Gapers Block : Merge : Author - James Ewert/title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/gb.css" /> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <link rel="Shortcut Icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /> <meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache" /> <meta name="robots" content="all" /> <meta name="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" content="true" /> <meta http-equiv="imagetoolbar" content="false" /> <meta name="description" content="Gapers Block - A site about Chicago, IL." /> <script src="/core.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </head> <body>  <script src="/mint/?js" type="text/javascript"></script>  <div id="peripheral"> <div id="peripheral-center"> <div id="peripheral-nav"> <ul id="peripheral-nav"> <li id="peripheral-nav1"><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com" title="Gapers Block"><span>Gapers Block</span></a></li> <li id="peripheral-nav2"><a href="/ac/" title="A/C"><span>A/C</span></a></li> <li id="peripheral-nav3"><a href="/bookclub/" title="Book Club"><span>Book Club</span></a></li> <li id="peripheral-nav4"><a href="/drivethru/" title="Drive-Thru"><span>Drive-Thru</span></a></li> <li id="peripheral-nav5"><a href="/transmission/" title="Transmission"><span>Transmission</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <br clear="all" /> </div>  <div id="frame">  <div id="text-ads"> <span class="ads-callout">Ad:</span> <a href='http://www.gapersblock.com/adsystem/www/delivery/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=90__zoneid=1__cb=53567a601f__maxdest=http://www.konatreats.com/' target='_blank'>Our Smoothies Rock! 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How active is your 'hood?</a></p> </div> <br clear="all" /> </div> </form>    <div class="col-wide"> <img class="bpad" src="/gfx/title_merge_wide.gif" alt="Merge" /> <div class="article-head"> <h5>From the <a href="/merge/archives/">Archives</a></h4> <h1><a href="/merge/author/je/">James Ewert</a></h1> </div> <div class="post"> <p><strong>Add Gourmand to that List</strong><br /> With the whole <a href="http://www.chicagoist.com/archives/2007/03/24/wicker_park_getting_another_place_to_hold_all_our_money.php#comments">Filter/Swank Franks story</a> heating up, Gourmand, the South Loop coffee shop and former sister shop of Filter, <s>looks to be closing down as well, according to a conversation with a now former employee</s> <a href="http://gapersblock.com/drivethru/2007/03/23/friday_foodie_roundup/">is closed</a>. Though Bob Berger has nothing to do with this one, if anyone wants to hear an interview with him by Chicago Public Radio's Steve Edwards, <a href="http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/audio_library/848_raaug01.asp">check this out</a>. It was a couple years ago when Berger was doing his whole <a href="http://www.charcoll.com/ekpage/suntimesarticle.html">video-cameras-in-the-Flat-Iron-Building venture</a>, and it shows what kind of answer-evading weirdo the guy really is. It is under the August 7, 2001 program near the bottom of the page. <br /> <img src="/gfx/caret.gif" alt="" /><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/2007/03/#018786" class="divider">Monday March 26 2007</a><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/In the News/">In the News</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicago" rel="tag"> </a></p> </div> <div class="post"> <p><strong>Goodbye Filter/Swank Franks, Thanks Bob</strong><br /> According to this week's Chicago Journal article <a href="http://chicagojournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=25&SubSectionID=55&ArticleID=2821">There goes the neighborhood</a>, long time Wicker Park hipster hangouts Filter and Swank Franks will be no more by late this year or early next. The owner of the Flat Iron Building, which the two businesses are located in, is Bob Berger, a big time Chicago real estate mogul who also owns the landmark Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue. The article explains that yet another Bank of America will fill the void left by the two departures. Berger is also the reason why South Loop residents don't have Rain Dog Cafe anymore. <br /> <img src="/gfx/caret.gif" alt="" /><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/2007/03/#018738" class="divider">Friday March 23 2007</a><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/Politics/Activism/">Politics/Activism</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicago" rel="tag"> </a></p> </div> <div class="post"> <p><strong>R.A.T.M. Coming to Chicago</strong><br /> Well not quite, but it looks as if Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine will be in town <a href="http://www.ciw-online.org/2007truthtour/index.html">Saturday April 14 at Federal Plaza</a> to protest McDonalds of all things. It's still unclear whether the two of them will play music or what time they will be around, but it's interesting nonetheless. <br /> <img src="/gfx/caret.gif" alt="" /><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/2007/03/#018713" class="divider">Thursday March 22 2007</a><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/Politics/Activism/">Politics/Activism</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicago" rel="tag"> </a></p> </div> <div class="post"> <p><strong>Lawsuit, a Sign of the Times?