Signs of a bad babysitter

Your child has frequent bumps and scrapes

Sure, kids will be kids, so don’t panic at the first sight of a scraped knee. But if accidents start to become a frequent occurrence, it could be a sign that your babysitter is not keeping a watchful eye on your children.

Your babysitter is doubling as social chair

You come home early or make a surprise pop-in to find your babysitter has invited friends over without your permission. Or perhaps she’s busy talking on the phone while your kids are in the other room unattended. Either way, the primary focus of a good babysitter should always be your kids – socializing should take place on their own time.

Your babysitter has an Internet alter-ego

Today’s younger generation is very in touch with social media, from MySpace to Facebook. Sure your babysitter will do her best to make a good impression on you, but it never hurts to do your homework. Although profiles on social media sites are often private, it is worth taking a look at places like MySpace and Facebook to see if your potential sitter has a page. At the very least it gives you insight into their personality and interests – and in the worst cases, if the content of their profile raises a red flag, you can respectfully look at other options.

Your child begs you to stay

Getting used to a new babysitter takes time, and kids will naturally miss Mom and Dad, but if you child is regularly upset or angry over the prospect of being left at home with a babysitter – there is likely an underlying issue. Remember, as much as you may like someone, it’s even more important that your kids do too.

Obama as the first black president?

Bill Clinton. We've been calling him that for years. He's apparently been hearing it. Because he has approached his campaign against Barack Obama in the manner of a person who has no fears of being misunderstood and slapped with a race card violation . Now he is accused of just such an offense. Maybe he got too familiar and forgot to respect the painful lens through which African Americans often hear criticism. Or maybe he knew he was flirting with danger, but felt he was well enough loved to be given a pass. Or, and this is radical, maybe he was battling an opponent without regard to ethnicity , not as a Black contender around whom he must tread carefully so as not to stir up any thoughts of race. But surely Bill Clinton is savvy enough to realize that the race card is always hovering above the table, if not actually in play. Perhaps it was a calculated tip of the hand to remind voters of the pitfalls that await a Black candidate, if not to remind them that Obama is African American. Whatever his intentions, Bill Clinton has been branded as the campaign criminal who "injected Race into the race" , so everthing he says and does might now be judged with a pre-concieved bias instead of on it's merits. Maybe he really is Black.

Spring Time!

Spring training starts this week with pitcher's and catcher's reporting. Woo-hoo! That means warmer weather is around the corner (right?) and baseball will be back in full swing soon. It's been a pretty dismal winter so far, and not just because of the snow and cold. The Bulls have been disappointing and hampered by injuries to key players...same goes for the Blackhawks, though I believe the best is yet to come for that young team...area college basketball teams aren't exactly lighting it up...inconsistent at best. The Bears season ended far too early...so we're left with looking forward...to baseball.

But will baseball ever be the same again if Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee continue their very public he-said, he-said battle? At this point, it's difficult to believe either of them, and what good is this doing anyway? To prove to kids that it's not good to use steroids or human growth hormone? That cheating is wrong? That's the reason Congress is using to investigate the issue. And haven't children already learned that? I'm not sure what the benefit can be other than to ruin one's reputation forever, be it McNamee or Clemens. Enough on that...at least baseball is giving us some conversation pieces.

Politics

I've always been intensely interested in American politics and government, as far back as I can remember. Before I came to college, I based my sense of American history and, thus, of patriotism and morality on what other people told me about American history. When I came to college, however, I was no longer able to assert the same beliefs as I had previously without proving the points myself, which required an extensive examination of the words and actions of the Founders themselves. What I found in my examination absolutely blew me away; everything that I had always been told was conservative was liberal, and everything that I had always been told was liberal was, in fact, conservative.

I believe that free market capitalism, at its most fundamental, is anti-democratic and is therefore anti-American. To explain this point, I offer the following excerpt: "Democracy both recognizes the right of the individual to use his powers to the utmost, and encourages him to do so by offering a fair field and, in case of success, an abundant reward. The democratic principle requires an equal start in the race, while expecting at the same time an unequal finish...Americans who talk in this way seem wholly blind to the fact that under a legal system which holds private property sacred there may be equal rights, but there cannot possibly be any equal opportunities for exercising such rights. It would be absurd to claim that, because all the rivals toed the same mark, a man's victory or defeat depended exclusively on his own efforts. Those who have enjoyed the benefits of wealth and thorough education start with an advantage which can be overcome only by very exceptional men - men so exceptional, in fact, that the average competitor without such benefits feels himself disqualified for the contest." The above quote is an excerpt from The Promise of American Life, written in 1911 by American political scientist Herbert Croly. It completely articulates the ambiguities posed by the pairing of capitalism with democracy; as Croly suggested, the two are philosophically opposed.

