Going to Wrigley Field for the first time tonight...
It took me a really long time to figure out that this FB status, posted by an acquaintance of mine, was in reference to the Springsteen show:
Mary showed up, and brought Wendy and Janey with her. There was also a barefoot girl on the hood of a Dodge, drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain. Tom Morello and Eddie Vedder stopped by. It was a good night.
― Sandy Denny Real Estate (jaymc), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:30 (eleven years ago) link
^This is a guy who, IIRC, gets off on Important and Iconic art. One of the last times I saw him, he was going on about how There Will Be Blood was the greatest American film in decades.
― Sandy Denny Real Estate (jaymc), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:31 (eleven years ago) link
Jeffrey, IIR Epic Burger correctly, I think you're right about Smashburger. They are going to be those flat patties. Like at M Burger and Steak & Shake. They are very vocal about their smashing.
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:32 (eleven years ago) link
R n I r going 2 c Prince!
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:35 (eleven years ago) link
G4Y!
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
Ha - Good 4 You, not GAY.
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Saturday, 8 September 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
LOL. I thought you were calling the endeavor gay.
I have a ticket for The Magic Flute at Chicago Opera Theater on 9/26 that I cannot use or change if anyone wants to go. Just one ticket but you can have it at no cost to you.
― carl agatha, Saturday, 8 September 2012 16:18 (eleven years ago) link
Jesus, we really should open a Boystown bar called G4Y! and get rich.
― Earth, Wind & Fire & Alabama (Eazy), Saturday, 8 September 2012 16:44 (eleven years ago) link
I just got back from the DG sidewalk sale. It was fun!
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Saturday, 8 September 2012 18:32 (eleven years ago) link
Walgreens at Halsted & Diversey
http://i.imgur.com/jDMfk.jpg
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Saturday, 8 September 2012 18:57 (eleven years ago) link
tre kronor has an immensley delightful patio, I was surprised. Good food, too.
― doctor, doctor, give me the news (askance johnson), Saturday, 8 September 2012 22:26 (eleven years ago) link
god i hate autumn. it's the "i don't watch television" of seasons.
― well pull down my pants and call me swamp thing (latebloomer), Wednesday, October 14, 2009 12:30 PM (11 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
wtf does this mean?
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Sunday, 9 September 2012 16:02 (eleven years ago) link
That it's pretentious and affected? It's probably a joke.
― carl agatha, Sunday, 9 September 2012 16:24 (eleven years ago) link
That is one of all-time favorite ILX posts!
― Sandy Denny Real Estate (jaymc), Sunday, 9 September 2012 16:58 (eleven years ago) link
Oh! jaymc, you reposted it. I thought you were the OP. Sorry, I saw it when I was just waking up this morning. N'mind.
― (*・_・)ノ⌒ ☆ (Je55e), Sunday, 9 September 2012 17:09 (eleven years ago) link
rob lowe was awesome - super skeez, got the accent just right
I didn't see it, but a few h.s. friends posted about it on FB, delighting in the errors of geography -- e.g., visible palm trees in a couple of scenes, a "B0lingbr00k Middle School" (we had several middle schools).
― Sandy Denny Real Estate (jaymc), Sunday, 9 September 2012 21:52 (eleven years ago) link
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/120831-chicago-teachers-140a.photoblog600.jpg
ON STRIKE SHUT IT DOWN CHICAGO IS A UNION TOWN
― the late great, Monday, 10 September 2012 04:09 (eleven years ago) link
I fully support the unions and their ability to strike, but I hope there are no major repercussions from this. Union support and membership are at all-time lows, and this is the sort of strike that hurts kids and parents first and foremost. I hope they resolve it soon. Can any of you better illustrate the sticking points here? I am under the impression it is not about money, but I find that hard to believe (I think teachers agreed to a pay freeze a few years ago, and now are angling for a raise to retroactively make up for the lost pay?). What are the sticking points?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 11:40 (eleven years ago) link
Casimir Pulaski Day
― Jeff, Monday, 10 September 2012 11:59 (eleven years ago) link
Class size is a big one.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 12:19 (eleven years ago) link
New evaluations procedures that would put a lot of focus on standardized test scores.Increases (or status quo) in teacher training.AC units in classrooms! Small class sizes.Elected school board.More social workers, counselors, audio/visual and hearing technicians and school nurses.
http://www.ctunet.com/blog/cps-fails-to-negotiate-fair-contract-to-prevent-first-labor-strike-in-25-years
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 12:23 (eleven years ago) link
1. I am not a huge fan of the president of CTU just based on some of the things she's said in interviews BUT Rahm is a jerrrrrrrrk and a half when it comes to union stuff. Bargaining in good faith is not his strong suit.2. Holy shit put AC units in the classrooms! 3. An elected school board is a big one to me. A school board is appointed by the mayor is largely worthless because it's going to be a repository for politically connected hacks (I have some experience with this on the state level). I bet CTU will never get this one.4. Additional staff resources are crucial in some neighborhoods.
