The Chicago area was hit last week by numerous storms that dumped inches of rain. In a metropolitan area, where does all this rain water go? The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago described what happened in an email yesterday:
As the Chicago area grew on the shore of Lake Michigan and inland across swamps, prairie, and forests, where would all the water go? Urban development and suburban sprawl tends to flatten landscapes, eliminating natural settings that help drain water. Humans can adjust, adding retention ponds and drainage flows and permeable surfaces and setting aside some land to be open or “natural.”
The results are cited above. Multiple storms lead to inches of rain. The ground was soaked and storm sewers were full. The water has to go somewhere. Some of it ends up in a former quarry with over 7 billion gallons of water. Drivers who passed over the watery quarry posted pictures on social media. It also ends up in other reservoirs and in local waterways.
For the residents of the region, this hopefully led to fewer flooded streets and basements. (Though I saw plenty of pictures of this as well.) All that engineering and money hopefully drained the water away from everyday human activity. Water may be a precious resource but too much water can disturb metropolitan activity so the engineering and water mitigation efforts will continue.
Numerous American communities held parades for July 4th. These parades are full of cars and motorized vehicles: they tow floats, they accompany walkers, and cars and vehicles (old and new) are on display.
Cars have dominated the American landscape for roughly a century. Before this, the United States had roads and animals and people could carry things along those roads. Parades happened prior to cars but it is hard to imagine parades today without motorized vehicles traveling the route. Yes, there are people involved that attendees may want to see but driving is essential to make the parade happen.
Take a recent parade I participated in. Most of the members of the group walked. We carried a banner in the front with the name of our organization and members of the group walked behind it. But we also had a truck with this that included large signs about the organizations, supplies, and a few people.
There were multiple vehicles in front of us in the parade. July 4th parades often feature local emergency vehicles; in our case, big fire trucks honked their way along. As shown above, there was a group with antique cars and trucks. Behind us, several sports cars inched forward, revving their engines while traveling at 3 mph. The vehicles themselves may symbolize American freedoms.
Or I recall the 2016 parade for the World Series winning Chicago Cubs. That event brought millions to Chicago. Could the players have walked through the city streets instead of taking a series of busses along the route? (Such busses are a common approach for championship parades.)
Marches and parades without vehicles can still happen. But in a country full of driving, cars and vehicles are part of and enable many processions.
Michael Scurr has been volunteering at Britain’s National Archives for the last 11 years, spending his Thursday mornings painstakingly cataloging documents for the benefit of future researchers.
Then one day last May the retired insurance executive made a discovery of his own while sifting through the letters of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain.
There, attached to a report on the capture of the American privateer Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776, was an enclosure identified only as “another paper.” Carefully unfolding the document, Scurr stopped when he saw the word “Declaration” printed across the top…
Researchers at the National Archives have since identified the document as a rare early copy of America’s founding document, printed just days after the original was signed on July 4, 1776, to spread the news that 13 rebellious North American colonies had severed ties with Britain.
It is one of just 11 original copies of the so-called Exeter printing of the declaration that are known to exist, and the only one identified outside the United States, the National Archives said on Thursday as it unveiled the find ahead of this weekend’s 250th anniversary of American independence. This version was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, July 16 to 19, 1776.
I have benefited greatly from researching in several archives. Materials are catalogued at various levels of detail, perhaps just having a title on a box or folders that point to a theme or a person or a time period. And even with more detail, it is still fun – and sometimes dull – to go through what is available to see what is really there.
I cannot imagine what it would feel like to discover such a rare document. I use another example of an unexpected find in teaching about doing archival research. Such finds can help clarify historical narratives or reveal new narratives. With this find last year in England, I imagine it can help us better understand how news of the Declaration spread. With revolutionary activity before the document was signed and announced as well as after, how did the news spread and what exactly did that lead to? The date of July 4th may seem obvious now but it would have taken days for people to learn what had happened and respond.
