:30 p.m., Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St. For more information call 312.744.6050. Free.

Tuesday Art Thing is a monthly series featuring talks by artists and curators about current exhibitions. Includes wine and cheese. First Tuesday of the month, 6-7 p.m. Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. For more information call 773.324.5520. Free. If you have an upcoming event you would like featured send information and pictures to bcook@ streetwise.org at least 3 weeks beforehand.

Special Feature:

100 Years of Daniel Burnham’s Chicago Tracy Woodley StreetWise Contributor

The influence Daniel Burnham had on Chicago is undeniable. Walking through the Loop, one can see his towering buildings, among the first skyscrapers in the city, and the elaborate designs of his hallways and lobbies. Burnham created a unique feel with his work, and developed a style that was almost a fingerprint of his creative innovation. His 1909 plan for the city was another way in which he contributed to the development of Chicago into a world-class city. Burnham moved with his family to Chicago in 1846, when he was nine years old. He never pursued any formal education after completing high school, and instead began to work in the steel industry, where he worked for William Le Baron Jenney, the father of the steel frame used in skyscrapers. This was his introduction to the world of architecture. After trying his luck in the Nevada silver rush, Burnham returned to Chicago, married the daughter of the owner of the Chicago Stock Exchange, and set up an architectural firm in the building that now holds the Chicago Architectural Foundation. As he began building in Chicago’s present-day Loop area, he noticed regions of the city that could be greatly improved. Always concerned with having open spaces, Burnham’s buildings are trademarked by atriums and lobbies that are airy and well lit. He was searching for a solution to Chicago’s unplanned rapid growth; the city was crowded and polluted, and not constructed to handle all of its inhabitants. In 1909 Burnham called for a new plan that would begin to address the issues the city and its population were facing. In it he stated the need for the consolidation of the railroads, for more parks and green space, and for a Michigan Avenue bridge that would connect people to the area. He then had the idea to distribute this plan among eighth graders in Chicago public schools who were studying civics. This way he was ensuring that future generations would be exposed to his ideas and could incorporate them in the decisions they made. Burnham outlined designs for spaces where people could gather and children could play. The motion to purchase and preserve the natural areas that became the Cook County Forest Preserve was well under way as the plan was being written. He and his partner, Edward Bennett, outlined a railway system that would loop around the city, serving each

area’s transportation needs and connecting them. The plan described the combination of Chicago's six intercity railroad passenger terminals into new complexes west of the Loop and south of Roosevelt Road. The plan also had a strong focus on limiting the density of urban neighborhoods. Burnham thought of ways to make Chicago more accessible to cars and trucks, which would reduce the total reliance on the railroad. He modeled his plan on the layout of Paris: a government building in the center surrounded by a plaza, with diagonal roads spreading from the center throughout the city. The plan considered Chicago as the center of a region extending 75 miles from the city center, highlighting Burnham’s staunch belief that the business community was the driving force behind the city. Though this city structure was not fully implemented and would be almost impossible to re-create today, Burnham was still responsible for a major change to the city’s layout. Where before Chicago was built around the railroads, Burnham flipped the city around in his plan so that the lakefront was the epicenter. The plan also provided for extensive lakefront harbor facilities, which would ensure that the lakefront would be accessible by the people in any area along the shore. This goal was fully realized: out of the 29 miles of shore, all but four are open to the people of Chicago. Burnham’s goal was to make Chicago the ideal global city. He planned to accomplish this through complex transportation networks, internal businesses, and major cultural institutions. After working on the Art Institute for the 1892 World’s Fair, he saw the importance of having civic and cultural centers in the city. The most iconic image of his city plan was the new civic center proposed for the area around Congress and Halsted streets. Burnham also proposed a cultural center in Grant Park consisting of the new Field Museum of Natural History. Though he died in 1912, the Plan of Chicago was promoted by the Chicago Plan Commission and the mayor was persuaded to sign on. Daniel Burnham envisioned a fabulous, first-rate city when he began to construct his detailed, ornate buildings, and he captured this vision in his plan. The Chicago we live in and enjoy today is a souvenir of that plan. Burnham’s numerous, towering buildings are a reinforcement of his belief that one should "make no little plans."

PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.HMDB.ORG

VIP Stage 3:30 p.m. CeCe Peniston 8:30 p.m. Jody Watley

ShopWise

By Julie Cameron

StreetWise Contributor

Randolph Street Market Festival

If you’re in the mood for a treasure hunt this summer, the Randolph Street Market Festival marks the spot, with vendors showcasing everything vintage in a European-style fair setting. In addition, the Chicago Antique Market and the Indie Designer Market are integrated into the festival for all kinds of remarkable finds. Earlier this summer (the festival takes place on the last weekend of each month, through September) I was shopping for an antique chandelier and found a great assortment of styles at varying prices. My

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favorite pieces throughout the outdoor area were the antique glassware and refurbished Schwinn bicycles. There are over 200 vendors at the festival, so plan on spending a good part of an afternoon there. I hit the market on one of our rare warm, sunny days and spent some time in the sun listening to a great band and enjoying the food and drink vendors during a shopping break.

Getting back to shopping, the vendors were very friendly and often had an interesting story to share about their products; I overheard one purveyor sharing the history of his antique dolls. Inside Plumbers Hall on the Washington Street side were smaller items, including a unique assortment of jewelry both antique and new. WW WW W.. SS TT RR EE EE TT W W II SS EE .. O O RR GG W

The Randolph Street Market Festival takes place on the following weekends the remainder of this summer: July 25-26, August 29-30, and September 26-27, Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The price per adult is $10, and the market is located at 1350 W. Randolph St.

StreetWise Feature

America’s

Meanest Cities By Suzanne Hanney Editor-in-Chief os Angeles is the “Meanest City in the US” for spending $6 million on 50 extra police officers to patrol its Skid Row: $300,000 more than the city budgets for services to homeless people. LA crime dropped 18 percent in 2006 after the increased patrols and another 35 percent in the first month of 2007, but advocates say the money would have been better spent on services to end homelessness. During an 11-month period, 24 people were arrested 201 times, at a cost of $3.6 million for use of police, jails, prosecutors, public defenders and courts.The same amount of money could have provided supportive housing for 225 people. Orlando got negative points after its city council passed a law that limited groups from sharing food with more than 25 people in downtown parks. Atlanta outlawed panhandling in an undefined “tourist triangle” along with ATMs, bus stops, taxi stands, pay phones, public toilets or train stations. Chicago did not make the list of 10 meanest cities in the report, Homes Not Ha ndcuffs, released jointly July 14 by the National Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. Civil rights violations are the focus of the report, which tracks the “criminalization of homelessness:” laws that make it illegal to sleep, sit, or store personal belongings in public spaces. Also at issue is “selective enforcement” – more heavily against homeless people -- of laws such as loitering or jaywalking. Arrests for begging deprive homeless people of their First Amendment rights to free expression,

according to the report. City sweeps of homeless encampments infringe on Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches and seizure of documents or medications. “In hindsight, we didn’t discuss the actual property issue and we probably should have,” St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon said after 20 tents were slashed in a raid, according to Homes Not Ha ndcuffs. “Until a city is able to shelter all its homeless population, people should not be arrested for situations in which they have no control: where they are eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, just existing,” said Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, which has now released five homeless hate crimes reports. Stoops added, “Maybe a city can make an argument if they are providing shelter, they have a right to arrest someone for camping, but in our report, no city does that. The latest HUD [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] report is that 42 percent of the nation’s homeless are unsheltered. We’re not even providing emergency shelter to nearly half the homeless population,” much less taking the extra step of helping them to find supportive services or jobs. The problem is getting worse, Stoops said, because there are not enough resources. Last year, the U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 25 cities for its annual Hunger and Homelessness Report and 19 described an increase in homelessness. The City of Chicago has not released the results of its biennial homeless count undertaken in January, but Julie Dworkin, policy director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), says that homeless students in Chicago Public Schools W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

