Random: final words on UPP! Blog 30

So, with the final post I just wanted to talk about some of the things I've learned from UPP202! I liked how class was very integrated with our readings but also taught us things that have to do with how and where we live. One of the most memorable things was the visit to the Hull House. I honestly have been at this school three years and never saw the inside of that place until our trip! It was nice to learn about the history of that place and Jane Addams.

In the beginning of the semester, I learned a lot about why 'cool' neighborhoods were so high in density and successful. It requires solid housing, an immigrant population, crime, and drugs (oh no!). Actually, these things remind me of why New York and Chicago are such popular cities. Starving artists and the post graduate crowd both look for cheap housing and an efficient transportation system along with creativity.

Aside from that, I remember the carbon footprint and how the United States produces so much extra CO2 waste. I remember an event in New York that gathered a bunch of famous musicians in the effort to acknowledge people in saving our environment. Live Earth was a huge hit and energy efficient lightbulbs flew off the shelves!

Either way, I learned tons of things aside from what I just blogged about, it's been a great semester and I know I'll take things with me that I never thought about before! :)

Random Rogers Park Blog 29

In my sociology class my group is focusing on Rogers Park. That part of town is located far north where the Loyola main campus is- the Red Line is off of Loyola to Howard. In class we are learning about different parts of Chicago, and I am focusing on the community organizations of Rogers Park. I found that we have something called "CAPS" (Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy). It has police officers working with residents of Rogers Park in order to discuss trouble crime areas or current problems within their neighborhood. They meet in places such as schools, libraries or churches to discuss every so often.

Aside from their organizations, have any of you been to Rogers Park? I'm assuming you have if you have friends that go to Loyola or live in the city of Chicago. It's a big chunk of the northside, its not very far away from Evanston either! The interesting part of this city is that it is far enough away from the madness that is the loop, but close enough that it is possible to hop on the EL and get there. Some areas may seem a little bit sketchy at night, but that comes with the territory when we talk about Chicago as a whole.

Random: ryan adams. Blog 28

Ryan Adams has a song about Chicago. It is obviously metaphorical but I still think it relates to our great windy city.

Dear Chicago,
You'll never guess.
You know the girl you said I'd meet someday?
Well, I've got something to confess.
She picked me up on Friday.
Asked me if she reminded me of you.
I just laughed and lit a cigarette,
Said "that's impossible to do. "
My life's gotten simple since.
And it fluctuates so much.
Happy and sad and back again.
I'm not crying out to much.
Think about you all the time.
It's strange and hard to deal.
Think about you lying there.
And those blankets lie so still.
Nothing breathes here in the cold.
Nothing moves or even smiles.
I've been thinking some of suicide.
But there's bars out here for miles.
Sorry about the every kiss.
Every kiss you wasted {bad / back}.
I think the thing you said was true,
I'm going to die alone and sad.

The wind's feeling real these days.
Yeah, baby, it hurt's me some.
Never thought I'd feel so blue.
New York City, you're almost gone.
I think that I've fallen out of love,
I think I've fallen out of love... with you.

UIC development. Blog 27

I really enjoyed class today! It was funny the things students mentioned as being an issue at our school. I for one agree completely that the buildings are depressing, dreary and dark. Whenever I'm in a classroom, there are either no windows, or the windows are tinted and weirdly shaped so it always looks like there is bad weather outside. Aside from that, we have an excellent location. It is a short ride from the madness of the loop, and compact. All of our lecture classes are in really close proximity, and there are busses that will take us to the blue or red lines.

There are only a few things we COULD add or subtract from our school. We pretty much have no more room for expansion, so with changes, it would mostly be just appearance of our campus. At night, especially around south or east campus, there aren't enough lights so students feel safe to walk around. It is pretty nice around south campus though! We could also use a splash or two of color with art deco or brighter exteriors. If it were possible, it would be nice to have more food options and maybe retail shops that cater to the interests of students (cheap retail chains, not the exspensive ones we have now on south campus that many students aren't able to afford.)

