Politics & Labor
A Thousand Cuts: As the University of Chicago slashes budgets, workers and administrators feel the pain
The University of Chicago’s bureaucratic machinery usually runs quietly in the background, unnoticed and unknown to all but those that keep it humming. Only in times of strain or controversy do its organization, governance, and finances come under public scrutiny. Now, with the recession pushing the administration to impose budget cuts, the University is... »
Olympian Activism: The Unlympic Games compete with the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid
Last Saturday afternoon, a small but enthusiastic group of activists and community members gathered in Washington Park to play kickball. Class-conscious kickball, that is. The event was part of the Unlympics, a movement that seeks to raise awareness and questions about the prospect of a 2016 Chicago Olympics. Characters dressed as wealthy corporate representatives... »
Reality Check: Patients and activists protest the closure of mental health clinics on the South Side
The Woodlawn Center, a mental health clinic that serves the low-income community of Woodlawn, offers its clients a quiet refuge from the harsh and often bewildering realities of the outside world. But on Thursday morning, this inconspicuous one-story building became the site of a heated political protest, as a group of about thirty patients,... »
Hop on the Hope Bus
The Chicago Neighborhood Tours website boasts that Hyde Park and Kenwood are “where lakefront vistas, ancient history, architecture and Nobel Prizes meet.” Now that Senator Obama, who used to be the neighbor of thousands of proud South Side residents, has become President Obama, the tour company offers the opportunity to “admire distinctively designed dwellings... »
Celebrating the Dream
“This little light of mine,” a swell of voices rang out over darkness twinkling with red, white, and blue lights. “I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” The DuSable Museum of African American History Theater was full to the brim with bodies and feeling as visitors sang... »
Remembering the Dream
“Martin should have been born in June,” Rev. Joseph Lowery said, laughing. As the keynote speaker at Thursday’s MLK Commemoration Service at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Rev. Lowery spoke to a crowd of a couple hundred people, despite the fact that it was the coldest day so far this winter. Women adorned with fur hats,... »
Industrial Strength: Chicago’s worst polluter moves south to Burnside
Today the sight of workers pouring molten steel into molds, sending forth bursts of orange sparks and flames, seems industrial to the point of anachronism. Chicago’s once-famous steel industry has gone the way of much American manufacturing of late; almost all of its steel mills have closed or left the city. A. Finkl &... »
Numerical Order: Famed statistician Nate Silver discusses the future of his near-flawless forecasting
Of all the speakers chosen for the panel on “Race and the American Voter,” Nate Silver is possibly least qualified for the role. The other members of the discussion are, unlike Silver, mostly minorities; all add more to the conversation than Silver, and when he does speak, he doesn’t really bring up the detailed... »
