That's because the brand "Wrigley Field" with the ballpark in Wrigleyville was worth more than the team itself. When the Ricketts were negotiating to buy the Cubs, they tried at one point to say they would buy the team only and build a new park elsewhere (Arlington Heights, I think. Why is it always Arlington Heights? The track, I guess.) Sam Zell/Tribune Company saw right through this negotiation charade, as anyone familiar with the Cubs and Wrigley field is well aware that the it is the "Wrigley Field experience" (particularly day games) that draws the vast majority of fans - many (most?) of whom are not from the Chicagoland area on any given day
I'll call it the Griffin Museum the day I call the Sears Tower "the Willis Tower" and the John Hancock Building "875 N. Michigan". In other words, never.
There are distinct differences between the Field, Shedd, and Adler, and the travesty at the MSI. First of all, Griffin hates Chicago and badmouths the city every chance he gets. Second, those other museums are named after their founders.
But, more important, Julius Rosenwald was notably opposed to naming facilities. He said, in reference to what we now call the Rosenwald Schools, a term not used in his lifetime: "If no name is used it belongs to the people.” I will defer to his wishes.
Deferring to Julius Rosenwald's wishes is tricky in the case of 875 N Michigan. The prior name, John Hancock Building, was from the John Hancock insurance company, which got its name from a person. Is the characteristic "named after a person" inherited? I don't know, but it seems safest to call it by its address so that you don't anger the ghost of Rosenwald.
Johnsons reminds me of some over educated, under skilled dork that got a big promotion at work and becomes the boss. All the people under him know he doesn't know what he's doing, he knows he doesn't know what he's doing, but eventually he looks in the mirror and says, "Well, they gave me this job, I must have earned it", and carries on. I hope he gets better, but it seems his answer to everything is raise taxes. I never hear him say let's attract new businesses and get more taxes that way, but then again, just read my first two sentences. The fact that Johnson and all his cronies are paid by the taxpayers may explain his lack of business sense which is a real negative for the city.
Interesting reply. Garry also had an interesting reaction. Here's my take on the taxation versus investment issue. In trying to attract new investors or getting current business owners to increase their footprint what will they get from Johnson or the city? New personnel(head) taxes or other business taxes? How many are leaving downtown and the city entirely due to caring about the safety of their employees? Are there going to be more diversity in hiring initiatives? In other words what should investors expect from Johnson and why should they join the parade? Sometimes we expect too much from business when it comes to idealistic societal needs. This is America. Profit counts. No matter what the political perspective is of anyone here, it must be admitted that.most businesses, while not against doing good, want profits. Haven't we learned anything from the retailers and grocers that tried to locate in the "food deserts" anf gave up? It doesn't work unless investors get something out of it. So the question is, after a year in office, what has Johnson learned about attracting investors? Is he willing to buck his socialist backers to get more investment?
Mayor: Eric (C); Myself (D). MSI for now. Griffin Museum in time. Something will replace "REAL ID" before everyone gets it. Counsel 1/3 time on honorary resolutions (keeps them in office with these 'favors") Still not sure what they do the other 2/3. T/B I wondered how ABC jumped other news outlets. No audience and mic switches. Brilliant. Never believe the polls 18 months prior to election day. Canceled. I may have seen an episode of a few - but then again I've not seen - or heard of - some of the renewed shows.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Ken Griffen donated money for the complete bike path/walking path separation along the entire Lake Front Trail, which is a huge gift to this city. You may not agree with his politics, but he invested a lot of money in improving this city before he finally gave up on it.
Johnson always mentions "40 years of disinvestment " when defending his policies, but is never specific beyond the closure of underutilized schools in neighborhoods with declining enrollment. I wish the press would not let him get away with being so vague. Certainly closing a few mental health facilities that were only open during business hours and instead tripling the mental health budget and using a more flexible model to meet mental health needs as Lightfoot did is not "disinvestment". Did the city close parks, pools, or community centers in the troubled neighborhoods? Using cliches is what an activist does. Developing specific action plans with realistic budgets is what an executive does.