Autism

Autism is one of five classified pervasive developmental disorders. Asperger's syndrome is another. Approximately 6 in 1000 people are somewhere on the autism spectrum. Children are generally diagnosed as toddlers. The most noticeable signs of Autism are late-developing use of language or a complete lack of language development, repetitive use of words or repetitive hand movements, little to no eye contact, lack of interest in peer relationships, lack of spontaneous or make-believe play, and a persistent fixation on parts of objects.

Signs of Asperger's syndrome are difficulty reciprocating during conversations, i.e., those with Asperger's see "their turn to talk" as seemingly never-ending. My cousin fails to grasp the pragmatic aspect of a conversation. She will share endless facts with me, because she sees talking as a method of communicating information only, not sharing thoughts, emotions, or feelings. She displays difficulties with topic appropriateness, and knowing when to end the conversation. Her vocal pitch and stress is frequently different from people with normal conversational capabilities. I have learned to live with the fact that she can not "tone down" her voice.

Coincidences

What are the causes for such odd and fascinating things? Some people may say there is a cause for everything, which there certainly is for most things. (Example: My friend and I both have the same exact flowers by our mailboxes in our yard- reason: a group of girl scouts volunteered to plant flowers for one dollar by mailboxes in 2005) But I am talking about a small example of my professor and I running into each other at the grocery store. It definitely has not been at similar times. I do change up my grocery stores. And it has not been connected to -anything- I can think of. She also does not live close to the store, she does not go everyday (just on the days I do apparently) and we do not go on every tuesday or something. It has been random days of the week. Thus, I find no explanation. That I would call a coincidence.
Is there some higher power with a plan? Some people reason with this ideology.
However, I take the I Heart Huckabees approach that everything is connected. How? I use my own logic. Our existence is of molecules connecting everything in the world. Of course you know that atoms and molecules make every tangible material in the universe. They are what make matter possible. I use this in the way that when something becomes connected, it stimulates these atoms and molecules, creating a reaction within us. For example: have you ever "felt" someone looking at you? Or thought of someone and they called you? Or felt comforted just by someone "being around you". I feel like once the molecules and atoms recieve such stimulus they want it more and more and thus, it creates coincidences. Or what we think are coincidences.
That is one explaination. Then you get the unexplainable things such as a man who receives a heart transplant and dies the same way as his donor. How does that happen?
Everything is connected somehow, but this I would not know how to explain. It makes you wonder though, what is out there, why are we here, what are the chances, and if something higher exists.

Congress extends farm bill; Bush will sign

Mar. 14--Congress has extended the current farm bill for another month as it continues talks to craft an acceptable bill.

Lawmakers and the White House have not been able to agree on how to pay for the five-year, $286 billion legislation passed by both chambers last year. The Bush administration has threatened to veto both versions of the bill, saying it is too expensive.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said there has been progress in negotiations with Senate and House members on a new farm bill and that he was confident it could be resolved in a few more weeks.

The negotiators are seeking an agreement on $10 billion in new funding.

"Where does the money come from" is the critical question, he said, adding that the administration has objected to its funding proposals so far.

The House and Senate pushed the expiration of current farm law, signed by Presdiendt Bush in 2002, from March 15 to April 18. The law originally expired Sept. 30 and has been repeatedly extended.

Members were hoping to have agreement on the legislation before Congress heads home for a two-week recess at the end of this week, but progress has been slow.

Bush, in a statement released Thursday, said he will sign the extension. But he also warned that Congress will need to come up with a new bill by April 18 or he will call for a one-year extension of the existing farm bill.

"While long-term extension of current law is not the desired outcome, I believe the government has a responsibility to provide America's farmers and ranchers with a timely and predictable farm program -- not multiple short-term extensions of current law," Bush said. "Without a predictable policy, agriculture producers will be unable to make sound business decisions with respect to this year's crop." Bush said he is "eager" to sign a bill that provides a safety net for farmers, includes significant farm program reforms similar to the administration's farm bill proposal, and does not include tax increases.

An amendment to allow a hard cap of $250,000 on the amount of farm payments an individual can receive passed the Senate Budget Committee on March 6. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced the amendment with Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.

"The farm bills that passed the House and Senate have loopholes that make the farm payment system worse than what we operate under now. So, despite the fact that we're in the middle of conference negotiations, I'm looking for ways to address the problems that weren't taken care of," Grassley said. "The majority of the Senate gave its support to payment limits during the farm bill, so it seems only right to keep pushing for passage." The amendment would save $641 million over five years and $1.401 billion over 10 years. The amendment also specifies that the savings be applied to nutrition.

