Chicago Daily Observer

ave you ever wondered how the U.S. can produce so much food with relatively few farmers? On September 24, 2007, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago you could have learned some of the reasons behind the cornucopia of output from U.S. agriculture at our conference The Role of R&D in Agriculture and Related Industries: Today and Tomorrow. The conference explored the role of research and development (R&D) in agriculture, biotechnology, and the food industry, focusing on policies that promote industry growth and rural development. This conference brought together those interested in the R&D issues facing agriculture and related sectors of industry, particularly biofuels and food manufacturing.

This Thursday House Speaker Michael Madigan has scheduled a vote on a regional sales tax hike to stave off the Chicago Transit Authority’s overblown “doomsday scenario” of rate hikes and service cuts to pay for cost overruns and chronic mismanagement.

After facing down tax increase threat after tax increase threat, Republicans now have the opportunity to save taxpayers from $435 million in regional sales tax hikes and the real estate transfer tax. If they don’t, they’ll risk undermining the progress they’ve made re-building the anti-tax brand image of the Republican Party.

It hasn’t been easy being a Republican legislator in the Chicago suburbs these past few weeks. And this week promises to be particularly tough as every editorial page editor, reporter, and anyone any way connected to mass transit will be all over Republicans to abandon House Republican Leader Tom Cross and an electorate wanting the line held against new ... Read More...

Ann Sugano traveled the Midwest going from job to job. It was a tough life for anyone, but it was even tougher for her—a Japanese American in the years just after World War II. She never knew what to expect.

“Where you from?” the man in a tollbooth said.

“Chicago.”

“No, I mean, what are you?”

Puzzled at first, Mrs. Sugano finally figured it out. She said she was Japanese.

“Take another road,” he said.

With a job to get to, she backed out and drove away, forced to take a less direct route to her destination.

It happened a few more times before Mrs. Sugano decided to change tactics. “I’m Chinese,” she said, flashing a big smile and waving as the gate opened up.

Tough work as a chick sexer.

That’s how Frank Sugano began the Sun-Times obituary describing the life of his aunt
Anna Yoshie Sugano who ... Read More...