RedEye

Chicago Photographers: Your Next Assignment

2009-11-12T00:23:34Z

Chicago Tribune

Your assignment:
Shoot photographs with the theme "Planes, trains and automobiles."

Upon completion:
Email the photograph into redeyetalk@gmail.com with "redeyephoto" in the subject line. Include your name, your age, your neighborhood, location of the photograph and caption information.

The dossier:
We want to capture the best images Chicagoans have to offer. Every week we will have a new theme, and RedEye's photo editor will select the best photographs to feature.

Check out last week's winners. The theme was "Up in the Air."

Can the CTA afford to buy a vowel?

2009-11-11T21:38:29Z

"Going Public" was riding the Blue Line train to Jefferson Park this morning and noticed this sign. Can you guess what's wrong with this message? Find out after the jump.

A vowel is missing from "assault" and "employee." In the afternoon, "GP" was riding the Green Line to Clark/Lake and noticed this message. An Orange Line train today to Midway Airport had the same message but all the vowels were accounted for.

"GP" posted the Blue Line photo to Twitter earlier today. Here are some of the responses:

@rhoticity: The Spanish translation is also horribly, horribly butchered.
@MTrevor15: That's why the CTA has been talking about raising E's.
@windycitywilson: Its so bad, CTA can't afford spell check.
@sassclops: Assulting people is bad, m'kay
@sassclops: Assulting an employe is really, really bad.
@jisliteskinded: Budget cuts in vowels for signage.
@goldendragon35: someone in the cta doesn't know how to spell LOL
@bvicars: misspelled 'employe'

Web Club: The Art of Manliness

2009-11-11T06:46:00Z

theartofmanliness.com

Submitted by: Ernest Wilkins, 24, Frathouse by way of Homewood

Ernest says: "These days there seems to be a bit of a disconnect with what it means to be a "man". This site works hard to bridge the gap between our gruff fore-fathers and today's modern man. From motivational quotes to life skills, this one's got it all. Now I'm off to chop down a tree and wrestle a bear."

Every day we try to feature a new website submitted by readers. Submit your favorite website to me @crushgear, or just email us at redeyetalk@gmail.com.

Who you vibin'? Time to pick RedEye's bachelorette

2009-11-11T06:45:06Z

See last week's bachelor Who You Vibin' contest, which was won by Marcin Gamza.

Finally, it's time for this week's Who You Vibin' contest, with some very lovely bachelorettes. Every week, we feature three eligible singles right here online, and we open it for voting. Readers vote in the comments by leaving the name of their favorite bachelorette, and the lady with the most votes next Tuesday (at noon) gets featured in Wednesday's paper.

All three of our wonderful single gals are super excited about this contest, so let's get straight to the dater profiles!

Rhea Ybarra, 24, Bucktown/Wicker Park

I'm originally from: Grand Haven, Michigan

Seeking? a well kept, employed, healthy, personable, kind and adventurous male. I keep my self busy with work and city life, when i go out i need someone that i can bring in public and is comfortable meeting people, on the flip side, someone awesome that likes to watch the news and eat ice cream!

What do you do? hairstylist, Mens grooming, makeup artist (men and women)

The most embarrassing thing I'm willing to admit here: Last year at lolla I went to get another drink and some crackers from the dressing room, walked in not paying attention to the signs (the artist switched trailers)... and HELLO GNARLS BARKLEY! to make it worse they were warming up, i felt like such a jerk, and when his manager asked what we were doing there or needed i stood there shocked with big eyes, the only thing i could manage to say was "backpack!". my friend and i ran out of there backwards.

You know you want me bacause: Im a small town girl at heart! Traditions, friends and family are very important to me... along with keeping pretty and waking up beautiful!

On a crazy Saturday night, you'd find me: On my bike, Nightswimming, climbing tree...

My celebrity alter ego is: a Kardashian, or Nichole Richie pre-baby/post rehab. But Im Definatley my own person, ive never meet anyone like me.

Kimmerly Ann Bennett, 28, Bucktown

What do you do? Clerk at the Chicago Board of Trade

The first thing I do in the morning: Take my Dogs for a walk

TV show I never miss: Always Sunny in Philidelphia

I am passionate about: Art and History

Chicago's best neighborhood is... because...: Wicker Park! There is always something new i find; either it be shops, food or a new bar

The best date I've ever been on: HAHA.....over-night flight to Vegas to see Peter Cetera play a private show

The worst date I've ever been on: no bad dates EVER! I always find the humor in Bad Dates!

On a crazy Saturday night, you'd find me:Out with my friends or bartending in Greektown

My celebrity alter ego is: Cameron Diaz

Lexi Fiedler, 23, Bucktown

What do you do? I am an Outreach Coordinator for one of the Ward Democratic Parties. I am also completing my Masters in Public Administration at DePaul.

