March/April 2010

ChicagoThe

Grid

Indie artists‘Jam Out’

Flock to ‘Skylark’ Restaurant review

AIDS charity hosts

Bill Clinton

DIY: Instructions

for Indie Life

Wanted: Visual Arts Editor

Responsibilities-Manage photos & vidoes for The Grid.Create house ads & graphics.Update site & assist with layout as needed.Attend staff meetings.

Perks-Collect clips for your portfolio.Become a citizen journalist.Free admission to all Grid events.Earn the title of Griditor (Warning: Gridical thinking may result).

Send resumes to [email protected]

This is a non-paid position, but may qualify for internship credit.

Get on The Grid: twitter.com/chicagogridTweeting about Green Living, DIY, Jobs, Local News & more.

If you aren’t on The Grid, then what are you on?

Write a Letter to the Editor

E-mail [email protected]

Maximum: 400 wordsMay be edited for style, length or libel, but never for content.

80’s PromNight

The Chicago Grid presents

Sat., April 24$5 online/$7 @door

Queen & King crownedDrinks, DJs

Visit thechicagogrid.com for more info & tix.

The Chicago Grid March 22, 2010 • 3

Mission StatementThe Grid is a monthly

Chicago newsmagazine, which sifts through local politics, news, art & entertainment from the mil-lennial perspective in order to mo-bilize a conscious, DIY citizenry.

The Grid redefines our priori-ties by investigating and spotlight-ing human rights issues, threats to liberty, digital memes and local culture.

Editorial PolicyThe Chicago Grid reserves the

right to publish any editorial con-tent and advertisements provided they don’t discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, physical or mental disabili-ties, or sexual orientation.

Views expressed on the Edito-rial page reflect the opinions of The Grid editorial board.

The Grid encourages and prints Letters to the Editor.

Letters should be sent by e-mail to [email protected] and should not exceed 400 words. Letters may be edited for grammar, style, length and libel, but not for opinion.

Authors may request their names be withheld from being published, but must sign their full names when submitting letters.

All content and images © 2010 The Chicago Grid, used with permission or used under the Fair Use Act.

StaffEditor & Publisher Kristina [email protected] Affairs Editor John [email protected]

Contributor Erica HohnContributor Alex HernandezContributor Corinna Nix

Layout & Design Kristina Zaremba

Special thanks to Sara Heymann.

TheChicago Grid

Chicago House AIDS Resource Center hosts Bill Clinton, raises funds with Sweet Miss Giving’s bakery, by John Campos...........p. 6

10 Things Every Chicagoan Should Know............................................p. 7

Instructions for Your Indie Life................p. 9

‘Skylark’ review......p. 5

AIDS resource centerhosts Bill Clinton....p. 6

Indie artists ‘Jam Out’................p. 4

On the Cover

Polar plungers jump into Lake Michigan every March to raise money for the Special Olympics in Chicago. Their descents into frigid water are sponsored, and accompanied by absurd cos-tumes and, on March 1, 2009, by bagpipers.

File Photo, by Alex Hernandez

Annual Polar Plunge

Local production company seeks indie artists to ‘Jam Out,’ by Kristina Zaremba...............p. 4

Podcast review: ‘Stuff You Should Know,’ by Erica Hohn........p. 4

Restaurant review: Where We Meat—Skylark, by Kristina Zaremba...............p. 5

Table of ContentsArts & Culture

Feature

DIY

One-Step How-To’s: Do virtually anything in one step.......................p. 8

DIY Blurb: Grow your own................................................................. p. 8

Need to Know directory: Instructions for your indie life.................... p. 9

World Wide Grid Guide: Links to resolve your e-dentity crisis............ p. 11

Chicago Public Library offers digital media labs for teens............... p. 11

Font-o-philes: Select list of fonts used in this issue of The Grid...........p. 11

e-dentity

For instant Gridification, visit thechicagogrid.com.

4 • The Chicago Grid March 22, 2010

Arts & Culture

Jam Out Chicago is a commu-nity-funded organization that holds small-venue and loft-space events to promote independent artists from all disciplines.

