V O L . 17 N O . 47 Buy StreetWise only from a badged vendor
NOVEMBER
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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
The first step is what counts By Bruce Crane Executive Director
Save the planet. Save the planet! OK, that’s the big picture. This week’s cover story discusses one aspect of how do we do that. How do we do it tomorrow? To these questions, I neither have a clue to the answer, nor the misguided notion that if I did, people would pay enough attention to me to make it happen. But that doesn’t stop me from making a difference, beginning the journey. And this I believe: we all have some answers, we all can make them happen tomorrow, and we all would then be a part of the solution. The funny thing about journeys, big and small, is that they all start with the first step. Many of us get stuck, scared to take the first step, unsure which direction it should be, or paralyzed by the enormity of the situation. The reality is that whatever the first step is, it is better than standing still, it creates momentum, and it will bring you to a different place with a different view. What you see there may help you figure out what direction to go with the next steps, making the journey easier with every step. This metaphor is as true for our vendors and their paths as it is for the rest of us on our paths. Ecology makes me think of garbage, which leads me to the concepts of litter and recycling. Litter and recycling make me frustrated. As a society, we should be much further along the recycling journey than we are. There is just no excuse for littering. These are small steps, and we can take them if we choose to. It may be hard to change the habits of our elders, but where have we gone wrong with educating, training, and modeling appropriate behavior for the younger generations, many of whom litter regularly, and who do very little recycling?
A recent example of frustration comes to mind. At our StreetWise vendor picnic, we are happy to serve lunch to our vendors, their families, or anyone else that comes by the park and would like to have lunch. Four teenage girls asked if they could eat. We served them plates of food, cans of soda, and desserts. They sat at a nearby bench and enjoyed the meal. Then they threw everything on the ground, and left, walking past the garbage and recycling containers. Look around at our city streets; litter is a needless epidemic. I can accept that we haven’t solved cancer, but I can’t accept this. How are we ever going to solve the big problems—save the planet for instance—if we can’t raise our kids to care enough not to litter? It doesn’t take a big commitment of resources to make the choice not to litter, or to recycle. What a huge change we could make if we could channel more of the younger generations’ energies to care enough to “do good.” Perhaps Harry Chapin said this best in his song: “I Wonder What Would Happen to This World.”
Now if a ma n tried to ta ke his time on Ea rth And prove before he died Wha t one ma n’s life could be worth Well, I wonder wha t would ha ppen to this world Can we save the world? I really don’t know. But we can each choose to push further on our journey, or start on a journey, to make a difference toward that goal. And if you are wondering where a next step, or a first step, might be for you, turn to our back cover where you will find wonderful opportunities coordinated by the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association this holiday season. If we make good choices I am convinced we can make a difference—be it with litter, recycling, or directly helping others less fortunate.
Where the money goes... Vendors buy StreetWise for 75 cents, and the remaining $1.25 goes directly to the licensed vendor.
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WorldWise Bringing Light to Rural Poor Micro-loans are turning on the lights for hundreds of millions of people in India and Africa, as Earth-friendly solar power is replacing ancient smelly kerosene lamps. page
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Turkey Day Dining Guide Ready, Set, Savor! Our resident foodies show their favorite places to celebrate Thanksgiving, both in the city and the suburbs. Check it out to see where you should make your reservations.
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page
The Biofuel Dilemma
Entrepreneur Spotlight Building a family
A breakdown of a new federal study on ethanol’s limited future, and an exploration of the future of home-grown go-power. page
Long-time vendors Lydia Brown and Anthony Michael talk about their handicap-accessible home, and their 14-month-old bundle of joy.
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WorldWise page 4-5 This Week in Chicago page 10 Cover Story page 11-13
Ginny & the Chef page 6 DineWise page 6-7 Health & Fitness Page 7 Event Calendar Page 8 Theatre Page 9
The Playground page 14 Vendor Profile page 15
Volunteer Chicago
N O V E M B E R 18-N O V E M B E R 24, 2009
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Online at www.streetwise.org
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Amsterdam Transportation Woes
In a hole, Amsterdam tunnellers just keep digging By Harro ten Wolde Courtesy of Reuters arly one evening, Helena van Gelder heard bricks falling. Minutes later, she and her three young sons were standing outside their 17thcentury home, watching it sink eight inches within hours. It was a terrible shock, but the family living on Amsterdam’s Vijzelgracht thoroughfare was merely the latest casualty of a tunnel that’s been the city’s three-billion-euro ($4.5 billion) headache for the past seven years. Years behind schedule and so overbudget that officials have abandoned any hope it can recoup the cost of construction, the new subway project is wrecking historic buildings as it cuts through spongy sand and water more than 30 meters below sea level. “Seven years of nuisance and this is what we get,” said van Gelder, a 47-year-old communication adviser.“I truly find it terrible. I am not the sensitive type, but I don’t want to be near that house anymore.” Built to provide a rapid transit system aimed at connecting businesses in the north and south of the city and relieving overcrowding, for now the subway is a gash through Amsterdam that risks joining history’s great construction fiascos. No one has died on the project so far, unlike the 195 killed during construction of the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts before it finally opened in 1876—at a cost seven times the original estimate. The Dutch project’s cost is still less than the estimated 10 billion British pounds (double the original estimate) poured into the construction of the Channel Tunnel between Britain and the European continent in the early ’90s. But the scale of ambition—an underground project through soggy marshland beneath listed historic buildings—is comparable. And the irritation is mounting. Former Amsterdam city alderman Tjeerd Herrema resigned earlier this year in frustration over the subway project. None of the companies involved would testify in public in front of a parliamentary committee investigating the project, but Herrema told the committee last month that the city had deliberately underestimated costs in order to win backing from the Dutch parliament, which approved it in 2002. This was the reality that welcomed Herrema to office in 2006. “Many times I have cursed this decision,” he said.The two billion euros the new subway system is expected to yield to the city in its 100-year lifetime fall far short of the three-billion-euro construction cost. Explaining the string of accidents, deadline extensions, and budget overruns, Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen disagreed with a government commission’s opinion last June that construction had literally reached the point of no return. “We all are just amateurs [from] this perspective, and we have to rely on professionals,” Cohen told the commission. He has been in office since 2001;
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Bikers pass 17th century houses on the Vijzelgracht next to a construction site of the Amsterdam metro in Amsterdam. The subway is a gash through the city and risks joining history's great construction fiascos. —REUTERS/Michael Kooren
polls show that he remains popular. Helena van Gelder has been living in a temporary residency for the past year, ever since water leakage from the construction site undermined her home. About 10 more historic buildings nearby are on the verge of collapse.
