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The [Monday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

“Apparently learning that science does not always come naturally – even to geniuses – helps children succeed,” Quartz reports.
“Students who learned that great scientists struggled, both personally and intellectually, outperformed those who learned only of the scientists’ great achievements, new research shows.
“Ninth- and 10th-grade students in low-performing New York City schools who read about Albert Einstein’s struggles, including multiple school changes and trouble convincing others that gravity from a large object like a planet could actually bend light, performed better in science than a control group who learned only about what the scientists achieved.”


Now, Quartz’s idea of Einstein’s “struggles” as a kid avoids simply declaring the popular notion that he was a failed student, but here’s the truth: Einstein Actually Had Excellent Grades.
Or, as the New York Times reported in 1984:
“Contrary to a popular legend that has given comfort to countless slow starters, young Albert Einstein was remarkably gifted in mathematics, algebra and physics, academic records recently acquired from Swiss archives show.”
Sorry, everyone!
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Hull’s House
“A name from the past has been leading the charge for Jason Gonzales’ Democratic primary campaign against Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan,” Rich Miller writes in his weekly syndicated column.
“Blair Hull, the hugely wealthy but unsuccessful 2004 Democratic candidate for US Senate, directly accounts for $100,000 of the $300,000 which the Illinois United for Change PAC has raised since late January (and maybe double that, because it’s unclear who controls a company responsible for another $100K). The independent expenditure committee has so far reported spending money only on Gonzales.
“I was able to reach Hull through an intermediary to ask him why he decided to get involved against his fellow Democrat Madigan in the primary. He would only communicate by e-mail, and didn’t respond to a follow-up question.”
I had been wondering about this in recent days. That Blair Hull? I thought. Yes.
You can click through to see what he told Miller, but I also thought this was interesting (emphasis mine):
“Madigan has unleashed the hounds on Gonzales, dredging up some long ago arrests and a felony conviction and even finding a letter from Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez that strongly argued against a gubernatorial pardon, which Gonzales eventually received. Gonzales’ campaign originally claimed Madigan had ‘lied’ and the Alvarez quote was ‘faked,’ but relented when I showed them the actual letter.”
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Reprise:


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The Hurt Locker Room
“Yesterday’s story from John Perrotto that MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark was miffed at the way the media handled the Dexter Fowler Orioles/Cubs saga included something of greater interest and applicability in the world of baseball media: news that the union wants to ban reporters from the clubhouse both before and after games in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement,” Craig Calcaterra reports for NBC Sports.
“Rather, Clark would prefer that three players from each team be made available in an interview room after games.”
1. I don’t know what the media did wrong in the Dexter Fowler case – a Baltimore Sun reporter said the deal had been confirmed to him by a high-level person in the Orioles organization.
2. I wouldn’t be bothered at all to have the locker room cut off to reporters. As I’ve written before, I felt terribly uncomfortable when I was covering sports doing locker room interviews. It felt like a gross invasion of privacy – athletes are coming out of the showers naked, trying to relax after a game, maybe just find a few minutes alone to cool down, whatever. And what does it get you? Sportswriters will tell you they value the raw emotions they get immediately after a contest, but mostly what they get instead is content-free cliches. I think the writers just like being close to their heroes – being one of the guys.
3. Clark’s idea of making three players available after a game ought to be a non-starter – though it’s not that different from the post-game interview room set-ups we get now. Every player (and coach, general manager, president and owner) should be available. Maybe open the locker room after a prescribed time, or create a locker room-sized interview area where reporters can talk to everyone.
Locker room access is not, to me, an issue of great journalistic importance. It exists now because the leagues want it to exist in order to get the free marketing and promotion that results, not because of some journalistic principle. Turn the equation around the other way.
h/t: @jmart181.
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Meet Chicago Airman Dominique Williams
Says his captain: “Airman Williams always delivers!”
Let Wikimedia Fight The NSA!
Urging the continuation of their lawsuit.
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Featuring: Video, Wolfmother, Meat Wave, Spits, Black Lips, Timmy’s Organism, Wolf Eyes, AudioDamn!, Animal Collective, Lil Bibby, Resin Himself and MJP, The Weeks, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Migos, Pepe Aguilar, Armitage, Coheed and Cambria, I the Mighty, Mya, Dan Andriano and Anthony Raneri, Wavves, Neko Case, and Eight Bells.
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BeachBook

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Monday, February 29, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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I haven’t read any critiques yet, but on first blush this seems like a remarkable reporting job on the kind of thing we…

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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Cubs wins set at just 89.

Posted by The Beachwood Reporter on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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TweetWood
A sampling.


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The Beachwood Tip Line: Carpet bomb.

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Posted on February 29, 2016