I recently began re-reading a charming book, “A Civil Tongue” by Edwin Newman (1975: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis and New York). Newman, a former “correspondent” — reporter and anchorman — for NBC News, wrote that when he came into the news business in 1940, he “thought that I had taken an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the English language, as a President swears that he will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.”

This places him alongside William Safire as one of my heroes and role models when it comes to the craft of writing and the use of the language.

As Newman wrote, “now it seems to me that American English, vigorous, adaptable, and resourceful, a treasure trove of wit, charm, and inspiration, may soon be lowered into a language interment space” (i.e., cemetery) ” with a a marker erected bearing the words Actuarially Matured. The interment unit diggers are all around us.”

Finding faults, as Newman describes his work in a previous book, “Strictly Speaking,” set him up for lots of letters from people who wrote to him about things they caught (or simply argued with) in the pages. Well, it was 1975 — there were no Internet comments back then.

Here’s Newman about the term “peer support.” He wrote that peer support is the kind of support he wants.

“When I walk into NBC News in the morning and see another correspondent, I say, ‘Good morning, peer.’

” ‘Peer greetings to you,’ the other is likely, in peer-shaped tones, to reply.”

I’m going to enjoy re-reading this and sharing some more of Newman’s useful observations. He would not have appreciated how the language has developed since his death in 2010. But Seriously, I’ll try to take over. Maybe we can figure out how to treat words with more clarity… after all, here come the presidential debates!

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All the kitten are very social, happy, and active. They all have great personalities.

Reuben is the biggest of the kittens. He has solid dark gray fur on his back and a white stomach.

Ellie has lighter, striped gray fur and a white line on her back — she also has a white stomach.

Theo has similar coloring to Ellie but does not have the white line on his back.

Otis is the black and white kitten.

Dune is oatmeal & white colored.

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all-volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells, and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $125 for the adoption of one cat, or $250 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

The Chicago White Sox have had a really good year.

That feels like an understatement now, entering the final weekend of the abbreviated regular season, but entering the 2020 campaign many though the Sox would be the third place team in the American League Central behind Minnesota and Cleveland. But here we are with the White Sox fighting to potentially win the division.

Over the course of the season the White Sox have dealt with a lot. Michael Kopech, the team’s top pitching prospect, opted out of the short season before it began.

Injuries hit their pitching and Tim Anderson missed time as well. After Anderson returned the Sox offense took off and launched the White Sox into first place in the division. The offense, led by MVP candidate Jose Abreu, carried the team to the top of the division in spite of free agent addition Edwin Encarnacion doing almost nothing all season and Yoan Moncada admittedly still feeling the impact of having COVID-19 months after being sick.

The starting pitching – led by Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel – have been good enough to make the Sox a dangerous team most of the season.

However, there have been far too many questions about how and when current manager Rick Renteria has handled his young club. Whether it’s his bullpen use in critical situations (see Carlos Rodon in a big spot in Cleveland) or his batting orders, Renteria has worn a great deal of the blame for the White Sox seeming to underperform at times.

At the end of the day, players have to perform. But it’s the job of the manager to put the players in a position to succeed.

It’s time for a change. Just as the Cubs moved on from Renteria when it was time to take the next, big step towards a championship, the White Sox must now consider the immediate future of a contending club.

The list of candidates is fascinating. AJ Hinch and Alex Cora both won championships recently, but both were infamously let go by their previous employers because of the sign stealing scandal a year ago. Carlos Beltran got his first big league managerial job with the Mets last winter but never got the chance to show what he could do because he, too, was implicated in the cheating.

Ron Washington would be a great hire. He’s a borderline jedi when it comes to developing players defensively and would make a huge impact on the White Sox infield play. He has MLB managerial experience.

Joe Espada is the bench coach for the Astros and is respected around the game. He was considered for the Cubs job a year ago and should be on many short lists for openings this winter. He would be a great hire by the White Sox or any other team looking for a manager who understands how to use analytics.

And, of course, there’s always Ozzie Guillen. He’s in Chicago and absolutely deserves another shot at running a big league club. Whether or not a return to the White Sox would work is a wild card, especially considering fan expectations for the manager of the 2005 championship club would be equally high.

And expectations should be high for the White Sox in 2021. They should have most of this year’s roster together and their young players – specifically Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, Dane Dunning and Dylan Cease – will have valuable experience to build upon.

Which is why the choice for the Sox should be clear.

The man who should take the job is Hensley Meulens.

Meulens, who was once a celebrated Yankees prospect known as “Bam Bam,” is arguably the most qualified manager-in-waiting in Major League Baseball. He also has one of the most intriguing international resumes in the game, making him the ideal man to call the shots on Chicago’s South Side.