Counting the Cost Costs incurred so far on the tunnel already total 1.1 billion euros, or 1,419 euros per resident. An additional 600 million euros in fees would have to be paid if contracts were canceled and the tunnel abandoned, concluded the June commission headed by former agricultural minister Cees Veerman. The tunnel is the ninth to be drilled in the Netherlands and will quickly transport Amsterdam travelers to the business and legal district, where banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland, ABN AMRO, and ING are based. Even though the new underground railway won’t open for another eight years, engineers point out it’s just one of a handful of similarly problematic projects in Europe. Archaeological findings during construction have caused delays in Rome’s new subway, which has 31 stations. In Cologne, two people died in March after the city archive collapsed, a direct result of construction on the subway. Since 2007 Madrid has been working on an extension of its subway network—75 kilometers by 2012—and Paris wants to add 7.5 kilometers to its underground network. Both projects face delays or cost overruns. “It is almost systematic that the costs are underestimated for metro [subway] systems,” said Jack Short, chief of the International Transport Forum (ITF), a global platform for transport, logistics, and mobility, and part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). “We definitely have seen a tendency [for] what you might call ‘project optimism,’” Short said, attributing it to the prestige involved in such projects.“They have to make the numbers look good— the revenues a bit higher and the costs a little bit lower than what they really are.” W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
Marshy Foundations Working through marshland, the Amsterdam project has faced unique challenges. Buildings in the city stand on long pilings, wooden or concrete stilts sunk at least 10 meters below the ground. They present a special difficulty in building a 9.7kilometer subway through sand. The tunnel avoids the pilings and instead follows the meandering street pattern. One of the main challenges of tunneling through sand is the need to fight back the pressure of water below the surface, said Peter Dijk, director of the subway project. “When you are drilling somewhere in the Swiss mountains, you don’t have slack ground and water, so you don’t need counter- pressure,” he said. Inside the cavernous hole where the north-south subway line will connect with the city’s central station, huge slabs of concrete hold back sand and water, while enormous excavators use the future station’s space to prepare for digs. Dijk took over the project amid bickering between city officials and project managers. New city alderman Hans Gerson was recently given responsibility for it, and vowed to see its completion after his predecessor stepped down. “The tragedy is that with the construction of relatively simple dam walls, simply bad work has been delivered, not because it is such a difficult job,” said Gerson in his office, surrounded by pictures of the construction. It was only in June that Amsterdam’s city council approved the drilling of a section beneath the city’s historic center, which dates back to the late 12th century in the swampy delta of the Amstel River. Ultimately, said Short, such headaches are a symptom of growth and progress, the likes of which will challenge more and more cities in a growing world. “Lots of places have been in the dilemma of Amsterdam,” he said.“’Do we keep going, [or] do we go backwards?’” —additional reporting by Jijo Jacob and Carl Bagh in Bangalore.
© Street News Service: www.street-pa pers.org
N O V E M B E R 18-N O V E M B E R 24, 2009
International Network of Street Papers: Street News Service
Bringing light to rural poor WorldWise By Rina Chandran Courtesy of Reuters
AHMEDABAD, India — When night falls in remote parts of Africa and the Indian subcontinent, hundreds of millions of people without access to electricity turn to candles or flammable, polluting kerosene lamps for illumination. Through small loans for solar-powered devices, microfinance is slowly bringing light to these rural regions, where a lack of electricity has stymied economic development, literacy rates, and health. “Earlier, they could not do much once the sun set. Now the sun is used differently. They have increased their productivity [and] improved their health and socioeconomic status,” said Pinal Shah of SEWA Bank, a microlending institution. Vegetable seller Ramiben Waghri took out a loan to buy a solar lantern, which she uses to light up her stall at night. The lanterns typically cost between $66 and $112, about a week’s income for Waghri. “The vegetables look better by this light, and it’s cheaper than kerosene and doesn’t smell,” she said, estimating that she makes about 300 rupees ($6) more each evening because of the lantern. “If we can use the sun to save some money, why not?” Solar power projects in India, often funded by microcredit institutions, are helping the country reduce carbon emissions and achieve its goal of doubling the contribution of renewable energy to 6 percent, or 25,000 megawatts, within the next four years. Off-grid applications such as solar cookers and lanterns, which can provide several hours of light at night after being charged by the sun during the day, will help cut dependence on fossil fuels and reduce India’s carbon footprint, said Pradeep Dadhich, a senior fellow at energy research institute TERI. (India currently ranks fourth on the list of countries that produce the most carbon emissions.) SEWA, or Self Employed Women’s Association, is among a growing number of microfinance institutions, or MFIs, in India that are focused on providing affordable renewable energy sources to poor people, who otherwise would have had to stand for hours to buy kerosene for their lamps, or trudge miles to collect firewood for cooking. SKS Microfinance, India’s largest MFI, offers solar lamps to its five million customers, while Grameen Surya Bijlee (Rural Solar Electricity) Foundation helps fund lamps and home and street lighting systems for villagers in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. “Providing electricity is a government responsibility, but it’s a gigantic task, and the government alone cannot do it,” said Shirish Garud, coordinator of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in south Asia. “In many cases the end user has no access to conventional banking and financial services, which is why we need MFIs.” Aryavart Gramin Bank has approved loans for the installation of 8,000 solar systems in homes in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and a key grain-growing region. Microloans are also bringing solar systems to homes, schools, and cottage-industry businesses that are “off the grid” in remote regions of Africa. Poor people use the money they normally would
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have spent on kerosene to pay back their loans for the solar devices. Alternative Power Hundreds of millions of people in India have little or no access to electricity. Yet demand for power by local industries has taken a toll on capacity and infrastructure. Of the 76 million homes in India that have no access to electricity, 65 million use carbonemitting kerosene, according to REEEP. Kerosene is highly flammable, and the fumes are noxious; every year thousands of people in developing countries die from accidents involving kerosene stoves and lamps. Developing nations now emit more than half the world’s greenhouse gases, and that figure is set to rise. In India alone, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to jump to between 4 billion and 7.33 billion tons by 2031. India adds about 10 gigawatts of power every year and is likely to see a shortfall of as much as 21,000 megawatts as capacity expansion fails to keep up with demand, leading to more outages. Solar power will ease some strain on the grids. In neighboring Bangladesh, the state-owned and private-sector power plants can generate between 3,700 and 4,300 megawatts of electricity a day against a demand of 5,500 megawatts, according to the state-run power development board. With only 40 percent of Bangladesh’s population having access to electricity, microfinance institutions such as Grameen Bank have made a major push toward expanding the use of solar power. Since 2001, 350,000 solar systems have been installed in Bangladeshi homes and 550,000 solar lanterns have been distributed, bringing solar power to around four million people. “Right now 2.5 million people are benefiting from solar energy, and we have a plan to reach 10 million people by the end of 2012,” said Dipal Chandra Barua, managing director of Grameen Shakti, an offshoot of Grameen Bank, which encourages the use of alternative energy. (Grameen Bank and Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.) A Billion Lamps REEEP, which is developing 10 renewable-energy projects through microfinancing, estimates that 234 billion rupees ($49 billion) is needed to provide solar lanterns to 65 million rural homes in India. That amount is less than half of the total subsidy the Indian government provides to make kerosene affordable to the poor. REEEP, along with TERI, is spearheading the “lighting a billion lives” campaign, which seeks to replace kerosene and paraffin lanterns with solar devices. Launched last year with partners that include the Clinton Climate Initiative, the campaign has so far covered more than 100 villages. SEWA’s Project Urja (“energy”), with funding from the U.S.-based Lemelson Foundation, has teamed up with India’s Solar Electric Light Company (SELCO) to improvise new lighting and cooking devices. SELCO’s other devices include headlamps for midwives, lights for farmers who breed silkworms for India’s silk industry, and sewing machines W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
Vendors use solar powered lights at an open air evening market as customers buy fruits and vegetables in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad September 10. When night falls in remote parts of Africa and the Indian subcontinent, hundreds of millions of people without access to electricity turn to candles or flammable and polluting kerosene lamps for illumination. REUTERS/AMIT DAVE
powered by the sun. In the congested Jamalpur neighborhood in Ahmedabad, Salma Mohammad’s small corner shop is lit by a solar-powered battery she bought with a loan of 33,000 rupees from SEWA Bank. “This shop has helped me raise my children,” she said.“The solar battery has improved our lives, given us much to be grateful [for].” © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org
Our Contributing Writers Ginny & the Chef: Originally a professional chef, Chef J now writes a syndicated weekly 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. John Godoy is a Chicago-based wellness consultant and personal trainer with a leading prevention-based, integrative health and wellness provider. Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie are the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. Please follow all StreetWise restaurant features on Twitter @DineWise and subscribe to the blog at: http://dinewisechicago.blogspot.com. Or visit their blog at gotbuzzatkurman.com Stephanie Taylor graduated from Columbia College Chicago, where she earned a degree in Magazine Journalism. Her work has been seen in the campus newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle. She also wrote for Chicagoland Tails pet magazine, where she interned. Soon she will begin writing for an upcoming art magazine called Upsurge.
