CHICAGO — Here are some stories we're reading today.
Amazon Fail: Most children of the ‘90s who listened to Linda Ellerbee remember the Amazon rainforest needed saving. Apparently it still does, David Matthews read in the Wall Street Journal. The Journal picked up a study in Nature reporting that the Amazon’s ability to soak up manmade carbon dioxide emissions is slipping due to deforestation. That’s bad news considering whatever carbon dioxide emissions don’t get absorbed by Earth’s oceans or trees stay in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Right now, human activity annually emits 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide, only about half of which is absorbed by nature.
Happy St. Joseph’s Day: Heather Cherone may only be Italian by marriage, but that isn’t stopping her from celebrating St. Joseph’s Day with one or two (O.K., a few) Zeppoles from Sicilia Bakery, 5939 W. Lawrence Ave., in Jefferson Park. The International Business Times has a good run down of the traditions associated with the celebration of the patron saint of workers and the protector of the family. Cherone’s favorite (beside the cream-filled flaky pastries) is the use of breadcrumbs in meals to represent sawdust and commemorate St. Joseph’s work as a carpenter.
Irish in America/South Side: Beverly blogger Eileen O’Connor shares what it means to her to be Irish in America - particularly on the South Side - in her latest “No Wire Hangers, Ever” blog. Her hilarious take on what St. Patrick’s Day is SUPPOSED to be and what it has become in on this side of the pond is sure to have you rolling.
Away Games: Diana Tarausi scored 24 points in the Phoenix Mercury win over the Chicago Sky for the 2014 WNBA championship. Sky fans won’t have to worry about that this year: Tarausi is skipping the WNBA season to stay in Russia, where she earns $1.5 million a year, or about 15 times what she makes in the U.S.
Senior editor Andrew Herrmann recommends a lengthy New York Times profile that not only explores the lonely, nomadic life of the world’s best female basketball player (“I’ve probably drunk enough vodka for a village,” Tarausi says) but gives a glimpse into the political tumult under Vladimir Putin.
The Western economic sanctions against Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis are taking a toll: more than 80 percent of the people there, polls show, hold a negative view of the U.S. Says Tarausi: “Little by little, you feel a little of the American resentment. Like they feel like we’re taking their bread.”
How Many Beers Did Harry Caray Drink? Thrillist investigated how many brews legendary Cubs announcer Harry Caray consumed in his lifetime. SCIENCE, you guys. There is a shocking conclusion at the end that you Budweiser fans might be sad to hear.
Police “Animalistic” with Kenwood Grad: Images of Virginia police standing over blood-spattered Kenwood Academy grad and honor committee member Martese Johnson are all over the internet. Sam Cholke is reading the local student newspaper’s coverage of charges that officers used excessive force when Johnson was allegedly resisting arrest outside the Trinity Irish Pub on the Corner in Charlottesville, Va. Student groups said police were “animalistic” in their treatment of Johnson and hundreds of students and faculty have rallied on campus in support of Johnson. Governor Terry McAuliffe has launched an independent investigation at the behest of the university.
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