Seeking? Someone who also has the elaborate goal of visiting every country in the world. Someone who is down for adventures, but also knows when to get serious and is determined to follow their interests and passions. Someone who is enthusiastic about music is also a must.

The best under-the-radar Chicago spot: Now if I told you - it would no longer be under-the-radar, now would it? On a beautiful day there is a spot by the Chicago Yacht Club where I love to sit and read and look at the sailboats. As far as bars go, I frequent Floyd's - a bar in my neighborhood that has good music, great bartenders, and pretty fantastic food; and on the plus side, it is never over-crowded. Food wise I'm going to have to say Barberry Thai on Southport and Diversey - great Crispy Pad See Ew and cozy atmosphere.

You know you want me because: Though I am often busy with work and school - I also find the time to go out and have a good time. I am definitely a beer drinker - Amber Ales and Guiness are my beers of choice - none of this wimpy Bud Light Lime crap. I've also been told more than once that I have very beautiful eyes.

This celebrity would make my list: Mr. Schuester from 'Glee' - the sexy teacher persona is a big turn on.

Vote for your favorite bachelorette in the comments below!

If you want to submit yourself to "Who you vibin'?", you can do that right here!

15 Questions for Patrick Kane (... and he picks Cubs over Sox)

2009-11-11T06:29:28Z

It's a lot easier than the SAT, that's for sure. When RedEye interviewed the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane, we handed him a 15 question survey. See how he did, and then read our full interview with the hockey star.

An interview with Patrick Kane, a kid with a boyish grin

2009-11-11T06:10:45Z

Patrick Kane, 20, of the Chicago Blackhawks. He says of his 21st birthday: "I know we play that night. Nov. 19 I think we're in Canada. It wouldn't even matter if I wanted to go out because the drinking age there is 19 so it wouldn't even matter. It's kind of ironic that my 21st birthday would happen there." (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

Deep down, Patrick Kane is pretty nervous. He'd be lying if he told you he wasn't.

The 2007 overall top draft pick is standing in a hallway of the United Center when he spots the goalie of the Detroit Red Wings--the Blackhawks' arch rival.

But this isn't just any goalie. It's "The Dominator." Dominik Hasek, one of the best goalies in hockey, was Kane's idol as a kid. He watched him play for the Sabres in Buffalo, where Kane was raised.

Nudged by his dad, Kane approaches Hasek for a photo.
"Wait, wait, aren't you the kid that just scored on me?" Hasek asks him. "I was like `yeah,' " Kane recalls of meeting Hasek after he scored the game-winning goal in a shootout in his first home game.

"I don't know if he was too happy. But in the picture, he's got a really big smile," Kane told RedEye in an interview last month at the stadium. "It was one of those moments you remember for the rest of your life."

Since then, Kane, now 20, has racked up accolades and career highlights, including winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, being named to the starting lineup for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game and becoming the youngest player to grace the cover of the NHL 10 video game.

But his meteoric rise has not been without controversy. The highly publicized altercation between Kane, his cousin and a cab driver in Buffalo, N.Y., this summer, in which Kane pleaded guilty to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct, has cast a shadow over his accomplishments.

"It's one of those things where it might be better if it happened sooner rather than later because you realize who your true friends are, who's going to be there for you throughout your whole life. Maybe it humbled me even more," Kane said.

"I'm not mad about what happened. I'm not mad that it got blown out of the media and maybe blown out of proportion in the media too. But at the same time, I think I'm looking to move forward and just try to be a regular kid."

Kane on his mouth guard: "I guess Jordan had his tongue, flying down the basketball court. And they're saying I have my mouthpiece always out of my mouth. I'm sure it's the same thing with him. But it's not like I'm trying to do it on purpose. It's kind of a bad habit where it hangs out of my mouth when I'm skating on the ice. I tend to chew on it a lot too." (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

Kane, just shy of his 21st birthday, bears the responsibility of having the future of the Blackhawks franchise riding on his shoulders.

But he's also just a kid. A kid with a boyish grin. A kid who plays himself sometimes in the new NHL 10 video game. And a kid who's still adjusting to how big of a hockey superstar he truly is.

When Kane, who lives downtown, hears his name shouted as he's walking down Michigan Avenue, he turns around expecting to see someone he knows. He's even stunned to be recognized by other athletes--like the time he walked by Bears defensive end Alex Brown after filming a commercial at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

"He's on the phone with his wife [saying] `Honey, honey I got to call you back. Guess who I'm talking to right now? Patrick Kane.' I'm like wow, this is a football player saying this about me. It's pretty cool," said Kane, recounting the story.

