What we're reading could spark an office war. Meow.
Your cat probably doesn't like you: Senior Editor Justin Breen hates — hates! — cats, and this might be one reason: Your cat probably doesn't like you. A Today.com article reported a joint study by the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the Bronx Zoo in New York that compared domestic house cats to wild felines like lions and snow leopards. Researchers determined that your cat at home has similar aggression, neuroticism and dominance traits to lions and other big cats. Domestic cats also have "the highest loadings on anxious, insecure, and tense, suspicious, and fearful of people,'' the study said.
Dumping Data on Corrupt Cops: A Hyde Park journalist is holding a copy of every allegation of misconduct against a Chicago cop and is about to make it all public. The South Side Weekly has the story of how Jamie Kalven got his hands on all the complaints against officers and his work behind the scenes to make it all public very soon. Kalven is promising revelations, like that most complaints against just a handful of officers and how in nine out of 10 cases, the police find a way to make the complaint go away.
Biking isn't just for hipsters: Whet Moser of Chicago Magazine looks at the numbers behind who actually bikes to work in America and finds 49 percent of people of those commuters earn less than $25,000 per year. In Chicago, bike commuters are over-represented in two groups: those making $10,000 to $25,000 and those making more than $75,000 per year. "To borrow a term from [Andrew] Keatts, these are all too often 'invisible cyclists,' at least when it comes to building infrastructure. But they’re there—on the streets and in the data."
Best tests?: While reporter Ariel Cheung snuggles with her two very affectionate cats (sorry/not sorry, Justin), she's reading about a education testing alternative in New York that has been proving successful for 20 years. The Hechinger Report cites encouraging graduation statistics, particularly for English language learners and students with special needs. The key is that instead of state exams in five subjects, students at 38 consortium schools take only an English exam and demonstrate their smarts with experiments, presentations and reports. With President Barack Obama calling for a curb on standardized testing and states questioning the effectiveness of Common Core and tests like PARCC, perhaps New York has found a viable alternative.
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