“The JOC community comes together to host eclectic art events, such as the Lady Bird Project,” said Corinna Nix, creator and CEO.

At any given Lady Bird, patrons may pay or donate a couple dollars to experience underground visual art and spoken word, or take in one of a half dozen lo-fi musical acts while munching on a free spread

or sipping cold drinks from the cash bar. Lady Bird is a successful promotional and fund-raising tool for JOC, and several have already been held since JOC’s establishment earlier this year.

Donations go to producing artists such as Nix’s folksy band Unearthed, R&B singer Mekole Wells, neo-soul singer-guitarist Ms. Victoria or rock/pop singer-guitarist Sir Jacob.

Artist management contracts are three or six months long. JOC provides its artists with an array of free and fee-based services including sound recording and mixing (four-

Jam Out Chicago seeks indie artists

By Kristina ZarembaEditor-in-Chief

g Production co. holds shows to promote music, dance, poetry, visual and culinary arts

Stuff You Should Know is one of the five most popular podcasts on iTunes, and with good reason.

The world is full of fascinat-ing things (exploding lakes, face transplants) you don’t know about, and other things (health care reform, economic policy) you feel like you should know about but seem com-plicated, boring and impenetrable.

Stuff You Should Know intro-duces the first kind and demystifies the second with in-depth research and engaging delivery.

Whether it’s cannibalism, credit default swaps, toxoplasmosis or Delta Force, this is the place to be-gin the search for your next embar-rassing obsession.

What makes the show a success is not so much the material—though it is, with a few exceptions, really interesting—but the hosts.

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant exude great enthusiasm for their subjects without coming off as pre-tentious or preachy.

They mention every so often that they’re working from notes, but the tone of the show is conversational and easygoing, with natural, genuine banter—there’s no pretentious at-tempt to make the hosts or the show seem artificially cool.

By Erica HohnContributor

Learn ‘Stuff You Should Know’

See “Stuff,” p. 5

g Podcast delivers fun lessons on mundane to mainstream mysteries

Charles Williams and Corinna Nix play Gallery Cabaret (2020 N. Oakley) with Unearthed. CLICK to see a Grid-original video of Unearthed’s “Drift Away.”

Photo courtesy: Corinna Nix

See “Jam Out,” p. 5


Skylark Genre: Bar and grill2149 S. Halsted St. at Cermak Road (in the Pilsen neighborhood), (312) 948-5275

Point of DistinctionBookish low-lit bar and grill pairs patchwork quilts

and hunting rifles with a pinball machine and retro-style photobooth while offering many imports, unique domes-tic brews and chic daily food specials.

Akin to a beatnik’s coffee house without the drag of poetry slams, you dig?

The OrderAppetizer: Homemade tater tots with ranch, honey

mustard and BBQ dipping sauces.Entree: Black bean soup served with sour cream and

cheese. Generous slice blackened white bread on side. Drinks: Newcastle bottle, Hofbrau, coffee.

The DishThe tots were amazing and the honey mustard dip-

ping sauce kept me from eating a whole handful at once.The black bean soup was flavorful and filling, though

it could have been hotter. I had never seen it served with sour cream so that

was a pleasant surprise and the two played off each other well. The bread was hearty and fresh.

I wanted to try the Pride & Joy beer, but they were tapped out, so I went with a bottle of Newcastle, an old

stand-by of mine, instead.The wait-staff service was fine, but Public Affairs

Editor John Campos, who placed the same order about 5 minutes after I did, received his food 15 minutes after mine arrived.

—Kristina Zaremba.

Where We Meat: Reviews of Griditor Meeting Places

The vintage photobooth adds character to the quirky West Side favorite, Skylark bar and grill.

You learn a lot, but the content is actually fun and interesting, exactly the kind of stuff that you like know-ing so you can impress your friends or your date with how knowledge-able and appealing you are.

It also helps that the topics are so varied; regardless of your inter-ests, there’s a good mix of familiar and unfamiliar information, serious material and fun material, often in the same episode.

