Category Archives: Leaders in the News
Billionaire Philanthropist James Pritzker Comes Out as Transgender
Col. James Pritzker, a member of a prominent and wealthy Chicago
family and funder of a study on transgender people in the military, has
come out as transgender, Crain’s Chicago Business reports.
Crain’s quotes an email sent to employees of the Pritzker
Military Library and Pritzker’s company Tawani Enterprises, saying, “As
of Aug. 16, 2013, J.N. Pritzker will undergo an official legal name
change, will now be known as Jennifer Natalya Pritzker. This change will
reflect the beliefs of her true identity that she has held privately
and will now share publicly. Pritzker now identifies herself as a woman
for all business and personal undertakings.” The business journal adds
that “a spokeswoman declined to answer questions about Col. Pritzker’s
sexuality or possible hormone therapy.”
Pritzker has a net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes,
and has donated to many philanthropic efforts, including preservation
and restoration of historic buildings. Her family has a long history in
business. Pritzker’s father, the late Robert Pritzker, founded the
Marmon Group, a holding company for a variety of businesses, and her
uncles, the late Jay Pritzker and Donald Pritzker, founded Hyatt Hotels.
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker is her cousin.
Aaron Swartz…The Loss of a Genuis
So sad…
the computer wizardry that would lead to his Internet activism and
development of software used by websites worldwide.
But the
Highland Park native who had attended North Shore Country Day School in
Winnetka and as a 13-year-old had created an online public encyclopedia
for a school competition got into trouble as an adult.
He faced trial in April on federal charges that he had illegally
downloaded millions of journal articles from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology with the intention of posting them to a file-sharing
site.
The prospect of the trial was too much for him, his family
said. Swartz, 26, committed suicide inside his New York apartment,
authorities said Saturday.
In a statement sent through a
spokesman, his family said Swartz hanged himself the day before out of
worry that he faced more than 30 years in federal prison.
“Aaron’s
insatiable curiosity, creativity, and brilliance; his reflexive empathy
and capacity for selfless, boundless love; his refusal to accept
injustice as inevitable — these gifts made the world, and our lives, far
brighter,” the statement in part read.
Along with developing an
early version of rich site summary, or RSS, technology, Swartz is
credited with co-founding the popular Reddit website that allows users
to vote for their favorite news stories of the day.
In a talk in 2007, Mr. Swartz described having had suicidal thoughts
during a low period in his career. He also wrote about his struggle with
depression, distinguishing it from sadness.
“Go outside and get
some fresh air or cuddle with a loved one and you don’t feel any better,
only more upset at being unable to feel the joy that everyone else
seems to feel. Everything gets colored by the sadness.”
National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255, the national
GLBT National Youth Talkline at 1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743), or The Trevor Project, an organization specifically focused on LGBT people, at 866-488-7386.
Obama Moves G8 from Chicago to Avoid?
There has been so much talk the last year, about G8 coming to Chicago….now, it’s not! President Obama feels Camp David will provide a more comfortable environment. Hmmmmm. Perhaps they are just avoiding all the planned protests and countless security risks?
Protesters who’ve been planning for months to converge on Chicago for
a pair of important world meetings this spring say they have a message:
No G-8? No problem.
The decision by the White House to move the Group of 8 economic
summit to Camp David while the NATO summit remains in Chicago might have
split the reasons to protest. But it won’t diminish the number of
people – tens of thousands, by some estimates – who plan to come to
Chicago for a rally and march to protest everything from war to poverty,
said Andy Thayer, a leader of the Chicago Coalition Against War and
Racism and the Gay Liberation Network and one of the principle planners
of the Chicago protests.
White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor said security
and the possibility of protests were not factors in the decision. He
said Camp David, the rustic retreat in the mountains of Maryland, was a
setting that would allow for more intimate discussions.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police officials have insisted they could
handle any trouble. Chicago has had fewer problems with the Occupy
protests than many other cities, and police officials had been
consulting with other departments about how to handle large protests.
Even so, many downtown businesses have been preparing for the
possibility of riots.
Hermene Hartmans The Barack Book
How cool is this?
Fund this new book, The Barack Book, for a $25 pledge, and you get a copy of the book, when it comes in November!
It’s like putting your order in advance now – and helping bring this very awesome book to the marketplace.
In
2012 many books will be published on President Obama as he comes up for
reelection.
Hermene
Hartman, Bob Starks, and Derrick Baker have a unique perspective on the
man. They were there from the beginning. And Barack is their friend.
As
the long-time publisher of N’DIGO, a weekly targeted at Chicago’s black
middle class, Hartman was the first to cover the young, black Chicagoan
rising in the political ranks. First he was her friend, then he became
an Illinois senator, and then the President Obama we all know today.
Hartman and colleagues Starks and Baker recognized the political
potential of Mr. Obama early on and since 2003 have covered him from a
unique black Chicago perspective.
