CHICAGO — Here's what we're reading today.
True Grit: Senior editor Andrew Herrmann is reading a Wall Street Journal blog exploring why some kids manage to get through college and earn a degree while others do not. "Grit" — basically the "willingness to work hard" — plays a huge role. The blog cites a study of thousands of Chicago public school juniors that "found grit levels were directly tied to graduation rates, even controlling for family circumstances, standardized test scores and individual intelligence."
"Most problems can be overcome with effort. Talent alone is insufficient for success,'' says the blog's author, education consultant Dominic Barton. "Students might not be able to influence the structural barriers that stand in their way but they can alter their mindsets...to withstand the inevitable difficulties of postsecondary education and earn the reward that can transform their future: a college degree."
Dark Web Drugs: Drug dealers posting up on corners online are now a real thing making prices cheaper and more stable, and its mostly college kids reaping the benefits. Allison Schraeger writing in Quartz explains how secret online marketplaces on the "dark web" are making it easier to get drugs and makes selling them safer. Sam Cholke is interested to see that one of the quirks of the disruption in the traditional order of narco business is that the products and quantities that work best online are perfectly suited for college kids. The new norm is becoming a relatively small supply of party drugs like MDMA, cocaine and marijuana can easily and unwittingly be delivered by the mailman to that party house just off campus.
'Documentary Now' Channels Al Capone: In the new IFC series, Documentary Now, backed by Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen and Bill Hader (and hosted by goddess Helen Mirren) will feature a faux-Al Capone-themed mini-documentary tonight at 8 p.m. This week's episode takes you to the Icelandic municipality of Arborg, a town which holds an annual Al Capone lookalike contest according to the mockumentary. SNL alum (but more importantly a Chicago comedy alum) Aidy Bryant joins the cast as the great-great-grandaughter of Capone who comes to bless the town with her presence. Check out a preview and tune in to show off that good ole' Windy City sense of humor.