The show’s earliest episodes suffer a bit in comparison to the newer ones, due to both the rotating cast of co-hosts preceding the current Golden Age of Josh and Chuck’s epic, nerdy bromance, and a signifi-cantly shorter run-time, so unless you’re the completist type, don’t

bother with most of the episodes from before August 2008.

While five minutes is long enough to give listeners a pretty good overview of the world’s most expensive toilet, it’s not sufficient to do more than scratch the surface of topics like abandoned cities, the CIA’s torture manual, or the field of Ripperology (so named for its subject, Jack the Ripper), though you should pass on the more recent discussion of “tinnovators,” unless you really, really care about Altoid-tin craft projects.

This show is so awesome, why are you still reading this instead of listening to the one about Muppets?

“Stuff” from p. 4

Gridicise daily for best results.www.thechicagogrid.com

track demo $10/hour, or $50-flat), photography, Web and graphic design, booking, promotion, man-agement and legal advice.

JOC’s mission touts that its model of promotion will provide “all the necessary tools for the artist to bloom for well-below industry rates, if not for free, . . . for all art forms, in hopes to facilitate the growth of the independent community [and] to inspire the re-birth of indepen-dent businesses, create jobs, and the promise for a prosperous and hope-ful future.”

JOC’s Web site (www.jamoutchi-cago.com) will launch April 3. Visit it, or e-mail Nix at [email protected], for upcoming event and artist information.

“Jam Out” from p. 4


Chicago House and Social Service Agency hosted its inaugu-ral luncheon at the Hilton Palmer House on Nov. 11 to debut its speaker series luncheons, which fea-tured former President Bill Clinton as keynote speaker.

“[Chicago House] is the best ex-

ample anywhere in the country of all the AIDS outreach efforts that I am aware of,” former-president Clinton said at the opening of his speech.

Chicago House (CH) is the first organization in the Midwest to pro-vide housing and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The speaker series was developed to inspire and open new avenues of dialogue about community concerns

and social responsibility—particular-ly regarding the issues facing more than 30,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the city.

The luncheon, which sold out with more than one thousand plates ranging $150-300 a plate, helped generate a substantial net profit estimated around $400,000 that will further help CH provide a multitude

Former-president Bill Clinton spoke at the Chicago House and Social Service Agency to promote AIDS resources.

By John CamposPublic Affairs Editor

AIDS center hosts Clinton, raises funds with bakery

See “Chicago House,” p. 7

Photo by: Staff photographer

g Chicago House partners with Sweet Miss Giving’s bakery


of services to those in our com-munities affected by HIV/AID and homelessness.

“My hope is that we have a sense of how [the disease] affects all of us and a new determination to combat the issues that we face in our communities,” CEO Rev. Stan Sloan said. CH tries to combat that attitude.

A recent report issued by the Center for Disease Control stated that AIDS is 40 percent worse in America than originally thought—more that 1,000,000 cases exist in America, while 56,000 new cases arise every year.

Only 1 in 5 of HIV-in-fected Americans have stable

health coverage in the private insur-ance market.

The report also stated that the United States could see an exponen-tial increase in cases in the next five years reaching 1980s levels.

Chicago ranks as the sixth biggest load of cases in the nation.

Though it seems like a high rank, the work of organizations like CH can be credited with keeping the

ranking lower than it may have been seeing as Chicago is the third largest city in the United States.

Since its founding in 1985, CH has served more than 1,100 people annually with services ranging from basic HIV/AIDS testing and residential programs that house the homeless, who are typically bankrupted by the medical fees, to its new HIV/AIDS Employment Initiative with Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery.

The partnership between CH and the bakery, mediated by Harris Bank as the title sponsor, provides both a job program and source of funds for the organization as more than 50 percent of the profits of Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery go back to the people who call CH home.

