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Obviously, I've been on vacation this week, but just in case you've been positively jonesing for some Markley news, appearances, musings, wisdom and pontifications, I've got you covered: First, we have a two-segment appearance on "Politics Tonight" here  where I discuss "The Great Dysmorphia," gun politics, the 2016 Republican presidential field, the fiscal cliff, and why it's stupid to obsess over what the founding fathers would have thought...

Most protestors have a rallying cry. Matt Farmer's is more of a song. Farmer, an attorney, musician, and education policy writer from Rogers Park, has been critical of Chicago's plans to close more than 50 public schools this year. On Sunday morning, he put pen to paper and wrote a song to express that frustration. "Nine times six / Fifty-four / Schools gettin' closed / Like never before," the song, posted to YouTube at midnight on Monday, rhymes. "It's time to fight back / Rahm has gone too far. " The song takes jabs at Mayor Emanuel for vacationing in Utah during the closure...

Plenty of Chicagoans were seeing red when the Bulls bowed out in six games in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers. Lincoln Park's Ximena Beltran saw something different: An opening in Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng's schedule that she's hoping to close shortly to honor her fallen friend. Beltran, a single 25-year-old who volunteers as a camp counselor at Children's Oncology Services Inc., has created a YouTube video hoping to land a date with Deng to COSI's annual Campfire Ball . The summer camp-themed event, which will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Venue One, 1044 W. Randolph,...

Obviously, I've been on vacation this week, but just in case you've been positively jonesing for some Markley news, appearances, musings, wisdom and pontifications, I've got you covered: First, we have a two-segment appearance on "Politics Tonight" here  where I discuss "The Great Dysmorphia," gun politics, the 2016 Republican presidential field, the fiscal cliff, and why it's stupid to obsess over what the founding fathers would have thought...

Dear Justin, Can we call you Justin? We may not be on a first-name basis just yet, but you've always made us feel so at ease that we just can't help but ... OK, Justin it is. Anyway, we've been meaning to bring this up for a while, but we thought you might figure it out on your own. It's OK, because we know you can't read our minds, even though we're pretty sure you can read our hearts. At this point, you're probably wondering a) Whether we can see into your bedroom and b)

The Harlem Globetrotters will be looking a bit different in more ways than one when their world tour stops at Allstate Arena on Friday. For a squad known historically for boasting a roster full of African-American men like Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins, it's unusual that the newly minted rookie class includes Fatima "TNT" Maddox and Jacob "Hops" Tucker. Maddox, a South Side native, is the first female Globetrotter in 19 years and only the ninth in the team's history.

Bridgeport, the neighborhood where I grew up, doesn't show up in the news a lot. It is a fairly quiet community that Chicagoans probably know best as home of the White Sox and the late Richard J. Daley, but for the next couple of days, it will likely be most notorious as the place where six teenagers beat up and robbed an Asian high school senior. By now, you've probably seen or at least heard of the YouTube video of the attack. Even British tabloid The Daily Mail has picked up the story.

In ABC's "Last Resort," Navy SEAL James King has come to the rescue of the USS Colorado crew on more than a few occasions, despite claims he doesn't want to get involved in their standoff with the U.S. government. Daniel Lissing, who plays King in the series from Rockford native Shawn Ryan, thinks that makes perfect sense. "He's a Navy SEAL. He's an American and he's patriotic," Lissing said during a phone interview Tuesday. "He's got a lot to make up for, but he still gets a buzz from all the action.

Most protestors have a rallying cry. Matt Farmer's is more of a song. Farmer, an attorney, musician, and education policy writer from Rogers Park, has been critical of Chicago's plans to close more than 50 public schools this year. On Sunday morning, he put pen to paper and wrote a song to express that frustration. "Nine times six / Fifty-four / Schools gettin' closed / Like never before," the song, posted to YouTube at midnight on Monday, rhymes. "It's time to fight back / Rahm has gone too far. " The song takes jabs at Mayor Emanuel for...

Screw you, Internet. Thanks to a couple of posts on blogs that I refuse to own up to following, my afternoon has been dedicated to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe. " If my Spotify could talk it would say something like "Emily Van Zandt listened to 'Call Me Maybe' 18.5 times today, kind of in a row. " Thankfully there's that whole "private session" function, which has never been more necessary. Apparently Jepsen was a contestant on Canadian Idol? And Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and some girl from a few...

In ABC's "Last Resort," Navy SEAL James King has come to the rescue of the USS Colorado crew on more than a few occasions, despite claims he doesn't want to get involved in their standoff with the U.S. government. Daniel Lissing, who plays King in the series from Rockford native Shawn Ryan, thinks that makes perfect sense. "He's a Navy SEAL. He's an American and he's patriotic," Lissing said during a phone interview Tuesday. "He's got a lot to make up for, but he still gets a buzz from all the action.

Plenty of Chicagoans were seeing red when the Bulls bowed out in six games in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers. Lincoln Park's Ximena Beltran saw something different: An opening in Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng's schedule that she's hoping to close shortly to honor her fallen friend. Beltran, a single 25-year-old who volunteers as a camp counselor at Children's Oncology Services Inc., has created a YouTube video hoping to land a date with Deng to COSI's annual Campfire Ball . The summer camp-themed event, which will be held at 7 p.m....

Bridgeport, the neighborhood where I grew up, doesn't show up in the news a lot. It is a fairly quiet community that Chicagoans probably know best as home of the White Sox and the late Richard J. Daley, but for the next couple of days, it will likely be most notorious as the place where six teenagers beat up and robbed an Asian high school senior. By now, you've probably seen or at least heard of the YouTube video of the attack. Even British tabloid The Daily Mail has picked up the story.

The Harlem Globetrotters will be looking a bit different in more ways than one when their world tour stops at Allstate Arena on Friday. For a squad known historically for boasting a roster full of African-American men like Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins, it's unusual that the newly minted rookie class includes Fatima "TNT" Maddox and Jacob "Hops" Tucker. Maddox, a South Side native, is the first female Globetrotter in 19 years and only the ninth in the team's history.

Dear Justin, Can we call you Justin? We may not be on a first-name basis just yet, but you've always made us feel so at ease that we just can't help but ... OK, Justin it is. Anyway, we've been meaning to bring this up for a while, but we thought you might figure it out on your own. It's OK, because we know you can't read our minds, even though we're pretty sure you can read our hearts. At this point, you're probably wondering a) Whether we can see into your bedroom and b)

Just to be clear, the epic classic of campaign literature "The Great Dysmorphia: An Epistimelogical View of Ingesting Hallucinogenic Mushrooms at a 2012 Republican Presidential Debate" is available now for Kindle, iTunes, and Nook. You should buy it. We had the launch party the other night, and if you were there, thank you so much for your attendance, throwing your panties, and dropping multiple roofies into my drinks throughout the night. Much appreciated. More importantly, you need to watch the YouTube trailer for the book , which is the brain child of myself and...

Hug it out, Chicago. Sometimes the city is in need of a little extra TLC. That's why the newly created not-for-profit partnership Hospitality Cares Chicago, spearheaded by what was formerly the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, is hosting its first event on Thursday. The event is being hosted in conjunction with hospitality and civic organizations. HUG Chicago 2012, sponsored by the Chicago Cubs, aims to become an annual event to spruce up the city in areas heavily traveled and visited by tourists.