October 2009 Archives

It's been the most painful of days in Northwest Indiana this month of October.  Reporting on developments in the McClendon double-murder has been a difficult assignment - to say the very least.      

On Wednesday, we watched as the teenage suspects shuffled into a Crown Point court room, wearing leg-irons and shackles.  Reo Thompson and his alleged accomplice, Gregory Brooks, Junior, looked around the crowded courtroom, as they waited to hear from the magistrate.  Peering back at them, in hushed silence, were the McClendon brothers, surrounded by family and supporters.  For the McClendon's, still reeling in disbelief from the brutal murder of  Waymon & Ruby McClendon, it was their first face-to-face look at the suspects.    

It was as gut-wrenching a scene as I've ever witnesed.  Our friend and colleague, Gerrard McClendon, with his brothers Theodore and Duane, looking at the accused, trying to comprehend how such a thing could happen.  Two days later, the teens would be charged with murder.      

I'll never forget the nobility of the McClendon's talking to reporters afterwards - once they'd had time to meet privately in a courthouse office to console one another. 

Speaking for the family, Theodore eloquently described the family's feelings.  And how they continue to hope that this tragedy will move us all to action.  "It all begins with the terrible two's," Theodore explained.  "We have have to raise and nurture our children from the moment they're born."  And he urged parents everywhere to focus on their kids - make sure they're on the right path - teach them to work hard in school - support them so they do the right thing.    

And the brothers repeated their startliing assertion that despite their loss, they forgive those who killed their parents.  It was ... and continues to be ... one of the most courageous things I've ever heard.  And I salute the McClendon's for the tremendous grace they've shown in the worst of all possible situations.  They are born leaders.      

I hope Chicago and the nation will listen to the message of the McClendon brothers.  Because I believe they have some very profound things to say.  And it's more urgent than ever that as Americans we pull together - to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw in Northwest Indiana.  

O.K.  They don't celebrate Halloween in Havana (unless you stumble across a party of embargo-busting Americans defying the travel ban).  But from the history department of Old Havana Foods comes this creepy Caribbean tale.

Legend has it the bones of Christopher Columbus are in Havana.  Of course, the Domincans have long claimed he's buried in Santo Domingo.  And the Spaniards say they have D-N-A evidence to prove the explorer's remains are in Seville.  For centuries now, it's been one of history's most famous unanswered questions.

But through the decades, sun-burned tourists (groggy from too many frijoles negros and Cuba libres) have been startled to see an other-worldly apparition, slipping through the shadows of La Habana Vieja.  Believers swear it's the ghost of Christopher Columbus!    

When he died in 1506, Columbus' will revealed a desire to be buried in the New World.  After a lot of arguing and disagreement, the Spaniards later transferred his bones to Hispaniola.

But when the French took control of the Caribbean island in 1795, the explorer's remains were rushed to Havana (the Spanish wanted to prevent his famous bones from falling into the hands of their arch-enemies).  Cuban history records that for more than a century, Columbus' weary bones got a well-deserved rest in Havana. 

When the Spanish lost colonial Cuba in 1898, however, Columbus' well-traveled remains were on the move again.  They shipped his dusty bones over the Atlantic - back to the place where he first embarked on his famous expeditions - Spain.  

But no matter what the Spanish may claim, to this day, many Habaneros still believe that a part of Christopher Columbus secretly resides in Havana.  And to this day, as visitors enjoy Cuban music and Cuban food in the historic capital city - there are sightings.  People still see the spirit of the old ghost, roaming the cobblestoned streets of Habana.  Happy Halloween everybody!   

It may not be Roe v. Wade, but it does make for an interesting constitutional law debate and the right to free expression.  In case you didn't hear the latest - Rod Blagojevich wants the right to go on reality T-V (see today's Chicago Tribune).   The Trib says Donald Trump wants to have the ex-governor on an upcoming show.  But governrment lawyers reportedly want to block it because they fear the jury pool will be tainted. 

You may remember U-S District Judge James Zagel shot down Rod's request to go to Costa Rica, last spring, to appear in another reality show.  The ex-governor's on record saying he needs to find a way to suppport his family (while paying for his legal bills).

