Last night, the Golden State Warriors capped an impressive comeback–in the game, and in its entire series against the Oklahoma City Thunder–to advance to the NBA Finals. One of the bigger reasons the defending champion Warriors were able to bounce back from a 3-1 series hole: the team’s ability to pass the ball to the […]
Notice this post’s headline? Something I learned long ago: the person in control of the conversation is the one asking questions. As a journalist for many years, going back to my days before I was legally able to drive a motor vehicle, asking questions is something that comes naturally to me. It may not be […]
Earlier tonight, I was among the thousands of people who journeyed to the UIC Pavilion for the Donald Trump rally. Clearly, the event meant different things to different people: rally, speech, protest, performance art, commercial enterprise. And all of those activities—and then some—transpired. Only Trump didn’t take part in any of it, as security concerns […]
Last week marked the debut of a website for a longtime, favored client (myself): Go Figure: Making Numbers Count, which also doubles as my Facebook page for Go Figure. I have been specializing in numeracy (mathematical literacy) for nearly two decades–going back to my time as a syndicated columnist (“By the Numbers”) with Copley News Service in the […]
While coaching my daughter’s basketball team a few weekends ago, we ran into a formidable opponent. They were clicking on all cylinders; my girls seemed to be sleepwalking. The upshot wasn’t pretty: early in the third quarter, the rout had climbed to 41-15 and we were well on our way to our third consecutive loss […]
I used to get irritated when I came across typos online. What’s wrong with him? Why can’t she double-check her work? Don’t they realize they’re undermining their credibility? Then, one day, the lightbulb went on: rather than being peeved, I was pleased. Here was an opportunity for me to come to someone’s aid and serve […]
Are you a consumer or a creator? It’s a question that I ask myself during those all-too-frequent occasions when I find myself plunging into consumer mode. Make no doubt, there are times to consume—to read the news, to become engrossed in a video clip of David Bowie’s prescient insights on the Internet’s impact on music, […]
Now in my fifth year of coaching boys’ and girls’ park district basketball, I came across this video online of the late and legendary Boston Celtics coach (and GM) Red Auerbach. The clip, featuring Larry Bird shooting over teammate Dennis Johnson and rival Ralph Sampson, brought back memories of August 1985 (around the time this video […]
In my years as a journalist, I filed hundreds of requests to taxing bodies through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Over time, it became clear that some entities wielded FOIA as a mechanism for suppressing information—they would drag their heels before coming up with a highly questionable basis for limiting information they provided or […]
If you’re like me, then you are less likely to read something that touts 33 Ways to Tell When Someone Is Going to Ramble on Forever than to sneak a peek at 3 Really Beautiful People You Should Meet. Let’s face it: most of us like three-word phrases that precede a colon. Oh, and really […]