*

Discussion on Classmate's Blog "Boystown"

I found Joshua’s blog about “Boystown” to be very interesting. In his article he mentions that a lot of heterosexual couples and people in general and starting to move into town. I found this very surprising because when I visited Boystown once I didn’t see too many straight people walking around. Although I could see why people who love to move into this area because of all the upscale restaurants, fascinating architecture, and luxury homes, I myself personally could not be a resident of this area for more reasons than one. Just as Joshua stated, Boystown is known for its proud gay community in which new heterosexual couples should not take away from. By me being a straight female, I would not be comfortable knowing that the majority of my neighbors cannot relate to my sexual preference. Although I am open-minded and I accept people from all walks of life, I would not like to be the odd-ball in a community. Also I feel that if someone like myself moves into this community, it will become more and more gentrified and the community will lose its valuable name in which it has worked so hard to achieve. I feel that there is nothing straight couples that move into the community except for when changes and complaints are brought up about the gay community. Boystown should not be a place to live if people are worried that their children will see things that parents feel are inappropriate. I hope that people can respect other peoples’ backgrounds instead of trying to tear them down.

Discussion of the Governing Magazine

After reading the online article about Governing that compares LA and IL, I was very surprised to hear a lot of information that was provided. According to Governing Magazine, Louisiana that has undergone a terrible crisis and has suffered great economic loss scores higher than the third largest city in the United States. I believe that Louisiana scores higher on the scale because Illinois leaders cannot come up with a resolution on how to manage fundamental areas. Louisiana has received plentiful amounts of money due to federal funding coming into the state as well as the state investing their money into things that are more so needed and not wanted. Illinois on the other hand is not an easy state to manage considering troubled revenue streams and outstanding bills. Illinois has struggled for years with a pension system that is underfunded. Although the governor has imposed issuing bonds to generate $26 billion towards the pension shortfall, Illinois still has other problems that hang in the balance such as funding for higher education, roads, schools, bridges, and etc.

Even though it seems like there is a lot of work to be done to get Illinois back up in the rankings with states like Louisiana, there is still some hope to clearing the political atmosphere. One example would be the legislative and Blagojevich working together to expand the state’s pre-school program and children’s health insurance. In my opinion, this is somewhat of a major success knowing that the educational system in Illinois is ranked very low compared to other states

The Rise of The Creative Class

I believe that Richard Florida’s article titled, “The Rise of the Creative Class” has received much attention because it mentions a creativity index that talks about key ways to economic growth. Florida mentions that cities need to learn to have a bigger tolerance for variation. For instance, cities need to “create meaningful new forums.” By this he means that instead of just having a city full of upper-class people who are scientists, engineers, university professors, and etc., we should also include writers, cultural figures, opinion-makers, and etc. who would bring about “thought leadership.” There are many cities in which Florida calls the “plug-and-play” community because these type of communities put together a fascsimile of life in about a week. These kinds of cities make it very easy for people to be themselves, get established early, and find opportunity much faster than other cities. These cities make up nearly half the workforce in nearly 50 small and medium regions across the country. I believe these cities are very attractive to many people because they are very tolerant of things that most cities find inappropriate or illegal. For instance, Vegas is one of very few cities who made prostitution legal. Not only do many citizens of the U.S. despise this idea, but they also allow gay marriages that make it much easier for people of any background to live their lives the way that they would like to.

I agree with Florida’s theory because much of what he is saying seems to be the reason as to why our society is the way it is. I believe an attractive city is what attracts crowds of people but I believe improving more important aspects such as transportation, health care, and education are even more important.

Chicago Metropolis 2020

After reading the article “Part IV: Land Use and Housing” from the Chicago Metropolis 2020, I realized how much the city can use improvement. This company aims to improve Chicago’s area with great city planning. The Burnham plan would have been a great idea back when Chicago was still developing and becoming a huge city but now that Chicago has become established as the third largest city in the U.S., the goal of the plan has changed. The new plan focuses on making Chicago a great city for people to live instead of the original plan that was focusing on making Chicago a great city. This includes plans that will help out with gentrification, sprawl, sub-urbanization, and etc. Although I believe Chicago is doing a decent job of making the city a nice place for all inhabitants, I also think there is much improvement that could be done to make life in Chicago even better. One concern of mine is to focus more on bringing cultures together instead of keeping them separated by housing developments. I believe if the city made housing more diverse such as building single family homes and big high-rise complexes together, then there would be a better chance of people from different backgrounds living with different cultures.

Furthermore, I believe that Chicago Metropolis should not be so focused on transit-oriented develop which is what they call the “sensible approach.” Instead I think they should be more concerned with redevelopment, low income housing, and better use of open spaces.

