Profile of Career Change: Thomas Conner
Pop Music Critic Thomas Conner has had his fill of the journalism world, and he opened up about it for ChicagoTalks. After 20 successful years in the business, what made Conner, now former pop music critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, come to the conclusion that he wanted out? The breaking point, he said, was when […]
Increasing Our “Like”-ability
Ever wonder how you’re measuring up in digital success with Web and Social Analytics? Ever wonder what all those numbers mean in Google Analytics? If so, Rich Gordon’s lecture on those topics during the LION Publishers Summit held Oct. 3-5 at Columbia College Chicago was a must hear. Gordon, a professor at Medill School of […]
This Pullman Train’s No Sleeper
Pullman Porter Blues, Cheryl L. West’s play about three generations of African American Pullman porters on the cusp of unionization in the 1930s opened this week at the Goodman Theatre. This isn’t a typical theater review, but more an encouragement for Chicagoans of all ages and backgrounds to check out this play. If you […]
BOOK REVIEW: Tinderbox
Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic and How the World Can Finally Overcome it By Craig TImberg and Daniel Halperin. Penguin Press (2012). HIV-AIDS, as it is commonly referred to in my mother’s motherland of Uganda, has certain uniform characteristics, in terms of both where it is entrenched and the behaviors and circumstances […]
Earth Day film review: ‘Musicwood’
“Forests are not quiet. There’s music in the forest,” says a man in the opening lines of the film. “When you cut down the spruce tree and make it into a thousand guitars, all that means is that a spruce tree is singing in a thousand different places.” ‘Musicwood,’ a 2012 documentary directed by Maxine […]
The Seldoms: Ten years of dancing in the windy city
2012 marked the 10 year anniversary for The Seldoms, a small contemporary dance theater company based in Chicago. In their decade working in the city, artistic director Carrie Hanson and her band of loyal dancers have diligently sustained the relevance of their art in the windy city. The Seldoms, a non-profit company, labels itself as […]
Time For Tech Notes: RebelMouse pulls your social network together
Time for Tech Notes is an occasional feature of Chicagotalks.org. Send us your suggestions for tech we should talk about, or send us your review as a “Time for Tech Note.” Rebel Mouse, is a social publishing platform that allows for users to share their content in a similar way to the digital clipboard site […]
Stella Blue Designs Boutique
Angela Gianfrancesco, executive designer and owner of Stella Blue Designs, says she used to play with her grandmother’s jewelry tower while growing up in St. Louis. She recalls coming upon a box of jewelry a neighbor had thrown away and finding a spinning ballerina surrounded by piles of shiny jewelry. “One man’s trash is another […]
Nike’s New Campout Policy & Chicago Sneaker Culture
For sneaker collectors, camping out for their pair of shoes is a tradition that’s been going on for years. But with all the violence happening during sneaker releases, that tradition is slowly coming to an end. “Camping out is a staple in the sneaker game for me”, said Southern Illinois student Sean Poshka. “Now that […]
The Fever – A Play That’s Antidote to Holiday Madness?
Do our holidays revolve around more than scrambling for the best deal on the latest must-have device or the most unusual gift? For that matter, do our lives? Where does all this material comfort come from and what webs connect us to the unseen people whose labor has produced it? American Theatre magazine wrote about […]
Release of ‘Black Ops II’ Brings Crowd to Store Late at Night
Gamers were lined up late Monday night at the Target store on Roosevelt Road to buy the new Call of Duty game, Black Ops II. “I’ve been waiting since the summer for the release of this game, once I saw the commercial,” said 38-year-old Aaron Schultz of Evergreen Park. ”Once Target allowed me to have the […]
Be the Boss of You: Essential iOS Apps for Your Startup
David Rocke is a self-professed computer geek and tech savvy blogger and writer for the Chicago based company, Vanguard Archives. He writes and blogs on a variety of topics from digital rights to Records management. As the mind behind a startup or small business you have a host of to-dos on your plate, some of them […]
Holiday Season: Inside Forever 21 on State Street
With holiday shopping on the way, Forever 21 manager Jelena Becirevic said sales are picking up and she anticipates a busy season. Becirevic, who manages the Forever 21 at 34 S. State St. between Madison and Monroe, said the store keeps shoppers guessing with a variety of different selections daily. “There is shipment five days […]
Chinatown: Tony Hu Opens His Seventh Restaurant
Newly opened “Lao Ma La” is not cuisine catered to the faintest of taste buds. This Chinese-style restaurant stands on the north side of Chinatown – its name ‘Ma La’ translating to “peppercorn spicy”. Lao Ma La’s owner Tony Hu is a dominating restaurateur in Chinese cuisine, opening up his seventh food chain in the […]
Rico Music & Art Center: A Lesson in Learning Located In Irving Park
When inquired about Rico’s Music & Art shop’s mission statement, a silent man handed over a single piece of paper. The title in bold read, “why learn music?” The reasons why were simple: it is science, math, history, physical education, a foreign language and finally, most of all, it is an art. Rico’s Music & […]
Chicago’s Fashion History on Display
There is more to Chicago history than steelworkers and hog butchers. There were dressmakers and milliners, manufacturers, and merchants who made our city their home see the fashions, accessories and more, worn by former presidents and first ladies, sports stars, celebrities or everyday people. The Chicago History Museum puts its gowns and fashions on display […]
Linda Bubon’s ‘Woman and Children First’, The ‘Anchor’ in Andersonville
Linda Bubon, co-owner of Women and Children First – one of the only feminist bookstores in Chicago — said Andersonville looks toward her store as an “anchor” for the neighborhood. Bubon, 60, said the neighborhood had only 14 liquor stores and three retail shops when she opened the store 42 years ago. Since then, the North Shore neighborhood has been transformed into […]
Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport
The Chicago neighborhood of Bridgeport may be best known for being the home of the Chicago White Sox, but it also has a growing art community. One of the larger art galleries is the Zhou B Art Center that was founded by the Zhou Brothers to host Chicago artists as well as international artists. Walking […]
