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April 2011

	05/02/11 The Death of Osama bin Laden: An Omnibus How bin Laden was found and killed; the celebrations in New York and Washington; what's next for al-Qaida and the United States; did bin Laden win or lose?; and much, much more. Posted at 1:43 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/29/11 Can a Tornado Hit Downtown Chicago? Apparently a lot of people believe that tornadoes can't strike big cities, or at least the downtown area. It's a little more than an old wives' tale, but a lot less than the truth. Posted at 5:22 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (2)
	04/29/11 Friday Favorites: The Awesome Foundation Comes to Chicago Plus: Chicago house duo Virgo Four, crime and the Plan for Transformation, some David Foster Wallace-related reading, Chicago's royal wedding, and more. Posted at 3:15 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/29/11 More Future In England's Dreaming I'm not saying the royals will always be with us. But apparently we'll have them to kick around for awhile, if not as God's chosen rich people, then as a 21st century brand. At least it's not as unavoidable as it was in Chicago circa 1959. Posted at 12:59 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/29/11 British Consul General Hosts Official Chicago Royal Wedding Party As royal wedding fanatics counted down the final hours before Prince William and Kate Middleton’s walk down the aisle, the happy couple was toasted in the Chicago home of British Consul General Robert Chatterton Dickson at a party that merged English pomp (ladies in hats; men in ties and tails) with Midwestern circumstance (coffee mugs immortalizing the... Posted at 11:10 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/28/11 Ted Fujita, Chicago's Mr. Tornado, and the Super Outbreak of 1974 In the wake of yesterday's massive tornado outbreak, the deadliest in almost 40 years, a look back at the career of Ted Fujita and the lessons he learned from the Super Outbreak of 1974... and before that, the bombing of Japan. Posted at 7:18 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/28/11 How Close Do You Live and Work to the Chicago El? A map shows the distribution of el stops throughout the city, revealing where's a short walk, and where's a long haul, to the city's public-transportation arteries. Posted at 3:18 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (6)
	04/28/11 The Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism: Robert Feder's List, and My Additions The value of listmaking resides in how the criteria reflect the interests and knowledge of the listmakers. Which is why there's always room for one more. Here's mine. Posted at 12:53 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/27/11 Obama Does Winfrey, Mayor Daley Talks Bees, Tina Fey at Google During the president's whirlwind day of birth certificates, Oprah, and fundraisers, the mayor suggests some small plans for Chicago. Very, very small. Posted at 6:14 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/27/11 Lollapalooza: The Tour Is Getting Soft The culture vultures are underwhelmed by this year's Lolla lineup, giving more ammo to those who call it WalMart by the Lake. But it's closer to Costco, and besides: there are other, cheaper options. Posted at 3:56 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/27/11 Barack Obama Releases Long Form Birth Certificate; Nation Shrugs, Journalists Self-Flagellate Barack Obama's release of his long-form birth certificate marks a sad day in American politics, the first since yesterday. The next one is scheduled for tomorrow. Posted at 12:14 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/26/11 Does Chicago's Old Housing Stock Lead to High Carbon Emissions? Cook County is the third-largest producer of CO2 emissions in the country by county, according to the Vulcan Project out of Purdue. Why? Our emissions are pretty well-balanced, but old houses and apartments mean that it takes more fossil fuels to live here than in similar cities. Posted at 2:14 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/26/11 Blackhawks-Canucks, Game Seven: The View from Vancouver It's just a few hours until the Blackhawks try to complete a reverse sweep of Vancouver, and Canucks fans are starting to sound like Cubs fans. I still don't get hockey, but if there's one thing I do understand, it's losing. Posted at 12:06 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/25/11 Starlin Castro: The Derrick Rose of the Cubs? The excitement over the Bulls and Blackhawks, and the mediocre performance of the city's baseball teams, has overshadowed a nicely developing story: Starlin Castro's hot start after a promising rookie campaign. Posted at 5:22 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/25/11 The State of Illinois Will Start Tracking Bike Doorings, But It's Web Commenters I'm Afraid Of An extremely modest proposal by the state of Illinois to start noting when and where bicyclists get doored by parked cars brings out the usual chest-puffing from the anti-bike brigade. Posted at 3:34 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (3)