Hockey fans are equally taken aback by Kane.

Brent Zartler, 23, said he was "awestruck" when he met Kane at the Blackhawks convention in the summer. "He was very polite, not a big ego," said Zartler, who lives in Tinley Park.

His girlfriend, Brittany Houdek, 23, gushed about Kane as she wore his No. 88 jersey, the top-selling Hawks jersey and sixth overall sold on shop.nhl.com.

"I like that he's aggressive and gets the job done all the time," said Houdek, a hairstylist in Tinley Park.

His talent is undeniable.

"He's an unbelievable passer, and it's tough to make plays over sticks and find people in congested areas," said Eddie Olczyk, TV analyst for the Hawks on Comcast SportsNet.

The Hawks are selling out home games after rallying fans last year in a city where hockey is often overshadowed by the Bears, Bulls, Cubs and Sox. The team's playoff run ended when the Hawks lost in the conference finals against the Red Wings.

Hours before last month's home opener, fans flocked to the United Center, cheering for Kane as he and his teammates strutted down the red carpet on Madison Street.

"He's a good guy, but he had his slip-up in the summer," said Brian Dunne, 18, a student who lives in Westmont. "Hopefully, there's no more dumb kid-related stuff."

When faced with adversity, people show their true colors in how they react,, said Olczyk, a former Blackhawk who was the third overall pick in 1984 when he was 18, the same age Kane was when he was drafted.

"He put himself in that situation, and he owned up to it," he said.

Though Kane has never publicly discussed the details of what happened in the cab that summer night, he has apologized.

"As a society, I think we're pretty respectful of honesty and everybody's got to make mistakes. Nobody goes through life, especially young kids, without making mistakes," Olczyk said. "At some point, most--not all--a very high majority of players need a wake-up call or something to have them take a step back and realize the position they're in."

Off the ice, Kane has become more guarded. Feeling like he's under a microscope, he treats any conversation as though it would be publicized. Hopping into cabs since has been slightly awkward. He's trying to rebuild his reputation.

Still, would he trade places with his buddies in college?

"Not a chance," Kane said. "I'd rather be in my situation any day of the week."

lvivanco@tribune.com

Your wine tasting survival guide

2009-11-11T04:46:38Z

Getty Images

Wine tasting events at restaurants, wine bars and festivals have become increasingly popular lately.

No doubt tastings are a fun way to meet up with friends and socialize, but they also can be an invaluable tool to help you learn about wine.

A typical wine tasting is offered at a set fee and allows you to sample a selection of different types of wine that have been chosen according to a theme: price point, region or grape variety.

Upon arrival, you are armed with a wine glass and a roster of the available wines for tasting. The natural inclination may be to start at the beginning of the list and work your way down, but I'd suggest a different strategy to get the most out of your wine tasting experience.
First thing: Look at the tasting sheet and road-map your tasting order. Start off with sparkling wines, then move to white wines followed by red wines; dessert selections should be last. Sometimes the layout of the wines in the room may not follow this order so you may need to move around a bit.

When noting which wines you would like to try, I would strongly encourage you to give first priority to varietals and regions that you've never experienced before. A wine tasting, after all, is there for you to discover new selections, so make it point to be adventurous.

Another suggestion would be to see if there are different regional offerings of the same grape variety that can show you the effect a growing region can have on flavor. Consider grabbing a second wine glass so that you can compare selections side by side.

Once you have established your game plan, it's now time to taste. The person behind the table will pour you a 1- to 2-ounce taste. If you don't have any questions for him/her, step away from the table.

After swirling, smelling and tasting, jot down whatever impressions you have of the wine.
I don't always finish my full sample portion. I will often spit out what I taste. This allows me to sample more wines. It may seem abnormal and gross at first but after some practice, you get used to it.

Before moving on to the next selection you can rinse out your glass with water or sometimes the pourer will offer to rinse out your glass with a splash of wine. Once you have gone through your tasting order, take a look at your sheet and then re-visit any favorites.

Another helpful tip is to use your cell phone camera to take a photo of the wine label for your next wine shopping trip.

RedEye special contributor Alpana Singh is director of wine and spirits for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and the host of "Check, Please!" on WTTW.

Five on Five: Bears game day

2009-11-10T23:59:13Z

Time for a special Five on Five: Weekday Bears game edition. Answer these questions before the RedEye panel gets a chance to. Their answers will be in Thursday's RedEye.

