The Danger of a Single Story
Alex Kotlowitz explains the danger of crafting a single narrative—and discusses the great Chicago (and American) paradox.
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A 9/11 Sunday—10 Years Later
Our writer-at-large Bryan Smith looks back on his September 11th reporting from Ground Zero.
United Flight 23 to Chicago: The First Airline Terrorism?
In October 1933, a plane bound to Chicago from Newark via Cleveland exploded in the skies over Chesterton, Indiana. It’s cited as the first incidence of American airline terrorism… but it’s still a mystery.
Joe Walsh on Abortion, Name-Calling, and His Family Life
Skipping President Obama’s speech last night, Rep. Joe Walsh hosted a small-business forum at Schaumburg’s Prairie Center for the Arts. Yesterday, I posted part one of my Q&A with the 8th District congressman. Here, part two of our conversation, in which he talks about growing up in an Irish Catholic family, why he switched his stance on abortion, who his closest friends are in Congress, and …
Pop vs Soda? I'll Show You Pop vs Soda
Where “pop” becomes “Coke,” “crayfish” becomes “crawdad,” and other fine questions of American regional dialects. Plus: the origins of the “word, schmerd” tic.
9/11 and Social Media
The dangers and advantages of “social media” in the wake—or the moment—of national disaster, from the Kennedy assassination to the attack on the World Trade Center.
Joe Walsh on Why He's Skipping Obama's Jobs Speech Tonight
When President Obama takes the mic tonight for a jobs speech before a joint session of Congress tonight, Congressman Joe Walsh will not be in attendance. Instead, he’ll be flying home to host a “small business job forum” in Schaumburg, part of his suburban Chicago 8th District…
The Impending Death of the U.S. Postal Service
Why the USPS is nearing the brink, and what can be done to fix it. Right now it’s in an awkward position between subsidized public good and flexible private business, so the philosophy will have to change as much as the operation.
Kevin Coval's Unabridged Weekend Plans
Seriously, this guy is busy. What made it into this week’s Chicago Guide was only the beginning. Read Coval’s full weekend agenda here.
For the Chicago Comets, Blindness Is No Impediment to Tough Competition
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN: The players on the city’s beep baseball team have the bruises to prove their toughness.