CHICAGO — Here are some stories we're reading around the Web today.
Instagram/gqthateacha
THIRTY-SEVEN CENTS FROM RAHM: The man with the 1,000-yard stare has been found. "In These Times" tracked down a man who goes by gqthateacha, whose stone-faced stare in an Instagram pic with a merry Rahm Emanuel has been making the rounds on social media. “He was smilin’ and cheesin’ and stuff,” gqthateacha said. “I’m like, dude, come on: you’re only doing that because you’re trying to get elected. You’re trying to make it look like you’re a man of the people. But you’re not.” He's not kind to the mayor either on the modest 5.2857143 percent tip on a $7 drink. To be fair to Emanuel though, gqthateacha shows the same stoicism in a shot with Rep. Bobby Rush, — but he includes a handshake in that pic.
Das Stinkt: Erik Larson gained fame and fortune as the author of "The Devil in the White City," a true tale of a serial killer pegged to Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Larson's latest book is "Dead Wake," which explores the 1915 sinking of the British passenger ship the Lusitania by the Germans during World War I. Senior Editor Andrew Herrmann notes that the New York Times review says it is strong on depicting the German submarine crew. The sub, Larson writes, had "the basil reek of three-dozen men who never bathed, wore leather clothes that did not breathe, and shared one small lavatory" that often malfunctioned, which added "the scent of a cholera hospital" to the vessel.
Oh, and the captain also had, at one point, six dogs on board. Phew!
More Women Should Dress Like Drag Queens and Other Style Advice: In an interview with Elle magazine, author, social critic and New York iconoclast Fran Lebowitz offers up her scathing opinion on the current state of style. The entire article, by turns pointed and hilarious, is worth reading top to bottom, but Lincoln Square reporter Patty Wetli shares some of her favorite snippets.
On yoga clothes: "You need more natural beauty to get away with things like that. ... Most people just aren't good-looking enough to wear what they have on."
On men wearing shorts: "I'd just as soon see someone coming toward me with a hand grenade. To have to sit next to grown men on the subway in the summer, and they're wearing shorts? It's repulsive."
On Hillary Clinton: "She has no style, zero. I don't feel that inside of Hillary Clinton there's a Jane Birkin waiting to get out."
On drag queens as role models: "Drag queens know how to wear clothes. Can you imagine if women tried as hard as drag queens? We'd be a much more attractive culture."
Chicago Magazine Spotlights Morgan Park Home: According to Chicago magazine, there are deals to be had on high-end homes in Morgan Park and Beverly on the Far Southwest Side. The magazine highlights a historic home at 110th Street and Longwood Drive to illustrate the point.
H.H. Waterman, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, is responsible for the design of the Prairie-Style home built in 1911. The house is listed at $445,000.
A Voyage in 15-Foot Waves: White Sox break-out slugger Jose Abreu arrived on the South Side last year and smashed expectations during his rookie campaign. How he got to Chicago was largely a mystery until now, thanks to this Chicago magazine story that chronicles Abreu's trip from Cuba.
Abreu and his family took a 12-hour ride on a 20-foot boat through the darkness of night from Cuba to the U.S. in 2013.
The story mentions an April night during his rookie season when Abreu hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the game.
After the game, Adrian Nieto found Abreu sitting by himself. “He was crying in the dugout, saying, ‘I wish my parents were here to see this moment,’ ” Nieto recalls. “That was the only time I saw him down.”
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