Produced by HuffPost's Eyes & Ears Citizen Journalism Unit
The tenth annual "Louder Than a Bomb" youth poetry slam exploded across the stage of the Vic Theatre on Saturday night as dozens of Chicago-area teens grabbed a microphone and spoke in voices brazen, bold and truthful about the stories of their lives.
More...
March 9, 2010
March 5, 2010
Oscar Night In Chicago: From Red Carpet Parties To Beers And A Flat Screen
So, you didn't score a Hollywood beau in time to be a plus one at Sunday's Academy Awards show in Hollywood--that doesn't mean you can't have fun at home. Oscar parties are all the rage in Chicago, so sit back, drink some wine and take in the fashion disasters and delights.
Here is our roundup of fun Oscar happenings:
More...
Here is our roundup of fun Oscar happenings:
More...
Lake Forest College Receives $7 MILLION From Alumna Grace Groner
Lake Forest College was the beneficiary of a surprising $7 million donation, left behind by 1931 alumnus and "secret millionaire" Grace Groner.
The Chicago Tribune describes Groner, who passed away at 100 in January, as a survivor of the Great Depression who was "exceptionally restrained with her money."
More...
The Chicago Tribune describes Groner, who passed away at 100 in January, as a survivor of the Great Depression who was "exceptionally restrained with her money."
More...
Pinochet Did Not Make Chile Safe for Earthquakes
Predictably, free market ideologues have managed to inject themselves into the latest natural disaster in Chile. It is predictable because Chile was the great testing ground for Milton Friedman and 'The Chicago Boys' to experiment with extreme deregulation and laissez faire economics. And at every given opportunity, they will attempt to prove their ideas worked.
In an article in the Wall St Journal, Bret Stephens argues that Milton Friedman style economics made Chile so wealthy that is was able to withstand a devastating earthquake. It's a nice idea, much like the theory of perfect free markets, but unfortunately, it is complete nonsense and provably false. Firstly, the introduction of free market economics to Chile created a massive crisis with declining wages, unemployment and increased food prices. Contrary to reports of 'an economic miracle', Chile was plunged into a deep recession and almost went broke. To combat this, Pinochet was finally forced to nationalize key parts of the economy, notably the banks and the copper industry, to generate enough cash to keep the government operating. Only then did Chile partially recover (but never again did it reach the prosperity pre-Pinochet). Secondly, the stringent building codes that saved Chile from disaster were implemented before Pinochet got into power. Writes Naomi Klein:
There is one rather large problem with this theory: Chile's modern seismic building code, drafted to resist earthquakes, was adopted in 1972.
More...
Mayor Daley Rips Supreme Court Over Gun Ban Stance
With many people predicting that the Supreme Court will overturn Chicago's ban on handguns following arguments heard Tuesday, Mayor Daley expressed outrage.
His voice "dripping with sarcasm," the mayor ripped SCOTUS on Wednesday. The Sun-Times reports:
More...
His voice "dripping with sarcasm," the mayor ripped SCOTUS on Wednesday. The Sun-Times reports:
More...
March 4, 2010
If Gun Ownership is a Right Than What Is Health Care, Chopped Liver?
On March 2, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in, McDonald v. City of Chicago. This case pertains to a Second Amendment challenge to Chicago’s ban on handguns. From media reports, it appears the high court may be paving the way for gun rights on a national basis. A Chicago Tribune article had Justice Kennedy saying, ” ‘the individual right to bear arms’ is a ‘fundamental’ right, like the other protections in the Bill of Rights.” This got me to thinking about health care and how we should view it. Now, if at least one justice of our Supreme Court believes that owning firearms falls within the Bill of Rights (“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”), shouldn’t being healthy be given (at least) the same pedestal as gun ownership?
Is health care simply a product to be bought and sold? Is it a right for a citizen like so many other industrialized nations view it? Is it a privilege attainable for only those who can afford it? Or, is it partially a responsibility of the government to ensure, like providing gas or oil for heat, or electricity to light up one’s residence? Obama was asked about health care when he debated McCain in Nashville back in the Fall 2008. At the time, he said it was a right, and not a privilege or responsibility. Teddy Kennedy said it was a right at the last Democratic convention; so have many other–including this blogger a couple of months before Teddy spoke.