In 1989, Meulens became the first player from Curaçao to make it to the big leagues. He opened the door for a parade of stars including Andruw Jones, Kenley Jansen, Ozzie Albies, Andrelton Simmons and Jonathan Schoop. He was the first from his country to play in both MLB and the Dominican Professional Baseball League, and his playing career saw him make stops in MLB, the Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Korea Baseball Organization. Meulens was also the first player to play for all four of the major Caribbean winter leagues. His international playing experience would be invaluable for a White Sox team that has so many countries represented on the roster.

That experience is nice. It sets the table for someone to understand various paths to the big leagues and gives him incredible perspective as a player and a man.

But what about coaching?

Meulens has been coaching baseball since 2003 at almost every level possible. For seven years he served in various capacities in the minor leagues until he got a crack at the highest level in 2010, when he was named the hitting coach of the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco won the World Series three times in the first five years he was the hitting coach. Because of his success, Meulens started to get interest as a head coaching candidate. He was one of six who interviewed for the New York Yankees managerial opening in 2017. Today he is the bench coach for the New York Mets.

Beyond the big leagues, Meulens was the manager of Team Netherlands in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and runs the Dutch Antilles Baseball Academy in Curaçao.

Meulens has paid his dues and has shown the ability to get the best out of players at every level of the game. His international experience would benefit the White Sox and his passion for the game would push the team to exceed expectations – not just meet them.

So, with three games left in the 2020 regular season, I’m throwing my pick out there on the record.

To Rick Hahn and the rest of the White Sox front office: hire Bam Bam. Please.

Caramel is a beautiful, young friendly tortie. She is definitely a very sweet and cuddly one!

Caramel’s personality is coming out! She loves being pet, especially while eating. She’ll meow by her food and let you know she’s hungry and would like some company… so funny! She isn’t a lap cat but enjoys being around us. She’s never aggressive and has been very quick to adjust to her current life. She loves laying on knitted blankets, meowing out windows, and sleeping by our feet.

She has been spayed/vaccinated. Carmel has tested positive for FelV, so can only live with other FelV positive cats. She can live safely with dogs and other pets, however.

To meet Caramel, write to us at [email protected] !

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all-volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells, and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $125 for the adoption of one cat, or $250 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

3-year-old Lexi is a sweet cat with adorable black fur markings on her chin, paw, and belly. Lexi loves butt scratches and would curl up and knead in the air to show her appreciation. Although not a lap cat, she sometimes takes a nap right next to her human to share the body temperature. She could be independent but would run to her fosterer with the sound of her favorite treats. She loves sunlight, windowsill, and bug hunting, and is an excellent free-feeder of dry cat food (yes, she is very particular about her food!).

To meet her, write to us at [email protected] !

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all-volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells, and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $125 for the adoption of one cat, or $250 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I opened “The Tollway Violation Notice.” It was a Saturday night at about 7:30pm. I had just picked up my mail from our mailbox outside the front door. We have lousy mail delivery service in West Ridge, due to the inefficiency of the US Post Office at Devon Ave and Kimball and we failed to get any mail at all about 3 days out of every 7….but that is best left for another rant.

The return address was from the Illinois Tollway Department. I found that extremely strange since I personally haven’t been on any Illinois Tollways in months, maybe even years.

At the top in big white letters on a block background read the words:

NOTICE OF TOLL VIOLATION

The amount due was for $152.70. As I sat down to scrutinize this notice, there was a picture of my license plate at the top, caught by the camera.
On the back was a listing of 7 toll violations with a combined total of $12.70 in tolls and $140 in fines from Friday, July 26. Apparently, my son had driven through 7 toll booths in the I-PASS lane….and WE DO NOT HAVE AN I-PASS.

I began to follow his tracks by looking up the Plaza #s/cities through which he had passed. The last stop appeared to be Aurora, IL, which from our home in Rogers Park is an 80 mile round trip. To say I was livid is a gross understatement. I decided to refrain from texting him about it at work and impatiently waited until he walked in the door.

Me: Guess what came in the mail for you? A bill for $152.70 for going through the I-PASS without a fucking I-PASS!

I could literally see the wheels turning in his brain as he weighed all the possible answers with the best way to proceed. At first he said, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Me: Welp, they have a picture of our license plate on camera. Apparently, you went through the I-PASS lane 7 fucking times.

E: I don’t know what an I-PASS is.