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FoodWise with Ginny & Chef J
By Ginny & Chef J StreetWise Contributors (www.ginetics.org, www.researchchefs.us)
Stone Supe! inny and I both travel far and wide across the country teaching people better-for-you recipes, researching the latest food trends, and sharing what we learn with FoodWise readers. Everywhere we’ve been recently, it seems people are tightening their belts and trying to save money. The fat cats in Washington may be saying that the economy has turned around, but for many Americans times are still tough. Money is a big worry for lots of folks. Yet neither Ginny nor I are as rattled by the economic downturn as some people we meet. The fact is, we both grew up in families that were “financially challenged,” as the politicians would say (though people say “poor” where I come from). Ginny’s family had a huge garden and grew
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DineWise By Lee Barrie & Cindy Kurman Barrie StreetWise Contributors
Thanksgiving means different strokes for different folks. Chicago’s restaurant scene is filled with places to dine out on Thanksgiving Day. Most, including those that usually feature ethnic food, offer a traditional Thanksgiving meal, frequently offered in addition to the regular menu. Personally, we tend to be intrigued by restaurants that offer something unusual for Thanksgiving. After all, how many more turkey and sweet potato dinners does one really need to eat? So here is our take on where you might want to go for a taste of Thanksgiving with a different sensibility. Since many of you will be at home on T-Day, we’ve included some suburban spots for your enjoyment.
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fresh fruits and vegetables; they had delicious organic produce at every meal, straight from their own backyard. She grew up eating fresh figs, ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, and crisp green beans. She still loves all these good-for-you foods today. As a child she never knew her family was poor—she just knew that they always had really delicious meals. I grew up in a tough setting as well. Mom raised six children by herself in the city; there was no backyard garden to grow fresh veggies. Still, she made ends meet. She used to tell us a story about a sly soldier “once upon a time” who carried a magic rock in his satchel. Whenever he came into a small village, he would boil a pot of water in the town square. As the townspeople watched, he dropped the stone in the boiling water and stirred. He told them he was making stone soup! The fascinated villagers would watch and wait to taste the soup. As time went by, the soldier “suggested” that everyone add something to the pot. That way they could have some soup too. One man added potatoes, another added carrots, a farmer contributed a chicken, and so on. Then something magical happened—the stone soup turned into a delicious meal. The soldier then wiped off his magic rock and put it back in his satchel. Of course, the magic wasn’t in the stone. It was the magic of sharing that turned the water into soup. When times get hard, we all have to pitch in and help one another. Once we do that, things aren’t so scary anymore. There really is magic in the world, but it’s the everyday magic of one person helping another—the miracle of human kindness. That’s how you make “stone soup.”
The Melting Pot Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving from Around the World:
Vermilion, 11 W. Hubbard, Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 527-4060; www.thevermilionrestaurant.com Vermilion is one of our absolute favorite upscale restaurants in Chicago and has earned high praise among the culinary media around the country. Executive Chef Maneet Chauhan presents a sensory-rich menu using both Indian and Latin American ingredients. For Thanksgiving, Vermilion offers its annual $45-per-person prix fixe “Herb & Spice” six-course Thanksgiving feast from noon to 10 p.m. (the menu is also available throughout the weekend). Dishes include Brazilian Feijoada, black bean stew with meats and a hint of garam masala spice; Indian Black Cardamom Smoked Turkey with Indian Sarson Ka Saag; Bengali Panch Puran (ginger cranberry chutney) with fennel, cumin and mustard seed, and Mexican Pumpkin Pie. The “Herb and Spice” is usually a sellout, so make your reservations early. SUSHISAMBA Rio, 504 N. Wells, Chicago, IL (312) 595-2300; www.sushisamba.com SUSHISAMBA Rio is a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. The décor is gloriously colorful and the menu includes both Japanese and Brazilian dishes, with some combining elements of both. For Thanksgiving, enjoy special dishes in addition to the regular menu: Braised Short Rib Gyozas, with kabocha pumpkin purée, red shiso leaf, smoked ginger soy; Plainville Farms Turkey T-Bone, with sweet potato-brown sugar fries, bacon escarole, cranberry W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
Chef J’s Secret Recipe: Roasted Root Vegetables (serves 6) FoodWise Shopping List: •2 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced •1 parsnip, scrubbed and sliced •1 rutabaga, scrubbed and cubed •1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil •2 cloves of garlic, minced •1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped •1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped •Salt and pepper to taste FoodWise Cooking Instructions: •Preheat oven to 450 degrees. •Pour about 2 inches of water into a large pot. •Place a steaming basket in pot. •Bring water to a boil. •Add vegetables to pot, and cover with a lid. •Allow vegetables to steam until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. •Remove from pot. •Pour olive oil, garlic, and seasoning into a large baking pan. •Add steamed vegetables, and toss gently until coated with mixture. Nutritional Info •Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Until outsides get crusty. •Occasionally move the vegetables around while cooking to ensure even browning. •Remove from oven and season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
teriyaki glaze, and for dessert, Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread Pudding, maple syrup ice cream, roast pecans, candied shiso leaf. The Not-Your-Usual Meat & Potatoes Thanksgiving Feast The Chicago Diner, 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago IL (773) 935-6696; www.veggiediner.com If you’re seeking out a Vegan feast, your Thanksgiving dreams will come true at The Chicago Diner. This North Halsted area restaurant is considered one of the top vegan eateries in the country and this year marks its 27th annual Vegan Thanksgiving, with seatings at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The menu features select organic produce grown on Illinois and Wisconsin farms. For starters, enjoy Squash Apple Bisque and Field Greens Salad. Entrée choices are Veggie Turkey with seven grain stuffing & sage gravy, Beefy Wellington with seitan-mushroom duxelle & madeira shallot reduction, and Pumpkin Ravioli with hazelnut cream sauce. Don’t forget the side dishes: ginger-garlic green beans, herb stuffing, candied yams, rosemary redskins, cranberry relish. Desserts are scrumptious: Pumpkin Pie, Death By Chocolate Cake, and Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake. Reservations are essential and you can also order Thanksgiving dinner in carryout form. The price is $37.99 per person; $22.99 for children. Carryout meals start at $11.99 per person. The menu says it all: Thanksgiving dishes that sound really good to us
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Health & Fitness
By John Godoy StreetWise Contributor
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s an entrepreneur with a home office, I often find myself not being as productive as I’d like.
