* Wow:

"TRBAM" is the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.

* David Lepeska asks: why does it cost $1 billion to upgrade the Red Line and provide a handful of CTA upgrades, while it costs $1.6 billion to build a whole new line in São Paulo?

* Percentage of older Chicago residential high-rises that are supposed to upgrade their fire-safety systems, and haven't: more than half.

* Percentage that "supportive" housing for the homeless increased since 2002: 88 percent.

* Number of Chicago restaurants in the top ten most expensive in America: five.

* Amount of money the Emanuel administration "scrounged up" to keep libraries open on Mondays: $2 million.

* Amount two men told the Sun-Times they were paid to rally for school closings: $50.

Photograph: juggernautco (CC by 2.0)