Highlights
The MacArthur Foundation is Chicago's largest philanthropy, with assets of more than $6.4 billion in 2007. It disburses about $260 million a year in grants, loans and other program-related investments. The foundation was created from the life insurance and real estate fortune of billionaire John D. MacArthur, who died in 1978, and his wife, Catherine T., who died in 1981. Its MacArthur Fellows program, though the smallest of its four principal program areas, has captured the public imagination with its no-string "genius" grants, most recently of $500,000 over five years, given seemingly out of the blue to some two dozen people annually who are considered to be extremely creative and promisin...
The MacArthur Foundation is Chicago's largest philanthropy, with assets of more than $6.4 billion in 2007. It disburses about $260 million a year in grants, loans and other program-related investments. The foundation was created from the life insurance and real estate fortune of billionaire John D. MacArthur, who died in 1978, and his wife, Catherine T., who died in 1981. Its MacArthur Fellows program, though the smallest of its four principal program areas, has captured the public imagination with its no-string "genius" grants, most recently of $500,000 over five years, given seemingly out of the blue to some two dozen people annually who are considered to be extremely creative and promising in their respective disciplines in the arts, humanities and sciences. MacArthur's largest grant-making area is global security and sustainability, in which it gives to groups involved in human rights and international justice, peace and security, conservation, population and reproductive health, higher education and human migration. Its human and community development program addresses such local and national issues as community development, education, mental health and, with increasing emphasis, affordable housing and juvenile justice. Its general program funds independent documentarians, Chicago arts and cultural groups, and groups involved in intellectual property research. Recently, the foundation refocused its educational giving on the impact of the Internet and other new media on learning by and social participation of youths. Its recent interest in new media also has included virtual communities such as Second Life. Since 1999, the foundation has been headed by Jonathan Fanton, a former president of the New School University who has a long history of participation with international human rights groups.
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Adrienne Rich, poet, essayist, feminist, provocateur
Adrienne Rich, one of the country's most honored and influential poets, whose finely tuned verse explored her identity as a feminist, a lesbian and an agent for political change, died Tuesday at her home in Santa Cruz, Calif. She was 82. She died of...
Tags: Literature, Poetry, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Awards and Prizes, Book
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Getting out to local events can help curb the winter doldrums
Now that the holidays are over, the winter doldrums will be upon us. There's a way to fight them by planning to attend some of the local events coming up. St. Michael's Catholic Church's Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxiliary will be holding a pasta...Tags: Christianity, Clarksville, Roman Catholicism, Fettucini Alfredo
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Johns Hopkins professor shares Nobel Prize in physics
A phone ringing at 5:30 a.m. can rattle anyone, even a professor immersed in the universe's mysterious dark energy. Adam Riess, an astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins University, learned in an early morning call from Stockholm Tuesday that he was one...Tags: Nobel Prize Awards, University of California, Space Programs, Awards and Prizes, Johns Hopkins University
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Library system receives $100,000 federal grant
The Howard County Library System has received a $100,000 federal grant to launch a new digital learning initiative, County Executive Ken Ulman announced Monday, Nov. 21. The new initiative, iTech, is geared toward elevating science, technology,...Tags: Howard County, University of Maryland, College Park, Technology, Libraries, Barack Obama
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Chicago architect designs a beacon for health care in Haiti
MIREBALAIS, HAITI — Under a blinding Caribbean sun, far from the sleek Chicago residences she usually designs, architect Ann Clark saw well-laid plans turn to improvisation, yet again.
Overhead, a 2,850-pound ventilation system dangled from a...Tags: Melissa Harris, Hospitals and Clinics, Nursing, Natural Disasters, Medical Specialization
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Exploring Boo's Mumbai
When Katherine Boo won the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant 10 years ago, the citation praised her as one of the most influential journalists writing about contemporary social conditions. It noted her "expansive research, elegant...
Tags: Globalization, Elizabeth Taylor, Journalism, Pulitzer Prize Awards, Entertainment Events
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CAA signs public radio's Radiolab show: Tenpercentary to expand brand into film, TV, tours and sponsorships
VarietyCAA has signed public radio program Radiolab, signaling the Peabody Award-winning show's further push into the mainstream. Produced by New York's WNYC, Radiolab is an eclectic mix of science and storytelling, in which co-hosts Jad Abumrad and veteran...Tags: Demetri Martin, Radio
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Fundraisers focus on home and art
Special to Tribune NewspapersThe National Public Housing Museum's April 15 benefit, "An Afternoon of Good Times," honored three nationally renowned humanitarians for their commitments and contributions to inner-city housing and empowerment of its residents. Steve Pemberton, author...Tags: Interior Policy, Housing and Urban Planning, Public Housing, Chicago Housing Authority, Jane Addams
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USC School of Theatre to change name to School of Dramatic Arts
The University of Southern California’s School of Theatre announced Sunday it will change its name to the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Officials said the change, effective July 1 and three years in the making, reflects the school’s emphasis on...
Tags: Forest Whitaker, LeVar Burton, Tate Donovan, Ai Weiwei, University of Southern California
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Review: 'Detroit: A Biography' by Scott Martelle sees ruin, hope
Special to the Los Angeles TimesDetroit: A Biography Scott Martelle Chicago Review Press: 288 pp., $24.95 In February 1863, Thomas Faulkner, a Detroit saloon owner of mixed-race background, was arrested on the charge of raping a 9-year-old white girl. Despite his protestations of...Tags: Music, Saturday Night Fever (movie), Punishment, Biography (genre), Prisons
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Sam Zell names co-presidents at Equity Group Investments
Billionaire investor Sam Zell has rearranged leadership at the top of his investment firm, hiring David Helfand and naming him and William Pate co-presidents of Equity Group Investments.
In an interview, Zell, 70, said that Helfand's expertise in real...Tags: Adele (music artist), Blackstone Group, L.P., G8, Finance, Financial Planning
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Three to be honored
Gloria Zigner, Douglas Rankin and Elizabeth Turk move in different worlds but have, in their own ways, made a mark on the Orange County arts scene. Come September, all three will be recognized at the 13th annual O.C. Arts Awards in Costa Mesa as...Tags: Helena Modjeska, Hospitals and Clinics, Pitbull (music artist), Music, Charlie Sheen
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