I seem to always find a way to procrastinate or do anything other than work. After some careful consideration, I realized I just didn’t have enough willpower to avoid all the distractions that surrounded me. I decided the least I could do was change my environment, so I rented office space in a small business incubator. What a great decision! The new distractionfree space has allowed me to focus much deeper on my work, resulting in a boon for my business. The lesson here is that sometimes willpower alone isn’t enough to accomplish our objectives—we must change our environment in order to change our habits. For those who want to lose weight but are having a difficult time doing so, one technique is to perform a makeover of your kitchen. Starting with the cupboards, get rid of all your big bowls and oversize dinner plates, keeping only those that are just slightly larger than regular-size tortilla shell. Follow that by getting rid of all your oversize mugs and glasses that hold more than 10 ounces. By following these simple steps, you end up reducing the overall volume of food you consume, since people tend to eat as much as their plate will allow. Next, move to your cutlery drawers and get
Birch River Grill, 75 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL (847) 427-4242; www.birchrivergrill.com For Thanksgiving (from noon to 5 p.m.), this contemporary regional American restaurant is featuring such delectable items as Acorn Squash and Kentucky Bourbon Bisque, Autumn Salad with Mulled Wine Poached Pear Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Toasted Pecans and Kiln Dried Cherry Dressing; Maple Glazed Free Range Turkey Breast with Granny Apple Sausage Cornbread Stuffing, Sage Pan Gravy, Buttermilk Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, Brown Butter Green Beans, Rustic Cranberry-Orange Relish, Spiced Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. The Thanksgiving menu is $24.95 per person; kids age 12 and under are $13.95. Restaurant Michael, 64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, IL (847) 441-3100; www.restaurantmichael.com Chef/owner Michael Lachowicz is one of the most applauded French chefs in Chicago, having built a stellar reputation at Le Francais and Les Deux Gros. For Thanksgiving, he will meld his awesome culinary technique and amazing taste buds together with traditional Thanksgiving ingredients to serve up a Family Style Traditional Dinner—with roast organic turkey, roast tenderloin and all the fixings—six side dishes, two desserts, soup, salad and bread (served from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.). The price is right: $45 per person and 1/2 price for kids 10 and under. You can also order "Thanksgiving to go" which is a hot and ready to serve carry out version of the same menu for $49 per person. To go orders must be picked up between 1 and 4 p.m.
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The weight loss kitchen makeover
rid of all the spoons that are bigger than a teaspoon. Yes, this means the big soup spoons. What do you need them for, anyway? Just so you can shove more food into your mouth in less time? Remember, digestion takes longer than ingestion. Then move to your pots and frying pans. Get rid of the really big ones. Cooking smaller quantities allows us to focus on the quality of what we eat while appreciating the food itself much more. Next, get a big pitcher of water and always keep it filled, either in the fridge or on your counter. This should be your primary source of fluids. If you want flavor, liven it up with a slice of lemon or a teabag, but avoid sugar— try the naturally sweet herb stevia instead. Remember, by changing your environment you can take great strides toward changing your habits and achieving your weight-loss goals.
Fast Food Thanksgiving Kuma’s Corner, 2900 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL (773) 604-8769; www.kumascorner.com For those of you with a case of the Thanksgiving munchies, you’ll not want to miss this Thanksgiving heart attack on a bun: Kuma’s famous “Sleep Burger” is a monster sandwich featuring turkey and gravy topped with deep-fried stuffing and cranberry sauce. The Sleep Burger will keep you wide awake while you eagerly gobble it down, but you may fall soundly asleep while digesting it. You were forewarned. The To-Die-For-Dessert-to-Bring-Home Thanksgiving Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 921 Pasquinelli Dr. Westmont, IL; (630) 455-9846 798 W. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL; (847) 228-9551 www.pappadeaux.com Even if you’re not going out for Thanksgiving you can still wow your friends and family with Pappadeaux’s luscious signature Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, which is available for purchase just in time for your at-home holiday feast. Pie pre-order began November 2, and pick-up runs November 20-25. The price for one pie is $14.94 and you can buy a second pie for just $9.95. You won’t be disappointed. Call either restaurant location to order. W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
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November 18-24 events Wednesday A live auction of street pole banners includes mini banners from the White Sox’ World Series run signed by Mark Buehrle, who pitched a perfect game July 23 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Also up for bids are Blackhawks playoff banners signed by Hall of Famers Stan Mikita and Denis Savard. Donating his time as auctioneer will be Sotheby’s senior vice president Gary Metzner. Proceeds go toward holiday gifts for needy children and benefit Mayor Richard M. Daley’s “Sharing It” program, which funds culinary job training for the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the Illinois Restaurant Association. Noon-1:30 p.m., Daley Center, east lobby, Washington and Dearborn. Free. Working in collage and mixed media, students will make memory boxes, exploring the work of Joseph Cornell for a sculpture/collage contained in a neat little box. Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. $80 members, $100 nonmembers. Call 773-324-5520 or visit hydeparkart.org for more info. In Fefu and Her Friends, eight women meet on a spring day in a New England home in 1935 to rehearse a theatre education project. But once the sun sets, one of the women will be dead. Wed 11/18Sat 11/21, 8 p.m., Francis X. Kinahan Theatre, Reynolds Club, University of Chicago, 5706 S. University Ave. Tickets are $6 (free on Wed 11/18). Visit ut.uchicago.edu/productions for more info.