Agree that the mayor, and so many others, throw around terms like 'disinvestment' way too often as fillers, without being specific. They should be pressed on that. The recent PBS series, "Shame of Chicago, Shame of the Nation", is worth a watch:
Like most documentaries, it has plenty of half-truths and lacks a diversity of perspective. However, it does do a very good job of explaining redlining, bogus FHA loans, blockbusting, segregation, and generally what progressives are referring to when mentioning decades of "disinvestment".
I understand the long history of red-lining, Jim Crow the many and other sins of segregation, but when he says "40 years" that only takes us back to 1984. What has the city of Chicago done to "disinvest" in the troubled communities since then? They did tear down the crime infested public housing high rises since 1984 and maybe did not replace them with enough other positive options, but I never hear that decision criticized by progressives. From Millennium Park to the River Walk there has been a lot of investment in the downtown, but that is not "disinvestment" in the South and West side. It is also perplexing that when there are major investments, such as the Obama Center, you hear complaints of "gentrification".
Generally agree. In the last episode, the documentary makes a case for how actions in past decades still have an impact on "disinvestment" more recently. The subprime mortgage crisis in 2007, for instance, wiping out decades of gains in the black community, and bailing out the banks. Past lending practices still haven't changed enough. Some fair points, some questionable. So maybe it's less about city budgetary policy in recent decades, and more about making up for private institutions. Until the mayor speaks in specifics, we won't know.
You're missing the point. Investments in the downtown area are not a bad thing. But they don't help the people that need it the most. A riverwalk doesn't provide jobs or hope to the west and south sides you mention. Now don't misunderstand me. It seems to me that too many opinions here are all one way or another as if progressive or liberal have no middle ground. People in "the neighborhoods" need to do more to help themselves, such as cooperating with law enforcement and making sure kids stay in school and get educated. Companies are not going to invest in these areas without seeing signs of progress. But "trickle down", the old Reagan saw doesn't work. Making more money is no guarantee it will work its way downward. I could be wrong but I believe there is still a huge disconnect between corporate and community leaders. Corporate leaders don't always want to be seen as greedy hogs at the trough keeping it all to themselves or racist merely because of skin color or the failure to give all their money to the needy.
Android phones have an even better feature. "Screen call" answers the call with an automated message that says the call is being screened, please state your name and why you are calling. It then transcribes any answer. 98% of the time there's no response and the phone then offers "report spam?" which generates another message telling the caller to remove this number from their list. 2% of the time it's someone I really do want to talk to.
Being the same age as John Daley’s freshman character in “Freaks and Geeks,” I can say without hesitation that no TV show or movie does a better job of capturing the boring, thrilling world of Midwest suburban high schoolers in the late 70s- early 80s. That show was a miracle. A must-watch for anyone whose memories of adolescence bring cringe, regret, and profound quiet joy.
"Chicago historian and journalist Cate Plys makes the point on this week’s episode of 'The Mincing Rascals' podcast that, by rights, the Museum of Science and Industry should have been named for philanthropist Julius Rosenwald who founded the museum by giving the equivalent of slightly more than $125 million in today’s money to the project prior to its opening in 1933, but Rosenwald declined the honor."
Which is typical of him, American history's coolest tycoon, probably by far. He turned Sears into the Amazon of its day, funded the creation of thousands of schools for Black children in the segregated South, "Rosenwald schools," funded the construction of affordable housing for Black migrants to Chicago, funded the establishment of Black YMCAs, and founded the MSI.
But the best reason to admire this guy may be what he said here: "Most people are of the opinion that because a man has made a fortune that his opinions on any subject are valuable. For my part, I always believe most large fortunes are made by men of mediocre ability who tumbled into a lucky opportunity and couldn’t help but get rich and that others, given the same chance, would have done far better with it." Can you imagine any modern tech baron or financier uttering those words? I can't. (And, indeed, it was highly unusual for the time. Most were some variety of asshole, then as now.)
