February 2012
3 posts
Company accused of racially hostile workplace... →
…Emanuel said Tuesday he knew nothing about the alleged discrimination at ThyssenKrupp until he read about it in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The mayor acknowledged that he pressured the company to issue the apology to put out the political firestorm.
“As I’ve said before and I’m gonna repeat: [I have] zero tolerance for racial, ethnic, sexual orientation — any form of discrimination. Those...
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Mayor mum on alleged racially hostile workplace at... →
Mayor Rahm Emanuel refused to weigh in Saturday night about allegations of racial discrimination levied against ThyssenKrupp, a German conglomerate that last week agreed to make Chicago its North American regional headquarters.
Go read more, k?
January 2012
3 posts
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Sun-Times: Number of homeless students surges,... →
We talk about people living in the shadows and invisible populations but there is no such thing. These people, whether you’re talking about homeless, immigrants or anyone else, are in plain view in our society. They are not in the shadows. They are not invisible. It is “the rest of us” who are living in the dark, hiding from the harsh realities of the world. I only feel useful...
December 2011
4 posts
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Herbert Nipson, journalism trailblazer, former... →
I wrote this on Christmas Eve for the Sun-Times. What a way to spend X-mas Eve, but it was so rewarding regardless. Yes, we feel loss when some one passes — but when a human has lived a long, beautiful life of meaning and impact like Mr. Nipson, they die such a beautiful death that it’s hard to truly be sad. My grandmother was a strong woman who came to Chicago during the Great...
Organon: To all those men who don't think the rape... →
oforganon:
(via) This post in particular is addressed to men, not because women don’t rape and women don’t make/laugh at rape jokes and not because men can’t be raped, but because, by nature of the existing gender disparity, men are in a unique position to be taken seriously when they raise objections to…
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A Talk to Teachers
A friend of mine, John Stone (a law student with an awesome lawyer’s name, which is a fine start in itself, not to mention his considerable intellect) posted a link to an awesome speech by James Baldwin on my Facebook wall this morning.
“A pretty amazing speech by one of my favorite authors,” Stone wrote, leaving me with a preview of the speech. “‘One of the...
As I'm trying to get to the heart...
Sitting in Coffee Chicago and my creative non-fiction professor walks in. “I Hope you’re working on my piece,” he jokes, referring to a huge literary journalism story due in his class Friday. “You know what? I am,” I tell him. Then he sits down at my table and we get into a discussion about my 6,000 word monster that digresses toward career talk and transitions to...
November 2011
5 posts
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So...I interviewed Sinbad
I interviewed Sinbad. Remember him? If you assumed he fell off the face of the earth you assumed wrong. That’s one thing I learned from our conversation. Here’s a few excerpts, and after that, I’m sending your ass over to the Chicago Sun-Times website to read the full article.
Q. What have you learned from some of the adversity you’ve faced in your life and in your...
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Red Line riders mixed on station rehab plans →
As if on cue, two street level turnstiles at the Wilson Red Line stop malfunctioned Thursday afternoon, frustrating travelers just hours after officials announced that the century-old station would be rebuilt.
Riders waiting in the rain on the stop’s elevated wooden platform Thursday afternoon had mixed feelings about the Wilson revamp.
Simbiat Soaga, 23, of Uptown, said the station is “a hub”...
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53 Questions That You May Not Have Seen Before
Instructions: You should know these by now.
1: What do you put on hotdogs?
2: Do you say "anticlimatic" or "anticlimactic"?
3: Do you check flyers before grocery shopping?
4: Blue, black, or some other colour pen ink?
5: Do you use your parking brake?
6: Look to your left. How many framed pictures are on the wall?
7: Do you know how to play chess?
8: How often do you clean the interior of your car?
9: Do you ever read the last few pages first?
10: Ever fallen in the shower?
11: On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to swear at other drivers?
12: What's the worst thing you've ever called someone you care about?
13: Do you have a Snuggie?
14: Are you allergic to anything?
15: Do you have any TV shows on DVD?
16: How many times do you hit the snooze button before finally getting out of bed?
17: Ever driven away in anger?
18: What's your favourite freezie colour?
19: Are you a vegetarian?
20: Do you have a garbage receptacle beside you? What's on top?
21: Do you cross out your mistakes or erase/whiteout them?
22: Ever torn something up that you instantly knew was too important for such treatment?
23: Do you think that things will get better?
24: Do you have an unpopular opinion? What is it?
25: What's your favourite quote?
26: Did you/are you going to go to prom?
27: What's the most physically painful thing you've ever experienced?
28: What's the most emotionally/mentally painful thing you've ever experienced?
29: Have you ever legitimately saved a person's life?
30: What's your favourite book genre?
31: Did you like "Gigli"? Be honest.
32: Have you ever walked out of a movie at the theatre?
33: Do you peek between your fingers during the scary scenes?
