Mr. Barwin and his family have been renting from the Village, but now the Village wants to sell the property. Some very informal preliminary discussions involving Mr. Barwin's purchase of the home have petered out.

The more I read about the litigation between the high school and the Village the angrier I get

Blackout Wednesday Is Almost Here

It's bad enough that three local governing bodies can't agree on how to divvy up the taxpayer's dough, but the whole fiasco is shrouded in a secrecy that rivals Middle East peace negotiations.

How come the Lake Theater can't find room to play movies like the John Lennon biopic "Nowhere Boy", Woody Allen's latest "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger", the educational documentary "Waiting For Superman" or any of the Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (e.g. "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest")?

I was never a big fan of Barbara's Bookstore. So let's hear for Potbelly's.

I just finished reading an historical novel Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. It told the story of Thomas Cromwell's life journey from a wretched abusive childhood to becoming Henry VIII's right hand man. Cromwell was largely responsible for Henry's divorce and the demise of the Catholic Church in England.

I guess it's time to close the book, or if you prefer, flush the toilet on the 2010 elections.

How old is old?

The short answer? It depends.

My wife Marsha tricked me into going to the Obama rally in Hyde Park Saturday. She told me that the gates opened at 4 p.m., and the program began at 4:30 p.m.