Wikipedia goes on to say: "Thus, although Julius Rosenwald is one of Chicago's most admired Jewish businessmen, he maintained a low profile throughout his life. He refused to be the source of biographies and did not want his name to be affixed on buildings or institutions. He even insisted that his generous philanthropic contributions be matched by others so that he would not be credited with the title of 'sole donor'."
Thanks for sharing that; I wasn't familiar with him beyond the name. I love that quote! I plan to now share it in comments on any news story about billionaires, particularly Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos who *definitely* need lessons in how to be a philanthropist.
Brandon Johnson can really help his cause if he can, like, answer a question. Every response is misdirection. You know it's bad when even progressive-leaning media members and outlets get annoyed with him about that.
My favorite Brandon Johnson moment was from February. From the Sun-Times:
Asked repeatedly about the [ShotSpotter] contract extension, Johnson did not answer directly. Nor would he provide a simple “yes” or “no” to the pressing question of whether ShotSpotter would be shut off.
“It may be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question for you. But I will respectfully ask that you ask your question and allow me to answer the question in the way in which I want to. I don’t dictate the question. So please don’t dictate how I answer a question,” he said.
I guess we can now add spoiled child to all the other descriptions of Johnson. It is the job of both the media and citizens to ask questions. He doesn't get to dictate what questions are asked. And he has been answering them his way all along, which means not answering them.
Regarding the visual tweet that shows the forecast for 775 degrees. I noticed that it says that there is a 2 degree guarantee. Has anyone looked into what that guarantee is? Does it pay off?
Second: Serious flying in the ointment about not answering calls from unknown callers -- someone is calling for a loved one who's been in an accident or become seriously ill. And there you are, tra la, tra la, not answering the call. And yes, this has happened, though not to me.
My rule is I don't answer a number I'm not familiar with, and if it's important or urgent they'll leave a voicemail. This has worked in past emergencies. Besides, I'm not able to answer my phone while working.
I answer ever single call, no matter what. If it's a scammer, I hope it's a live scammer so I can fuck with them!
If it's a robocall with voice recognition, I swear at the robocaller, because not one company that uses that technology has the brains to do what Apple has done with Siri, which is to realize that smartasses like me swear at the robocall & then have a funny answer for that. If you have Siri, swear at her or ask her a really bizarre question, such as "Where is the nearest whorehouse?" Siri will respond with something cute or something that she can't do that. but when you swear at a robocaller's voice recognition system, it just goes to dead air, because they never bothered to program that & I've just confused it!
As another pointed out, Android phones have a 'screen call' option. It dictates a statement and asks the caller to identify themself. I have' had 1 'real' call among dozens of screened ones. And I get fewer and fewer scammy calls. Maybe one a month now.
Answering unknown numbers is my weird sole superpower. I can't ever turn my phone off in case it's a call related to my mother's care, and occasionally I've had it on press releases and hoped to get called my reporters with unknown numbers. 95% of the time if I choose to answer an unknown number, it's someone I want to talk to and if I ignore it, it's spam. Unfortunately, there's no money to be made with this skill! LOL
To add to the list of iconic landmarks named after rich people, Wrigley Field, named after the chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.
He owned the team and the ballpark. I think that's a little different.
I’ve always thought it strange that current owners would keep an old owners name on the park. We finally lost Comiskey, but the Rickets kept Wrigley.
The Ricketts are smarter than Reinsdorf!
That's because the brand "Wrigley Field" with the ballpark in Wrigleyville was worth more than the team itself. When the Ricketts were negotiating to buy the Cubs, they tried at one point to say they would buy the team only and build a new park elsewhere (Arlington Heights, I think. Why is it always Arlington Heights? The track, I guess.) Sam Zell/Tribune Company saw right through this negotiation charade, as anyone familiar with the Cubs and Wrigley field is well aware that the it is the "Wrigley Field experience" (particularly day games) that draws the vast majority of fans - many (most?) of whom are not from the Chicagoland area on any given day
Isn't Wrigley Field on the National Regisiter of Historic Places, or some such. If so, I don't think you're allowed to change the name.