New mortality data from the federal government suggests that life expectancy probably hit another record high in 2025, as death rates have continued to fall since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic…
The top causes of death in the US in 2025 followed longstanding patterns: Heart disease led with nearly 695,000 deaths, followed by cancer with nearly 623,000 deaths.
Unintentional injuries, which includes drug overdoses, were the third leading cause of death. Overdose deaths are still high — about 70,000 people died from an overdose in 2025, preliminary CDC data shows — but experts say that sharp declines probably played a large role in bringing the age-adjusted death rate down in the US.
“Life expectancy is going to be affected a lot by what’s happening at younger age groups more than at older age groups,” said Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit focused on using demographic data to help improve well-being. “As we see a dramatic decline in drug overdose among younger adults, that will have a more measurable impact on life expectancy at older ages and the overall life expectancy of the population.”
Increasing life expectancy could involve all sorts of policies and interventions. It could involve caring for older people and the particular medical concerns they face. Helping people live better lives in their sixties and beyond is worthwhile.
Addressing the health of young people is also worthwhile. Working towards lowering infant mortality and considering other concerns before and after birth can help people live longer. Caring for children and youth can help provide them more opportunities.
Both of these approaches – helping older and younger Americans – could statistically help increase life expectancy. But as noted above, helping younger people live longer can help move the needle further as fewer deaths at younger ages mean more people will live longer. In this particular case, whatever has been done to help further a decline in drug overdoses (it would be interesting to hear more about how this was accomplished) means life expectancy, a measure for the whole population, can increase even more.
Naperville’s Ogden Avenue may be a daily driving staple for many Naperville residents, but it also comes with its challenges. A very unspoken challenge to be exact.
According to a survey from Sacramento-based company American River Wellness, it’s considered to be one of the most passive aggressive roads in the country, coming in at spot No. 88 out of 100, and among the top three in Illinois.
North Avenue in Chicago took the No. 10 spot on the national list followed by Green Bay Road in the North Shore suburbs at No. 11. Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles ranked No. 1 in the survey, followed by U.S. 1/Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at No. 2 and Central Avenue (Yonkers to White Plains Corridor) in Westchester County, New York, at No. 3.
How did this list come about?
The organization surveyed 3,011 drivers in May to identify the roads and routes most likely to cause passive-aggressive driving behavior, including tailgating, blocking merges, brake-checking and excessive honking.
Methodology: This study surveyed 3,011 U.S. drivers in May 2026 to identify the roads and routes most likely to cause passive-aggressive driving behavior, including tailgating, blocking merges, brake-checking, and excessive honking. Respondents were selected from a geographically representative online panel, balanced by age, gender, and region. To ensure data quality, responses underwent screening measures including bot detection, geo-verification, speeding checks, and manual review. Results were weighted to reflect national population benchmarks.
I would want to know (1) how many people were surveyed from each geographic location (metro areas? states? other communities?) and then (2) how many roads were people asked about or asked to refer to?
Take North Avenue in Chicago which in at #10. By population of the Chicago metro area, residents account for roughly 2.5-3% of the US population as a whole. So if the survey was weighted by population, we might expect 90 respondents from the Chicago area. How many of them in the region can comment on North Avenue which traverses one part of the city? As a resident of the Chicago area, I have been on North Avenue in the city at least a few times. It would take a lot more work for me to link those experiences to the passive aggressive driving behaviors. I am much more familiar with Ogden Avenue in Naperville but would not have thought about passive aggressive driving there unless prompted. (See earlier posts about Ogden Avenue here and here. Imagine this then for smaller cities and communities. How many were surveyed? How many roads were they asked about or they experienced?
I wonder if there would be other ways to get at passive aggressive driving across all American roads. Satellite images of situations that lead to passive aggressive driving? Cell phone data of locations? Local policy decisions intended to limit traffic and congestion issues on certain roadways?
