While waiting for the Bulls opener tonight, this is what we're reading today:
That Eggplant Emoji Could Land You In Jail: Sure, boyfriends and gal pals might get into quarrels about the context behind that winky-face emoji, but now the subtext of the texts are being debated in court. Reporter Ariel Cheung is reading a Slate article that examines how judges and lawyers are using emoticons as evidence in everything from harassment cases to accusations of corruption. Part of the problem, though, is that emojis are open to interpretation, meaning one person's bento box emoji could be another's Information Desk Person.
Being polite is a lifesaver: It turns out that being rude to doctors can have some not-so-great results — for their patients. New York Magazine writes that a recent study showed doctors who had received rude comments were more likely to make mistakes and misdiagnose patients, have trouble cooperating with healthcare staff and ask for the wrong medication, among other things. People tend to make more mistakes when they're stressed out and on the receiving end of rude behavior, but those mistakes can be deadly for doctors and nurses.
"In the real world ... these performance discrepancies could have made the difference between the tiny patient living and dying," according to the magazine.
We're Number Three: WBEZ takes a deep dive to test Chicago's claim to be home to the largest population of Poles outside Poland. The team of demographers found that the oft-repeated claim has probably not been true since the end of 19th Century, but New York has definitely been No. 1 since 1980 — and likely decades earlier. In addition, it is likely that there are more Poles in London today than in Chicago, according to the study. However, if you compare the Chicago metropolitan area — including the suburbs and the city — with the New York metropolitan area and London metropolitan area, the Windy City comes out on top. Brawo!
Work to do: Senior editor Andrew Herrmann is reading a report that says the Chicago area gained about 4,900 construction jobs in the last year to 130,000, according to the trade group Associated General Contractors of America. The association said in a survey of its members, 86 percent reported having a hard time finding people to fill positions.
"The sad fact is our educational system is doing a great job of preparing for jobs that don't exist and a lousy job getting them prepared for high paying jobs like construction that do exist," said the group's president, Stephen E. Sandherr.
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