When he decided to abandon that as an unbelievable excuse, he told me he would pay me back, since the car is in my name and I am liable for the charges. I allowed him to go downstairs to his “pit of a bedroom” for the night and decided to leave it alone until his day off on the Monday.

Me: I see you were in Aurora. Do you have any idea how far away that is?

E: No

Me: What were doing in Aurora from 7:30pm to 10:15pm on a Saturday night in July?

E: We went to an abandoned mental institution.

Me: Who went and why did you go?

E: 5 of us in 2 cars. It was K’s birthday and we were celebrating.

Me: How did you know about it?

E: Friends at school (Roosevelt High School) told us about it and that it was really cool, even haunted.

Me: Was it worth it to have to repay the $152.70 AND lose car privileges until I stopped being really pissed off at you which may be never? Not to mention how stupidly dangerous that was and you lied by omission. I would have never agreed to it had I known where you were going.

E: Yeah. It was pretty cool and I knew I would never have another chance to go….

I decided to leave it there and looked up “Abandoned Mental Institutions Aurora, IL.” The only thing I could find was “Old Copley Hospital” which had been abandoned but is currently under renovation. I picked up the investigation a few days later.

Me: The only thing I can find is “Old Copley Hospital” which was shut down as a mental institution in 1996. It is currently under renovation. Do you think that was where you were?

E: I don’t know, since there were no signs and the building we went into didn’t look like it was being renovated.

I few days later I got him to admit that he knew exactly what the I-PASS was. They had tried to go through the CASH TOLL LANE but apparently they didn’t have any money and were turned away by the TOLL operator. E told me he looked up online that if you went through the I-PASS Lane with no I-PASS, you could pay the toll later.

Me: And when you didn’t get a request for the tolls, you just thought it would go away?

E: I thought they would send us a bill for the tolls.

Me: Why don’t you ask the other “rocket scientists” who were in the car with you to help you pay for it? How many were there?

E: There were 2 others. J, and K whose birthday we were celebrating. I don’t want to ask K, but I will ask J.

You will be happy to learn that J is going to pay $60 and E is going to pay $92.70. I would venture to guess that will not repeat their mistake ever again.

THE END

Gussie’s Handmade Italian

When restaurants were given the green light to partially open in June, partners Keene Addington and David Thate, who also partner Tortoise  Supper Club, realized that Two Lights Seafood & Oyster, their successful seafood-focused restaurant on North Avenue, wasn’t going to work.

sweet pepper bruschetta

“Two Lights’ menu included lots of shared plates and raw seafood, formats that don’t work in the current environment,” Addington observes. “There’s simply no way you can successfully package oysters on the half shell for carryout.”

tagliatelle with meatballs and marinara sauce

For Thate, who had wonderful memories of his Italian grandmother’s cooking, the answer lay in a total revamp, complete with a new menu and a layout that facilitates  social distancing. 

egg yolk ravioli

Choosing a name was simple. Thate’s grandmother’s name was Augusta, but everyone called her “Gussie.” With that, plus two months of extensive remodeling and recipe testing, Gussie’s Handmade Italian was ready to open.

mussels in white wine sauce

Looking at the number of Italian restaurants less than a ten minute walk from Gussie’s, even a dedicated pasta lover might wonder if there can ever be too many Italian restaurants.

inside Gussie’s Handmade Italian

Having spent decades writing about the local, national and international food scene, I’d say “no.” Who, after all, can resist a dish like Gussie’s perfectly cooked Tagliatelle paired with either a well-seasoned Arrabiatta sauce or a flavorful marinara topped with a dusting of Parmigiana Reggiano?

Gnudi with marinara sauce

And then there’s Gussie’s “Gnudi,” a Tuscan specialty that translates as “naked ravioli.” The dish begins with a mix of Ricotta and Pecorino cheeses that’s shaped into balls and then rolled in semolina flour to create a thin skin. Cooked like ravioli, Thate describes Gnudi as a “cheese explosion for the mouth.”

Guests can order Gnudi served with either a zesty marinara or a brown butter sage sauce. Either way, the dish is comfort food to the max.

Roasted Sicilian Chicken

roasted Sicilian chicken

1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees
2. Marinade the chicken using the marinade recipe I sent you.
3. Roast Chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Timing varies depending on the oven. Use thermometer.
4. When  chicken is cooked –  brush the chicken with mint and lemon zest in olive oil.

Pictures and recipe courtesy of Gussie’s Handmade Italian

Covid-19 is now spiking by scores.

What Trump with a vengeance ignores.

Instead  minimizes

What science advises,

And packs crowds together indoors.

“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man oflawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that iscalled God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God“ (2 Thes 2:3-4)