Budtender Datrianna Meeks delves into new forms of cannabis intake — and ones that are coming soon.Read More
Are There New Ways to Consume Cannabis?Lynette Smithon May 6, 2021 at 4:40 pm Read More »
As Chicago announces its return to recreational normal, COVID-19 joins the usual threats to health and safety.
A woman was eaten by a bear in Colorado Friday, shortly after my wife and I arrived for a long weekend. Not just mauled; consumed. A bad end. This tragic and gruesome event didn’t give us pause before hitting the trails, however. Such attacks are rare. Plus, it happened near Durango, the southwest corner of the state. Far from Boulder.
Just another risk to consider, along with whether I need those ski-pole-like sticks that older hikers use to keep their balance — not yet — or if we should cut our hike short because of the weather — we did, a good choice, since it began hailing, hard, two hours after we left the mountainside. And of course the most dangerous peril of all: driving to the trailhead.
Not to forget the newest, and therefore scariest, risk: COVID-19. Most hikers wore masks, even though we were outside and more than six feet apart, generally. Those who didn’t have masks would pull out the necks of their T-shirts and tuck their noses inside as we passed, almost as a form of greeting. I am fully vaccinated, so I wore my mask below my chin when nobody was around, slipping it into place as people approached. It seemed the polite thing to do, and I didn’t consider my personal freedom trod upon.
Back home, Lori Lightfoot announced Chicago will lead the charge returning to festivals, concerts and summertime fun. Will people show up? Of course we will. Dinners and music and trips give life the illusion of significance.
That’s why I raced to get my shots. We flew to Colorado, a few days before my wife’s “full immunity” kicked in, to help my mother through some minor surgery. Because of the timing, my wife initially decreed we would wear face shields on the plane. That was scary. Face shields strike me as something nurses wear in intensive care units. To wear one in an airport is a bridge too far, like putting on a welding mask to shake hands. But I was willing to humor her. Heck, I once took Metra downtown wearing a kilt, backwards. What is shame to me?
But the day before the flight, when she practiced putting on the face shield, the ones she bought online were murky, and she abandoned the idea. I uttered a silent prayer of thanks.
So I actually understand those who don’t wear masks. They find it embarrassing, unmanly, unnecessary. Or can’t be bothered, the way one in eight Americans don’t wear seat belts. To me, knowing that some 30,000 Americans will die on the road this year, and that wearing a seat belt cuts in half the chances of being seriously hurt in a crash, it’s worth the three seconds to reach and click. But that’s me. Not everyone values their lives and maybe they have a point. Some have less to lose.
Although vaccination is not a purely personal choice akin to wearing seat belts, since failing to get vaccinated not only puts yourself at risk, but undercuts the “herd immunity” which would keep the coronavirus from spreading and mutating. It’s both reckless and selfish. Then again, there’s a lot of that going around.
Not to mock those who make different safety choices. That stings. Years back, when my wife and I were hiking in bear country, we hung a “bear bell” off our pack — the idea is, the bears hear it and are scared away. But other hikers grinned at us as we passed on the trail. You could see the thought bubble over their heads: “Novices.” So we took the bell off. We didn’t want to be laughed at by strangers more than we didn’t want to be attacked by a bear. That’s people for you.
Speaking of people. Her name was Laney Malavolta. The woman killed by a bear Friday. She was 39, a wine sales rep who loved the outdoors. She was walking her dogs when she encountered the hungry mama bear and her two cubs. I mention this because it’s too easy to view the deaths of other people as abstractions, grist for argument, when they aren’t being ignored completely, like the 579,000 American COVID-19 deaths that get shrugged off by people shrieking about government control, as if prodding them to wear a mask is fun. Colorado wildlife authorities shot the bear and her cubs.
The risks we face: bears, cars, COVID-19Neil Steinbergon May 6, 2021 at 4:34 pm Read More »
The Chicago Bears selected a quarterback at the 2021 NFL Draft. Justin Fields will now have the keys to the team from the second he is named the starting quarterback and beyond. They have the chance to develop him into a superstar. It would also help if the rumors surrounding Aaron Rodgers of the Green […]
Chicago Bears: Seeing Aaron Rodgers news is music to our ears – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & More
The ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedian gets his points across during topical sketch show on HBO Max.
“Every time I see a white person, they’re like, ‘Black lives matter, Black lives matter, Black lives matter!’ They’re so excited to tell me, it’s so strange.” – Michael Che in “That Damn Michael Che,” starring Michael Che.
That damn Michael Che has been doing an increasingly damn good job co-anchoring “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” since 2014 and he’s pretty damn funny in a new HBO Max original sketch comedy vehicle that’s smart, insightful, topical and intended to make you uncomfortable from time to time — which it succeeds in doing, and that’s just the kind of comedy we could use right about now.
