Events

Welcome to stop #16 on the Brews and Choos project. Previously named "Ravinia Brewing" until December 2024. Brewery: Steep Ravine Brewing, 582 Roger Williams Ave., Highland ParkTrain line: Union Pacific North, Ravinia Time from Chicago: 46 minutes (Zone E)Distance from station: 400 m Actually, something does go almost as well with good beer as pizza: tacos. Ravinia Brewing in Highland Park has both. I had one pint, one taste, and three tacos while up there: The beer was their Steep Ravine IPA (7.2%, 22...

For about 50 years, the CIA and its (West-) German equivalent, the BND, owned Crypto AG in Switzerland, giving them access to the secrets of dozens of countries: From 1970 on, the CIA and its code-breaking sibling, the National Security Agency, controlled nearly every aspect of Crypto’s operations — presiding with their German partners over hiring decisions, designing its technology, sabotaging its algorithms and directing its sales targets. Then, the U.S. and West German spies sat back and listened....

My 25-year-old co-worker: "Yeah, I'm not much of a 'true believer.'" Me: Well, I'm a believer. I couldn't leave her if I tried. Him: O_O Me: Sorry, just a bit of Monkee business on a Friday afternoon. I just grabbed the Mike and twisted what you said with a lot of Tork. Him: O_o Me: You look like you're going to slip me a Micky and send me down to Davy Jones. Him: WTF are you talking about? Me: You have no idea who the Monkees are, do you. Him: Primates with tails? Me: (headdesk) (headdesk) (headdesk)

I read two articles worthy of mention about Warren dropping out. The first, by Megan Garber in The Atlantic, argues that "America punished Elizabeth Warren for her competence:" Kate Manne, a philosopher at Cornell University, describes misogyny as an ideology that serves, ultimately, to reinforce a patriarchal status quo. “Misogyny is the law-enforcement branch of patriarchy,” Manne argues. It rewards those who uphold the existing order of things; it punishes those who fight against it. It is perhaps...

My preferred candidate for president, Elizabeth Warren, dropped out of the race earlier this morning after depressing results in Tuesday's elections. This leaves three serious candidates for the 2020 presidential election: the 73-year-old white male incumbent, 78-year-old white male US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and 77-year-old white male former US Vice President Joe Biden (D). (Apparently US Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) is clinging to her one delegate and refuses to go away, and 74-year-old...

Welcome to stop #15 on the Brews and Choos project. Brewery: Begyle Brewing, 1801 W Cuyler Ave., ChicagoTrain line: Union Pacific North, Ravenswood. (Also CTA Brown Line, Irving Park) Time from Chicago: 16 minutes (Zone B)Distance from station: 1.6 km (200 m from CTA) Note: Begyle informed The Daily Parker in July 2021 that they ended their dog-friendly policy. (They still make great beer.) But also note: As of August 2023, they've re-thought their dog policy. Dogs are once again allowed on the patio!...

Even when I work from home, I have a lot to do. At least I don't have a commute today, giving me extra time to catch up later: On March 8th, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy turns 42. Yes, 42. It won't surprise anyone to learn that Donald Trump sucks at business. He certainly sucks at medicine. And at nominating people properly. Farhad Manjoo wants to live in Elizabeth Warren's America, and so do I. Josh Marshall analyzes why Bernie Sanders hit a wall last night. Philip Bump explains what happens to...

Of course Joe Biden picked up the most delegates in yesterday's Super Tuesday primary elections. To anyone paying attention to polling, this outcome wasn't really in doubt. Don't forget, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Mike Bloomberg all picked up delegates as well. And yet on the BBC right now I'm hearing breathless reporting about how Biden "won" a bunch of states while Bloomberg only "won" American Samoa. (FFS, the BBC is now saying Biden "looked like Lazarus." I mean, honestly.) Guys. It's...

Welcome to stop #14 on the Brews and Choos project. Brewery: Piece Brewery, 1927 W. North Ave., ChicagoTrain lines: Union Pacific North and Northwest, Clybourn. (Also CTA Blue line, Damen) Time from Chicago: 8 minutes (Zone A)Distance from station: 1.3 km (400 m from CTA) Pizza. Beer. What's a better combination? Piece Brewery in Wicker Park makes both pretty well. Piece opened in July 2001, so I've had lots of their pizza and lots of their beer. When I visited for the Brews and Choos project, I just...

Don Von Drehle argues that Vladimir Putin succeeds by weakening the West, regardless of the short-term consequences to Russia: It’s ironic that Americans of all political stripes have contributed to Putin’s success — by failing to understand what he wants and why he wants it. His goals are not the goals of the former Soviet Union (though he has described the collapse of the U.S.S.R. as a “disaster”). During the Cold War, the Kremlin pursued the spread of communist ideology. Putin is nonideological...