How Alan Keyes's substantial--but not 100 percent total--loss to Barack Obama--explains the world, or at least birthers and the sudden political popularity of Donald Trump. Read more
I came to Chicago for the politicians, the buildings, and the sports teams, but it seems all anyone wants to talk about is what they're eating. I'm getting used to it. Read more
The Objectivist writer's most loved tale is an obscure 1901 Chicago novel about the building of a grain elevator, wheat monopolies, and those dastardly union men. It's no "Atlas Shrugged," but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Read more
One of the most complex stories of the housing crisis, and one of the best pieces of journalism to emerge from it, is back in the news... thanks to the Pulitzer board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read more
Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel is famous, or notorious if you prefer, for his ability to make connections and raise money. It's an in-demand skill, as the attentions of well-funded nonprofits turn to public institutions. Is it good for us? Read more
For Rochester, New York public schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard, it's out of the frying pan, into the fire, as he prepares to face the same issues of education reform that caused controversy in his prior job. Read more
Paul Bloom on how pleasure works; Mike Dean (Kanye's engineer) on technology and music; and Jim Coudal, John Gruber, and Michael Lopp on the writing process. Read more
Remembering Robert Kurson's "Heavy," a profile of Robert Earl Hughes: the Fishhook, Illinois, native enshrined forever in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fattest man. Read more
Back in 1990, the Bulls had the best player in the NBA, but they weren't the best team, even in their own conference. They needed the right players, and the right coaches to put them together. Enter Phil Jackson, Tex Winter, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. Read more
Big developments today in Springfield about school hours, teacher seniority, and collective bargaining. Illinois might be the next state to see dramatic revisions to educational policy, and without the fight that going on elsewhere. Read more