Random Walking Blog 26

So as a side job I help an indie music magazine promote upcoming bands, movies, and certain products. I had received materials to go to random music stores, shoppes, and restaurants to distribute these stickers and posters. Today was a perfect day to go on what they call a field run. You see, I've been living in the city of Chicago for over three years. I take the Halsted bus (#8) from school to the N3200's and beyond. I am constantly on the EL or on different busses, and I thought I knew every part of the city inside and out. Boy was I wrong. I ended up around the clark and fullerton area and was trying to get back near halsted. I felt like such an idiot when I had to ask where halsted is and the man just told me a block east. It's funny because I walked for miles and miles and eventually just got lost. I thought everything there was had been seen already. Yet on today's walk I find more record shops and restaurants for me to enjoy. I passed near a crepe place actually... yum.

I love discovering new things in Chicago. It makes me like the city more and more!

Governing Magazine: State grades Blog 25

Illinois received a C+. We had a lot of negatives when it came to the people: the workforce stratgies, training, and development. We are currently going under "damage control" by budgeting and consolitdating agencies and departments into the Central Management Services Agency. Since we had started the early retirement plan, we also had a lack of 11,000 people in the workforce. That's a huge number!

Louisiana received a B. Governing magazine claimed that they had a ton of people living in poverty, but large amounts of money coming in at a rapid rate due to oil funds. They neglect the appearance of the state and workforce planning, but is very strong in contracting and purchasing. No one there wants to spend money on facilities and control.

For the amount of people in Illinois versus Louisiana (rank 5 vs. rank 22), I feel as those the grades aren't that accurate. With that many more people, it is harder to resolve some of the current problems that we already have.

Lisa's Blog 24

So in our assignment sheet, our second check has to include a post on another student's writings. This time around I took a look at Lisa's blog. I love her pictures! I don't know where she finds them all, but the ones that have to do with Chicago it seems like she took the pictures from my memory and stuck them onto her blog. Especially the ones from Little Italy, Metro, and the shopping in the loop. I read her entry on the suburbs and metra and fond it strikingly familiar to myself. You see, I went to high school in Schaumburg, and actually knew Lisa back in the day! It was in fact easier to get around with a car like she said, but for the most part, I don't like the Metra too much! Every time i'm on it going back to the suburbs, I run into some weird person who is talking non-stop or tries to read my palm or borrow my magazine. I never even have that problem on the EL! Aside from that, metra is gas saving on those long trips to and from the suburbs, and easy to avoid those nasty highways that are always congested!

She also seems to have a connection with a certain city: Denver. To me, the city I feel very attached to is Vancouver. I have some relatives there, but every time I go I find something esle that I like more about it. The last time I was there, I remember going to a crepe restaurant where I laid my hands on the best nutella banana crepe ever, alongside a delicious honey lager. I still think about it once in a while. Next time I'm there, my stomach is probably going to hate me!

Random: Pick up your garbage! Blog 23

So I have visited New York City before, over the summer. Every part of town seemed clean if not CLEANER than Chicago. Then I stepped off the subway and smog heaven was what was called Times Square. It was DISGUSTING. I was actually on my way to MTV studios and to meet up with a friend; I don't know what it's called when gum on sidewalks turn black (tar?), but there were tons of black spots all over the concrete and it didn't help that it was 95 degrees that day I was there! So anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that all the Chicagoan's think that Chicago is so clean compared to New York... they are so wrong. Sure times square is pretty nasty, but so are parts of wicker park or michigan ave. YUCK! New York subways are also so much better! No smells, quick service... did i mention NO SMELLS? It's also frighteningly clean on said subways. Chicago transportation however, I always see newspapers and food and random garbage. I think Chicagoan's should probably pick up their garbage and stop telling people how dirty new york is. :)

Random: when work disappears Blog 22

In one of my sociology classes we talked about the urban poverty and why people can't find jobs. In "When Work Disappears" by William Wilson, he has a chapter on how race determines one's abilities to find jobs. In chapter 5, he talks about how a person's race, where they live, and how employment is effected. There have been studies on how African Americans face more negative employer perceptions than any other race. In this chapter, they include many interviews with Chicago workplaces, and how owners of shops have had their share of "lazy" black men who aren't serious about their job, or quit often. Another reason why they don't get hired is because of where they live. Employers are afraid that the community of people in certain areas are involved in working together to rob the said businesses. Some employers believe that African Americans believe that they are minorities, in turn they are owed something. They don't work as hard as other races, and their work ethic in comparison to others are weak.