1. How will Bears legend Mike Singletary greet his former team Thursday?

2. Why did the NFL Network pick tonight's Bears game to be its first of the season?

3. How is an NFL Network broadcast different from one of the regular NFL broadcasts?

4. Michael Vick is apparently already grumbling. What would be your advice to him?

5. What was different about the White Sox's spring training schedule released Wednesday?

Now, go to our Facebook Fives, where you can rank other people's answers.

CTA rider: Stop fare jumpers

2009-11-10T21:00:00Z

A Bridgeport rider wrote to "Going Public" with a complaint about riders who don't pay the fare.

"Before the CTA increases fares, I believe that they should secure the stations to make sure that those who are riding the CTA pay their fares.

Each day Monday through Friday, students from a local high school squeeze through the turnstile at the 35th Street Red Line Station and ride for free.

Any weekday between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. you can see from three to 20 teenagers squeezing through the turnstile or doubling up while the riders who are leaving the station wait for these antics to occur.

This is just one station. How many other stations does this occur at? Hundreds maybe thousands of these violations occur everyday all over the city.

Why doesn't the CTA do something about this? I have complained to the CTA to no avail."

CTA rider: Beware the wet spots

2009-11-10T20:00:00Z

Annette Love wrote to "Going Public" with a complaint about "wet spots" on a CTA platform.

"Someone needs to remind CTA now the temperature will be dropping even more. I ride the Red Line from 95th Street to the Blue Line at the Jefferson Park station.

My concern on the 95th Street platform as late as two weeks ago, there were several drip spots from the ceiling of the lower level platform in plain view of the small transit booth, which cause small puddles along the platform as well adjacent to the blue safety strip.

I witnessed the water dripping on some passengers even as they boarded the train. The train was headed northbound, on the east tracks at the far north end of the platform.

What happens even when the strollers are folded and the mom has the little one in tow, and the child steps on the NOW frozen small patch of ice? Is that an act of nature? When that child slips underneath the train?

Do they ever salt the platform on 95th or any other subway platform? I've noticed several areas were the concrete slopes just lightly enough for a few drips under the wrong weather condition that small spot of standing water now turns into a hazardous patch."

And the winning bachelor is...

2009-11-10T19:49:08Z

Marcin Gamza, 27, Lincoln Park.

You'll be seeing him in tomorrow's paper. Check out his dater profile (plus voter comments), or submit your ow profile "Who You Vibin'." Check back here to see some eligible bachelorettes tomorrow!

CTA rider: Belmont art not worth the cost

2009-11-10T18:00:49Z

Danny Miller wrote to "Going Public" with a complaint about the new Belmont "L" station.

"This station is currently in the process of remodeling and expansion, which is a nice change. However, they have decorated the station with multiple tile cartoon-ish mosaics.

Each mosaic depicts three faces (Red, Purple, and Brown). My issue with these mosaics is the cost.

As many of us know, the CTA proposed budget has a fare increase to $3 a ride and $110 for a monthly pass, easily the highest in the country.

How dare the CTA spend their finances so frivolously on a tacky, unnecessary tile mosaic that does not benefit a single rider. I have no idea the price tag on the art, but even one cent of my tax dollars is too much.

The CTA needs to learn how to spend its money more effectively before they propose additional increases to the end-user."

Are you "Google Cool"? Join us on Google Wave.

2009-11-10T17:37:19Z

As a newspaper, we blog, we Facebook, we Twitter, we host tweetups, we have a social media posse and we have virtual cooking contests... but now we will "wave" too!

If you're already on Google Wave, join us in experimenting with the new platform, and commenting on our stories there. You'll find me, Scott and Ernest there interacting with you, too.

How will you find us? Go into your Google Wave, and in the search box type: with:public RedEyeChicago. We should show up there.

Hope to see you 'waving!'

The best place to find a date is...

2009-11-10T17:30:23Z

poll by twiigs.com

Don't call Demi a "cougar," she's a "puma!"

2009-11-10T15:42:18Z

Don't call this lady a "cougar," she's a "puma." (AP)

("Accidentally Sexy" Ana takes a look at cougars, kittens, and pumas here)

Photos: Pumas and Cougars and Lions, oh my!

By Ariel Alexovich, RedEye

Should you ever meet Demi Moore, take our advice: Don't call her a cougar.

Moore, who turns 47 this week, would prefer that you called her "a puma". She claims she
came up with the new title herself and "Twittered it out," she said. "People wrote back hilarious stuff, saying, 'I'm going to get T-shirts that say puma power.' "

The actress and prolific Twitterer, of course, is happily hitched to Ashton Kutcher, 31. Cougar, puma--what's next, jungle cat? If we're going to honor Moore's cougar subdivision, maybe we need to recategorize some of our other favorite Hollywood cougars.

Check out the Celebrity Big Cat Field Guide