If
you have supported Obama from the beginning, now is your chance to
remain involved in spreading the man’s worldwide significance via The Barack Book.
Getting books published or movies made is a tough business these days. Artists and writers are taking it upon themselves, to get their own seed money, to bring their products to the marketplace.
This trio of writers are using Kickstarter to fund the creation of The Barack Book and need your involvement to help cement President Obama’s legacy. They have less than 3 weeks to raise the $15,000 needed to get this project off this ground. And if you pledge $25 – you will get a copy of the hardcover book, when it comes out this November. If you can pledge more, there are even more incentives!
Please help fund this very important book from Chicago, on Barack Obama.
Occupy Chicago Continues October 22, 2011
At Occupy Chicago we understand this as a gross violation of our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. Free speech and assembly is a 24 hour right. It does not magically disappear at the park’s Curfew. In a world that continues to have its public space privatized, indeed that continues to have all things public stolen from us, it is essential that we reclaim and build a public space to bulwark ourselves against the oncoming tide ofcorporate greed. We are trying erect a public space, one that is not owned or sponsored, where ideas, democracy, and the resistance against the ever increasing cuts that affect all us, can be fostered.
Saturday
May 2012 WIll Bring Nato/G8 to Chicago…Brace Yourselves!
Hosting the G8 and NATO summits at the same time means bringing together leaders from the world’s most powerful countries in terms of wealth and militaries. Security is expected to unprecedented.
The Group of Eight (G8)
is a forum, created by France in 1975,for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8.
Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates. In May 2012 they will be in Chicago. Both the NATO and the G8 summits will be held here, at the same time.
Can you imagine??
The feds will shovel out $55 million for “security”
against protesters of the G8 and NATO, according to a recent Tribune article.
For the G8 / NATO summits, the protesters are demanding that Mayor Emanuel publicly commit to giving march permits that allow protesters to get “within sight and sound” of the summits, and that Police Superintendent McCarthy cease making threatening statements against would-be G8/NATO protesters.
Previous meetings of NATO and G8 in other cities have seen massive violations of civil rights by police, resulting in millions of dollars of successful lawsuits against the host city governments. As such, the City should forthrightly commit to upholding the 1st amendment rights of protesters and rein in the verbal threats coming from police brass.
ROSIE O’DONNELL In Chicago at Harpo – Filming NOW
The proud mom of four is ever funny, packed with high-energy and AUTHENTIC – a talk show with a heart – no two days of THE ROSIE SHOW will be alike. Rosie will cover current events, spotlight hometown heroes and newsmakers, showcase the arts, celebrate kids and families, as well as feature well-known and upcoming talent. All done here in Chicago at Harpo Studios. “THE Oprah is sort of magical, and I was very overwhelmed at just being in her presence when she called me and said “Is it true?” And I was like “Is what true?” She’s like “That you would want to do this for me.” I’m like “Yes, ma’am.” So she flew to my house, and we had like a four-hour conversation. And at the end of the conversation, she said “Why is it that you’d rather do it for me than the network you’re about to sign with?” And I’m like “Because you’re you.” I think she doesn’t quite get the effect that she’s had on most of the country, if not the entire world. “I’m going to come out and do stand-up with a mic. I don’t really tell jokes and my stand-up was always more about stories, so I need a mic and a stand. I felt like Henny Youngman [without it]. I’ll do about ten minutes of stand up, then take questions from the audience like Carol Burnett did. So we’re gonna have a real lengthy sit down interview, not always a celebrity with something to promote. Then we have a human interest segment and we play a game at the end of every show…. This will be more fun than anyone imagined. I cheat, but it’s still fun.”
I AM SURE YOU KNOW BY NOW,
Nearly a decade after she left her successful daily daytime show to take care of her children, O’Donnell’s “The Rosie Show” premieres Monday October 10th on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Rosie is bringing her wisdom, talent and brilliant sense of humor (and don’t forget NICE!) to THE ROSIE SHOW.
At the heart of the show is Rosie’s genuine desire to entertain, inspire and connect with America. As a down-to-earth mother, passionate advocate for children and all-around inquisitive individual, Rosie will relate to her audience in meaningful ways-touching their hearts, sparking their minds and making them laugh.
We caught up Rosie today in between press meetings. Shows will be taped and aired the same day or within 24 hours to be relevant.
“I am very excited to be here in Chicago. When we moved here in the summer, I had looked around for places and didn’t know anything about Chicago at all, although I had filmed “League of Their Own” here for a couple weeks, and I had done standup here throughout my career, mostly at the Improv, which is no longer open, in the heart of Chicago. I wasn’t really familiar with the city or where anything was or in relation to Harpo, so they put me up at a residential hotel, the Elysian, which is actually beautiful and gorgeous and lovely.
And when we figured out that my 14-year-old daughter would be living here with me and that my other children would be coming back and forth all the time, the two little ones, we realized it really wasn’t big enough and that we need outdoor space, because sitting in a hotel room with them for a four-day weekend was a little bit much.