More and more suburbs are embracing farmers markets in ways that go beyond the sale of produce. They have evolved into multi-purpose civic events — a proving ground for small businesses, a way for communities to advertise their services, a showcase for local musical talent, a source of food for area pantries and a draw for local eateries and shops.
Three thoughts in response:
How much of this is due to the relative lack of civic and public spaces in American suburbs? If people wanted to gather in suburbs, how attractive or available are non-private or non-commercial spaces? These farmers markets provide settings for people to shop, eat, and gather. Such spaces are lacking in the suburbs.
The weather has something to do with this. People want to be out in warmer weather. Fresh produce is available at this time of year. What would be the equivalent of this from November through March? Could there be a cold weather version of this in Chicago suburbs?
Economic development is a consideration here. People spend money at farmers markets. They also may spend more in the surrounding area, turning a farmers market visit into an additional trip to a store or restaurant. For suburbs with downtowns, a centrally located farmers market can add to what local officials often hope is a vibrant and walkable downtown.
“It’s spacious,” he said. “You go here for your shopping, and there for your dentist. People are so rich here. I think that’s why they can be so nice.”
Maybe it is about space and fast food:
In recent days, social media has been filled with videos of Europeans gawking at the staples of suburban American life—a two-car garage, a walk-in closet, a second refrigerator. One Brit went viral for trying Chick-fil-A for the first time: “That was absolutely banging,” he said. In another, he toured the inside of an American fire station, marveling at the size of the trucks and the station itself. “This is nuts, honestly,” he said.
Or is it about portions at American restaurants?
Variations in portion size have become an established part of any discussion of cultural difference. One 2024 study showed that American portion sizes are 42% larger than those in France. A large McDonald’s drink in the U.S. holds almost twice as much—30 ounces—as a large in France or the U.K.
No, it is about consumerism and big box stores:
Some Dutch fans in Kansas City were impressed—but confused—by the scale of U.S. consumerism. Dutch fan Max Hall and his friend didn’t know why there needed to be two Home Depots within a 10-mile radius. When they entered a Walmart in search of new clothes (they lost their luggage in transit), they wound up spending a whole hour in the store, lost in the aisles. Fellow Dutch fans Mike Tol and Demi Tol struggled to navigate Costco.
I have written about the seven reasons Americans love suburbs and a few show up in this story. American single-family home are big. Driving and a middle-class life are linked to homes, shopping, and eating out.
This article discuses cultural differences between the United States and Europe and uses the suburbs as a a stand-in for American culture more broadly. A majority of Americans live in suburbs and millions of Americans are familiar with the lifestyle described in the article. The stadium in Kansas City is within the big city’s boundaries but is in a more sprawling area.
The descriptions above reference a particular American lifestyle. It may be found in the suburbs. It may also be found in cities and rural areas. It hints at things Americans experience everyday and may not think much about about. (Just as one example, see this post about the wonders of Walmart.)
And as the article notes, it may be one thing to briefly see what daily American life could be and another to think about choices societies have made and consider the tradeoffs. How easy is it for people to around the world to visit another place and then give up their life to move to that new place because they see something they want to experience? Or how many of the fans in the article go home and see their daily life in a new way? Seeing the American suburbs while on a trip for the World Cup may be one thing; how one responds could be a very different thing.
The report found that the sector’s direct jobs account for just over 11% of employment in the city, which the report says makes it a larger workforce than educational services, retail or manufacturing. Rice said there is not a single creative industry driving that number, but rather, it accounts for workers in arts education, design, audiovisual media, performing arts and beyond.
“When we talk about supporting the creative economy, we’re not talking about a single industry,” Rice said. “We’re talking about a broad network of workers, organizations and businesses that collectively power economic growth across our state.”
The report also found that for every $1 of output generated by the creative economy, another $0.38 is generated in local economic activity. And that the sector generates $5.7 billion in tax revenue annually, with $3.8 billion of that going toward federal taxes and $1.9 billion going toward state, county and local taxes.