My five favorite places in Chicago

Club 720
www.720chicago.com

















Club 720- This is one of my favorite dance clubs on Friday nights! It is located on 720 N. Wells and it is a very diverse place. Instead of just having one dance floor, 720 has four floors so it is very hard to get tired of being in one spot. Each floor plays different genres of music which keeps the place very exciting. The basement floor plays reggae music, the first floor plays a mix of hip hop and pop, the second floor plays salsa and bachata, and the third floor plays techno music. I recommend this place to dancers from any background because you can learn a lot of different dances.

Japonais
www.japonaischicago.com
















Japonais is one of my favorite restaurants of all time! As you can see from the photo, Japonais has a beautiful setting that was designed by a man named Jeffrey Beers. Not only is this a place to eat a wonderful dinner of both contemporary and traditional items, but it is also a great place to lounge around and chat with friends. Two really excellent dishes that I recommend are Salmon Japonais and The Rock.

Millenium Park
http://www.millenniumpark.org/














I'm sure most people from Chicago are familiar with Millenium park. What I really like about Millenium park is that there is always something to do here no matter what the weather may be or what time of day it is. When its cold outside, Millenium park turns into a skating rink and people are able to rent skates for a low price and skate for a long period of time. When its night time, Millenium park looks gorgeous because everything is lit up and it catches the attention of many people passing by. Also, when it is warm outside, this place is just a great way to spend time with family and friends because there is a huge water fountain, many different sculptures, and also a lot of festivals and events that take place here.

Dave and Busters Chicago
www.daveandbusters.com













Dave and Busters is a really great spot because it is a place for young adults to play games and interact. I like this place a lot because you can eat, drink alcohol (if you are of that age), and socialize with friends and family. Being a young adult there aren't many places where I can feel much like a kid again because many places don't have video games and prizes to win. The prizes are really awesome because they are not limited to things that kids could enjoy. Examples of prizes would be shot glasses, lava lamps, Dave and Busters souvenirs, and more! I recommend this place for birthdays and social gatherings.

Plush Chicago bar and Lounge
http://www.plushinchicago.com/












Plush is a wonderful bar and lounge spot to visit. I like this place better than most bars and lounges that I've visited for many reasons. On the inside, the place is beautifully designed and has a dim light setting for an evening with your boyfriend/girlfriend or just to hang out with a group of friends. Also, this is a great spot because you have the option of dancing if you are in the mood to do so or you can just sit down order some food and watch t.v.

Jordin Sparks feat Chris Brown - No Air Lyrics

Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air

If I should die before I wake
It’s ’cause you took my breath away
Losing you is like living in a world with no air
Oh

I’m here alone, didn’t wanna leave
My heart won’t move, it’s incomplete
If there was a way that I can make you understand

But how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
‘Cause my world revolves around you
It’s so hard for me to breathe

[Chorus]
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
It’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there
It’s no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be without me
If you ain’t here, I just can’t breathe
It’s no air, no air

No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
No air, air

I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There’s no gravity to hold me down for real

But somehow I’m still alive inside
You took my breath, but I survived
I don’t know how, but I don’t even care

But how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
‘Cause my world revolves around you
It’s so hard for me to breathe

[Chorus]
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
It’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there
It’s no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be without me
If you ain’t here, I just can’t breathe
It’s no air, no air

No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
No more
It’s no air, no air

[Chorus]
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
It’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there
It’s no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be without me
If you ain’t here, I just can’t breathe
It’s no air, no air

[Chorus]
Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air
Can’t live, can’t breathe with no air
It’s how I feel whenever you ain’t there
It’s no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gon’ be without me
If you ain’t here, I just can’t breathe
It’s no air, no air

No air, air
No air, air
No air, air
No air, air

2016 Olympic Games

The Olympics is always a great attraction especially if it is held in your own city. If Chicago is chosen to be host of the 2016 summer Olympic games, the city will attract many more newcomers and it will also prove Chicago to be one of the greatest cities in the nation. I welcome the idea of bringing the 2016 summer Olympics to Chicago for many reasons. The main reason is that Chicago already has much experience with hosting historic and major world gatherings. The 1959 Pan American Games and the 1995 FIFA World Cup soccer tournaments were two big successful events that put Chicago on the map for its strong accommodations. Chicago is so large that it has over 30,000 hotel rooms in the downtown area alone and has one of the largest skilled labor workforces that are very beneficial for catering to conventions and other large events. Not only does Chicago have experience and strong accommodations, but the city also has significant transportation infrastructure. This is important because the Chicago Transit Authority connects over 230 suburban destinations to the city of Chicago. CTA’s transportation allows public assess to the games for city residents and people from northeastern Illinois, north Indiana, and southern Wisconsin.

