A Chicago Blog

If you didn’t catch the Tribune’s “Perspectives” section on Sunday. There was a great article on Reason and our emotions by Jack Fuller. Fuller takes on Al Gore’s hope that the internet will usher in a new age of reasoned discourse. Along the way, he makes note of the tension between Gore’s argument against fear [...]

This morning, after arriving at the office, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee mug. I couldn’t deface office property so I wrapped the mug in masking tap and wrote in big letters across its face: TIPS. I figure if everyone else has a tip jar why can’t I?
(PS> Thanks Dan, for emailing [...]

Barry Schwartz has written a fascinating commentary for The New York Times questioning whether or not the city should be offering its public school children cash rewards for good behavior.
To paraphrase Schwartz’s (accurately I hope), financial incentives undermine the intrinsic value of education. That is, entering self-interest into the education equation will diminish the more [...]

Some one emailed this to me. The only one of these I admit to having seen myself is Manowar: Anthology, though I am a little surprised they chose this one over other great Manowar album covers, like …

National security at risk … Americans are reading my message … but I can’t stoppp … must … use … blackberry … send … send! …

“Because I said so.” Are there any words more infuriating to a ten-year-old with anti-authoritarian streak? Hardly. But as an adult I’ve come to realize the words were not frustrating just because of the prohibition they implied. More frustrating was the notion that there isn’t an answer, at least not one available to me.
Without answers [...]

Radley Balko is having a good debate with Jonah Goldberg about drug prohibition and the fact that ending prohibition would most certainly lead to a rise in usage. This is, for Balko, reveals the myopic logic of drug prohibition supporters. Writes Balko:
But Bennett & Co. insist alcohol prohibition was a success because it reduced alcohol [...]

Forget quiche. Man’s number-one enemy has been hiding in our very midst. Sure it looks harmless, the salad, but I assure you it isn’t. The proof of its abominable character is the widespread belief that eating it is good for you. Hell, even I believe it.
But ask yourself this, Has salad ever done anything good [...]

I’m not sure where this came from, and I have not independently verified that FEMA has in fact not assisted in the response to the blizzards … but the sentiment was too important not to post. So please forgive the indulgence, you’ve probably already received a copy of this in your email.

Up here, in [...]