Making the economic argument is part of living in the modern world. Even as the arts could talk about enriching community life or contributing to human expression, dollars and job numbers matter to many. If people think Chicago is about the financial industry or transportation, these numbers help make a case for the arts.
Or perhaps they could make the creative class argument: echoing Richard Florida, Chicago and other cities have benefited from the activity of creative class firms, organizations, and individuals who gather in major population centers.
Either way, the arts are an essential part of the big city. It is hard to imagine Chicago or any big city around the world without thinking of music, art, theater, and cultural events. When large numbers of people come together, there are unique opportunities for creativity and expression. Not that this cannot happen in smaller communities but cities bring together people from all over, have the capacity for both small and large events, and have a reputation for innovation.
Sometimes we simply need to appreciate what’s right in front of us. “Cathedral termites in Australia,” Mr. Huling writes, “build mounds more than 15 feet tall, which, relative to their individual size, makes their buildings significantly larger than humanity’s tallest skyscraper is to us.” Dusky farmerfish in East Asia grow “crops” of red algae by assiduously “weeding out less palatable foods” and have effectively domesticated a type of shrimp whose waste fertilizes the algae and boosts yields.
Perhaps the most impressive discoveries are animal “cities,” including two assemblies of octopuses, dubbed Octopolis and Octlantis, found off the east coast of Australia. Some gatherings even qualify as animal megapolises. A single atoll in the Seychelles serves as home to hundreds of thousands of tortoises, while millions of flamingoes flock annually to Lake Natron in Tanzania. The largest gathering of nonhuman mammals on earth takes place in Texas, where 20 million bats crowd into Bracken Cave near San Antonio. Their collective body heat raises the cave’s temperature to a sweltering 106°F, and the piles of guano beneath them are deep enough to bury the Statue of Liberty to her waist. All these congregations, Mr. Huling writes, represent “parallel societies with their own sophisticated life-worlds.”
The development of megacities in modern life could be viewed as an important human achievement. Bringing together that many people in one physical setting with some order and cooperation is remarkable.
But animals have done this for a long time. Many animals, in different kinds of habitats, come together in large numbers.
This gets at a longstanding question: what makes humans unique? And we can take it another direction: what makes human cities unique? The hint above is that perhaps cities are not unique to humans, even as the gatherings may not look like cities in terms of what humans expect to see.
Or what is unique about cities? Are they just large collections of people? Is there a unique urban experience or way of life? Can humans do things in cities they cannot do elsewhere? Are cities scaled up versions of smaller communities?
Understanding the large gatherings of animals could help us better grasp about what large numbers of humans living together and interacting with each other are really about.
Cole said the BUILD plan not only preempts local authority, but it also strips community engagement and public input in zoning decisions. He also said he and other IML members were wary the plan would only create more units that most people still couldn’t afford.
“Every mayor in Illinois wants their community to grow,” Cole said. “Our focus was on affordability, if this is about developers or about Realtors, well, that’s not the business we’re in.”
Pritzker’s political operation often teamed up with real estate agents to promote BUILD, hosting roundtables and filming social media videos with real estate agent influencers. His campaign’s Facebook and Instagram accounts posted BUILD content almost every week, the message being: more houses on the market means reduced costs.
These comments clearly state the sides Cole sees for and against this plan: local officials and residents who want to retain local control and realtors, developers, and the governor who want to build more housing units.
Often, all of these actors work together regarding development. As Cole notes, all communities want to grow. This can add residents and business activity. It can lead to increased tax revenues. It means jobs for construction workers.
But these groups do not always agree. Developers may propose a particular project that a municipality does not look favorably upon. Realtors may see developments or communities in particular ways. Communities have their own ideas about what they would like to be.
Given how much municipalities like to control their own zoning, I do not know if there is a compromise available between these sides. Do developers and realtors want to be portrayed as being on the side of the governor and against local communities? Can local communities say they do not really want to build middle-housing or housing that could help provide housing opportunities for more people? Everyone wants to grow but who will get to steer this growth?
Legally Sociable 