“Chicago House” from p. 6

10: Goldstar.com and ChicagoHalfOff.com offer tickets and gift certificates to local restau-rants and merchants for 50 percent off or more. Check out the Featured and Clearance pages, respectively. HotTix.org has half-price tickets to more than

200 Chicago theatres, or visit their walk-up locations at 72 E. Randolph St. and 163 E. Pearson St. (in Water Works Visitor’s Center).9: Heated, underground downtown pedway

links 40 blocks over 5 miles. Map: egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Pedwaymapandlegend.pdf 8: Illinois’s secure emergency contact log will

inform your relatives if you’re in a car crash—cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/ecd7: Alternative local news—windycitizen.com; ev-

eryblock.com; chicagoartmap.com; chicagoelevat-ed.com; www.inspiremechicago.com; Chicago Access Network TV (cantv.org); Chicago Public Radio 91.5 FM (wbez.org); WTTW’s Chicago Tonight (wttw.com); huffingtonpost.com/Chicago6: Chicago’s Most Wanted—visit

portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/ and click on link on left nav bar.5: Red Eye’s interactive homicide map—

homicides.redeyechicago.com 4: Illinois Poison Center—visit mchc.org/ipc

or call 1-800-222-1222.3: Mayor Richard

M. Daley receives a salary of more than $210,000.2: Wash your

pre-packaged, so-called ready-to-eat salads & vegeta-bles to prevent food poisoning.1: The Aqua

building (225 N. Columbus Dr.) was named 2009 sky-scraper of the year by Emporis.

10 Things Every Chicagoan Should Know

Aqua mixed-used building de-signed by Jeanne Gang.

My hope is that we have a sense of how [AIDS] affects all of us and a new determination to combat the issues that we face in our communities.—Chicago House CEO Rev. Stan Sloan

“ “


Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridi-cally. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow

your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social

justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become

independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives.

Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no

little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize

diy

Six-tier Wrigleyville snowman commands that you, “Feel good.” Flowers in an empty Jack bottle—that’s DIY and Green Living.

Photo by: Kristina Zaremba

We Want You to ‘Feel Good’

A mini indoor-hydroponic gar-den, such as the stand-alone, compact AeroGarden ($59.95-$209.95, www.aerogarden.com), allows would-be amateur gardeners to grow almost any vegetable, flower or herb.

Hydroponic technology is a dirt-less aeration system that circulates nutrients through water vapor, which enables plants to grow up to twice as

fast they would in soil. Most AeroGardens include an

adjustable grow lamp with a germina-tion cycle and 24-hour light option, nutrient settings for five plant types, four to seven seed pods, light-bulb re-placement and add-nutrients reminder, low-water warning, and premium seed kits. Empty seed mediums and trellis systems available.

Grow your own

Get CTA Bus Tracker via Text1. Text the stop ID (found on street sign or online) to

41411.

Replace a Broken X-Box for Free1. Buy a new one and return bro-

ken one in new box after switching console serial number stickers.

Find Eats for $10 or Less1. Visit www.ueatcheap.com and search by zip code

and/or cuisine type.

Open Stuck Nail Polish1. Put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, then

twist off cap.

Fix Bra Straps the Never Stay Up1. Use Strap Perfect ($6.99) plastic hooks to cinch

straps in back.

Dry Out a Wet Cellphone1. Power off and stick in the middle of a bag of dry,

white rice for 24 hours.

Reserve Your Public Parking Spot1. Retrieve traffic cone from trunk of vehicle and dis-

cretely place in middle of spot before driving away.

Find Out Who Called You1. Visit yellowpages.com and search by phone num-

ber for either business or personal listings.

One-Step How-To’sDo virtually anything in one step.

Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridi-cally. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow

your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social

justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become

independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives.

Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize your dreams. Change lives. Make a difference. Champion social justice. Think Gridically. Make no

little plans. Do it yourself. Simplify life. Become independent. Empower yourself. Learn new skills. Get organized. Save time. Save money. Make money. Go green. Grow your brand. Realize


Meet Business ConsultantsThe Dept. of Business Affairs

and Consumer Protection offers assistance with business start-up and licensing information, business violations and citations, permits and other resources. Call (312) 744-5506 to make an appointment. Experienced Business Mentors

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (500 W. Madison St.) connects would-be and current busi-ness owners with more than 11,500 volunteer business counselors.