Thursday Parisian hot jazz, “gut bucket” swing, tango, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, klezmer music, and foot-stomping original tunes meet a world of riverboat gamblers, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich in Vagabond Opera. Hear lusty voices singing in 13 languages—rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics, and indomitable stage presence, all with a gritty vagabond edge. 7:30 p.m., Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 610 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Visit spertus.edu for more info. Composer Kaija Saariaho joins the intrepid International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in concert. Known for the lyrical, spiritual, and timeless qualities of her music, Saariaho spent years living like a musical hermit in Paris at IRCAM, a think tank for the development of avantgarde electro-acoustical art music. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $10-$25. Call 312-280-2660 or visit mcachicago.org for more info.
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The Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) kicks off its 20th-anniversary season with Global Rhythms, featuring the Chicago debut of Washington, D.C.’s Step Afrika! troupe, which celebrates the African-American art form of stepping alongside ancient Zulu dances, South African gumboot dancing, and more. They’ll be joined by CHRP’s resident ensemble, BAM!, scholarship students from CHRP’s Rhythm World summer festival, the renowned South Shore Drill Team, and stepping teams from around the city. Thu 11/19, 7:30 p.m., and FriSat 11/20-11/21, 8 p.m., Harris Theatre for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. Tickets are $15-$55. Visit chicagotap.org for more info. “If We Only Have Love” is the signature song of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, a 1966 offBroadway show that influenced Leonard Cohen and Frank Sinatra with its musings on life, death, and human follies. Thu 11/19-Sat 11/21, 7:30 p.m., and Sun 11/22, 2 p.m., O’Malley Theatre, Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University, 425 S. Wabash Ave. Call 312-341-6735 or e-mail theatre@roosevelt.edu for more info.
Friday Tsukasa Taiko is the leading taiko (Japanese drumming) ensemble in the Chicago area. Its mission is to preserve traditional concepts, but it’s also participated in multicultural musical collaborations. 12:15 p.m., Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free. 312-744-6630.
Saturday: Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
Saturday The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival kicks off the holiday season on Sat 11/21 with a day of performances, free cheesecake decorating, and photos with Santa in Pioneer Court from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. At 5:30 Mickey Mouse leads a parade down Michigan Avenue and the lighting of more than one million lights on 200 trees. Marching bands join the parade for the first time this year, along with the Plain White T’s, Mitchel Musso, Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel, and the Chicago Salsa Mambo Orchestra. At 6:55 there will be fireworks over the Chicago River, followed by extended shopping hours till 10 p.m. As you shop
this holiday season, incremental amounts from your purchases will support Chicago charitable organizations as part of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. Snow White, a faithful musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, is performed by an ensemble of live actors and puppets. 11 a.m., Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University, 1 University Pkwy., University Park. Tickets are $10.50-$15.50. Visit centertickets.net for more info. The Berger Park Cultural Center’s Holiday Jewelry and Pottery Show features the best work from its lapidary and pottery classes. Sat 11/21, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., and Sun 11/22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. Free. Call 773-7610376 for more info.
Count Almaviva loves the sprightly Rosina in Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville, but her overbearing guardian, Dr. Bartolo, keeps getting in the way. Enter Figaro, the “Barber of Seville,” whose clever schemes assure that true love succeeds. This Opera Workshop production is performed in Italian with English supertitles and piano-harpsichord accompaniment. Fri-Sat 11/2011/21, 7:30 p.m., Cahn Auditorium, 600 W. Emerson St., Evanston. Free; early arrival suggested. Visit pickstaiger.org for more info. The three-evening festival New Blood III features performances by School of the Art Institute of Chicago students who blur the boundaries between theater, movement, and the visual arts through readings, performances, or works in progress. Fri-Sat 11/20-11/21, 7 p.m., and Sun 11/22, 6 p.m., Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Free. Reservations accepted for Fri-Sat performances at 312-742-TIXS. W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
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StreetWise Theatre 42NDBLACKWATCH1881...
Noel Coward
Democracy At Eclipse Theatre Company
Oh Coward! tribute at Writers’ Theatre
Eclipse Theatre Company presents Democracy by Romulus Linney in the Greenhouse Theatre Center through December 20. The plot takes place in Washington, D.C. during the year 1875. Two American women have to make the decision to marry two men with different views on America, religion, truth and success. Taken from the book by Henry Adams, the comedy portrays love and amid the scandal-plagued presidency of Ulysses S. Grant. Ensemble member Steven Fedoruk directs the production. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10-$15 at 773.404.7336. The Greenhouse Theatre Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. —Stephanie A. Taylor
Theatrical legend Noel Coward is recognized for comedies such as Blithe Spirit and Private Lives. Artistic director Michael Halberstam and executive director Kathryn M. Lipuma pay tribute to Coward’s legend with Oh Coward! at the Writers’ Theatre, 644 Vernon Ave. in Glencoe, through March 21, 2010. Jim Corti is the director. Curtain times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (except February 3, March 9 & 16, 2010); Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. (except November 26, December 24, 25 & 31, and January 1, 2010); Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 and 6 p.m (except December 13; January 10 and March 21, 2010). Tickets are $40-$60, available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org. —Stephanie A. Taylor
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This Week in Chicago By Suzanne Hanney & Sylvester Quast Editor-in-Chief & Vendor Volunteer
25 Years Ago . . . Simeon Vocational High School’s Ben Wilson, considered by many to be the number-one high school basketball player in the country, was shot on November 20, 1984. He died the next day. He’d reportedly been walking with two female friends on South Vincennes, a block north of Simeon, when he bumped into one of three young men. Witnesses heard Wilson say “Excuse me,” to which the gunman responded, “No, it’s not going to be like that today.” He then pulled out a gun and shot Wilson in the chest. The six-foot-eight-inch senior had previously led Simeon to a 28-game winning streak and the title of Class AA state champions in 1984. The team was expected to repeat its title in ’85, noted the November 21 edition of the Chica go Defender . “Benji” had been offered scholarships by many of the nation’s top college basketball programs, but the University of Illinois, DePaul, and Indiana were his top choices, according to the paper. City leaders were united in their grief. “This tragic and wanton act of violence has prematurely snuffed the life of a young man who was obviously destined for a promising and rewarding future,” said Mayor Harold Washington in the November 24 Defender. Ald. Edward R. Vrdolyak (10th Ward), who headed the bloc of 29 aldermen that opposed Washington on the City Council, also called Wilson’s death a “tragedy” for all of Chicago. Father George Clements, who once interviewed Wilson for a local talk show, said the shooting was “a mockery of the word ‘brother’ affectionately used in the African American community. We need to get back to where we were before this era of violence . . . when neighbors were concerned not only for their children, but for each other.” Increased black-on-black crime, he said, “is a manifestation of selfhatred, the slave mentality where slaves often turned on each other in acts of violence.” Ald. Bobby Rush (2nd Ward) said the shooting indicated that “battle lines have been drawn between the haves and have nots,” and Ald. Eugene Sawyer (4th Ward) said it might be time to install metal detectors in schools to prevent guns and knives from being brought into the classroom. During Wilson’s funeral at the South Side headquarters of Operation PUSH—it was attended by over 10,000 mourners—the Rev. Jesse Jackson said fines for carrying guns must equal those for carrying heroin. He also called for an end to “split level” justice. “Witnesses and victims must speak up and the police and judges must do their jobs,” he said. “We must demand that . . . punishments be swift, sure and severe. When Blacks kill other Blacks, they get off with minimal sentences, giving the impression that Black life is cheap.” Wilson wore the No. 25 jersey at Simeon. Carrying the torch, his teammate Nick Anderson wore the number for the University of Illinois and the Orlando Magic, as did future Simeon stars Deon Thomas and Bryant Notree for the Fighting Illini, Mario Bailey for the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Derrick Rose, who wore No. 25 for Simeon this decade, then played for the University of Memphis before signing with the Bulls in 2008 (he now wears No. 1). CHICAGONOW.COM
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the Ethanol
Cover Story
Dilemma
By Ben Cook StreetWise Staff
resident Obama has demonstrated on numerous occasions that one of his top domestic priorities is creating jobs through green power, whether through the newly funded smart grid, or through wind- and solar-power initiatives.
