If Frank Lloyd Wright Had Designed the "L," It Would Be Prettier: Chicago artists have designed some wildly creative maps of the city's neighborhoods. But surprisingly it took a Brit to reimagine the CTA rail map as if it had been designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In an interview with Slate, the map's creator, Max Roberts, reveals that his imagery was inspired by Wright's stained glass patterns, which Roberts called "geometric bliss." The Wright-like ornamentation certainly jazzes up CTA's otherwise straightforward lines but we're not sure Roberts' rendering would pass color-coded muster. To our eyes, the Brown Line looks more like Deep Ochre.
When a Pudding Isn't Pudding but a Cookie Is a Cookie: Cookie exchanges are even hotter than ugly sweater parties at Christmas time. But if you're as hooked on "The Great British Baking Show" as reporter Patty Wetli (ugh, with the American holiday version), you'll know that cookie is an American word that doesn't necessarily translate to the Queen's English, and their idea of pudding has nothing to do with our Jell-O. Vox Culture has a fascinating piece on why the two cultures diverged so wildly when it comes to cooking. American pastry traditions are more influenced by the French, it turns out, and we had different ingredients on hand.
Before Laquan McDonald: The New Yorker profiles the 2011 shooting of Calvin Cross, a 19-year-old who was shot dead by Chicago police. Police said Cross fired a gun at them, but evidence shows it's unlikely that happened, not least because there was no working gun found at the scene, according to the New Yorker.
A panel that reviews police conduct, the Independent Police Review Authority, eventually concluded the officers' use of deadly force on Cross was in compliance with police policies and they shouldn't be punished, according to the New Yorker. Yet, the City Council also OKd a $2 million settlement for Cross' family.
“I’m feeling that there are more cases. I’m wondering, Why did they rule mine as a justifiable shooting?” Cross' mother, Dana, said after the McDonald video was released.
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