	04/25/11 Julia Sweeney Talks About Sex I imagine having a famous actress, comedian, and monologuist for a mom would be pretty weird, but it makes "the talk" a lot better. Posted at 10:36 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/22/11 Celebrate Talk Like Shakespeare Day, and the Royal Wedding, With "The Madness of George III" Today is Shakespeare's birthday, and lots of people will be talking in iambic pentameter to celebrate. But if the play's the thing for you, check out Alan Bennett's play at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, the basis of the movie "The Madness of King George." Posted at 3:59 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/22/11 On the Legendary Chicago Boutique Ultimo: Ikram's Ancestor Where did Ikram Goldman, the most important figure in Chicago fashion, get her start? At Ultimo, the elite boutique run by her mentor, Joan Weinstein. Posted at 3:19 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/22/11 Friday Favorites: The Greatest Speech Ever Plus the end of streetwear, Chicago's peregrine falcons, a table inspired by the heartland forerunner of Legos, a reuse plan for Prentice Hospital, and more Posted at 1:35 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/22/11 RIP: Sol Saks, "Bewitched" Creator and Medill Alumnus Sol Saks, who died at the age of 100 this weekend, was best known for his long-running sitcom "Bewitched," but that was merely the crowning moment in a long career that started with his family's Chicago paint shop. Posted at 12:22 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/21/11 Chicago Public Library to Add Kindle Lending Now that the digital-lending service Overdrive is set to get along with Amazon at long last, you'll soon be able to check out books on your Kindle. Posted at 5:34 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/21/11 Atlas Sells: Why the New Ayn Rand Movie Is Popular Critics can't stand "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1." Insiders think it should be a flop. But a cursory look at the numbers suggests that the film is bulletproof, just like a certain epic about taxation. Posted at 3:19 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (3)
	04/21/11 The Alan Keyes Constant How Alan Keyes's substantial--but not 100 percent total--loss to Barack Obama--explains the world, or at least birthers and the sudden political popularity of Donald Trump. Posted at 1:39 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/20/11 Penny Pollack's Favorite North Side BYOs Today, an old friend requested recommendations for a North Side BYO dinner spot—making restaurant suggestions to pals is one of the unofficial duties of a dining editor. After writing him a lengthy reply, I figured I’d pass along the list to you, our readers... Posted at 4:35 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/20/11 Chicago Food: The Best Game in Town? I came to Chicago for the politicians, the buildings, and the sports teams, but it seems all anyone wants to talk about is what they're eating. I'm getting used to it. Posted at 4:24 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/20/11 Ayn Rand's Favorite Book: "Calumet K" The Objectivist writer's most loved tale is an obscure 1901 Chicago novel about the building of a grain elevator, wheat monopolies, and those dastardly union men. It's no "Atlas Shrugged," but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Posted at 1:56 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (5)
	04/19/11 The Strange But True Story of the Magnetar Debacle One of the most complex stories of the housing crisis, and one of the best pieces of journalism to emerge from it, is back in the news... thanks to the Pulitzer board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Posted at 5:16 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/18/11 Chicago Schools and Rahm's Inauguration: Feeling Patronized About Patronage? Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel is famous, or notorious if you prefer, for his ability to make connections and raise money. It's an in-demand skill, as the attentions of well-funded nonprofits turn to public institutions. Is it good for us? Posted at 9:38 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/18/11 A Brief Beekeeping How-To for Hobbyists Want to join the ranks of Chicago's amateur beekeepers? Start with a beekeeping class. Then buying your own bees. Then get the right equipment... and think one step ahead of the bees. Posted at 4:16 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (2)
	04/18/11 Meet Jean-Claude Brizard, the Next Head of Chicago Public Schools For Rochester, New York public schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard, it's out of the frying pan, into the fire, as he prepares to face the same issues of education reform that caused controversy in his prior job. Posted at 3:29 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (2)