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His policies adhere to the goals of the “green power” movement: to be kinder to our planet by creating less harmful gases and waste products, and to rely less on foreign oil from unstable regions—whose leaders could potentially turn the United States’ energy needs into its greatest weakness. Despite the recession, wind and solar are growing industries taking huge strides toward economic integration in our power grid. However, having power for our homes and cities doesn’t solve the problem of what should
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power our cars. Detroit is proof that what worked in the past in no way resembles what’s needed to power personal transportation now or in the future. One domestic-made power source, ethanol, was considered the best option for many years; some thought it could be an outright replacement for oil. As a result, policy was created to prop up and accelerate its development into production starting in the 1970s. This policy included tax breaks at both ends of the process: growing corn for ethanol production, and then processing the corn starch into ethanol. But in August the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report detailing whether or not current ethanol policy is effective. The results were too mixed for ethanol to be the clear-cut cure-all we need for the future of our automobiles. The report was commissioned by Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, to ascertain all the effects of biofuels before the U.S. proceeds with more aggressive domestic green initiatives in the coming years. W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
Along these lines, on May 5 President Obama announced the formation of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group, to be cochaired by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The group is tasked, in part, with identifying new policy options to promote the environmental sustainability of biofuels, taking into consideration land use, habitat conservation, crop management practices, water efficiency, and water quality, as well as life-cycle assessments of greenhouse gas emissions (see chart pg 13). While a fair amount is already known about what’s coming out of the tailpipe of a car burning biofuels, the other areas are far less researched.
The Current Standard As it stands, in December 2007 Congress expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires the “rising use of ethanol and other biofuels, from 11.1 billion gallons in 2009 to 36 billion gallons in 2022.” Bottom line: we need three times as much biofuel in 13 years.
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A rural Midwestern ethanol refinery REUTERS PHOTO BY MARK BLINCH
There’s also a catch: “The 36-billion-gallon total must include 21 billion Ethanol produced from gallons of advanced fiberous plant materials biofuels—defined as (biomass) such as corn renewable fuels stalks, wood chips, and other than ethanol fiber is termed cellulosic derived from corn starch that meet ethanol. certain criteria—and can include up to 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels—defined as ethanol derived from corn starch.” The real problem is how to accomplish the production of 21 billion gallons of non-ethanol advanced biofuels—the generation after starch ethanol. These advanced biofuels are defined as being produced from cellulosic materials, or feedstocks, including perennial grasses, crop residue, and the branches and leaves of trees. Broken down even further, the 21-billion-gallon total includes at least 16 billion gallons from advanced cellulosic biofuels, 1 billion gallons from biomass-based diesel, and 4 billion gallons from other advanced biofuels, such as butanol, or ethanol derived from sugar or some starch other than corn starch. Advanced biofuels are a great concept— imagine your car being fueled by Nature’s Own Moonshine Gravy—but the problem is that these fuels are extremely expensive to make, and no single factory is currently equipped to produce them on a commercial scale. Never mind the fact that it would require many factories to churn out
What is Cellulosic Ethanol?
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21 billion gallons of the stuff. As of January 2009 there are 25 advanced-biofuel cellulosic ethanol projects in the works, with a combined annual capacity of 376 million gallons.
Fifteen Billion But why is ethanol capped at 15 billion gallons? The answer is found in both light and dark shades of gray. According to the GAO’s report, 98 percent of domestic ethanol is grown from corn in the Midwest. That’s mostly a good thing—powering our nation with our own resources is a noble goal. In 2008 the U.S. consumed 138 billion gallons of gasoline, or about 23 percent of the world’s output (bad), but it also used about 10 billion gallons of biofuels, primarily ethanol (good). According to the GAO, most studies have found that corn-starch ethanol achieves some benefits in greenhouse gas reduction, and that more advanced, twice-as-expensive cellulosic ethanol is likely to be even better. One reason for the 15-billion-gallon cap is that corn requires a large amount of fertilizer and water. Simply planting more corn than we do now could put a strain on area aquifers, which are already being depleted a little bit each year, though this isn’t as much of a concern in the Great Lakes reservoirs as it is in South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Secondly, about 30 percent of all the corn grown in the U.S. this year will end up as ethanol. Such a strong demand causes prices to go up— great news for corn farmers, but bad news for other industries. In 2005 corn was trading at $2 W W W. S T R E E T W I S E . O R G
a bushel, but since then corn bushels have traded as high as $7.50. Sixty percent of U.S. corn is used as animal feed, and since feed is the highest cost for livestock producers, they’ve felt the impact the most, with feed prices doubling between 2006 and 2008.
Economic Impact One of the touted benefits of ethanol production is that it’s brought jobs to dying rural towns in the Corn Belt. It’s especially poignant then that the same small rural towns are often home to the livestock producers feeling the pinch of high prices as a result of ethanol production. But this economic boost also has its shades of gray. According to the GAO report,“The main benefits come from increased crop prices and the construction and operation of biorefineries to process corn into ethanol. However, expert views on the magnitude of these benefits and their permanence varies, as the ethanol industry is prone to boom and bust cycles because of commodity and energy price volatility.” Case in point: the largest U.S. ethanol producer, VeraSun Energy Corporation, declared bankruptcy in October of last year and announced the sale of all of its production facilities in 2009.