Pictured both: L.A. the number 1 meanest city in America

have risen to 12,525 – 18 percent overall – since last year. Only 1. Los Angeles, CA 1 in 5 are staying in 2. St. Petersburg, FL shelters. The rest are 3. Orlando, FL doubled up with friends or moving 4. Atlanta, GA from place to place. 5. Gainesville, FL Chicago had an 6. Kalamazoo, MI ordinance against 7. San Francisco, CA panhandling, which 8. Honolulu, HI was repealed during a civil rights lawsuit 9. Bradenton, FL in 2002. Both Stoops 10. Berkeley, CA and Dworkin said Chicago failed to make the “meanest city” list by default. The National Coalition for the Homeless relies on local media and advocates for accounts of abuse to compile the study. “We don’t have capacity to do that, a systematic way to track it,” Dworkin said. CCH works in shelters rather than street outreach. However,“the recent state budget crisis has created a chaotic situation for our most vulnerable population,” said David Billingsley, director of marketing at Thresholds, a provider of comprehensive mental health services to 7,000 persons a year. Its outreach includes a mobile assessment unit and teams that ride CTA to find potentially homeless people and those showing signs of mental illness. A 15 percent cut to the state’s mental health budget has eliminated its linkage program that served 500 people annually within the first 30 days they leave a jail, nursing home or state hospital. “What we’re trying to do is prevent three things: relapse, recidivism and suicides,” Billingsley said.

The Rundown

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

Homelessness in (A) Waikiki, Hawaii (B) St. Petersburg, Florida (C) Homeless rights protestors in Kalamazoo, Michigan (D&E) San Francisco (F) Homeless donation meters in Denver, Colorado

Evaluating Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness By Suzanne Hanney Editor-in-Chief Six years into Chicago’s decade-long Plan to End Homelessness, officials are conducting the first-ever study of such a plan in the U.S. “The goal is to find out what we’ve done right and what we need to do differently to round out the 10 years and beyond,” said Nancy Radner, CEO of the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, the private sector partner in the plan. “I feel we have radically transformed Chicago’s system, which is what we set out to do. How much we are on target needs to be professionally measured and that’s what we’re doing. I think we always intended to do this, even from the day we launched the plan.” Policy experts at the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago will lead the research with input from the Chicago Alliance, the City of Chicago, homeless service providers, people who have experienced homelessness, and the philanthropic community. Funding for the twoyear evaluation comes from the City and local foundations: The Chicago Community Trust, the Michael Reese Health Trust, the Polk Bros. Foundation and the McCormick Foundation. “The Plan to End Homelessness holds the promise of a major breakthrough in the way we work together to ensure that everyone has permanent housing,” said Terry Mazany, president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust. “In these trying economic times when resources are scarce it is especially important to evaluate and strengthen Chicago’s Plan to help more people move from homelessness into stable and productive lives.” The two-year study will have four research components. First, it will follow 600 individuals using the homeless system over the course of a year. Second, it will interview clients and conduct focus groups to see how the system meets their needs. Next, it will create a service inventory to analyze changes over the six years. And finally, it will survey homeless service providers to determine best practices and service gaps.

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National Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Michael Stoops said that a city’s plan to end homelessness is successful if it brings new people to the table. “The private, non-profit sector has been bearing the burden of homeless people. City and county government have given very little and assumed the federal government would handle it. It needs more money from the federal and local government.” Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Director of Policy Julie Dworkin concurred, “The thing that is needed for the plan to be successful is more funding for permanent affordable housing for homeless people.” The Chicago Alliance’s Radner said she has advocated with the City every time major assets have been transferred. After the Chicago Skyway was privatized, for example, Mayor Richard M. Daley gave $10 million to the city administrator of the Plan to End Homelessness and $5 million to the City’s low-income housing trust fund toward permanent units for homeless people. A recent trend in cities such as Denver, San Francisco, Atlanta, Baltimore and Little Rock has been “donation meters” where pedestrians could deposit coins for homeless programs instead of supporting panhandlers. Baltimore raised $5,000 in their first year and Denver $15,000, along with $100,000 in donations from businesses and individuals who “adopted” meters. “We need much more than that,” Radner said. She would prefer a guaranteed share of parking meter revenue or implementation of the 1.5 million-unit National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Initiated in January 2003, Chicago’s was the first Plan to End Homelessness in a major city to be endorsed by its mayor. Developed and endorsed by nearly every homeless service provider, the plan’s strategies have attracted more than $76 million since its inception, created 1,500 new units of supportive housing and rental support for 580 households. WW WW W.. SS TT RR EE EE TT W W II SS EE .. O O RR GG W