Although the idea of the Olympics being held in Chicago has more positives that outweigh the negatives, the city has negative elements to worry about just as Athen’s Greece did for the 2004 Olympic games. One big concern for Greece at the time was terrorist attacks. I believe they had a successful Olympic games because they are a small country with more control over sprawl. In comparison with Greece, I believe the terrorist concern will be a much more bigger problem for Chicago because we are the third largest city in the world and we consistently have new people visiting and even residing within the city.

UIC's campus development over the years......

UIC’s campus has gone through an interesting and quite amazing transformation since its beginning in the 19^th century. While reading about the Chronology of the University of Illinois at Chicago on UIC’s website and the south campus redevelopment, I saw how the university started out as being a place primarily focused on research and private institutions and not anything like how it is today. I did not like the idea of UIC’s original campus planning because it gave no type of excitement and college life to its students. Other factors that I disliked about the original campus is that there were no residence halls or recreational centers which would force students to remain at home and ultimately making UIC a bottom pick in colleges for those who wanted to be away from home. Although more of the negatives outweighed the positives with this campus layout, there is a benefit that comes from students staying focused on their schoolwork because there were hardly any distractions that surrounded them.

The redevelopment of UIC was a big accomplishment in more ways than one. After all of the main institutions were put into place for educational purposes, developers realized that more had to be done in order to bring diversity and college life to the campus. Once the original residence halls were established, I believe that was the starting point for UIC to become a real campus. Soon after that, developers also realized that students who lived on campus needed to stay interested and also participate in activities that would bring life to the campus. Sports teams were put together and also many new buildings that were designed to enhance students’ learning and make them feel more at home in their environment. I love that UIC is constantly expanding its campus because it is pushing away from being primarily a commuter university which subtracted from the excitement of campus life. I believe the next big step would be to add a football team so that basketball games wouldn’t have to be our primary sport!

My thought on the NIU shooting

By now, I’m sure everyone is aware of the Valentine’s Day shooting at Northern Illinois University. It saddens me to know that there is nothing the University or any of Chicago’s top security can do to prevent a situation like this. Since UIC is a very public campus and anyone can walk into our main campus (the east side) at any time of the day, people have a reason to feel unsafe traveling to class.

After reading about the NIU massacre in the Chicago Sun-Times, I was very shocked to see that the shooter was a former student himself and that he showed no signs of committing these criminal acts. Steven Kazmierczak was a 27-year-old former student and T.A. of NIU who was seen as polite and calm by many family members and friends. Nobody really knew what he was going through except his former girlfriend who calms he stopped taking his medication. In addition to Steven not taking his medicine anymore, he was able to purchase firearms both through the internet and through a gun store in Urbana Champaign. I think schools need to put in a lot more time monitoring students and the medications that they are on. Gun shops also need to be stricter in selling their weapons and not just releasing them to anyone who has a certified gun license. In today’s society, it is so easy for young people to get a hold of things that can cause harm to both themselves and others. I hope in the future, there will be more effort put into raising the security standards.

What is a great city?

I think the top 4 things that would make a great city are

1) public transportation
2) safety
3) tourism
4) affordability

Public transportation is very essential because so many people are employed within the city and it is the cities job to provide people with different ways of getting around. Vehicles, trains, buses, and bike routes are provided in Chicago but I think there can be so much more done to improve transportation services to make them quicker and more efficient for everyone.

Safety in Chicago was always very questionable? Since I am attending UIC which is in the middle of the city and apart of the West side where crime is very usual, I always have to be very precautious and watch my surroundings. I do however believe that UIC police do a great job when they are patrolling the campus especially around the residential areas.

Tourism is a great aspect of Chicago! I believe our most famous tourist spots are Navy Peer, Michigan Ave., and the Water Tower. Although I appreciate all that Chicago has to offer, I feel we are behind many other cities in this aspect. For instance, unlike Vegas Chicago doesn’t have strip of different attractions where people can do other things than shop. Vegas also has a famous rail-line that gives tourists the whole look of the strip.

Affordability is very important because without it, it seems as though Chicago is very segregated in class and there is not much diversity in most parts of the city. When gentrification occurs, the same classes of families are forced to live together because the wealthy will live where old houses were torn down and the poor will all migrate to areas where housing is somewhat affordable. Overall, I think Chicago has much improving to do on affordable housing, but they are doing a good job in a few parts of the city.

Chicago safe enough?

I always hear of stories about people being abducted and sexually harassed. Sometimes it happens so close to UIC that I often feel very unsafe which causes me to go out less often. Here are a couple of articles about people who are approached and sometimes harmed by random predators.

