Archive for September 2016

That was a presidential debate, not a faceoff

That was a presidential debate, not a faceoff
It’s almost time for the faceoff that will start the first exhibition hockey game of the new season for my favorite team, the Chicago Blackhawks. I haven’t seen a faceoff all summer — and part of the spring, thanks (?) to the Hawks’ early exit from the playoffs. I watched the presidential debate last night,... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
September 27, 2016 at 12:57 pm
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When's curfew? Can we get it back?

When's curfew? Can we get it back?
When I was growing up, I rarely stayed up late, but I knew what would happen when I did: Whether it was on the TV or radio, a spooky voice (to my young ears) would intone “It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?” That was so common that it appeared, almost stereotypically,... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
September 23, 2016 at 2:02 pm
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Serious questions about (and for) Chicago: Why?

Serious questions about (and for) Chicago: Why?
Why do we put up with corruption as if it’s bad weather? Why can’t we stick together as Chicagoans instead of members of our particular ward, tribe or party? Why don’t we city folk talk about being from Chicago more often than the suburbanites do? (Is it only that they need to explain where their... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
September 20, 2016 at 1:25 pm
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With shootings all over the news, why do I enjoy reading (and writing) detective stories now? It's not a mystery

With shootings all over the news, why do I enjoy reading (and writing) detective stories now? It's not a mystery
The city of Chicago’s murder rate is so high that even “BBC World News America” is covering the story. Police forces around the country are having various troubles. Crime stories are everywhere in real life. So why am I writing about detective stories here, and reading them any chance I get? As with so many... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
September 13, 2016 at 1:31 pm
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Thirty days hath -- November, sayeth Bartlett's

Thirty days hath -- November, sayeth Bartlett's
I went browsing in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations to find some about September. I found only one, but with some interesting variations. When the index of Bartlett’s read “September, thirty days hath,” I thought I’d find the rhyme I’d known since childhood for figuring the lengths of months. But here’s what I found, attributed to Richard... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
September 6, 2016 at 4:12 pm
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