Up, up and away: What we're reading today:
A rendering of the proposed kilometer-high Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia [Adrian Smith + Gordon Gil Architects]
Saudi Arabia is Aiming High: Saudi developers have secured $2.2 billion in financing for Jeddah Tower, a cloud-piercing skyscraper that would be the tallest in the world, reporter David Matthews is reading on CNN.com. The 200-floor tower overlooking the Red Sea would be the first ever to reach the one-kilometer mark, as high as two Empire State Buildings or six Washington Monuments. The project's architects are Chicagoans Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, who also designed the Trump International Hotel & Tower here and Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the latter of which is currently the world's tallest building. Construction of Jeddah Tower is already underway, and the building is expected to open in 2020.
How Dave Chappelle is Blocking Phones at his Chicago Shows: Dave Chappelle is playing a 13-show residency at Thalia Hall in Pilsen this week and no cell phones are allowed. The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on how Chappelle plans to make sure no jokes make it to YouTube. As soon as guests enter they will be handed a smartphone pouch that locks via a wireless signal once a guest passes into the "no-phone zone." Chicago comedian Hannibal Buress was the first comedian to try the devices in June.
Comedian David Chapelle, his wife Elaine and daughter Sonal at a recent event. [Getty Images]
America's Deadliest County For Police Killings: The Guardian, which has been attempting to record all police killings this year, reports that Kern County, California had the highest rate of police killings per capita so far this year with 13 killings in a county with a population of around 875,000 people. Cook County, which has a population of about 5,246,000, was number 10 on the list with 13 fatal shootings by police.
The piece includes an account in Bakersfield, Calif. when an unarmed 22-year-old oilfield worker was fatally shot after allegedly crashing his car when police tried to pull him over. At the morgue after the shooting, an officer reportedly touched the body without permission and said "I love playing with dead bodies." Read the full report here.
Hot Deals on Guns: Were you one of the hundreds of thousands who grabbed a gun at a Black Friday deal? The FBI ran a record 185,345 background checks on the shopping day, an indication that more people than ever before bought a gun on Black Friday, according to the New York Times. Of course, almost half of all gun sales are done through unlicensed dealers, according to the Times, which means there were probably many more guns sold than the FBI is aware of.
Black Space Matters: In a thought-provoking Chicago Reader piece by Darryl Holliday, a former DNAinfo reporter, and Martin Macias, activists explain why they don't always want the media around. The activists argue that "it is easier to grieve the loss of black lives and to retake the narrative of the 'black man or woman shot by white officer' story, which they said had been hijacked to create a spectacle worthy of mass consumption," the article reads.
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