OBRAG.ORG, BLOG.MLIVE.COM, WWW.SFGATE.COM, WWW.PANORAMIO.COM, HTTP://LATIMES, BLOGDOWNTOWN.COM

StreetWise Feature Story

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Volunteer Chicago StreetWise Contact: Bruce Crane at 312.829.2526 Address: 1201 W. Lake St., Chicago Tasks: Aid in adult education, including computer assistance, GED studies, and job readiness training. Time commitment: flexible Become a vendor: prescreening takes place Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. Ask for Bruce or Greg. The Illinois Hunger Coalition The Illinois Hunger Coalition The IHC, a statewide nonprofit organization that combats hunger and poverty through education and advocacy, is seeking a volunteer to work at its downtown Chicago office. It also runs a Hunger Hotline (800.359.2163) that provides a number of services, including referrals to food pantries and free and reduced-price clinics, referrals to the WIC program, and referrals to programs that help cover the cost of utilities and housing. In addition, it prepares foodstamp applications and applications for free medical insurance over the phone. Please contact Diane Doherty at 312.629.9580 or e-mail her at dianedihc@aol.com with the subject heading “Volunteer” if you’re interested in this opportunity. The Chicago Recovery Alliance Contact: Dan Bigg, cra@attglobal.net or 312.953.3797 Address: many sites throughout the city Tasks: Syringe exchange, medical care, overdose program, safe sex/ injection education, substance abuse and shelter referrals, legal assistance (training included for all services). Time Commitment: flexible; site visits last two hours Website: www.anypositivechange.org Community Health Contact:Kelly Jordan at kjordan@communityhealth.org or call 773.395.9901, ext. 23 Address: 2611 W. Chicago Tasks: Community Health is a free health clinic offering free primary and specialty care as well as medication. We are looking for volunteer Polish and Spanish interpreters, who need not know medical terms but must be fluent in either Spanish or Polish. We are also in need of volunteer physicians and specialists who must be licensed in Illinois. Volunteers are needed for evening, and Saturday clinics. Time commitment: generally one or two times a month for one year Web site: communityhealth.org

Vitas Healthcare Contact: Beverly Carnes- Brinson, volunteer services manager, 773.533.2890 Address: 700 N. Sacramento Tasks: Patient care at home or in a nursing home, inpatient unit, administrative, bereavement. Training: Vitas Healthcare in Chicagoland central is offering free hospice volunteer training as a community service to persons interested in providing support to the terminally ill and their families. In this comprehensive session, you will gain knowledge about hospice philosophy, death and dying issues, and grief and bereavement. Time Commitment: flexible Court-Appointed Special Advocates Contact: LaDora Robinson-Locke, 312. 433.4928 Address: 1100 S. Hamilton, 8 West Tasks: Act as a nonlegal advocate and friend for a child in the court system (training provided). Time Commitment: one year Metropolitan Tenants Organization Contact: Rebecca McDannald, 773.292.4980 ext. 223 Address: 1180 N. Milwaukee, first floor Tasks: Take calls on tenants’ rights hotline, data entry. Time Commitment: eight-hour training session, but hours are flexible. Web site: tenants-rights.org Access to Recovery Contact: Vince Gillon, 773.407.9030 or carepoint@ameritech.net Address: 113 Custer, Evanston Tasks: Assist with office duties pertaining to ATR clients; help with computer tasks, such as creating resumées, employment search, and online applications. Time Commitment: flexible Web site: carepointoutreach.org Albany Park Community Center Contact: Michelle Fleming, 773.433.3737 Address: 5121 N. Kimball l Ave. ( nNear CTA Brown Line Kimball stop) Tasks: Tutor immigrants, and new readers in English and literacy skills; training provided. Also looking for math tutors. Time Commitment: two to four hours per week Blue Gargoyle Adult Learning Program Contact: 773.955.4108 ext. 308 or e-mail volunteer@bluegargoyle.org W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