So luckily one of the presidents of Harpo, Erik Logan, had a house for sale (in Lakeview) , and I went and looked at it, and I called him up and said “If you will leave it furnished, I mean, like down to the toilet paper and some of the nightshirts, I think we have a deal,” because it’s a beautiful place that he had just really finished renovating about two years ago, and it’s turn-key ready. And I actually move in tomorrow, so I’m thrilled about that, and I love being in a neighborhood and places that I can walk to the restaurants for dinner and not have to order room service and, you know, feel more like a home. I actually love it here and can imagine moving and living here for this next chapter of my life.”
Lucky for Chicago, Oprah grabbed Rosie when she did. Rosie had an offer on the table from NBC for a show.
And for me, I’m about to turn 50 in March. Half my life I’ve watched her on television, and I was one of those crazy super-fans who used to VCR it back in the old days and then put her on my Tivo, and I would watch it every night. So it was a huge thrill for me and a vote of confidence. You know, the truth is, when I was about to sign with NBC, I questioned whether or not I would be able to do it and to sort of withstand the network kind of pressure and the network mishigas that happens and happened. And right around that time the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien fiasco had just finished, and I was not feeling very safe or secure in the network’s investment in their talent.
So when Oprah Winfrey said to me “Would you do it for me?” which had been my first desire as well– when people started calling me right after she said she was going to leave her program, I called my agent and said “Does she need someone? Because if she needs somebody for her network, I’d rather do it there.”
But agents never really care about your emotional desires. They care more about their financial bottom line. So you make a lot more money on network TV than you do on cable, but to me it wasn’t ever about the money. No part of my career was ever about money. It was always about trying to do the best job in the best place that would be most congruent with my life and my values.
And that’s definitely where I ended up, largely because I do believe in what she taught us all, that you can live your best life, and if you dream it, you can live it. And a large part of my career and my success is because of watching her and learning from her, so to be here now with her is beyond a dream come true. It’s like everybody’s– for me, it’s like winning the lottery, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. So I’m excited to get started, and I hope that I serve her and the network well.”
The Rosie Show is destined for greatness. This is just what OWN needed. The network has gotten off to slow start but the Rosie Show is just the shot in the arm, the network needs. O’Donnell isn’t worried about her new home on OWN. “I have tremendous faith in Oprah’s ability to do almost anything,” she says. “When she puts her mind to anything, it gets down. People ask if I feel pressure. I feel nothing but privilege, really.” She lated added, “If you look at the launch of any cable channel, it takes three years. The people are just waiting for us to fill up the programming. Its going to be a huge hit like everything else Oprah touches.”
OPRAH SAID, “In 25 years of doing my show, only one competitor ever seriously challenged me in the ratings: Rosie O’Donnell. From the day Rosie took her place among the crowded field of talk show hosts, I knew she had that “It” thing: She was as sharp as she was authentic, as forthright as she was funny. During six seasons of NBC’s The Rosie O’Donnell Show, she not only won 11 Emmys—she knew how to use her screen time to truly connect.”
One thing that sounds really great about the new show, is its not about quantity, but quality of guests. Rather than trying to cram in 3 guests a day for 5 minute spots, the show will feature one guest on for several segments.
“Since I’ve been off the air, television has become saturated with celebrities. In America we’re addicted in a way that’s embarrassing. So it’s not going to be all about celebrity. It’ll be a celebration of humanity, of connection, of authenticity and love.
Because it’s on at 7, we’re going to do a hybrid between a late-night show and a daytime show. We’ll incorporate the audience. We’ll use Twitter. We’ll use Facebook. We’ve come up with a new kind of talk show that mixes the old single-topic format with fun and social media. So it will have a reality feel. We’ll have to get the kinks out, but the same way I knew the first one would work, I know this will work.“
Watch for a star studded opening week including a who’s who list of stars! Appearances by Salma Hyek, Lisa Kudrow, Gloria Estefan, Roseanne Barr, Sharon and Kelly Osborne, Ricky Lake, Gloria Steinem, Wanda Sykes, the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Kevin Bacon, Fran Drescher , but she still has a wish list of other stars. “Adele has throat issues but as soon as she’s up and healthy she’ll be on,” she says. “I want to have Melissa McCarthy on. Never seen anyone as funny their first time as host of ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Emma Stone… Ryan Gosling I think is an amazing actor. I have a huge wish list.”
Whether it’s hilarious comedy and game segments, (Rosie LOVES The Price is Right) a live performance by a major recording artist, a celebrity visit, or a discussion of an issue important to Americans, THE ROSIE SHOW’s candid exploration of a wide variety of subjects will encourage all of us to laugh, love and live our best lives.
TICKETS are hard to get at the moment but check the site often for updates!
* I have RCN and OWN is part of a news and information package I had to buy, for an additional $5.95 a month. But hey, it’ll be worth it!
