Chicago Library Commissioner Answers Fox News Report

“I am astounded at the lack of understanding of public libraries that your Monday evening story, Are Libraries Necessary, or a Waste of Tax Money? revealed. … Your ‘undercover cameras” shots were taken in a series of stacks devoted to bound periodicals used for reference. Next time, try looking at the circulating collections throughout the building.”

Are We Slaves To Our Unconscious Perceptions?

“Studies have found that upon entering an office, people behave more competitively when they see a sharp leather briefcase on the desk, they talk more softly when there is a picture of a library on the wall, and they keep their desk tidier when there is a vague scent of cleaning agent in the air. But none of them are consciously aware of the influence of their environment.”

New Orleans, Where You Can Get Arrested For Playing Music

“There’s a rich history of musicians being arrested while making music in New Orleans. When I first began interviewing musicians, I was shocked to learn that just as surely as the horn players I spoke with had soaked up musical tradition from authoritative sources like Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, a beloved musician and bandleader who died in 2004, so too had they been introduced to this other legacy–arrest while playing–by badge-wearing authorities.”

Robert Christgau Wraps Up His Influential Consumer Guide

“It’s a momentous day for many music writers — truly worthy of that hackneyed phrase, the end of an era. Generations of fans have crafted their music collections with Bob’s blurbs clutched in their hands (or, later, downloaded on their iPhones.) Countless writers honed their craft with his voice in their ears: emulating his endlessly deep, intricate, referential but always fun-to-read prose, or reacting against it.”

The ‘Big Brother’ Of Kung-Fu Film

“Respect is paid when Sammo Hung lumbers down the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui, the [Hong Kong] neighborhood where he first learned martial arts as a boy. … The famously hefty actor did not go the Hollywood route that [Jackie] Chan has pursued, but stayed mainly in Asia, where he has directed, produced, choreographed or acted in about 200 movies.”