</strong><br /> A small blurb was posted on the Tribune's website last night about Chicago <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070307activist,1,4218447.story">anti-war activist Andy Thayer filing a federal law suit </a>against the City of Chicago. According to the article, the suit alleges infringement upon Thayer's 1st, 4th and 15th Amendment rights. A quick search of Cook County's Clerk of the Circuit Court website finds <a href="https://courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/Finddock.asp?DocketKey=CAAF0MB0EFAFDE0MD">a case </a>where it appears the charges have been dismissed. <p>What's interesting is that, Thayer was arrested in 2005 for staging a street-side news conference to discuss the fact that <a href="http://www.chicagofreespeechzone.com/html/what_s_in_a_permit_.html">organizers were not granted a permit to protest</a>. The following year, however, a permit was granted and again a permit was granted this year for a <a href="http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/76426/index.php">march on Michigan Avenue March 20 at 6 p.m.</a> It's unclear whether Thayer's actions or involvement played any role in the city's sudden reversal on permit granting, but it's been a long time since any Chicago anti-war activist received the recognition they deserve. <br /> <img src="/gfx/caret.gif" alt="" /><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/2007/03/#018375" class="divider">Thursday March 8 2007</a><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/Politics/Activism/">Politics/Activism</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicago" rel="tag"> </a></p> </div> <div class="post"> <p><strong>Auto Show Shutdown</strong><br /> The <a href="http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/">Chicago Auto Show</a> is back in town again from Feb. 9 until Feb. 18. On Saturday Feb. 10, however, the <a href="http://chicagocriticalmass.org/">Critical Mass</a> folks are planning an <a href="http://autoshowshutdown.org/">Auto Show Shutdown</a>. The website set up was actually sent a "cease and desist letter" from the actual Chicago Auto Show. The <a href="http://www.eff.org/">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>, an Internet advocacy organization is supporting the Critical Massers and issued <a href="http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2007_02.php#005108">this press release on their behalf</a>. <br /> <img src="/gfx/caret.gif" alt="" /><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/2007/02/#017822" class="divider">Monday February 5 2007</a><a href="http://www.gapersblock.com/merge/archives/Politics/Activism/">Politics/Activism</a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicago" rel="tag"> </a></p> </div> <br /> </div>  <div class="col-right">  <img class="bpad" src="/gfx/title_authors_norule.gif" alt="Authors" /> <ul class="post"> <li><a href="/merge/author//"></a></li> </MTAuthors> </ul> <p class="complete-archive"><strong><a href="/merge/archives/">Visit the complete archive »</a></strong></p>  <div class="ad-gfx"> <a href='http://www.gapersblock.com/ad/adclick.php?bannerid=239&zoneid=2&source=&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fbloxes.com' target='_blank'><img src='http://www.gapersblock.com/ad/adimage.php?filename=bloxes.jpg&contenttype=jpeg' width='275' height='140' alt='' title='' border='0'></a><div id="beacon_239" style="position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><img src='http://www.gapersblock.com/ad/adlog.php?bannerid=239&clientid=339&zoneid=2&source=&block=0&capping=0&cb=61586ab1128dbb500374fe0a29a3b6ce' width='0' height='0' alt='' style='width: 0px; height: 0px;'></div> <a href="/advertising/"><img src="/gfx/advertise_with_gb.gif" alt="Advertise with GB" /></a> </div>  <script type="text/javascript" src="http://gapersblock.jobcoin.com/jobs/embedded_jsvariables"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var JC_first_in_column = false; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://boards.jobcoin.com/linked/gb_v_jc.js"></script> <br />  <p> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </p> </div> <br clear="all" /> <br clear="all" />  <div id="footer-microsites"> <h4>Latest Posts on the GB Blogs</h4> <div id="footer-microsites-lines"> <div class="microsites-col"> <h5>A/C</h5> <span class="byline">Saturday, July 05 2008</span><br /> <h2><a href="http://gapersblock.com/ac/2008/07/05/northwestern-goes-the-mfa-rout/">Northwestern Goes the MFA Route</a></h2> </div> <div class="microsites-col"> <h5>The GB Book Club</h5> <span class="byline">Wednesday, July 02 2008</span><br /> <h2><a href="http://gapersblock.com/bookclub/2008/07/02/begin_the_save_the_books_secti/">Begin the 'Save the Books Section' Campaign Now</a></h2> </div> <div class="microsites-col"> <h5>Drive-Thru</h5> <span class="byline">Friday, July 04 2008</span><br /> <h2><a href="http://gapersblock.com/drivethru/2008/07/04/never_going_back/">Never Going Back</a></h2> </div> <div class="microsites-col"> <h5>Tailgate</h5> <span class="byline">Thursday, July 03 2008</span><br /> <h2><a href="http://gapersblock.com/tailgate/2008/07/short-hops-2.php">Short Hops</a></h2> </div> <div class="microsites-col-last"> <h5>Transmission</h5> <span class="byline">Thursday, July 03 2008</span><br /> <h2><a href="http://gapersblock.com/transmission/2008/07/03/speaking_of_the_dead/">Speaking of the Dead...</a></h2> </div> <br clear="all" /> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <p><strong>Copyright ©2003-2008 Gapers Block & respective authors</strong>. 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