A Day with… Jim Karas, Personal Trainer
He’s written two best-selling fitness books and kicked Diane Sawyer’s butt into shape. We trailed the celebrity workout guru for a day.
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The Best of Naperville
With a stellar selection of specialty shops, a wide variety of restaurants (be it one-of-a-kind dining experience or an old Chicago favorite), and a lively lineup of attractions that includes a children’s museum, a re-created frontier settlement, and one of the world’s biggest carillons, Naperville has something to offer both its longtime residents and fun-seeking weekend visitors.
Take This Job and …
Your evil boss will seem harmless by comparison.
The Hacktivist
Calling himself an electronic Robin Hood, Jeremy Hammond used his computer savvy to attack a conservative group’s Web site. He called it an act of civil disobedience. The FBI called it theft.
Head of the Class
Chicago’s eight “selective enrollment” public high schools are fielding some of the city’s top graduates, giving parents an attractive alternative to fleeing for the suburbs. But are these elite institutions draining the brains out of the neighborhoods?
Split Decision
The husband-and-wife team that ran Alberto-Culver announced their separation even as they were negotiating the breakup of the beauty products company. Has an ending been scripted for this colorful, family-run success story?
Somebody Give This Guy a Genius Grant
Ken Dunn embodies an American ideal of intelligence, an extraordinary melding of farmer and philosopher. He just might be the smartest man in the city. And he grows magnificent tomatoes.
The Dry Season
In recent years, Chicago has become a tough town in which to get a liquor license. Credit Mayor Daley’s strict policies on booze—and enforcement by a stern and obscure bureaucrat.
Week 7: Babies are the New Black
With this . . . thing . . . growing in Sarah, keeping the Big Secret means nonstop paranoia. We feel like sophomores who have been smoking pot all afternoon, certain that everyone can tell we’re baked, and that everyone is whispering behind our backs. They’re not, not yet. But it does feel like everyone is talking about babies, which of course isn’t true. It’s just that, for the first time, I’m paying attention.
We had a big deck party and it was babies this and babies that all afternoon. Sarah and I tried hard not to make eye contact in fear that we would be found out. One guy, a creative director at DDB or something, told me he was looking to patent a strap-on vest for fathers filled with milk so they could “breastfeed” their babies when Mom wasn’t around. He called it . . . wait for it . . . “The Milkman.” I thought it was brilliant, until Sarah asked me if I would ever consider wearing one. (Editor’s note: not long after, the writers of Meet the Fockers had the same idea and put Robert DeNiro in one. Coincidence? Editor’s note #2: Boy, DeNiro’s career has really blossomed.) …
The Ex Files
Over the years, many of our local public officials have capped off their careers with a stint in the pokey on corruption charges. Here’s how a few of them are faring today as ex-cons