Not holding my breath on this becoming common wisdom, but hydrologically speaking, Lakes Michigan and Huron are one big lake.
I've known that for years, they are always at the exact same level above sea level.
I'll call it the Griffin Museum the day I call the Sears Tower "the Willis Tower" and the John Hancock Building "875 N. Michigan". In other words, never.
There are distinct differences between the Field, Shedd, and Adler, and the travesty at the MSI. First of all, Griffin hates Chicago and badmouths the city every chance he gets. Second, those other museums are named after their founders.
But, more important, Julius Rosenwald was notably opposed to naming facilities. He said, in reference to what we now call the Rosenwald Schools, a term not used in his lifetime: "If no name is used it belongs to the people.” I will defer to his wishes.
There is an opportunity to post a pair of Griffins at the museum like the Lions elsewhere.
Deferring to Julius Rosenwald's wishes is tricky in the case of 875 N Michigan. The prior name, John Hancock Building, was from the John Hancock insurance company, which got its name from a person. Is the characteristic "named after a person" inherited? I don't know, but it seems safest to call it by its address so that you don't anger the ghost of Rosenwald.
Johnsons reminds me of some over educated, under skilled dork that got a big promotion at work and becomes the boss. All the people under him know he doesn't know what he's doing, he knows he doesn't know what he's doing, but eventually he looks in the mirror and says, "Well, they gave me this job, I must have earned it", and carries on. I hope he gets better, but it seems his answer to everything is raise taxes. I never hear him say let's attract new businesses and get more taxes that way, but then again, just read my first two sentences. The fact that Johnson and all his cronies are paid by the taxpayers may explain his lack of business sense which is a real negative for the city.
One of the best example of the Peter Principle & you have written an excellent description of Brandon the Failure.
Interesting reply. Garry also had an interesting reaction. Here's my take on the taxation versus investment issue. In trying to attract new investors or getting current business owners to increase their footprint what will they get from Johnson or the city? New personnel(head) taxes or other business taxes? How many are leaving downtown and the city entirely due to caring about the safety of their employees? Are there going to be more diversity in hiring initiatives? In other words what should investors expect from Johnson and why should they join the parade? Sometimes we expect too much from business when it comes to idealistic societal needs. This is America. Profit counts. No matter what the political perspective is of anyone here, it must be admitted that.most businesses, while not against doing good, want profits. Haven't we learned anything from the retailers and grocers that tried to locate in the "food deserts" anf gave up? It doesn't work unless investors get something out of it. So the question is, after a year in office, what has Johnson learned about attracting investors? Is he willing to buck his socialist backers to get more investment?
Mayor: Eric (C); Myself (D). MSI for now. Griffin Museum in time. Something will replace "REAL ID" before everyone gets it. Counsel 1/3 time on honorary resolutions (keeps them in office with these 'favors") Still not sure what they do the other 2/3. T/B I wondered how ABC jumped other news outlets. No audience and mic switches. Brilliant. Never believe the polls 18 months prior to election day. Canceled. I may have seen an episode of a few - but then again I've not seen - or heard of - some of the renewed shows.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Ken Griffen donated money for the complete bike path/walking path separation along the entire Lake Front Trail, which is a huge gift to this city. You may not agree with his politics, but he invested a lot of money in improving this city before he finally gave up on it.
When I heard about Griffin's name for the MSI, my thought was it would be more appropriate if it was attached to one or more circles of hell.
Johnson always mentions "40 years of disinvestment " when defending his policies, but is never specific beyond the closure of underutilized schools in neighborhoods with declining enrollment. I wish the press would not let him get away with being so vague. Certainly closing a few mental health facilities that were only open during business hours and instead tripling the mental health budget and using a more flexible model to meet mental health needs as Lightfoot did is not "disinvestment". Did the city close parks, pools, or community centers in the troubled neighborhoods? Using cliches is what an activist does. Developing specific action plans with realistic budgets is what an executive does.