This article shows me why people are unemployed and how it effects where they live, on top of how people see a sense of community in different areas. When I live on UIC campus, I know there are thousands of people around me that are the same; we tend to live in areas that best suit our wants and needs.

Random. Blog 21

I was running late to class a few days ago so I didn't have time to really check the weather on my way out. I grabbed a light jacket and almost FROZE on my walk from south campus to the behavioral sciences building. It was interesting to see many students that were just like me - unaware of our abrupt weather changes in Chicago. I see a huge difference in the number of people who are out when it's cold, windy, rainy and dark as opposed to when it's at least sunny and dry out! When I am using public transportation, I see more panhandlers sleeping on the trains than when it's warmer out. The coffee shops line up with people as the ice cream shops empty out. It makes me believe that weather makes a huge economic difference in the city of Chicago. But hell, I go and grab hot soup or chocolate constantly when it's cold out.

Chicago Metropolis 2020. Blog 20

Oh man, what a reading! The Chicago Metropolis talks about two different plans, the commercial club, and the metropolis plan. the metropolis plan is more ambitious and has broad plans to better the economic and social state of Chicago. To enhance these situations, they came up with three problems and solutions.

1) They need to foster better education and skill training. There is a great problem with taxes and for people to get adequate education with a lack of teachers.

2) They should consider reverse policies that encourage sprawl. Our region is dispersed and stratified. There is a problem with overcrowded schools and underfunded services.

3) They need to change the social conditions of communities. There are those who are too poor to afford housing, and zoning prevents affordable housing.

All three of these problems could be fixed if the city could work together as a community, and to increase the amount of jobs available with facilities and training.

Richard Florida reading. Blog 19

"Why cities without gays and rock bands are losing the economic development race."

In Richard Florida's "Rise of the Creative Class," he examines economic growth by the creative class of people, people who look for a music scene, cultural diversity, and nightlife to decide which job they should accept in different cities. He states that the key to economic growth is not just a cities' ability to attract diverse types of people, but to also have an advantage in new businesses and regional growth. These types of people "create meaningful new forms" and includes technicians, editors, writers, entertainers, and more.

I agree with his theory on how creativity helps for cities to flourish. I believe it has received so much attention because many people like me agree with him and scholars have looked into cities with different types of new jobs and innovations. I feel that Chicago should have been on the top 10 list though!

Nashville, TN. Blog 18

I recently took a road trip to Nashville to visit a friend. The drive down was incredible - aside from the lack of... ANYTHING in Indiana. There were Cracker Barrels every 5 minutes! So, Nashville is home of country music and it is always amazing to see the differences between Chicago and other cities. They have a main street there, Broadway street; it is the nightlife central of the place! I must admit I felt a little out of place because the population seemed to be 99% white and 1% black. I even went into a shoppe and the man (decked out in cowboy hat and boots, of course) asked me if I were from Hawaii. Out of all places, Hawaii? I wasn't offended or anything, but wanted to say "not all Asian people are from Hawaii." Guess that was a culture shock on both sides. Nashville was how I imagined it to be, and I'm sure they have pretty accurate thoughts of how Chicago might be; busy, loud, to the extreme.


This is a picture I took from Across the street of Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe.

Olympics. Blog 17

In the summer of 1972, Munich was the city to host the 1972 Olympics. Unfortunately that year there was a "Munich Massacre" in which several athletes were killed by terrorist groups. I have looked up some post Olympic problems and all of them seem to be how a city prepares for an Olympics and the amount of money that has to be put in. If we were to have an Olympics in Chicago, I feel that it would create many more problems for us than we already have. As a city that is already facing economic issues regarding our public transportation, housing, etc. , how would we be able to cater to tens of thousands more people for this event?

Our city taxes are already at 9% and with planning and preparation, our sales and property taxes would only go up. As of right now we are facing a 'doomsday' with the public transit system. Without proper accommodations for large numbers of people, that would make Chicago a place that isn't suitable for such a large sports event that is televised and a huge part of our society's culture.