So what do you think?  Everybody's innocent until proven guilty, right?  So why can't Rod Blagojevich do Trump's show?  Where do you weigh in on this?  Tell us what you think.

What do centuries-old Cuban recipes and the internet-age have in common?  How can sauteed Vidalia onions, extra-virgin olive oil and black beans and rice have anything to do with Google?  Or Yahoo?  Absolutely nothing - if you ask me - except that they're tethered together like a baby with his umbilical cord.

That's the new reality as I tangle with the mind-numbing vocabulary of search engine optimization, meta-tagging and social media.  Feels like I'm learning Chinese or some other highly complex language that doesn't make sense.  But the experts say it all translates to cents (and dollars) ... with the miracle of the search engine.  

10 months into my experiment of launching an on-line specialty food company, I'm working to improve the website for the Crews family business.  What would great-grandfather Julio have to say about all this?  And what does it have to do with authentic Cuban Food.  I'll find out in another week when we unveil the new  Old Havana Foods.  And I'll be glad when it's over.  

I'm trying to boost what they call the search engine optimization (which means you improve the odds of being picked up on a Google search).  So I've had to read, "Web-Marketing for Dummies," consult with my computer genius and read page after page of web marketing material. 

It's enough to make an old English major feel Googley-eyed!

Doing a report on the shortage of seasonal flu.  The large drugstore chains bought up a sizeable portion of the available supply but now they're running low.  Unusually high demand from the hard-hit American South is partly to blame - although shortages in the Chicago area are not said to be as acute.

If you happen to live on the northside of Chicago ... the Walgreen's at Belmont and Addison tell us that they' in fact have seasonal flu vaccines in stock.  Don't know how much quantity they have or how long it'll last.  But I'n told they start giving shots at 10AM until 4PM.   

FOR FORTY YEARS ... DR. IRVING SPERGEL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HAS STUDIED CHICAGO GANGS FROM THE STREETS.

(GANGS #6 - LITTLE VILLAGE B-roll at 07:57:47)

("LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - 02:11:42)

(Spergel on GANGS #4 at 54:40)

(LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS - COP SHOP - 02:15:59)

FOR SEVEN YEARS ....THE LITTLE VILLAGE PROJECT BROUGHT POLICE, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND EDUCATIONAL COUNSELORS TOGETHER AS A TEAM ... LITERALLY LURING GANG MEMBERS AWAY FROM THE STREETS.

(Spergel on GANGS #3 at 40:46)

(MORE SPERGEL VIDEO/'LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - 02:07:56 )

(GANGS #4 - POLICE HEADQUARTERS - 03:39:35)

(Spergel on GANGS #3 at 42:37)

("LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - JULIAN STAND UP - 02:19:47)

Cuban black beans.  And plenty of laughter. That's the internal home-movie in my mind as I replay scenes from family gatherings.  As a boy, we'd travel to my late grandparents apartment in "Little Havana."  Though it's been decades since I left Miami,  the memories of those Sunday afternoons will always remain.  

I can't help but remember those spirited get togethers - the great music - and the food!  Meal time was a sacred ritual in my family.  Cooking has always been a specialty for the Crews-Rivero bunch.  Our famous "frijoles negros" (Black Beans & Rice) ... served up with roast "Lechon" (pork loin) and Fried Plantains were always part of the festivities.  It's a menu as Cuban as the Mambo.      

But as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm struck by the universality of food and family.  Whether you're from Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico or anywhere in Latin America - family is the bedrock of who you are.  And where Latino families are gathered you've almost always got great food.

Bringing loved ones around the table for memorable meals is the foundation for www.OldHavanaFoods.com  - my Chicago-based family enterprise.  As I continue to work on this labor of love - when I'm not occupied with reporting duties at WGN or traveling for Cruisin' Illinois - I think about my late grandparents. 

Where would we be without the love of our family?  Parents, siblings and grandparents?  And the gift they gave me - all those wonderful recipes from Cuba!  So this Hispanic Heritage Month, I give thanks again for my familiy.  And for their unwavering love and guidance to make me who I am.  Muchas gracias!