Race and Teen Drug Arrests
In Chicago, African-American youth account for eight out of every 10 juvenile arrests for drug charges. But does that mean that they’re doing the most drugs?
According to a small story of mine that was published this month’s issue of The Chicago Reporter, the answer is no.
The Battle for Zapata Apartments
Photo by Flickr user Seven_resist
Ninety-two years after Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata’s assassination in 1919, the Zapata name was being dragged into another struggle over land use. This time it was in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.
Where have all the weird words gone?
Photo by Greeblie
English is an old language that is constantly adapting. Fifty years ago, many of the words we use today were either not around or not used often. The phrase “hard drive” probably made someone think of a long road-trip. “Tweet” was something baby birds did. You’d be a bad guest if you posted something on your friend’s wall. I can’t even think of what people would imagine as a flash mob.
The ever-evolving nature of the English language means that many odd and interesting words fall by the wayside.
To try and bring some of these oddities out of disuse, Oxford Dictionaries created Savethewords.org. This website is essentially a wastebasket of tossed-out words for people to rummage around in. You can send these words to friends, or even just try and use them in your own conversations. The site has some great ones:
Flashmobs vs. Flashmobs
A note on word usage.
A search for “Chicago flash mob” gets 1,970,000 hits on Google. According to the first page of links, a flash mob is a roving band of youths who bum-rush innocent victims, beat and rob them, and disappear as quickly as they arrived. More recently, the term has been used to describe a similar style of retail robbery.
It’s not.
How to Use Social Media as a Musician
(This article was published in the DePaulia on February 22nd, 2010.)
Brian Mazzaferri, lead singer of the Nintendo-inspired Chicago rock band I Fight Dragons, may be stuck in New York after bad weather canceled his flight, but even here he is in touch with his fans.
However, he never has to meet them in person to hear from them. The rise of online social media is changing the relationship between musicians and their listeners.
How to Be a Journalist
It’s interesting to watch this video and see how much has changed, how many of these jobs no longer exist, and what still holds true after all these years.
Gapers Block’s Andrew Huff talks Site Redesign
Gapers Block founder Andrew Huff speaks to a DePaul University journalism class (photo by Mike Reilley)
Chicago blog Gapers Block has evolved slowly since its founding in 2003. While they originally started with 12 writers, they are now at roughly 100. The columns have expanded and contracted. Only four of the original writers are left. The site has 90,000 unique visitors out of 250,000 total visitors per month. New efforts by the website’s staff may bring that number up, however. The blog will soon be expanding its content and redeveloping the framework of the site, Gapers Block founder Andrew Huff Andrew Huff said while speaking to a DePaul University journalism class.
Slate’s Political Map of the News
Back in April 2010, Slate.com ran a piece about a University of Chicago study which analyzed the political leanings of news website readers.
For the story, they created an interesting interactive “map” of news websites. The size of the square reflects the size of the readership, and the color reflects the ratio of conservative readers to liberal readers.
Some interesting facts:
What are Music Fans Willing to Pay For?
Nan Warshaw isn’t happy about the state of the music industry. The co-founder of Bloodshot Records, a Chicago-based roots music label that celebrates their 16th anniversary this year, says that “sales are way down, and people justify more not paying for music.” The industry is feeling the effects of the one-two punch of internet piracy and the poor economy, and business owners like Warshaw are left wondering what people are willing to pay for.
Interview with Sarah Blackwood from The Creepshow
Sarah "Sin" Blackwood playing live at The Mod Club (Photo by Ashlea Wessel)
(I did this interview a few months ago, with the lead singer of one of my favorite psychobilly bands, The Creepshow. This was during their last tour. The band just finished their latest album, due out in the fall.)