Efficiency Another glaring problem is the matter of a literal bang for the buck. The GAO report states,“Ethanol contains only about two-thirds of the energy of a gallon of gasoline, so consumers must purchase more fuel to travel the same distance. A gasoline
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Cover Story blend containing 10% ethanol results in a 2 to 3% decrease in fuel economy while in a higher blend such as E85. [Drivers using 85-percent-blend ethanol experience about a 25 percent reduction in fuel economy compared to traditional gasoline.] Because vehicle manufacturers have generally designed vehicles to operate primarily on gasoline, more warranties for non-flexible fuel vehicles allow the company to void the warranty if the owner uses fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol.” In a nation of 250 million cars, only 8 million are currently equipped for flexible fuel.
Impact on Water Ethanol takes more fresh water to refine than gasoline. According to an Argonne National Laboratory study, the amount of water needed to produce one gallon of corn-starch ethanol (considering the water used in both the irrigation and conversion processes) varies significantly—an estimated 10 to 324 gallons, depending on where the corn is grown. That works out to anywhere between 1.3 and 62 gallons of water for every mile traveled in a vehicle using ethanol produced through irrigated crops (currently, 40 percent of domestic corn is irrigated). In comparison, gasoline consumes between .07 and .14 gallons of water per mile traveled. Also, ethanol is highly corrosive and poses risks to pipelines, tanker trucks, and both above- and underground storage tanks. This is especially harmful since “studies show that ethanol causes benzene, a soluble and carcinogenic chemical in gasoline, to travel longer distances and persist longer in soil and groundwater than it would in the absence of ethanol, potentially reaching a greater number of drinking water supplies,” according to the GOA report. To create adequate storage for ethanol, gas stations or other facilities would need to be retrofitted—with costs starting at around $120,000 for each station. Ethanol’s effect on water access and water quality during processing and storage is the reason why the proposed $144 million ethanol plant west of Rockford, originally set to begin construction in the summer of 2006, is currently languishing in legal purgatory. Landowners sued the plant, saying they were shut out of hearings that concerned the quality of their rural well water. They received a settlement—and then sued again, saying the agreement was never met.
The Blend Wall One of the most startling aspects of the GAO report, by far, concerns what it calls “the blend wall.” Since no more than 10 percent ethanol can be blended into existing vehicles without voiding the manufacturer’s warranty, there is a finite amount of ethanol that can be blended into our nation’s fuel supply—15 billion gallons—and that total could be met as soon as 2011. Higher blends containing 12, 15, or 20 percent are currently undergoing long-term feasibility tests at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with the EPA, with results pending release until December.
Greenhouse Gas Emmision Associated with the Biofuels Production Process
Future Alternatives While starch ethanol may turn out to be a great transitional technology, one that encourages people to think in the right direction, it can’t meet our nation’s huge demand for fuel. More exotic biofuels are unproven and unready, but if they can be made viable, it could pay off. According to a 2005 study by the Department of Energy and the USDA, there are more than 1.3 billion dry tons of biomass potential in the United States per year, an amount they say could replace 30 percent of U.S. crude oil consumption by around 2030 and still meet food, feed, and export demands. The challenge in cellulosic feedstocks is twofold: one, there isn’t an established, efficient infrastructure for harvest, storage, and transportation, and two, the harvest window is narrow and subject to spoilage. Although there currently isn’t a firm answer for the best course of action, it will be interesting to see how science and industry collaborate to meet the ambitious 2022 fuel mandate.
Blend Wall Impact The 170 established starch ethanol factories will have to diversify to manufacture products outside of starch-based ethanol, while factories waiting to be built might just stay that way. An article on bloomberg.com describes the fading vision in nearby Ford Heights. In 2006 the city applied for an ethanol distillery to stimulate its economy, where 49 percent live below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But chances are it will never be built. Across Illinois, 795 million gallons of ethanol are on hold. When Ford Heights Ethanol applied for a permit for its proposed $130 million plant three years ago, producers were pocketing an average of $2.64 on every gallon made. But since then, corn prices have reduced that margin to 57 cents a gallon or less. On the other hand, the factory in Rochelle, Illinois, is doing great. Production began at a boom time, in December 2006. By the following August, thanks to a $4 million state grant, expansion of the plant to increase annual production capacity from 50 million gallons to a current figure of 115 million gallons had begun. The expansion was brought on line in November of last year. “With all the rail access, all the highway access, and now with the technology, we believe we can build one of the largest renewable-energy campuses in North America,” says Jason Anderson, director of economic development in Rochelle. The factory currently has a staff of 60.
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STORY PHOTOS BY BEN COOK
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The Playground
Ask Eugene
Crossword
“ all the brilliance that will fit”
Need to post a legal notice or a classified ad? Contact us at advertising@ streetwise.org or 312.829.2526
Deadline: must submit 3 Mondays prior to desired publication date.
Dear Eugene: I’m really at a loss for what to get my parents. They seem to have everything and then some, but I want to get them a memorable gift and quick! Help! -Up a Creek Dear Up, Finding The Perfect Gift is a tricky thing to manage, especially if you want to hit all the right emotional targets (extreme joy, eternal thankfulness, hi-fives and spontaneous happy dances). It’s a tricky road, and from the sound of it, your parents have become jaded to the material gifts of the world, so getting a sure winner for the materialist at heart—a Top-Of-The-Line Organic Parisian grapefruit spoon set—would be an epic failure on your nearest of kin. I’m afraid it’s going to have to come from the heart. Think hard... when did your parents think you were the funniest, cutest, most perfect person ever? That’s right— when you were little. I think that you have plenty of time to create a brand new set of Refrigerator Art for them. They haven’t displayed your work in years, and no doubt your artistic abilities have improved some. From my clock, you have a couple days to get art supplies, a couple days to knock off the rust from your coloring/glue-sticking glands, and at least two full weeks for production—plenty of time. Now, go out there and make some Happy. You can send Eugene your questions at 1201 W. Lake, Chicago, IL, 60607 or e-mail him at supreme_eugene@yahoo.com.
Sudoku Difficulty: Medium
StreetWise publishes every Wednesday
Last Week’s Answers
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Entrepreneur Spotlight
Building a new life
Update: Lydia Brown & Anthony Smith Greg Pritchett center, with Lydia at left, baby Lauren, and Anthony at right.
By Ben Cook StreetWise Staff
hen we last checked in with Lydia Brown and Anthony Smith, in April 2008, they shared the news that they had just gotten their own place in West Rogers Park. Thanks to Access Living and Graystone Realty, they had a hand in designing many aspects of their new home—unlike previous places they’ve lived in, it’s fully handicap accessible. Together for almost 15 years, the couple had been staying in a hotel since 2005, at the cost of $50 a day. Anthony sighs when he recalls the stress of living with a constant financial drain. “It put us under a tremendous amount of pressure to go out and be successful each and every single day just to pay the rent, let alone [afford] food.” Now with a stable home to return to at the end of each day, they’ve focused on other new beginnings. Lydia is all smiles.“We are just totally enjoying our house. I could not love that place more than I do. There is nothing about that place I do not like. I especially like the bathroom—I really ‘girled it up.’” Anthony rolls his eyes teasingly. She continues, “We have so much fun in that house spending time with each other and playing with our daughter, 14-month-old Lauren. She is the smartest little girl. If she was awake right now she’d be touching your computer, your phone, your desk . . . we’d probably owe you a lot of money. She gets a little fresh—like me.” Having Lauren in their lives is an embodiment of Lydia and Anthony’s hard work and success. It means a lot to them to have steady, reliable jobs and a safe place to live, allowing them to provide a loving domestic space for their child. Lydia beams, “I’m actually happy when I’m in my house. I’m in the kitchen cooking and Lauren’s looking up at me and saying ‘mama.’”
