Events

The Chicago Reader has another article on the Chicago Parking Meter Debacle, this time examining who got rich off it: Not only did William Blair advise the city on the deal—it came up with the idea in the first place. Then it provided the city with the only estimate it ever received of what the system was worth and coordinated the bidding process. Two other financial services firms and three law firms were brought in to assist. All were given no-bid contracts for the work, and all appear to have...

Oh, good game. Very good game. It looked grim until the bottom of the 8th, when the Sox gave up a 4-run lead as the Cubs tied it up. Then Alfonso Soriano earned his paycheck today with a game-winning RBI in the 9th. I also have to say, my new phone is so friggin' cool, it can do this:

Chicago mayor Richard Daley has possibly committed the city to an enormous public expense for the 2016 Olympic Games: Faced with losing the 2016 Summer Games to competing cities offering full government guarantees, Mayor Richard Daley made an about-face Wednesday and said the City of Chicago would sign a contract agreeing to take full financial responsibility for the Games. In a worst-case situation, such as severe cost-overruns or a catastrophic event, the agreement could leave taxpayers on the hook...

...against the White Sox at Wrigley. Which, believe it or not, is more humiliating for them than the revelation that Sammy Sosa tested positive for steroids in 2003. Neither of these things, you understand, is a surprise.

The fuzzy dude is 3 years old today. Obligatory baby picture: That's his Petfinder mugshot from when he was about 8 weeks old. Here he is today: For his birthday he got extra soft food with breakfast, two Newman's dog treats, and some fresh ground parmesan on his lunchtime kibble. And an extra belly-rub.

Not me, this morning. Him: He must have had a decent flight, too; the weather here today is almost June-like:

Parker has slept soundly most of the day after he and I walked up to Ribfest yesterday. The round-trip took us about 2 hours (not including stops) and 12.8 km. We sampled five restaurants. Parker didn't give me any notes, so these are all mine, in descending order of enjoyment: Lincoln Restaurant, 4008 N. Lincoln. Tasty. Tug-off-the-bone, not too much sauce, tangy KC-style, good lean ribs. Irish Bistro, 3905 N. Lincoln. An Irish pub with ribs? Yes. And not too bad. Fall-off-the-bone style, with a...

Photos and reviews of Ribfest tomorrow morning. Right now, though, I'm all about the novelty of updating TDP from my phone. Also tomorrow, I'll explain why this is a bigger deal than it seems.

The Guardian is reporting riots in Tehran following reports that the Iranian election monitors have declared yesterday's election fraudulent: Iran is facing political turmoil after hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was confirmed today as the winner of the presidential election and outraged supporters of his chief rival took to the streets to protest against a "dangerous charade" after a record 85% turnout. Tonight riot police in Tehran faced thousands of angry demonstrators shouting "death to dictatorship"...

Chicagoans: you haven't imagined it. This has been the coolest June on record, though the forecast calls for a warm-up this coming week: The cloudy, chilly and rainy open to June here has been the talk of the town. So far this June is running more than 12°F cooler than last year, and the clouds, rain and chilly lake winds have been persistent. The average temperature at O'Hare International Airport through Friday has been only 59.5°F: nearly 7°F below normal and the coldest since records there began 50...