Agree that the mayor, and so many others, throw around terms like 'disinvestment' way too often as fillers, without being specific. They should be pressed on that. The recent PBS series, "Shame of Chicago, Shame of the Nation", is worth a watch:
https://www.shameofchicagodoc.org/
Like most documentaries, it has plenty of half-truths and lacks a diversity of perspective. However, it does do a very good job of explaining redlining, bogus FHA loans, blockbusting, segregation, and generally what progressives are referring to when mentioning decades of "disinvestment".
I understand the long history of red-lining, Jim Crow the many and other sins of segregation, but when he says "40 years" that only takes us back to 1984. What has the city of Chicago done to "disinvest" in the troubled communities since then? They did tear down the crime infested public housing high rises since 1984 and maybe did not replace them with enough other positive options, but I never hear that decision criticized by progressives. From Millennium Park to the River Walk there has been a lot of investment in the downtown, but that is not "disinvestment" in the South and West side. It is also perplexing that when there are major investments, such as the Obama Center, you hear complaints of "gentrification".
Generally agree. In the last episode, the documentary makes a case for how actions in past decades still have an impact on "disinvestment" more recently. The subprime mortgage crisis in 2007, for instance, wiping out decades of gains in the black community, and bailing out the banks. Past lending practices still haven't changed enough. Some fair points, some questionable. So maybe it's less about city budgetary policy in recent decades, and more about making up for private institutions. Until the mayor speaks in specifics, we won't know.
You're missing the point. Investments in the downtown area are not a bad thing. But they don't help the people that need it the most. A riverwalk doesn't provide jobs or hope to the west and south sides you mention. Now don't misunderstand me. It seems to me that too many opinions here are all one way or another as if progressive or liberal have no middle ground. People in "the neighborhoods" need to do more to help themselves, such as cooperating with law enforcement and making sure kids stay in school and get educated. Companies are not going to invest in these areas without seeing signs of progress. But "trickle down", the old Reagan saw doesn't work. Making more money is no guarantee it will work its way downward. I could be wrong but I believe there is still a huge disconnect between corporate and community leaders. Corporate leaders don't always want to be seen as greedy hogs at the trough keeping it all to themselves or racist merely because of skin color or the failure to give all their money to the needy.
Android phones have an even better feature. "Screen call" answers the call with an automated message that says the call is being screened, please state your name and why you are calling. It then transcribes any answer. 98% of the time there's no response and the phone then offers "report spam?" which generates another message telling the caller to remove this number from their list. 2% of the time it's someone I really do want to talk to.
i would describe Mayor Johnson thus far more as 'a piece of work' than 'a work in progress'
Being the same age as John Daley’s freshman character in “Freaks and Geeks,” I can say without hesitation that no TV show or movie does a better job of capturing the boring, thrilling world of Midwest suburban high schoolers in the late 70s- early 80s. That show was a miracle. A must-watch for anyone whose memories of adolescence bring cringe, regret, and profound quiet joy.
A fantastic show. When I rewatched it, I was amazed that it held up so well.
"Chicago historian and journalist Cate Plys makes the point on this week’s episode of 'The Mincing Rascals' podcast that, by rights, the Museum of Science and Industry should have been named for philanthropist Julius Rosenwald who founded the museum by giving the equivalent of slightly more than $125 million in today’s money to the project prior to its opening in 1933, but Rosenwald declined the honor."
Which is typical of him, American history's coolest tycoon, probably by far. He turned Sears into the Amazon of its day, funded the creation of thousands of schools for Black children in the segregated South, "Rosenwald schools," funded the construction of affordable housing for Black migrants to Chicago, funded the establishment of Black YMCAs, and founded the MSI.
