steinberg
Neil Steinberg biography
Neil Steinberg began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, and joined the staff in 1987 as a feature writer.
He became a columnist in …
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Divvy Diary: Biking adds time, even time for a dig from the president of Mongolia
Biking is faster. Distances shrink while time expands. Taking Divvy allowed for a reception with “The Golden Swallow of Democracy” and a chance to be told “That is a stupid question.”
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Freebie lets you turn your social status into stuff
With social media we are all stars of our own little or, in some cases, not-so-little universes. As with real celebs, there will be chances to cash in on our popularity, the latest being a Chicago startup called Freebie.
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Divvy diary: Helmets for cyclists a no-brainer, usually
If you hit your head on the sidewalk, you want a helmet. But is the risk of not wearing a helmet while on a bike an acceptable hazard, like the risk of dying from salmonella when you lick chocolate-chip cookie dough off a wooden spoon? Or is it foolish?
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Not all will embrace Pope Francis’ vision of love
Every religion has a lot of stuff in it, and all adherents must pick and choose. You can’t emphasize everything. That’s how I interpreted Pope Francis’ surprising remarks about abortion, gay marriage and contraception.
Illinois Supreme Court in Chicago during Springfield renovations
Restoration of the Illinois Supreme Court’s usual ornate home in Springfield, built in 1908, sent the justices packing to Chicago. The court began hearing oral arguments Sept. 10 and wrapped up Wednesday but will hear more cases in November, January, March and May.
Cops go extra mile for homeless woman
You go to the police for help, not the other way around. They don’t come to you for aid, generally. But that was what two 14th District Chicago Police officers did last week.
WWI propaganda lives in gas revulsion
What’s so bad about poison gas? Bad enough that the United States could sit on its hands, uttering a few feeble protests, while 100,000 Syrians were killed through conventional means. But 1,300 civilians were murdered Aug. 21 in a poison gas attack, and that spurred …
Why is a Divvy bike like syphilis?
After arriving at the Merchandise Mart, and feeling vaguely guilty for riding even a few feet on the sidewalk, it’s clear there’s no place to park at the station: 23 slots, 23 bikes. Not a slot to spare. Wait or search out another station?
Figure out the system, first! And so the Divvy Diary begins
NEIL STEINBERG: Why spend $7 for one Divvy bike day pass when I could spend $75 for 365 days, which is a ... doing the math ... savings of $2,480. It’s like getting paid to ride a bike.
Steinberg: Time to stick a fork in Charlie Trotter?
There are two types of chefs. There is what I think of as the “Sarah Stegner Chef,” so named after my first glance of Stegner, in a tall white toque, standing dignified in her kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton, arranging the artisanal cheeses she championed, quiet …
Easier to punish than to give a second chance
NEIL STEINBERG: I would suggest that we focus on murder, on the extremes, to cover an awkward truth — as a society, we tend not to forgive anything. You don’t need to kill anyone to find yourself beyond redemption. Almost any crime will do.
What a gas
The sun produces heat — we all know that — from fusion of hydrogen atoms. What is far less known — OK, far, far, far less known — is that, along with heat, the sun also churns out helium. Which makes it apt that humanity …
Will Congress push nation off helium cliff?
The immediate crisis — some call it the “helium cliff” — is this: the United States government, through its Federal Helium Reserve, supplies roughly half the helium in the United States and a third of the world’s. But that spigot very well could turn off, completely, on Oct. 8.
Martin case distracted from real racial issues
OK, I’ll bite. After reading the umpteenth post-verdict piece of punditry calling for a national conversation about race in America in the wake of vigilante George Zimmerman being exonerated for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, I began to wonder if maybe it’s time …
Lyric violist a musical new citizen
NEIL STEINBERG: They each stood as the name of their homelands were read aloud. Argentina. Austria. Bangladesh. Belize. Bosnia-Herzegovina. Brazil. Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China. Colombia. Croatia. Czech Republic ... 53 nations in all.
Chicago is ‘totally jealous . . . a horror’
If you are a rugby fan, you’re probably familiar with the New Zealand All Blacks, a squad famous for its “Haka,” a taunting pre-game ritual they perform to intimidate opponents. It’s a Maori warrior dance, origins lost in antiquity, where they beat their chests and …
Steinberg: Dear IOC, sorry yet on Rio choice?
Dear International Olympic Committee: Howdy! Long time no talk to. Four years. Where does the time go? I know you’ve probably forgotten about Chicago, ever since you gave us the backhand in fall 2009, and in the first round no less. But we remember. Yes, we do.
Let me share this about Divvy bikes
To be honest, the idea of trying a communal bike would never have crossed my mind. I walk, or train, or cab. The whole shared bike thing has a distinct European odor to it. Something they do in France. Not here. We Americans, we own things, we do not share things. That’s socialism.
Steinberg: Can we measure the Metra mess?
How long is the shoreline of Chicago? That’s a more complicated question than it sounds. If you eyeball it on a AAA map, using the distance key, it looks about 24 miles from Rogers Beach Park, at the far north, to Calumet Park, at far …
STEINBERG: Madigan Metra call? Not political!
“Elected officials don’t lose their First Amendment rights to talk to people,” a Metra attorney said during a House Mass Transit Committee meeting Thursday intended to call the Metra board and its very expensive former CEO, Alex Clifford, on the carpet.