Call (312) 353-7724, or visit www.scorechicago.org for more. Women’s Business Development Center

Assists in development and marketing of emerging and existing woman-owned businesses. Services (in Spanish or English) include business assessments, loan assistance, workshops, and individualized coun-seling. Call (312) 853-3477 or visit www.wbdc.org for more.

Veterans Business OutreachThe VBO Program provides

business plan preparations, compre-hensive feasibility analysis, entre-preneurial training and counseling, mentorship, and referrals to eligible veterans who own or want to start a small business.

Call (810) 767-8387 or visit www.vetbizcentral.com for more.

Small Business Alliance LoansSBA makes loans up $15,000 for

start-ups, $25,000 for existing busi-nesses. Visit www.accionchicago.org/ for more.

$1,000 Business GrantGet a $1,000-grant & shared

workspace to jumpstart your busi-ness idea. This is a grant, not a

loan—no repayment. Visit www.scalewell.com to submit your idea.

Employment agenciesVisit thecityofchicago.com/em-

ployment/ for a directory of more than 40 employment agencies.

Grow Your BusinessThe Department of Commerce &

Economic Opportunity offers busi-nesses expansion incentives, tech-nological support, access to capital, global marketing expertise and job training for workers. Visit www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo for more.

Employ Illinois Business LoansThe State Treasurer’s Office in-

vests millions annually in low-inter-est loans to large and small-business owners and child-care providers. Visit www.treasurer.il.gov for more.

Cut Your Wireless BillCitizen Utility Board’s Cell Phone

Saver (www.citizensutilityboard.org/cellphonesaver) analyzes digital cop-ies of any major provider’s cell bill to determine and recommend the most economic plan for you according to average voice, text and data usage.

Free Directory AssistanceInstead of paying up to $2 to

call 411, try 1-800-FREE411 for residential and business listings, or 1-800-goog411 and 1-800-555TELL for business numbers.

Books CheaperBefore you shell out more paper

for textbooks and bestsellers browse the 30,000 free e-books (many in Kindle format) from Project Guten-berg (gutenberg.org) or the more than 25,000 free ones at Many-Books.net.

Then search I-Share (alliance of 76 Illinois libraries), visit a local

book exchange (swancc.org/direc-tory/books.html), rent books from Chegg.com, buy and sell used media through Amazon Marketplace, or download a paperless version to digital readers like Kindle ($249, amazon.com).

Conserve Electricity for Chance at Raffle Prizes from CUB

Individuals are eligible to win a month of free electricity or compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). Your neighborhood, community or group will also be eligible to earn up to 10,000 CFLs. Visit www.cubener-gysaver.com/contest to register.

Wish You Had a Car? Zipcars are shared sedans, station

wagons, SUVs, pick-ups or minivans parked throughout the city. Mem-bers can reserve cars (from $7/hr or $68 /weekday, gas and insurance included) at Zipcar.com and drive for a free 180 miles or more per day. Must be 21. Text cta2009 to 30364 to earn $75 toward driving.

For greener chauffeured trips, check out Going Green Limos’ (goinggreenlimousine.com) hybrid transport options.

Be Rewarded for Saving WaterSingle-family and two-flat

homeowners can lower their water bills by voluntarily installing a water meter. The city’s Meter Save program charges participants only for actual water used and guarantees that metered home will pay no more than yearly assessed rates for seven years.

Visit www.metersave.org or call 311 for more information.

Dispose of Hazardous WasteThe Household Chemicals &

Computer Recycling Facility (1150 N. North Branch on Goose Island)

Save Money

Need to Know: Instructions for Your Indie Life

Green living

Make Money


accepts household chemical waste on Tuesdays 7 a.m.-noon, Thursdays 2-7 p.m., and the first Saturday of each month 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Visit swancc.org/hcw/hcwcollec-tion.html for a list of accepted items.