Man tried to abduct girl, 12, on North Side, police say

Tribune staff report

3:35 PM CST, February 11, 2008

An unidentified man tried to abduct a 12-year-old girl on Chicago's North Side Friday, Chicago police said Monday.

The girl was walking to school in the 1400 block of West Montrose Avenue at about 8:45 a.m. Friday when a man approached her and asked whether she wanted to go with him, police said. The victim ran to her school and reported the incident.

The man is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. He has very short dark brown hair and crooked and overlapping teeth. He was wearing blue jeans and a short black jacket.

South Side man charged with attempted child abduction

By Jeremy Gorner | Tribune reporter

8:39 AM CST, February 4, 2008Digg

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Chicago police have arrested a man they say tried to abduct an 11-year-old girl as she walked to school Thursday on the South Side.

The man, identified by police Monday as Mister Pearson, 28, of the 500 block of East 36th Place, has been charged with one count of attempted child abduction, Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak said.

At about 8:20 a.m. Thursday, the girl was on the 1300 block of West 82nd Street when a man driving a blue Ford sedan began following her and motioned for her to come his vehicle, police said.

When she refused, he rolled down the window and told her to approach it. The girl then ran to a school crossing guard, who notified police.

Police last week said they thought the same individual was responsible for a similar incident that occurred Jan. 28 in the Bronzeville neighborhood, but Kubiak said Monday that investigators do not believe that Pearson is connected to that second attempted child abduction.

In the Jan. 28 case, a man driving a blue, four-door Ford or Mercury sedan called to a 13-year-old girl walking on the 3700 block of South Ellis Avenue.

After the teen ignored the man, he drove away, police said Tuesday. But he returned, got out of the car and grabbed her, police said.

The teen screamed, and the man displayed a knife before fleeing the scene.

That man is described as 22 or 23 years old, 5-feet-10 to 6 feet tall, African-American and about 200 pounds, police said. He also has a scar over his right eye that extends beyond the bridge of his nose.

Jordan Sparks Tattoo

Jordan Sparks Tattoo

Oooh... Oooh... Ohhh..No matter what you say about love,I keep coming back for more,My head in the fire,sooner or later I get what i'm asking forNo matter what you say about life,I learn every time I bleed.The truth is a strangerMy soul is in danger,I gotta let my spirit be free to,Admit that I was wrong and then change my mind.Sorry but I have to move on and leave you behind.I can't waste time so give me the momentI realize nothing's brokenNo need to worry about everything I've doneLived every second like it was my last one.Don't look back got a new directionLoved you once, needed protection.You're still a part of everything I do, you're on my heart just like a tattoo,Just like a tatto, I'll always have you.I'm sick of playing all of these gamesIt's not about taking ties.When I look in the mirror,Didn't deliverIt hurt enough to think that I could stopAdmit that I'm wrong and then change my mind.Sorry but I gotta be strong and leave you behindI can't waste time so give me the momentI realize nothing's brokenNo need to worry about everything I've doneLived every second like it was my last one.Don't look back got a new directionLoved you once, needed protectionYou're still a part of everything I do, you're on my heart just like a tattoo, I'll always have you.If I live every momentWon't change any momentStill a part of me and you.I will never regret youStill the memory of youMarks everything I do.I can't waste time so give me the momentI realize nothing's brokenNo need to worry about everything I've doneLived every second like it was my last oneDon't look back got a new directionLoved you once, needed protection.You're still a part of everything I do, you're on my heart just like a tattoo.Just like a tattooI'll always have you.(Repeat chorus)

Election 2008

The election is very interesting to me because both candidates for the Democratic Party are new faces in the history books. This is why there is so much unnecessary controversy that has flooded the media about Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton. With these two candidates, people are confused about who they should vote for because of many different issues. Obama seems to pull in a lot of votes because he attracts the younger people with his meaningful speeches and he also attracts minorities because he is a black male. With Clinton, she seems to pull in a lot of older voters because of her experience and that the former president Bill Clinton is her husband. She also seems to pull in a lot of women voters because she promises to take care of issues that mostly concern women. In my opinion, no candidate is really that much better than the other. I must say this is the hardest election for me because I am a mixed female who is caught in between who I should vote for. In a way, I feel I owed my vote to Obama because he represents the struggle that blacks have dealt with for hundreds of years with slavery and the fact that they are very underrepresented when it comes to political issues and their say so on things. I also feel I owe a vote to Clinton because women have always been given the lower hand when they tried to take on a position that is usually geared for men. No matter what though, I am glad to see the change that has been brought about in 2008 and may the best candidate win!

