Lavishly produced, including faithfully recreated period music and a treasure trove of archival films and photographs, the latest “documentary” from Ken Burns managed to narrowly miss the mark. In most American colleges and universities, Burns would receive an “A+” if he submitted an essay resembling his television documentary adaptation of Geoffrey Ward’s script, but that would be due to carelessness or an inattention to detail on the part of his docile professor.

As always, the film is beautifully composed. There are some seductive inserts of bottling plant assembly line machinery and …

Having read excerpts of “Whiskey Breakfast” which were available online, I eagerly awaited the publication of the full length book which was finally released by the University of Minnesota Press a few weeks ago. I was not disappointed when the autobiographical title arrived yesterday. I found “Whiskey Breakfast” so engrossing that I read it in its entirety in a single day.

In recounting the history of his Swedish immigrant ancestors who settled in Chicago, Richard C. Lindberg, historian and occasional “Chicago Daily Observer” contributor, has rummaged through the attic and recreated …

According to a gushing Carol Marin column, State Representative Deborah Mell (D-40th) “quietly made Illinois history last week” by marrying a woman in Iowa. Judging by Marin’s tone, this must have been the equivalent of Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Quietly making history? Really? If a same sex marriage conducted in Davenport is splashed across the front page of a daily Chicago metropolitan newspaper, does it make a sound?
Championing Deborah Mell’s quirky lifestyle choices seems to have become a minor cottage industry for Carol “The Triple Threat” Marin. She has …

As the 2010 prosperity summer has given way to the current summer of deficits, darkness and despair, what better possible antidote could be administered than hot buttered popcorn?
The Music Box Theater is playing host to the third annual Noir City film festival from August 12th to 18th. The week long series features four recently restored films and a portion of all ticket sales will be used to fund future film restoration projects conducted under the auspices of the not for profit Film Noir Foundation. Guest introductions and commentaries will …

The 2010 “Summer of Prosperity” has given way to the 2011 “Summer of Love” and, as the long, hot “Summer of Love” continues, the silence of the politically correct media elites is deafening.

On the opening day of the Wisconsin State Fair, August 5th, a near riot occurred in which eleven people were injured and thirty-one persons of interest were arrested. The governor had to call out the Wisconsin State Patrol to increase security at the fair and supplement local law enforcement. New restrictions have prohibited the entry of …

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
Where the supermarket used to stand
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local Pally
That’s where the big bands used to come and play
My sister went there on a Saturday
Lyrics from “Come Dancing” (1982) by Ray Davies of the Kinks.
The former Gabby Hartnett bowling alley in Lincolnwood has been demolished. It had been closed for sometime, but I was surprised at how quickly the vacant building was leveled. Before being shuttered, the business had …

I am finding it hard to mourn Thomas F. Roeser.
Yes, I am saddened by his recent demise and I will certainly miss his company and his op-ed columns and radio programs. I also feel for his many friends and family members who will miss him so much. I am not ashamed to say that I have wept for other persons who have left us, especially those who to have been taken at an early age, but not for Tom.

I am finding it hard to feel empty. I do regret the …

I carry no brief for former Governor Rod Blagojevich (D).
Unlike many Illinoisans, I can honestly tell you that I voted against Blagojevich five times since 1996. I was not able to vote against him when he was a Representative in the General Assembly since his election district was located South of my voting address, but I was able to vote for his congressional and gubernatorial opponents. Of course, Blagojevich won all of those elections.

I was familiar with Blagojevich’s deserved “backbencher” reputation while he was drawing a paycheck from the state …

The rope line stretched from the Washington Street entrance to City Hall, wound its way past the City Clerk’s office and continued to the bank of elevators servicing the fifth floor. Surprisingly, the expected overflow crowd never fully materialized. There was a modestly respectable afternoon turnout that inched forward at a leisurely pace, but not much more. A private reception for invited guests had occurred earlier in the day. Mayor Richard M. Daley welcomed visitors to his office, shaking hands and posing for photographs one last time yesterday. Some of …

“I can’t imagine you’re advocating a Carthaginian peace.”

“Well, as a historian, I must remind you that the world hasn’t had much trouble from Carthage in the past 2,000 years.”
Film dialogue from “The Stranger,” released in 1946 and directed by Orson Welles.

Recently, I had the opportunity to read “The Fight of Our Lives” by William Bennett and Seth Liebsohn.
The authors lamented that Obama’s dithering policies have emboldened terrorists. Attempted terror plots have actually increased significantly during his term of office. Consider two examples: In a farcical manner, the official …