(Mehveş Konuk)

Few opportunities arise for representatives from rival nations to ask one another to please pass the orange juice. On Friday May 14th, ambassadors representing 44 nations met at the University of Chicago’s Harper Memorial Library for breakfast and conversation. The ambassadors were here as part of the U.S. State Department’s “Experience America—Chicago” tour, which was meant to give diplomats and their spouses the opportunity to learn about America’s cities and communities outside of Washington, DC. In past years tours have been made to New York City, California, Florida, and Dallas. This year, from May 12th through May 14th U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall took the international representatives to the Windy City’s classic tourist attractions. When asked how many stops were made on the tour, one ambassador laughed and replied, “Too many to count!” Stops along the trip included the Wrigley factory, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Art Institute of Chicago. The University of Chicago was chosen due to its connection with President Barack Obama and its academic prowess. Read the rest of this entry »

Juan and Jonathan Zaragoza in their restaurant (Ron Kaplan)

Once in a while, you run across a little gem of a family restaurant that treats its patrons like family. Birrieria Zaragoza is that kind of restaurant, and the first time I visited, I had a hard time believing that they hadn’t confused me for a regular. On my second visit, I was one. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of Taylor Mallory)

“Why not put food and entertainment all under one bun?” Taylor Mallory asks, reciting the slogan of his new food and music webshow, “Music Burger.” Wearing a smart sport jacket and his signature black baseball cap backwards, Mallory doesn’t look stressed, but the musician and teacher has a lot on his plate. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of Court Theatre)

Though only two actors command the stage and the set consists of little more than chairs and a backdrop, Court Theatre’s production of “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” is filled with an energy and charm that belies its spartan setup. Deftly directed by Ron OJ Parson, the play is served well by the intimate nature of the Abelson Auditorium. Although more obscure and seemingly dated than other work by Athol Fugard (best known for “Tsotsi,” which was made into an Academy-Award winning film), “Sizwe” carries underlying themes of alienation and identity that move the piece beyond its 1970s South African setting. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of David Moss)

David Moss is a self-described “extreme vocalist.” In his bizarre, entrancing performances, he babbles and sings in invented languages, his commanding but playful use of his voice leaving audiences speechless. This Saturday, at the University of Chicago’s Bond Chapel, Moss will premiere his latest composition, “Hyperglyphyx.” Read the rest of this entry »

A woman in a black dress and a man in a black tie and white-collared shirt stood on stage. Black binders in hand, they read from a collection of letters, diary entries, philosophical musings, and poetry from diverse authors. Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi, Islamic mystic Ibn al-Arabi, and Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk were all spotlighted in little more than half an hour.

“Voices of the Middle Eastern City” was performed on May 14th at the University of Chicago as part of the 25th annual Middle Eastern History and Theory Conference. Read the rest of this entry »

On June 20th, 1936, on the gravel track of the old Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, Jesse Owens ran 100 yards in 9.55 seconds, and for seventy three years, ten months and twenty eight days, no one who stepped on that track ran any faster. Owens went on to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he won four gold medals, set three world records and made Adolf Hitler’s claims about the natural superiority of the Aryan race look ridiculous. Read the rest of this entry »

“Let me tell you something: if this were the Wild West, Jesse James and all, we wouldn’t have problems with gun violence.” The smell of hard liquor heavy on his breath, a patch of stubbly white hairs hanging off his lower chin, the man proceeded out of the basement of St. Sabina Catholic Church with $75 fresh in hand. Having voluntarily relinquished his gun minutes before, this seemed like a strange sentiment to be voicing. Even more so considering he gave it to the Chicago Police Department as part of a program to get guns off of the streets of Chicago. But the apparent contradictions of this response aren’t an anomaly; they reflect much broader ambiguities in Chicago’s approach to gun control. Read the rest of this entry »