Address: 5638 S. Woodlawn Tasks: Tutor adults in reading, writing, math, job skills, and/or computer skills. Time Commitment: a minimum of two hours per week after completing training. Erie Neighborhood House Contact: Susana Ortiz, 312.432.2257 or sortiz@eriehouse.org Address: 1347 W. Erie, 4225 W. 25th Tasks: Tutor adults in English as a second language; language exchange: Spanish/English; GED reading, writing, and math; literacy in Spanish; citizenship exam preparation. Time Commitment: a minimum of two hours per week Gads Hill Center Contact: 312.226.0963, ext. 244 Address: 1919 W. Cullerton Tasks: Mentor teenagers for a college preparatory program in Pilsen, tutor for homework in the afterschool program; newspaper club tutor, sports teacher. Time Commitment: two hours a week for two months Literacy Chicago Contact: Zaundra Boyd, 312.870.1100, ext. 108, or zboyd@literacychicago.org Address: multiple sites throughout Chicago Tasks: Volunteer tutor training in adult literacy and English as a second language. Marillac House Contact: Maureen McGrath, 773.722.7440 Address: West Side of Chicago Tasks: Enabling clients and the community to attain their full potential is a value we embrace, but we need a network of friends to make it happen. We need you! Visit marillachouse.org. Please consider giving two hours a week to help with one of our tutoring programs: (1) adult tutoring in reading, writing, and math, as well as GED preparatory courses; (2) tutoring school-age children and helping with homework, etc., Mon-Fri 3-5 p.m.; and (3) tutoring and mentoring teenagers ages 13-16 and helping with homework, cultural field trips, sports, arts, and service projects, also Mon-Fri 3-5 p.m Parkway Community House Contact: Joanne Jones, 773.493.1306 or jjones@hullous.org Fax: 773.493.9392 Address: 500 E. 67th

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Volunteer Chicago Tasks: Tutor adults in reading, writing, math, and computer skills. Time commitment: two hours a week (flexible) after 12-hour training South-East Asia Center Contact: Peter Porr, 773.989.7433 Fax: 888.831.5471 Address: 5120 N. Broadway Tasks: Volunteers needed to teach English citizenship to adult immigrants in Uptown. Time Commitment: Free 12-hour training and ongoing professional support provided. Work one-on-one with your student for two hours a week. Call Carol Williams, ESL coordinator, at 773.989.6927, or email seacesl@yahoo.com for more information. Web site: se-asiacenter.org Youth Service Project Contact: Gina Zuniga-Baldwin, 773.772.6270 Fax: 773.772.8755 Address: 3942 W. North Tasks: Help with anger management classes, and free art classes for children ages 6-12; training provided. Time Commitment: 90 minutes per week, daytime or evening hours. Austin People’s Action Center Contact: Cynthia Davis, 773.473.7270 Fax: 773.378.8773 Address: 5125 W. Chicago Tasks: Maintenance on shelter, groundskeeping. Time Commitment: flexible Lake View Shelter Contact: Tom O’Brien or Geri Palmer (executive director), 773.327.1389 Address: 835 W. Addison Tasks: Preparing and serving meals; other opportunities offered. Time Commitment:flexible Lincoln Park Community Shelter Contact: 773.549.6111 (day), 773.871.1841 (evening), or lpcsinfo@lpcsonline.org Tasks: Provide overnight supervision of shelter residents, prepare meals, provide sack lunches, teach life skills classes, work front desk. Time Commitment: flexible Residents for Effective Shelter Transitions (REST) Contact: Kari Aosved, 773.784.0909 Address: 941 W. Lawrence, fourth floor Tasks: Food prep/serving, assisting overnight guests, administrative aid, group labor projects. Time Commitment: flexible; one session of orientation training Web site: restweb.org Deborah’s Place Contact: Elizabeth Golden, 773.638.6539, or sign up online at deborahsplace.org; for volunteering, contact Sarah Letson, 773.638.6579 Address: North, Near North, and West sides of Chicago Tasks: The mission of Deborah’s Place is to break the cycle of homelessness for women in Chicago. Volunteers can help DP programs by assisting with