Hagedorn's website

John Hagedorn is very dedicated to doing research on gang economics. He is an associate professor of criminal justice and studies violence in Chicago communities. While Hagedorn studied gang relations throughout many Chicago land areas, he quickly discovered that gangs are a way for young people to organize their selves on the street just as regular people decided to join fraternities and sororities to feel like they belong to a family who cares. His website: http://gangresearch.net is very interesting in that it talks about gangs in Chicago and how the black metropolis is constantly expanding over the near west and south sides.

As I look at his map labeled Chicago’s Black Ghetto 1910-2000. I see the large change that the state of Illinois has undertaken including the majority of white populations decreasing almost everywhere except for the northside. In poor economies, gangs are a huge economic force and there is no sign of them disappearing anytime soon. So what is society to do about this gangs and violence? In my opinion, I think there is a lot of work to be done by our federal government and our politicians. Instead of them just trying to find ways to arrest and punish all of these gang members, I think there should be more public funding for programs that will work with these members to help them get off the streets and encourage them to make better life choices. As Hagedorn suggested, I believe gang members should write their own stories so that we can not only get more insight on the problem, but that a variety of approaches to better our economy can come from hearing their sides of the story.

Chicago poem by Carl Sandburg

CHICAGO

    HOG Butcher for the World,
    Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
    Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
    Stormy, husky, brawling,
    City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
    have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
    luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
    is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
    kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
    faces of women and children I have seen the marks
    of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
    sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
    and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
    so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
    job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
    little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
    as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
         Bareheaded,
         Shoveling,
         Wrecking,
         Planning,
         Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
    white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
    man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
    never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
    and under his ribs the heart of the people,
              Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
    Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
    Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
    Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

My transition over the years

When I first moved on campus in the year 2005, I felt so out of place in the city. Coming from the south suburbs where a diverse range of people and CTA transportation barely exist, I was hoping that I could adjust to my new environment.

Once I moved into my dorm from with my roommate, who I already knew from high school I got much more comfortable with my university. We would attend almost all of the events that were held around campus and before I knew how time consuming college really was, I was always hanging out in one of my friend’s rooms. Hanging out started to be something I had to take off my agenda because classes and course work were beginning to be very overwhelming.

As time passed and the semester got closer to ending, I realized how bad my grades were. I knew that I couldn’t let my parents down after I knew how much tuition cost and how much they counted on me to not let them down. I begin to get my act together by studying in the library for hours and getting tutoring help from different organizations. This helped me a lot to both mature and realize my goals while also helping me boost my test scores and get better homework grades.

I decided to write this blog because I realized how much I’ve changed as a person over my three years as an undergraduate student at UIC. Presently, I am very content with the way things are going with my college experience and I plan to continue on in the future in graduate school.

Burj Dubai

http://www.burjdubai.com/

Discussion of classmates' blogs

While reading my a lot of my fellow classmates’ blogs, I discovered how important transportation is and how it is badly needed in the city. The CTA is the main transportation system that I read about and there are many different issues that have yet to be resolved. Such issues as remodeling the CTA train cars, building more train stations, and enforcing better train rules are all things that I agree should be changed about the its current system. In Michelle’s blog titled “CTA Booster,” it was great to read that someone else shares the same thoughts and views about how much improvement the CTA can use. Seeing as that I am a daily CTA rider, I would like to ride in a more cleanly environment where I will not see stains and dirt marks all over the seats. Since CTA rides can be very long and I sometimes fall asleep on my ride from school to work, it would also be a great convenience for video monitors to be capable of telling people what the next stop is and the estimated time of arrival. I think it would also be very a great idea for the CTA to hire security guards to monitor the trains at major stops so that graffiti and other attempts of vandalism can be better prevented.
In Diego’s blog about CTA transportation, he mentioned how the CTA should add another station by the United Center where there is always large crowds. This is a neat idea and I believe it can be done sometime in the future with all of the passengers’ fares that the CTA receives.

Census

The census track is very useful for finding out facts about your city. When I researched my hometown Dolton Illinois, I was not surprised by most of the statistics because the numbers match what I have seen of Dolton over the years. I am however astounded that the average family size is around three because from what I’ve seen families seem to be very large around my neighborhood. Another statistic that was mentioned in class was how females usually outnumber males regardless of the city or town people live in because females tend to live longer than males.

When I searched Dolton’s housing units, I seen that the property values are really low and the average income is about 20,000 dollars. This is once again no surprise for me because referring back to my last post on Cabrini-Green, I mentioned how all of the residents migrated to the south-suburbs which includes towns such as Calumet-City, South Holland, and Dolton. With these increasing population numbers, comes large poverty amongst families. After seeing this fact, I am hoping that a lot of negative things in my town can change for the better in the next census track.