I can't really speak to standardized tests other than knowing that every teacher I know hates them, and training seems like a good thing. It all sounds very reasonable to me.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 12:28 (eleven years ago) link
isn't the standardized testing stuff related to teacher evaluations which is what the whole 'shutting down schools and opening non-union charter' tactic hinges on? seemed like that was a big bone of contention to me.
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Monday, 10 September 2012 12:39 (eleven years ago) link
I think so. Mayor is also way into charters if it means people get off his back (this seems to be all he really cares about) and he has some test scores to flash around, but honestly this is not really my bag. I don't work at a union school (unfortch) and higher ed has its own major probs to deal with.
I like that photo though -- lady on the left is making quite a face at the "(s)maller ass sizes" sign she's standing next to
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 12:47 (eleven years ago) link
A good read from a teacher:http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2012/09/07/whats-at-stake-for-chicago-public-educators/#.UE3gRCwqRj4.facebook
― Earth, Wind & Fire & Alabama (Eazy), Monday, 10 September 2012 12:57 (eleven years ago) link
It seems that a couple of the big sticking points involve teachers resisting closing underperforming schools and more control over teacher evaluations, which probably means firing practices. Frankly, I'm not sure, given budget squeezes, how they can afford to do many of the things being asked for - A/C in all classes, smaller classes (which means more teachers), more social workers, fewer firings and/or school closings - in addition to pay increases, which I'm pretty confident the unions would not concede.
Commentator on the radio this morning hypothesized that an underlying impetus for the strike is a power play reacting to threats to collective bargaining rights. A lot of the comments from the union seem a tad disingenuous, given how little this and pay have been brought up. Not sure if there's even room to compromise, given the demands. Really hope they find a solution, because if this goes on it will be pretty damaging to the unions, which increasingly have been under fire by way of the ballot box.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 14:16 (eleven years ago) link
BTW, with regard to test scores, how beholden are CPS to the No Child Left Behind nonsense, which seems designed to tear schools apart with rising, unreasonable standards? Legally, can schools bypass lame NCLB laws?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 14:19 (eleven years ago) link
For those who prefer radio to words - WBEZ's Linda Lutton on reasons for strike http://soundcloud.com/wbez/what-are-the-details-of-the
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:30 (eleven years ago) link
evaluation a huge thingtoo much emphasis on test scores
job securityclosing low performing schools
etc
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:31 (eleven years ago) link
mayor is pissed
also acc to lutton union leaders are taking a stand on * recent neighboring states attacks on collective bargaining* evaluation being tied to test scores* their position on wide reaching philosophical issues that a group can only protest through collective bargaining
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:35 (eleven years ago) link
can you tell i am working on ways to teach summarizing?!
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:36 (eleven years ago) link
from a teacher friend via fb:
t is official; Chicago Teachers Union is on strike. There is plenty of rhetoric supporting both the teachers and the board. I have been asked how I can do this to the kids. I want to turn around and ask how can I not! What I am fighting for is a better education for all students.• I fight for smaller class sizes for students, as studies continue to show have a positive effect on student learning.• I fight for wraparound services that will help students to focus on their education because their basic needs are finally being met.• I fight for more professionals in the special education department. Currently about 15% of the students at the school at which I work receive special education services, with that number increasing daily and they deserve the services and professionals to help them learn.• I fight for a way to fairly evaluate teachers on more than just test scores.• I fight for students to receive equal opportunities whether they live on the north side, south side, west side, or anywhere in between.• I fight for social services to help students cope with the realities of tragedies that many are going through daily.• I fight against CPS giving up on schools and giving tax dollars to charter schools that only keep the strongest students and kick out the weaker struggling students and still don’t show consistent better data than CPS schools.• I fight for enrichment programs like art, music, and physical education so our students can be well rounded critical thinkers ready to take on the challenges of a changing world. Being able to fill in bubbles on a test does not measure skills like that, nor does it teach them.• I fight to help my students identify their strengths and skills and lay out a path that can help them follow those to a life after high school that incorporates those gifts that they possess.• I fight for a fair wage based upon my education, the need for me to keep attending classes to keep up to date on current studies so I can best meet the needs of my students, and to keep the educational certificate I have earned.Do I like being in this situation, no I don’t; but I would rather miss a couple of days of school now to ensure a better education than to passively sit by while students are shortchanged in their education for a four year contract that the board is proposing. I am an educator and I fight to be able to actually educate students in a meaningful way. Why do I feel this way? Because I was lucky enough to have parents and quality teachers who challenged me and shaped me into who I am. I say thank you to the educators who came before me, solidarity to those around me now, I fight for you, educators who will come next, and most of all, I fight for students; past, present, and future!-C@r0lyn L@tsh@wProud CPS Educator