But the best reason to admire this guy may be what he said here: "Most people are of the opinion that because a man has made a fortune that his opinions on any subject are valuable. For my part, I always believe most large fortunes are made by men of mediocre ability who tumbled into a lucky opportunity and couldn’t help but get rich and that others, given the same chance, would have done far better with it." Can you imagine any modern tech baron or financier uttering those words? I can't. (And, indeed, it was highly unusual for the time. Most were some variety of asshole, then as now.)
Wikipedia goes on to say: "Thus, although Julius Rosenwald is one of Chicago's most admired Jewish businessmen, he maintained a low profile throughout his life. He refused to be the source of biographies and did not want his name to be affixed on buildings or institutions. He even insisted that his generous philanthropic contributions be matched by others so that he would not be credited with the title of 'sole donor'."
There's a very nice documentary about him: https://rosenwaldfilm.org/
Rosenwald's memory is a blessing.
Thanks for sharing that; I wasn't familiar with him beyond the name. I love that quote! I plan to now share it in comments on any news story about billionaires, particularly Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos who *definitely* need lessons in how to be a philanthropist.
Thanks for the link to the documentary. A true mensch.
I thought the Tune of the Week was supposed to be post 2000.
Brandon Johnson can really help his cause if he can, like, answer a question. Every response is misdirection. You know it's bad when even progressive-leaning media members and outlets get annoyed with him about that.
My favorite Brandon Johnson moment was from February. From the Sun-Times:
Asked repeatedly about the [ShotSpotter] contract extension, Johnson did not answer directly. Nor would he provide a simple “yes” or “no” to the pressing question of whether ShotSpotter would be shut off.
“It may be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question for you. But I will respectfully ask that you ask your question and allow me to answer the question in the way in which I want to. I don’t dictate the question. So please don’t dictate how I answer a question,” he said.
I guess we can now add spoiled child to all the other descriptions of Johnson. It is the job of both the media and citizens to ask questions. He doesn't get to dictate what questions are asked. And he has been answering them his way all along, which means not answering them.
Johnson knows he can be evasive and get away with it. I'm glad the press here are starting to push back to some degree.
Regarding the visual tweet that shows the forecast for 775 degrees. I noticed that it says that there is a 2 degree guarantee. Has anyone looked into what that guarantee is? Does it pay off?
First: I love the word "feckless."
Second: Serious flying in the ointment about not answering calls from unknown callers -- someone is calling for a loved one who's been in an accident or become seriously ill. And there you are, tra la, tra la, not answering the call. And yes, this has happened, though not to me.
My rule is I don't answer a number I'm not familiar with, and if it's important or urgent they'll leave a voicemail. This has worked in past emergencies. Besides, I'm not able to answer my phone while working.
I answer ever single call, no matter what. If it's a scammer, I hope it's a live scammer so I can fuck with them!
If it's a robocall with voice recognition, I swear at the robocaller, because not one company that uses that technology has the brains to do what Apple has done with Siri, which is to realize that smartasses like me swear at the robocall & then have a funny answer for that. If you have Siri, swear at her or ask her a really bizarre question, such as "Where is the nearest whorehouse?" Siri will respond with something cute or something that she can't do that. but when you swear at a robocaller's voice recognition system, it just goes to dead air, because they never bothered to program that & I've just confused it!
I love this method.
As another pointed out, Android phones have a 'screen call' option. It dictates a statement and asks the caller to identify themself. I have' had 1 'real' call among dozens of screened ones. And I get fewer and fewer scammy calls. Maybe one a month now.
I was unaware of this, and it sounds like a terrific feature. My text serves the same purpose except when the call is coming from a land line.
Answering unknown numbers is my weird sole superpower. I can't ever turn my phone off in case it's a call related to my mother's care, and occasionally I've had it on press releases and hoped to get called my reporters with unknown numbers. 95% of the time if I choose to answer an unknown number, it's someone I want to talk to and if I ignore it, it's spam. Unfortunately, there's no money to be made with this skill! LOL
I think this is a great superpower, especially if you're hoping to hear from reporters!