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meal service, tutoring participants, doing landscaping projects, and helping with fundraising events by serving on a volunteer board. Time Commitment: flexible Sarah’s Inn Contact: 708.386.3305 Fax: 773.261.0755 Address: 101 Madison St. #303, Oak Park Tasks: Help manage a 24-hour crisis hotline. Other direct-service volunteer positions include assisting in support groups for women and children and the men’s Skills for Non-Violent Living program. Bilingual (Spanish-English) volunteers are especially needed. Completion of a comprehensive 40-hour domestic violence intervention program is required. Time Commitment:flexible Goldie’s Place Contact: 773.271.1212 or hope@goldiesplace.org Fax: 773.271.8922 Address: 5705 North Lincoln Goldie’s Place offers the following four programs to assist participants in becoming self-sufficient and financially independent: (1) through the Job Coaching Program, participants assess their skills and interests, develop skills for conducting a job search, complete the Online Skills Assessment, participate in Job Club and Employability Workshops, develop skills for resumé preparation, receive and pursue job placement referrals, receive and pursue referrals for Vocational Training and Education, receive support and follow-up in seeking employment, receive and pursue job leads; (2) through the Tutoring/Mentoring Program, participants increase and/or improve basic academic skills and prepare for and secure academic certifications (GED, etc.); (3) through the Clothes Closet Program, participants receive appropriate clothing and accessories for interviews and daily wear and receive consultation in wardrobe planning; and (4) through the Dental Services Program, participants receive a screening and examination of their dental needs, have their teeth cleaned, and receive treatment (fillings, extractions, etc.). WW WW W.. SS TT RR EE EE TT W W II SS EE .. O O RR GG W

Lake View YMCA Contact: Neil, 773.305.2030 Fax: 773.248.3374 Address: 3333 N. Marshfield Tasks: Resident social services, job training, medical and mental health services. Time Commitment:flexible The Night Ministry We are looking for volunteers to help with our direct-service programs: Health Outreach Bus and Homeless Youth Services. Training is provided for all volunteers, who build accepting, nonjudgmental relationships with the youth and adults we serve. Volunteers with our Health Outreach Bus provide hospitality to bus visitors of all ages, and volunteers with our Homeless Youth Services programs can help with group programming and mentoring. Small groups can provide meals at our street outreach locations. For more information visit thenightministry.org or call Gail Bernoff at 773.506.6015. Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs Contact: Nancy Burton, 847.501.2895. ext. 403, or nancy@interfaithhousingcenter.org Address: 620 Lincoln, Winnetka Tasks:Interfaith Housing Center offers a free homesharing service that matches working individuals seeking affordable housing with home owners who have an extra room in their home to rent. Interfaith is seeking volunteer fair-housing testers. The need is immediate and for adults of all racial and ethnic backgrounds and physical abilities. Volunteers are paid a small stipend: $65 for a sales test and $35 for a rental test, plus travel and postage. To be a "tester" means you pose as a person looking for a house or apartment and complete a report to Interfaith about your experiences. Your efforts help Interfaith determine if discrimination is occurring in the sale or rental of housing in the North Shore suburbs (Lincolnwood north through Highland Park). The Interfaith Housing Center receives funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to do this important housing justice work. Web site: interfaithhousingcenter.org

The Playground

Ask Eugene

Crossword

“all the brilliance that will fit”

Dear Eugene: Do you drink bottled water or tap? Boxers or briefs? Democrat or Republican? —John Dear John: Have you no respect for a man’s privacy? You’re worse than the paparazzi who maintain an around-the-clock stakeout outside my home. Thank goodness they still don’t know the location of the Eugene-Cave. I’ll answer your last question first, as it’s the least complex: I’m my own political party, and that means sometimes I have ideas in common with both groups of goofballs. Sound cool? Be an individual and copy my idea. As for the great boxer-vs.-briefs situation, my manager would like to send you a detailed letter on my behalf, as I officially have no comment. Lastly, I drink tap water, because most bottled water is tap water that’s just . . . bottled. The idea that bottled water is superior in any way is a yuppie myth. How truly special can water be? If you’re paying $8 for water that flowed through the hair of 20 island virgins for purity and minerals, then I’m afraid you’re a fool, and disproportionately superstitious for our modern times. Dear Eugene: You seem really smart. What’s your IQ? —Lindsey Dear Lindsey: Have you ever heard of the computer that’s continually computing the exact mathematical number for pi? There’s a similar effort taking place to measure my brain power after I wrecked an IQ test when I was five.