	04/16/11 Three Videos on the Creative Process Paul Bloom on how pleasure works; Mike Dean (Kanye's engineer) on technology and music; and Jim Coudal, John Gruber, and Michael Lopp on the writing process. Posted at 2:36 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/15/11 The Sort of Article That Changes Your Life Remembering Robert Kurson's "Heavy," a profile of Robert Earl Hughes: the Fishhook, Illinois, native enshrined forever in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fattest man. Posted at 3:40 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/15/11 Five Questions for Richard Babcock The outgoing Chicago editor answers readers' questions. Here, his favorite stories, advice for young editors, memorable reader feedback, and more... Posted at 10:21 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/14/11 The Hot List: Special NEXT Edition 1 place everyone's talking about and dining at—if they can only get a ticket. Posted at 2:04 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/14/11 On the Menu at Obama's Chicago Fundraiser: Bill Kurtis's Tallgrass Beef Michael Kornick and Erick Williams of mk restaurant are serving up state tartare from the Kansas ranch of Independence native and local CBS anchor Bill Kurtis. Posted at 12:11 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/14/11 How Michael Jordan Became MJ, With Help From Phil Jackson and Tex Winter Back in 1990, the Bulls had the best player in the NBA, but they weren't the best team, even in their own conference. They needed the right players, and the right coaches to put them together. Enter Phil Jackson, Tex Winter, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. Posted at 11:41 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/13/11 Illinois School Reform In the Works Big developments today in Springfield about school hours, teacher seniority, and collective bargaining. Illinois might be the next state to see dramatic revisions to educational policy, and without the fight that going on elsewhere. Posted at 5:24 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/13/11 Beer Here, and in Texas: The Ongoing Fight for Sensible Booze Laws Illinois is revisiting its old, controversial beer regulations to permit some brewers to circumvent the post-Prohibition three-tier system. Cheer up: Texas, of all places, is even more restrictive. Posted at 3:34 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/13/11 Don't Ask Walgreens For a Pap Smear The latest challenges to abortion laws and abortion providers: from the subtle in Illinois, to the tragic in Indiana, to the absurd... at your local Walgreens. Posted at 2:02 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/13/11 Annals of Interruption: CeaseFire's Ancestor The violence-prevention program known as CeaseFire has earned a lot of national attention, from a new documentary by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James to a New York Times Magazine profile. But its model of street-level, ear-to-the-ground has a much earlier Chicago precedent in the Commission on Human Relations. Posted at 11:41 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/12/11 In the Potential Future News: O'Hare Bullet Train, the Future Head of Chicago Public Schools New news about recent news, as Mayor Daley continues to doggedly pursue his long-held dream of an ORD express train, and another name gets added to the mix of rumored CPS chiefs. Posted at 2:08 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (2)
	04/12/11 Can Any Republican Beat Barack Obama? As Barack Obama prepares to launch his fundraising campaign for the 2012 election with a goal of one billion dollars, it's time to start looking at his competition. Oh, and Donald Trump. Posted at 12:13 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/11/11 Jamie Dimon: Another Casualty of the Housing Bubble The JPMorgan Chase chairman is in the news for the generous moving stipend he got when he departed Chicago for New York City. But you try moving a $13 million house in this market.... Posted at 6:15 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/11/11 Is Wal-Mart a Raw Deal for Chicago? Or Is Chicago a Raw Deal for Wal-Mart? The latest drama in the slow, tense Walmartization of Chicago is the bankruptcy of Broadway Consolidated, the minority-owned contractor that built the Austin big box. Here's why the city's economic and racial history makes Chicago fertile ground for Wal-Mart, and tough for its opponents. Posted at 3:26 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/08/11 Take the Time to See the Next Derrick Rose While He's Still in High School As much fun as it is to watch Derrick Rose, the best place to appreciate basketball greatness is in high school, while future stars still share the court with their fellow mortals. Posted at 4:10 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/08/11 The Madison Method: Chicago-Style Voting in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race, Or Not The latest from Wisconsin is suspicion that the Chicago Way of Voting might have inflated vote totals in Republican-leaning Waukesha County. Or it could just be operator error. Posted at 2:42 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/08/11 Derrick Rose, Soon to Be MVP Derrick Rose might not be the best player in the league, or more important to his team than any other player is to any other team. But he's the most valuable to his franchise and his city... and the league. Posted at 1:37 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/07/11 The First Movie Ever Shot in Chicago See Chicago's law-enforcement splendor on parade circa 1896, captured by the first man to ever shoot with a moving camera, and who beat Edison to our town by a few months. Posted at 6:25 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