Jacob Nodarse Arrested: Man Accused Of Killing Darien Family Found In Florida (VIDEO)
A 23-year-old man who is considered the "prime suspect" in the murder of three family members in Darien was arrested at his parents' home in southern Florida Wednesday afternoon.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Jacob B. Nodarse was found sleeping in a minivan outside of a home in Lehigh Acres near Fort Myers around 3 p.m. He is being held on an obstruction of justice charge, but police told the Tribune he is a "prime suspect" in the murders of Jeffrey Kramer, 50, his wife Lori, 48, and their son Michael, 20. Murder charges have yet to be filed.
More...
The Chicago Tribune reports that Jacob B. Nodarse was found sleeping in a minivan outside of a home in Lehigh Acres near Fort Myers around 3 p.m. He is being held on an obstruction of justice charge, but police told the Tribune he is a "prime suspect" in the murders of Jeffrey Kramer, 50, his wife Lori, 48, and their son Michael, 20. Murder charges have yet to be filed.
More...
On Guns, Supreme Court Emphasizes “Reasonable Regulations”
After watching the oral arguments [pdf] yesterday morning at the U.S. Supreme Court in the McDonald v. City of Chicago gun case, I did find some things which should be positive for the cause of reducing gun violence.
On the one hand, it is true that Chicago's virtual ban on handguns appears to be in jeopardy. Yet that particular outcome has long seemed a near certainty, particularly since the five Justices who voted in the majority in the District of Columbia v. Heller case - which found DC's handgun ban unconstitutional - still sit on the Court today.
More...
On the one hand, it is true that Chicago's virtual ban on handguns appears to be in jeopardy. Yet that particular outcome has long seemed a near certainty, particularly since the five Justices who voted in the majority in the District of Columbia v. Heller case - which found DC's handgun ban unconstitutional - still sit on the Court today.
More...
March 3, 2010
Lisa Hofstra Settles With City For $78K: Nurse Handcuffed By Cop For Not Drawing Blood On Command
A nurse who was handcuffed by a Chicago Police Officer when she refused to draw blood from a drunk-driving suspect fast enough for him in August settled her lawsuit against the officer for $78,000.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Lisa Hofstra, a nurse at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, sued Officer Marcelo Rodriguez and the city after Rodriguez allegedly became "belligerent" when she told him the hospital could not draw blood until the driver was admitted as a patient.
More...
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Lisa Hofstra, a nurse at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, sued Officer Marcelo Rodriguez and the city after Rodriguez allegedly became "belligerent" when she told him the hospital could not draw blood until the driver was admitted as a patient.
More...
Political Big Bangs in the Big Apple
The Big Apple's Black politicos are blowing up - literally. Paterson. Ford. Rangel. Who's next? Of course, the political shake-up in the Empire State is beyond racial identification and group polemics. There is the continuing upheaval since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's departure as Senator and former Governor Eliot Spitzer's (D) ugly demise.
One can't help but think, for a moment, that it's some kind of lingering payback engineered by Chicago-land Obama operatives who didn't appreciate the New York machine's backing of Clinton in 2008. Not the President's style, for sure, but he's got some sharp toothed consigliere's surrounding him. But, what choice did the Northeastern state hacks have at the time? Illinois cats had to back their junior Senator; New York cats were probably pushed against a brick wall to do the same for their carpet bagging home girl whether they liked her or not. State budget woes, across-the-board funding cuts and a completely dysfunctional legislature in Albany don't help the situation. A shifting or recalibration of the state's famed Democratic political machine is taking place. Where that ends up hinges on the outcome of 2010 Congressional mid-terms and if appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) can keep her seat. What is certain is that it opens up many opportunities for hungry state Republicans. But, it puts a dagger in the aspirations of New York's Black political establishment, which must regroup fast if it is to maintain any decent hold on power.
More...
One can't help but think, for a moment, that it's some kind of lingering payback engineered by Chicago-land Obama operatives who didn't appreciate the New York machine's backing of Clinton in 2008. Not the President's style, for sure, but he's got some sharp toothed consigliere's surrounding him. But, what choice did the Northeastern state hacks have at the time? Illinois cats had to back their junior Senator; New York cats were probably pushed against a brick wall to do the same for their carpet bagging home girl whether they liked her or not. State budget woes, across-the-board funding cuts and a completely dysfunctional legislature in Albany don't help the situation. A shifting or recalibration of the state's famed Democratic political machine is taking place. Where that ends up hinges on the outcome of 2010 Congressional mid-terms and if appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) can keep her seat. What is certain is that it opens up many opportunities for hungry state Republicans. But, it puts a dagger in the aspirations of New York's Black political establishment, which must regroup fast if it is to maintain any decent hold on power.
More...