You can send Eugene your questions at 1201 W. Lake, Chicago, IL, 60607 or e-mail him at supreme_eugene@yahoo.com. Need to post a legal notice or a classified ad?

Sudoku Difficulty: Medium

Last Week’s Answers

Deadline: must submit 3 Mondays prior to desired publication date. StreetWise publishes every Wednesday

W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

Entrepreneur Spotlight

Brothers reunite T

Meet: Lawerence & Roarke Moody

By Ben Cook StreetWise staff

he Moody brothers are together again. After ten years apart, StreetWise vendor Roarke Moody was reunited with his younger brother in a scenario that would make Hollywood proud. “I have two brothers, one older and one younger,” he said.“We were real close when we were growing up. We all went to DuSable High School and we all played basketball. My two brothers started each game, and I came off the bench. The only difference was that I played baseball, football, swam, and ran track too—I did everything at DuSable. I was also the editor of the sports section of the school newspaper, so whenever I wrote about the basketball team I wrote about some Moody. People used to get mad and say, ‘He’s always just talking about his brothers,’ but my brothers were AllStaters. I couldn’t help it.“ William, the oldest, went to Loyola and once played center against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor (he scored 40 points, but William managed 20 of his own). Roarke’s younger brother, Lawrence, went to Villanova to play basketball as well. Roarke, who later graduated from Columbia College, went off to fight in Vietnam. In the ’80s, after college, Lawrence moved to Nashville. Until earlier this month, it had been ten years since Roarke had seen him. Their 81-year-old father, a Hyde Park resident, would send Roarke’s StreetWise vendor profiles to Lawrence so he could stay current with what his older brother was up to. In early July, Lawrence was in town for his wife’s family reunion and decided to track Roarke down. He knew he worked for StreetWise and that he sold his magazines downtown near the Cultural Center. He walked around downtown all day Monday without any luck, but after an hour and a half of walking Tuesday morning, his luck suddenly improved. Roarke recalled, “I walk to work every morning, but I take a different route every morning. I was walking up State Street, and when I got to Madison my brother was just standing there talking on his phone. He hollered this line from Kunta Kinte [the central character of Alex Haley’s novel Roots: The Sa ga of a n America n Fa mily]: ‘You old African, I found you!’ He hollered that about three times.We hugged and talked and laughed and all that stuff. “We hung out for about four hours. I brought him down to the office and showed him around so he could see what I’ve been up to. It was really an amazing time. Now I have his phone number, e-mail, and all of that. He’s got six kids and he said that he’s going to send me a bunch of pictures of them. It’s going to be exciting.” While meeting up with Lawrence was by far the highlight of Roarke’s summer, he’s got plenty of other plans. “I’m training for a 10K,” he said.“I’m not losing any weight for some reason . . . I’m walking two miles a day and I’m running three miles a day, but I’m the same size. They have people over 200 pounds—they call us Clydesdales, and we run. I’m looking to run two races in August. I’m going to get in touch with CARA [Chicago Area Runners Association] so I can get the schedule.” Good luck on your training, Roarke, and congratulations on finding your family again!

R.E. Moody’s latest poetry The dragonfly that couldn’t Barking at the wind, still chasing the sky the dragonfly couldn’t touch the sun Dancing aside the rainbow craving a second breath! Homebo The definition of being alone, in a room with no walls. A silent undisturbed place With not doors. Desperately caught up into seeking a way out of this harsh existence, looking towards a come up, look in pass a room with no walls. Hero Sandwich The least recognized hero you’d ever know. The least-remembered most scoured, all but forgotten hero. Their sacrifice unmentioned, the untold horrors lay silent like the dead. The war has just shed another Another forgotten soldier of fortune. Stripped of his strength, a stranger to these times merely a babe these days, these times Troubled man, the hero grows silent. Quiet forces determine his fate. It’s gonna take more than coffee and a sandwich to repair the damage!

Look for the Badge!

Where the money goes...

Please purchase your copy of StreetWise from badged vendors only! For questions or comments regarding our vendor force, please contact Greg Pritchett at (312) 829-2526 or at gpritchett14@yahoo.com.

Vendors buy StreetWise for 75 cents, and the remaining $1.25 goes directly to the licensed vendor.

J U LY 29-A U G U S T 4, 2009

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