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:36 (eleven years ago) link
The smaller class size thing isn't so much about teachers, but it's about students. Yes, the budget is in shambles but students (and ESPECIALLY students in cruddy neighborhoods (that are cruddy due to municipal decisions dating back to Daley Sr.'s reign)) should not bear the burden of it.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 14:40 (eleven years ago) link
what it sounds like to me, outside of the physical plant issues (climate control, leaky roof, etc) is that no one believes that teachers know best about how to educate students. this is what it takes for them to have their opinion considered seriously. depressing that this is true, but i support using whatever voice people will listen to.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:41 (eleven years ago) link
^^^ otm
Schools should not be a lab for testing out free market solutions or political ideologies or a place to cut corners because we're talking about educating human beings that are going to grow up and take over when I'm too old and weak to stop them from killing me with their stupid, uneducated decisions so please, for the love of Pete, let's funnel some serious money into these institutions, listen to teachers, and put students first.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 14:53 (eleven years ago) link
gonna steal that line carl fyi
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Monday, 10 September 2012 14:55 (eleven years ago) link
Help yourself!
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 14:58 (eleven years ago) link
I think spending is the solution to many problems. People are often so focused on cutting - cutting programs, cutting budgets, cutting staff - that they forget that actually investing - in schools, in newspapers, in infrastructure - is a legit strategy that benefits/behooves everyone. But the question really is where the money will come from, no? Virtually everything the teachers are asking for entails a considerable budget expenditure, and I wish there were a way to find the money. But my understanding is that the city budget, like the state budget, is teetering in a really precarious place as it is, and there's really no reason to believe Rahm is lying about it; if anything, budget problems are probably worse than most of us realize. So what is the solution? All teacher demands can be perfectly reasonable and equally unimplementable barring major compromises on both sides. Which seems tough, given the total lack of goodwill on both sides.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 15:15 (eleven years ago) link
teachers be strikin outside my window
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 15:27 (eleven years ago) link
been seeing a lot of pics w/ signs decrying TIFs as part of the problem, fundingwise
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Monday, 10 September 2012 15:27 (eleven years ago) link
right -- alderman's ofc is across the street
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 15:29 (eleven years ago) link
I can't speak to city budgets, but I will say this about state budgets: since our current governor took office, he has created six management level positions in the high 5, low 6 figure salary range that did not exist in the 20 years prior. So generously that's nearly half a million dollars of additional spending in this agency alone in unnecessary jobs in the last three years. The people filling these jobs come from the campaigns and offices of other well-known, powerful state politicians, and not because they are particularly skilled at these jobs.
Again, this is state government. Under Daley I would have said that is exactly what is happening in city govt, and while I don't know that Rahm is up to the same shenanigans, I am confident there are legacy situations going on similar to this.
So as for where the money is coming from, you can rest assured that some of it could easily come from dismantling the insanely expensive patronage system going on in state and local government.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
And don't even get me started on union employees' state pensions. Just trust me that they took a closer look at the pension systems for governmental appointees and made the same changes there that they have made to union employees' pensions, we'd be in much better shape.
― carl agatha, Monday, 10 September 2012 15:41 (eleven years ago) link
HUGE group of protesters outside my window screaming hey hey ho ho rahm emanuel's got to go
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 15:58 (eleven years ago) link
xpost All that makes perfect sense, but it doesn't sound terribly different from unfair criticisms levied again "underperforming" teachers or schools. It just seems weird to complain about allegedly superfluous legacy government employees that cost too much and could be let go when one of the major concerns of the teacher's union is retaining the power to basically prevent the government from firing teachers it considers superfluous and closing schools it thinks are unnecessary. No one wants to be fired, no one wants pensions cut, no one wants their benefits curtailed. But everyone wants more money.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 16:17 (eleven years ago) link
they're gone now btw
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
Where did they go?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 10 September 2012 16:20 (eleven years ago) link
not sure -- there are only three lefti'm talking about the large group of protesters that was outside my window screaming at the top of their lungs
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Monday, 10 September 2012 16:22 (eleven years ago) link
iirc official picketing of individual schools ends around 10:30 so that everyone can go to the loop for the big rally
― DX Dx DX (dan m), Monday, 10 September 2012 16:24 (eleven years ago) link