34: What was your reaction to Tatum getting killed whilst stuck in the pet door in Scream?
35: Do dogs like you?
36: Would you say that you project an air of authority?
37: Do people listen when you speak?
38: How are your elbows? Are they okay?
39: What is one thing that you do exceptionally well? Be honest.
40: Do you use torrents?
41: When was the last time you paid for music?
42: Are you addicted to technology?
43: Pick a person (you don't need to give their name). How do you feel about them? Be as honest as you can get yourself to be.
44: Do you check your computer's dictionary for the definition of words you'd otherwise feel confident about using during in-person interactions? Just to be sure?
45: How heavily to you rely on spellcheck and autocorrect?
46: Have you ever gotten into an argument on the internet? Did you win?
47: Do you pause movies/TV shows if you have to go to the bathroom or the kitchen, or do you just let them keep playing?
48: If you use a regular alarm clock, do you have it set to music or that obnoxious beeping?
49: Peter Pan?
50: How often do you fall up the stairs?
51: Do you pronounce "anti" as ant-eye or ant-ee? (Example: "That scene was very anticlimactic.")
52: Do you pronounce "via" as vee-uh or vie-uh? (Example: "We can get there via Tremont Street.")
53: How often do you forget to close your parentheses?
Please ask as many as you want anon or not. I need distraction right now
October 2011
14 posts
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The Playlist (album reviews for the Chicago...
J. Cole stakes his claim to being one of the hip-hop game’s rising stars with “Cole World: Sideline Story” (Roc Nation). After several years of mixtape releases and a 2009 deal signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, anticipation was high for this set, as were expectations for this rapper and producer. The ★★★ debut proves he deserves all-star consideration even if he is not quite an MVP yet. He...
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"more more more ... future" ... is amazing!
Congolese choreographer and director Faustin Linyekula’s “more more more… future” depicts people swept by dark and chaotic tides, desperately clinging to hope and searching for the power to step forward together.
Economic failure, corruption and bloodshed have wracked the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the chains of Belgium colonial rule were lifted in 1960. By some estimates, as many as...
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Rap act Das Racist puts on a great live show -... →
“Ever hear two friends engage in a half-serious rap session and realize, surprisingly, they were actually dropping some potent lines in between the jokes and gibberish? Listening to Das Racist emcees Heems and Kool A.D. is a bit similar. That’s why a live Das Racist show either confounds or dazzles, depending on who you ask.
Some people wore puzzled expressions when the New York-based...
Zombie gorefest gets a musical spin - Chicago... →
“Zombies walk the Earth and feast on the living.
An unlikely band of strangers put their differences aside to survive the bloody onslaught.
It’s been done — maybe even overdone.
However, “Musical of the Living Dead” puts a satirical spin on the traditional American zombie tale, adding singing, dancing and raunchy humor into the mix. The play is in its sophomore run at Logan Square’s...
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Chicago Sun-Times: "North Lawndale student makes... →
Channing Redditt, a 2009 graduate of Chicago’s Social Justice High School, was one of 15 students given a four-year full ride scholarship to Roosevelt University. He was recently elected president of the student government association at Roosevelt’s Chicago campus.
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Chicago Sun-Times: Chart-topper J. Cole plays it... →
“The concert embodied just what fans love about the Fayetteville native: superb wordplay and diverse content packaged with a rare balance of swagger and humility.”
CBS Chicago Pro-tip #42:
cbschicago:
Before writing the news, stretch. You don’t want to pull a muscle!
“Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths.”
– Lois Wyse, author and advertising executive (via nicothedoctor)
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August 2011
4 posts
Read the fine print before you get snipped. Jah... →
A unanimous jury ruled in favor of the Kentucky doctor who amputated a portion of Phillip Seaton’s penis during an October 2007 circumcision to treat inflammation.
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“We aren’t asking for a change of personnel in the government or a change in the...”
– Itzik Shmuli, head of the National Union of Israeli Students
July 2011
11 posts
Have you ever...
tried making an impression of someone else making an impression of you? Will blow your mind. If you are drunk enough.
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Acie Law, the NBA Lockout's latest victim. →
What I want to do to people who "plank"
moargifs:
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June 2011
19 posts
Hackers are being radicalised by government policy →
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All Work and No Pay: The Great Speedup →
“ SOUND FAMILIAR: Mind racing at 4 a.m.? Guiltily realizing you’ve been only half-listening to your child for the past hour? Checking work email at a stoplight, at the dinner table, in bed? Dreading once-pleasant diversions, like dinner with friends, as just one more thing on your to-do list? Guess what: It’s not you. These might seem like personal problems—and certainly, the...
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Victory through Defeat
One of the greatest skills you can learn in life is how to achieve victory through defeat. Just think, the cross was a tool of torture, and now, it’s a symbol of love and salvation to billions. The memory of your defeat is sometimes the best motivation….
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