Artists and organizations are paying it forward and using skills they’ve learned during tough economic times to teach other artists to get creative about building networks and financing their projects. As a result of a “significant” special grant from the Illinois Arts Council, Executive Director of the Chicago Artists’ Coalition Carolina Jayaram, said her...
Read on...

Chicago Detours offers the Good Times Historic Bar Tour on Wed, Thu and Sat, 5:45pm-8:00pm, and Sat 8:30pm-10:45pm during the month of February. The tour includes appetizers and shared use of iPads with archival photos and videos. It includes some pub time, too. drink, too. The guides talk about history and architecture around entertainment history,...
Read on...

When Felicia Simpson was married to a man who was beating her, she said she took on his habits. “For me to deal with what I went through, I smoked cigarettes and I drank heavily. Not wine, I drunk whisky. just wake up in the morning ,” she recalls. “He woke...
Read on...

In scenes of Caddyshack, The Adventures of Pete & Pete and even SpongeBob, there are times when the characters’ noses look painted white, an effect of the ingredients in their sunscreen. But why don’t sunscreens still do that today? The answer is in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology – commonly defined as the ability to work with...
Read on...

The news is full of exposés detailing the victimization of women through torture and egregious crimes, such as child-brides refusing to marry or daughters being sold off like chattel to repay opium drug debts to war lords.  Last year’s YouTube video depicting the faceless “woman in the blue bra” in Tahrir Square brought out thousands of Egyptian...
Read on...

Interested in making zines? Not quite sure what they are? Do you love cookies? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this event is for you!Learn how to make zines (little hand-made magazines) from the experts at Columbia’s zine-making club, Words ‘N Stuff! There will be zine-making supplies, but feel free to...
Read on...

As a master plan to address overcrowding and delay issues at downtown’s Union Station is developed by the Chicago Department of Transportation, organizations advocating for a more substantial overhaul of the transit center say the project needs to take into consideration the growing need for high-speed rail travel. CDOT is taking a pragmatic approach...
Read on...

In the middle of an open field—the former site of the Jane Addams Homes housing development–white tents surrounded the cracked remains of seven crumbling limestone sculptures as guests snapped photos and discussed the future of the objects. The 2007 ceremony was organized to celebrate the forthcoming restoration of the Edgar Miller“Animal Court” sculptures from...
Read on...

Hiring new, effective principals is a pressing problem for Local School Councils across the city. Currently, there are 95 principal vacancies throughout CPS’s 670 neighborhood schools, and there are typically about 100 vacancies each school year, said Steve Gering, CPS chief of leadership development. Responding to the need for more effective principals, CPS created...
Read on...

Chris Heisler’s phone has been ringing more than ever now that  it’s illegal for e-waste–including MP3 players, video game consoles, TVs and other electronics– to go into Illinois landfills under a state law that took effect Jan. 1. Heisler is the director of recycling for Recycle Tech Solutions, a Chicago-based e-waste recycler, located in...
Read on...