Holiday Shopping Edition: Gifts for Men

"Though the male can be noble in reason and infinite in faculties, he is also easily amused by shiny toys, especially ones that do dumb things on his desk." These are the kind of dead-on insights provided by Patricia Marx in her article "Gifts for Men" in last week's New Yorker. She also gives lots of useful tips for real gifts -- even if most of the shop addresses are in Manhattan! Have a laugh and take a look.

Worth a Try?

Here's an original piece of advice for people having trouble selling their home: ever considered throwing in a personal chef? The younger set might be more interested in a permanent nanny...click on the link for more, or to make your own suggestion.

How Green Is My Alley

The NY Times has a piece today about the environmental impact of alleys in our fair city (picture credit Peter Wynn Thompson for the Times). Well worth a look!

Post-Thanksgiving Issue: Time to Tighten Our Belts?

Are Manhattan department stores "turning into something like a Tijuana street market for Germans"? The word "recession" is on a lot of lips. On the other hand, "the American economy has a history of unexpected resilience in the face of supposedly grim prospects." Highly recommended article.

The Sky Is Not Falling

This analysis of the media's role in the subprime fiasco makes for good and informative reading. The author, Bernice Ross, makes an important point about the geographic specifity of the crisis, which is largely limited to seven states (California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana). While the high rate of foreclosure may have generalizeable repercussions for the national market, it does not affect every homeowner or potential homeowner in the same way -- if indeed at all.

The Secret Is Out!

Check out this article on the Indiana Dunes -- only forty miles from our fair city! -- and its real estate.

Are You (Female) Waiting Too Long for Your Latte?

A new study in Boston reveals that women have to wait an average of 20 seconds longer than men to be served in coffee shops -- unless the staff is all female! I must say I never noticed -- but I will now start paying more attention...

New Michigan Avenue Development

Sam Zell and the Tribune Company

Check out this New Yorker profile of one of Chicago's most interesting personalities who almost single-handedly put REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) on the map.

(Not) Defying Gravity?

The New York Times follows The Boston Globe in reporting that Frank Gehry has been hit with a lawsuit by M.I.T. At issue is the Stata Center (pictured left, courtesy of the Times), which according to the plaintiff is leaking and creaking. Did the university cut corners in construction, as Gehry claims, or is it a design problem? Let the courts decide....

Five Top Reasons to Buy a Condo

In short (to see the American Chronicle article click on the link above):

1)Condos Do Not Require Upkeep
As any single-family-homeowner knows, this is a biggie!

2)A Condo is an Investment
Like a house...but unlike a rental. And in downtown Chicago, it is a very good investment!

3) Amenities
I am addicted to indoor swimming pools now -- for exercise and fun with my grandchildren -- but would hate to have to clean one!

4) Space
Square foot for square foot, condos are more reasonably priced than single-family-homes.

5)Social Life
Ever wonder why the elevator plays such a big role in soap operas and nighttime dramas?...

Chicago on a Shoestring

Click the above for the Frugal Traveler's take on our fair city!

Women Can't Win?

This article in the fashion section of the Times is about a lot more than fashion, or about fashion in its deepest sense. Yes, what you (if you are female) always suspected has been confirmed by the reasearch organization Catalyst:

"In 2006, Catalyst looked at stereotypes across cultures (surveying 935 alumni of the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland) and found that while the view of an ideal leader varied from place to place — in some regions the ideal leader was a team builder, in others the most valued skill was problem-solving -- whatever was most valued, women were seen as lacking it."

The title of the report says it all: "Damned If You Do, Doomed If You Don't!" The article is not all doom and gloom, however. It also has some practical tips --so if you are a woman in the workplace, check it out!

For a completely different view, see the article by Sara Sklaroff in "The Wilson Quarterly" (http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=wq.essay&essay_id=286628), which claims -- largely based on college-enrollment statistics (but also on Hillary Clinton) -- that women "are taking over." What will that mean?

"Schoolteachers, most of whom are women, will finally get the higher salaries they deserve for nurturing the next generation, but it will suddenly become apparent that ­hedge ­fund managers, almost all of whom are men, don’t really need to make millions of dollars a year for moving some numbers around on a computer screen. There will be more police on the streets, so women can walk alone at night without fear. In public, it will be socially unacceptable to spit, litter, scratch oneself, shout, urinate, or wear shorts with ­loafers. "

Well...one can dream, right? But the article doesn't rest with such simplistic distinctions. Women, it seems, can be just as nasty as their mates (or fathers or brothers):

"In fact, there’s evidence that women aren’t that much less aggressive than men—they’re just better at hiding it. Psychologists have found that while men channel their aggression through purported “rationality” (interrupting, criticizing unjustly, questioning others’ judgment), women are more likely to use “social manipulation” (gossiping, backbiting, ostracizing) to get what they want."