04/07/11 Post-Election Roundup: A Little Bit of Reform, a Lot of Political Maneuvering The aldermanic runoffs produced an upset in the 36th ward, a near-upset in the 25th ward, and a changing of the guard in the 50th. Reporters and writers are starting to drill down into the results. Plus: more Berny Stone. Posted at 1:02 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/06/11 Hump Day Roundup: Bye Bye Berny Bernard Stone takes his quotables and goes home; this Bud's for Cubs fans, the baseball not so much; a look inside Lane Tech, and more. Posted at 5:35 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/06/11 Chicago Runoff Apathy, Wisconsin Voter Passion, and Political Reform Madison turns out half its registered voters--by conservative estimates--to vote for a state Supreme Court justice, as Chicago's aldermanic elections drag to a quietly eventful finish. Plus: towards a culinary theory of Chicago politics. Posted at 2:26 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/06/11 Sarah Vowell on Chicago Architecture, Buildings as Friends, and How No One is as Uptight as Frank Lloyd Wright We talked to Sarah Vowell—author, This American Life alumna, and recipient of an M.A. in art history from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—for this week’s Chicago Guide newsletter. Here, more from our conversation with Vowell, who’ll be reading from her new book on the history of Hawaii, Unfamiliar Fishes, tonight at 7 p.m. in Oak Park... Posted at 12:50 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/05/11 Don't Panic About the Cubs' Attendance Cubs fans are always worrying about something. Since we're not far into the season, and nothing terribly exciting has happened so far, this week they're worried about low attendance. (For a Monday afternoon game.) But attendance is the last thing the Cubs need to worry about. Posted at 6:16 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (2)
	04/05/11 Dennis Rodman, Tex Winter, and Artis Gilmore Enter the Basketball Hall of Fame In praise of Rodman's rebounding, Winter's complex triangle offense, and Gilmore's thighs. Plus: the 1976 ABA dunk contest, when men were men and basketballs were red, white, and blue. Posted at 4:43 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/05/11 2008: The Chicago Way. 2011: The Madison Method. It's election day here in Chicago--again! And the best game in town... actually isn't in town. It's up north. Between the Packers, Scott Walker, and Paul Ryan, Wisconsinites are living in interesting times. Posted at 12:41 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/04/11 The Derrick Lemon Timeline Sixteen years ago, Derrick Lemon watched as his brother was dropped out a window of the Ida B. Wells housing complex. Today, at the age of 24, Lemon was sentenced to 71 years in prison for shooting a man in 2006. Posted at 5:57 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/04/11 The Myriad Gene Patent Case: Who Owns Your Disease? Today the court of appeals for the federal circuit court is hearing arguments in the Myriad gene patent case, aka Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It's the latest development in the attempt to patent the human body, a long story that's touched the lives of Chicagoans and won't go away any time soon. Posted at 3:07 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/04/11 Should You Feel Guilty About Being Interested in Charlie Sheen? How to turn away leisurely from the disaster that is the My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not An Option tour, which is currently plowing its unfortunate way across the nation. Posted at 11:56 AM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)
	04/01/11 Friday Favorites: Brent Morel, Chicago Whales Gear, Aldermanic Runoffs Some things to get you through the weekend, like Ben Joravsky's guide to aldermanic runoffs, the Trib's guide to Chicago sandwiches, tours of Miller House, and more. Posted at 5:15 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)
	04/01/11 This Week in Investigations It's been a quiet couple months for city and state politics, but things are starting to get interesting: two federal investigations, rumblings from Michael Madigan about the pre-paid college tuition program, and the city inspector general's report on truck drivers. Posted at 3:12 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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