Although I like the census track and I think it is very helpful with giving the state of Illinois a fair amount of representatives, I think that it lacks a couple of components. I believe that if the census track would be much more efficient if it listed other headings that didn’t just pertain to households. For instance, I would have liked to see the number of crimes committed in my city, the number of students attending college, and etc,

Crime in Chicago

Although we know the city of Chicago has a lot of issues that have yet to be resolved, one of the main issues that concern me is the crime rate. Chicago crime had started in the 1960s and reached its peak in the 1970s. Around the year 2002, the crime rate had lessened significantly but the murder rate was still higher than the leading cities Los Angeles and New York. In the local news, I constantly hear about crime occurring in the inner city where most minorities and low-income families reside. This would include Chicago’s south and west side where a lot of homicides and gang violence are affiliated.

In my opinion, I believe that the problem with violence and gangs can never be truly resolved but it could be lessened if the criminal justice system enforced better sentences. I say that the criminal justice system can be better because a lot of major crimes are lightly punished. For instance, an example would be a time when a young girl was sexually assaulted on Chicago’s Westside while she was walking home from school. Once the criminal was caught, he was only sentenced for a couple of years and then released back into the streets to continue committing crimes and assaulting younger women. I believe a really good solution to the problem would be to give these criminals longer sentences and also provide them with helpful resources to help them change their ways. Resources include guidance counselors and former criminals who have changed their lives for the better and no longer violate others.

The Metro Chicago Immigration Factbook

The article titled The Metro Chicago Immigration Factbook was very interesting in that it talked about all of the different ethic groups residing in Chicago and how the populations of each ethnic community fluctuate from year to year. One major topic that comes to my mind when immigration is involved is over-population. I am very concerned with this topic because the more people that come into the U.S., lessens the available spaces in the work force. Although I think that everyone should have equal opportunity to work the same jobs regardless of what background they are from, I also believe that a lot of qualified people are left without jobs because resources are scare.
Immigration can also be very costly because there would have to be a huge addition of schools for the added population. An addition of schools would not only bring the government in to help with funding, but it would also call for major help in Chicago’s city planning development. I believe that problems would increase because city planners would have to decide what landscapes they must replace with new school buildings. In a way this is a good idea but it is more so an inconvenience in areas that are cluttered and have no very public spaces used for parks, recreational centers, and etc.I am hoping that in the future, developers will come up with a better plan to balance both the incoming population and also our economy’s landscape to accompany everybody’s life needs.

Relfections and Impressions of Chicago

Chicago is a wonderful city in that there is so much to see and explore. After viewing pictures of the city from websites such as Revealing Chicago and Picturing Chicago, I was reminded of why I love my city so much. Both websites provide excellent detail oriented photographs that would give tourists a first hand look at our best landscapes and features. When I compare the two websites, I get different emotions and thoughts about Chicago’s environment. Even though both sights showed the highlights of Chicago and what it has to offer, I prefer the website Revealing Chicago because the pictures are much more colorful and vibrant. With the first website, a lot of thoughts come to mind about beautiful landscapes, nightlife, and architecture. I do not get this same feeling when I look at the second website because the pictures are very dull and they only remind me of the low-income side of Chicago.

If I was able to buy a high mega-pixel camera and tour Chicago my pictures would be very different from the two websites Revealing Chicago and Picturing Chicago. Unlike these two websites, I would want to photograph people and events that are going to give a more realistic view of what currently goes on in Chicago. For instance, an example of a great picture would be a snap shot of people shopping on Michigan Ave. because it shows the busyness and diversity of the city. Not only would viewers get a sneak peak at Chicago’s diverse population, but they would also get to view the buildings and the scenery in the background of the photo.

Caprini-Green

In Chicago there are many places that deal with gentrification. One particular area that really comes to my mind is Cabrini-Green which is located on Chicago’s north side. Over the years I have personally observed the drastic transformation of the once very notorious area called Cabrini-Green into a combination of high-rise buildings and row houses which creates a mixed income residential area.

Although I agree that destroying these buildings and forcing all of it’s’ residents to move out was the best decision, I also believe that it only brought the problem else where and did not truly fix it. Once all of the residents had to move out, they had to think of other residential areas that would be suitable for them financially. One of the first areas to come to mind would be no other than my home town Dolton, Illinois and other surrounding areas nearby. I believe a lot of their residents chose this place to reside because it houses a lot of low-middle class income families. Once the majority of these people got settled into my district, a lot of problems started to occur. Problems such as property values going down, crime rates rising, and more children dropping out of school are only a short list of my districts’ downfall. Not too long ago, I was even contacted by a local neighbor who informed me that my house was broken into. Using my blog as an example of an economic problem, I am hoping that better housing solutions can be created in the near future.