Case in point: a running bit in the pilot episode (which runs for a breezy 20 minutes, as does the second episode), featuring Che and his fellow “SNL” cast member Cecily Strong (terrific as always) as residents of a high-rise building who get stuck in an elevator, much to Che’s dismay — not because he’s claustrophobic or frightened, but because Strong’s character is a kind of anti-Karen, i.e., a well-meaning white woman who finds it impossible to have a conversation with a Black person without immediately talking about race and how “woke” she is.
As the elevator doesn’t move and Che keeps pushing buttons in the hopes something will happen, Strong says to Che, “I just want to say I’m sorry … for everything going on in the country. With the police shootings and ALL of the injustices and for white privilege. I’m an ally, obviously” — and she points to the “BLACK LIVES MATTER” button on her bag. “Actually, my nephew is half-Black.”
The lights go out. Yep, they’re stuck all right.
Che: “F—.”
Again: he’s not cursing about the elevator. He’s wondering what he did to deserve being stuck in a confined space with Anti-Karen.
Cut to a filmed bit in which four NYPD officers film a PSA on a basketball court, offering “some quick and easy things you can do, to not get shot by us.” You can imagine how that goes sideways.
With current and/or former “SNL” cast members Colin Jost, Heidi Gardner and Colin Quinn and guest stars such as Omari Hardwick, Method Man and Billy Porter lending their considerable talents to the proceedings, every sketch on “That Damn Michael Che” hits the mark. And from time to time, we cut to Che in a backstage type setting, where he offers his laid-back but often biting and sharp observations to an unseen and apparently small ‘audience,’ most likely the crew of the show. “There’s nothing worse than a dancing cop,” he says, “only because if that cop does happen to kill me later, I got killed by the dancing cop. F—ing humiliating.”
The series also features animated bits, and the time-honored comedy sketch show staple of the faux commercial, e.g, a well-filmed and hilarious ad for “Fitbit Protest,” a smart watch that keeps track of your heart rate “as well as your contributions to social change.” Says one young white woman, “We just marched further than MLK!” before she high-fives a fellow protester. And there’s a scathingly funny “flashback” to Che’s childhood, when his mother (played by “SNL” alum Ellen Cleghorne) learns his older brother has become a cop and is horrified he’s given up his job at his uncle’s chop shop to become a law enforcement officer. “I should have seen the signs,” says mom. “Look at you! Wearing that Yankees jacket, them wraparound sunglasses, all that blue you’re wearing. I was HOPING that you was a Crip! And what kind of example are you setting for your brother!”
We eventually return to the elevator sketch, and a note-perfect epilogue illustrating how our supposedly enlightened, liberal, non-racist white woman might have the best intentions but still has a long way to go. And don’t we all.
Based on the first two episodes, “That Damn Michael Che” is a good show with the potential to be great.
This is not a drill! ‘The Art of Banksy’ exhibit is coming to Chicago this July and will be held at an undisclosed location in the West Loop.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 6th and the price-point is a steal. Pricing starts at $40 for adults and $30 for children aged 16 and younger. Fortunately, the instillation for the acclaimed anonymous artist will run through November 28th so do not fret if you feel like you might miss out on this unique opportunity. Like the popular “Immersive Van Gogh” experience in Old Town, “The Art of Banksy” is run by Starvox Exhibits. The wildly popular north-side instillation has gotten a ton of buzz since opening this spring. Those looking to attend the exhibit of the world’s most famous street artist can expect a similar experience. The entire thing will last about one hour and will include roughly 80 pieces worth north of $35 million in a walkthrough museum type setting.
It is important to note that Banksy himself isn’t completely on-board with these exhibitions. Via his website he’s stated: “Members of the public should be aware there has been a recent spate of Banksy exhibitions none of which are consensual. They‘ve been organised entirely without the artist’s knowledge or involvement. Please treat them accordingly.”
All art shown at the event has been donated by collectors.
This marks the second time Banksy’s work has graced the city of Chicago. Back in 2010, the British artist took to the streets and created a series of murals that have since been painted over or defaced. His most famous from the period was his homage to The Untouchables via a portrait of a baby in a carriage rolling down stairs. That piece iconically sat on Randolph Street in the West Loop where the Nobu Hotel now sits.
You can purchase tickets to “The Art of Banksy” via the exhibits website www.banksyexhibit.com.
Featured Image Credit: The Art of Banksy
The post Exclusive ‘The Art of Banksy’ Exhibit Set to Hit Chicago This July appeared first on UrbanMatter.