—FOODFood assistance for Women, In-fants & Children

WIC helps pregnant women and mothers with children under the age of five eat well by providing coupons to buy nutritious foods like milk, juice, eggs, cheese, cereal, dry beans, pees and peanut butter. Also edu-cates families about nutrition, fitness,

breastfeeding and health care. Visit the state’s Dept. of Human

Services’ site (www.dhs.state.il.us/) and click on “Pregnancy & Parent-ing” to apply.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (Link Card)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps, helps low-income people and families buy healthy food.

Visit the state’s Dept. of Human Services’ site (www.dhs.state.il.us/) and click on “Food” to apply.

Common PantryProvides emergency food

monthly to individuals and families within the boundaries of Diversey (south), Kedzie (west), Ravenswood (east), and Lawrence (north), who

are below the poverty line. A small home delivery program

brings food to seniors and disabled persons monthly.

Distribution is 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays at 3744 N. Da-men. Visit www.commonpantry.org or call (773) 327-0553.

—UTILITIES Apply for Free Emergency Cell Phone Service

Low-income residents may qualify for a free cell phone with 60 pre-paid monthly minutes. Apply at www.safelinkwireless.com.

HumanServices

Reach MillennialsAdvertise with The Chicago Grid:• Print• Web• Video spots from $20. Design services available.

Rate cards and inquiries, e-mail [email protected].

Isn’t it time your business started thinking Gridically?

Know Something Others Should Too?Submit your Need to Know listings to

[email protected].


e-dentity

“The Deadly Encounter at Fort Dearborn” Learn about William Wells (whose Native Ameri-

can name was “Carrot-top”), the Kinzies, William Hull, the Potawatomis and this historic, though often misrepresented, event. By Geoffrey Johnson for Chicago Magazine. chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2009/

Origins of the Grid SystemFascinating articles about and images from the

establishment of the city’s grid system by the Encyclo-pedia of Chicago. encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410049.html

“The Brickyard: Home of All the Junkies”This 23-minute documentary shot in 2006 by

Greg Scott explores the lives of homeless ad-dicts, sex workers and drug dealers who live in the Brickyard on the West Side. youtube.com/watch?v=zP3dfePpOA0

StoryOfStuff.comA 20-minute interactive animated documentary on

the cycle of consumerism, materialism and pollution.

A must-watch for any American, who on average throws away 4.5 lbs of waste a day.

Free Name AnalysisGet analysis of up to ten names and one business

name free: kabalarians.com

Codeorgan.com Translates a Web page’s HTML code into music.

Hear what The Grid’s twitter sounds like: www.codeorgan.com/?url=twitter.com/chicagogrid

Tweetpsych.comPsychological analyzes a tweeter’s stream or

list(s). Breaks tweets down into genre categories like Self-Reference, Media, Time, Work, Sex and Primor-dial, then compares the analysis to the mean. What do your tweets say about you?

Get Sponsors for a Spring Break Road TripCheck out ReadWriteWeb’s (www.readwriteweb.

com) Dec. 30, 2009 post “10 Things You Need for Your Social Media Road Trip” for a practical tech and econ-heavy guide to getting your vacay vids to go viral.

World Wide Grid GuideLocal Area Connection: Chicago links

Social Responsibility links

Downtime links

High schoolers with Chicago Public Library cards can use the Harold Washington library’s (400 S. State) YOUmedia space, whose more than 100 computers provide access to digital media creation tools and software.

In the YouMedia lab, teens can browse social networks, mix digital music, share their art with others and attend free workshops on topics from digital art and game design to

fan fiction and podcasting. Visit www.youmediachicago.org

for more information.

CPL offers digital media lab for teens Font-o-philesCurious about what fonts were

used in this issue of The Grid? Here’s a select list—

Chick, p. 2

Creampuff, p. 2

MammaGamma, p. 3

The King and Queen, p. 4

g Links to help resolve your e-dentity crisis

The Chicago Grid cordially invites you to the

Memorial Pub Crawl

1958-2009

7 p.m.-MidnightSat., June 26

Bars & admission TBARegistration open soon. Visit thechicagogrid.com often for updates.

Michael Jackson

Documents

March/April 2010