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They also have a doctor they can count on, which is important to them. Lydia says, “He is very nice and very kind to Lauren. When I go to the doctor I say, ‘Lauren, come on, let’s go to your party!’ and she just lights up, because they get along so great together.” Health issues have been an additional source of stress, particularly for Anthony. He’s been able to maintain his diabetes medication regimen, but he’s had to deal with a lot of side effects because the medication is so strong. “He has to take it with food, and then he can’t really do anything but fall asleep for a couple hours,” Lydia says.“And he has to take it twice a day, so that’s a lot of downtime.” Despite the drowsiness and nausea,Anthony tries to take his medication as directed, because he knows it’s important. As a sign of encouragement when he isn’t feeling well, Lydia and Lauren like to give him kisses on the cheek until he laughs. Lydia cracks up, saying, “It’s so much fun to have a partner in crime now so we can both gang up on him.” As for their work, Anthony’s been in the same spot for years, selling StreetWise at the Whole Foods at 30 E. Huron. Lydia, on the other hand, is eager to come back to her spot on Chicago Avenue. “I miss my friends. They tore down Dunkin’ Donuts and Nancy’s, where I used to sell my papers.” Loyola University is currently building new facilities at that location, but as soon as construction is finished, Lydia plans to come back to her spot. She says in a determined tone, “I’m going to be right there by the clock as soon as they get through.” Both she and Anthony want their customers to know that they love them and appreciate their support, as it’s allowed them to build a wonderful life for themselves.
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We are just totally enjoying our house. I could not love that place more than I do... I especially like the bathroom--I really ‘girled it up.’ —Lydia Brown
Look for the Badge! 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.
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N Michigan Avenue (312-915-3916) www.shop900.com November 22 Accepting Donations at Complimentary Coat Check Donations collected at the complimentary coat check with support Chicago Lights Tutoring, a free tutoring program, for 400 students from Chicago’s low-income neighborhoods that provide one-to-one attention from volunteers, healthy meals, arts programming, a library, job training, and a computer lab. The coat check will be located at Level 6 and is completely complimentary. Affinia Chicago 166 E. Superior St, (866-246-2203) www.affinia.com October 1 P March 31 8Pa)ama Drive9 8Comfortathon9 All pajamas donated throughout the year (Started Oct. 1) will be donated to former homeless men and women who are now living is housing facilities managed by Common Ground. Also, for each Comfort Package purchased (Lands End pajamas and Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream included in your stay) $10 will be donated to Common Ground. Bloomingdale’s North Michigan Avenue 900 N. Michigan Ave., (312-440-4460) & Bloomingdale’s Home & Furniture Store at Medinah Temple 600 N. Wabash Ave. (312-324-7500) www.bloomingdales.com Little Brown Bear Supports The uvenile Diabetes esearch Foundation nternational With each purchase of a cute, cuddly Little Brown Bear, Bloomingdales will donate $5 to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. To learn more about JDRF and how you can help us on the road to a cure, please visit http://www.jdrf.org. 8 ood Deeds9 Purchase any of Bloomingdale’s “Good Deed” items this holiday season and help give back to a variety of deserving causes from feeding the hungry to finding a cure. Shop the items in this catalog and make the world a better place, one gift at a time. Visit
www.bloomingdales.com/holiday to view more Good Deeds. Doubletree Chicago Magnificent Mile 300 E. Ohio St, (312-787-6100) www.doubletreemagmile.com November 21 - December 31 “Sweet Acts of Kindness” Cookie Drive Donations received through this cookie drive with help area families enjoy their own Sweet Dreams. Doubletree Signature Chocolate Chip cookies are $2 and all sales proceeds benefit Windy City Habitat for Humanity. Entertainment Cruises Navy Pier, 600 E Grand aboard Odyssey and Spirit of Chicago (888-957-2322) www.odyssey.com or www.spiritofchicago.com November 1 P November 22 8 ntertainment Cruises Fleet-Wide Holiday Food Drive9 Entertainment Cruises Chicago vessels will be participating in a fleet-wide food drive. Please bring a nonperishable food item on board any of Odyssey or Spirit of Chicago’s November dining cruises and you’ll receive a complimentary glass of champagne (21 ). Grow Flower & Gift Shop 455. N Cityfront Plaza Dr., NBC Tower (312-396-1234) www.growflowershop.com November 22 P December 22 8Bou0uets of Hope9 For every order placed during the holiday season we will donate a bouquet “in your name” to a family at the Ronald McDonald House. We deliver smiles! H $ Plus 600 N. Michigan Ave. (312-397-1243) www.h2oplus.com November 22 8Commitment to Clean Water9 Please join us at an exclusive one-day event to share our commitment to clean water. Receive 10 off your purchase on Sunday, November 22. In addition, H2O Plus will donate 15 of proceeds to Alliance for the Great Lakes. (Promo Code: 029073)
PJ Clarke’s 1204 N. State Parkway (312-664-1650) www.pjclarkeschicago.com Sunday, November 22 8 o the T A M L for MA -A-W SH9 Go the EXTRA MILE and help P.J. Clarke’s raise $1,000 on Sunday November 22 for the Make-AWish Foundation. P.J. Clarke’s will donate $1 for every appetizer, brunch, lunch, dinner and desert plate ordered. Your support will help to make a wish come true for a child facing a life-threatening medical condition. Tails in the City 1 E. Delaware Place (312-649-0347) www.tailsinthecity.com Sunday, November 22 8Shopping Day to Benefit PAWS Chicago9 Join us on Sunday, November 22 to support PAWS Chicago. 15 of all sales on Sunday will be donated to PAWS Chicago P Chicago’s largest no-kill animal shelter. The Signature Room at the th 875 N. Michigan Ave. (312-787-9596) www.signatureroom.com Table of Charity Dining The Signature Room’s Table of 12 program has donated over $620,000 to 200 organizations since 1993. This November, choose menu items from the Signature Monthly Dinner Menu and 10 of the proceeds benefit the American Brain Tumor Association. During December, the Signature Monthly Dinner Menu donation benefits Kids Fight Cancer. Wendella Boats 400 N. Michigan Ave. (312-337-1446) www.wendellaboats.com Sunday, November 22 8See Chicago Help Chicago 9 For every non-perishable item donated, $1.00 will be taken off the ticket price. Good for all tours.