A Day to Remember

For some Memorial Day is simply a day off school or work, in reality it is so much more. It is a day to stop, think, pray for and remember all of the brave military personnel who gave their lives while serving in the US military.
Each and every one of us has been effected by war veterans, and America would truly not be the country it is without their service. It is important we share our memories of these heroes, particularly on a day like Memorial day.
One heartbreaking story here.

Yesterday, May 28, 2011, Chicago celebrated Memorial Day with an annual parade to be thankful that we live in a country where freedom, justice and democracy are proudly defended.
A ceremony took place early in the morning, when the names of Illinoisans who have in active duty this past year (23 in total) were read.  Odierno, commander in chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command was the Grand Marshal of this years parade and joined in commemoration of fallen soldiers, as well as their family members saying,  "Today, as we honor the memory of your family members, who sacrificed so much, we also honor and thank you.”
So this Memorial Day, before enjoying the sunshine, burgers and brats, take the time to remember those who died in service of this country, and those whose lives will never be the same without them.
-Chicago Tribune coverage of the parade.

"There's always been a little green behind the Red, White and Blue...''

As I mentioned in my previous Ireland series of posts, Obama  planned, and now has visited Ireland in his tour of Europe. When I was visiting there, months in advance to his visit, many Irish were very excited for his visit, declaring he has Irish roots. He visited May 23rd and was welcomed with open arms. During his visit, Obama traced his roots and discovered that his grandfather's grandfather originated in Moneygall, Ireland. After enjoying a pint of Guinness there, Obama made his way to Dublin to give a speech.

His speech was very positive and focused on the American Dream- which we discussed in great depth today in class. He recognized that a large perecentage of Americans have Irish ancestry, which can be credited to the inspiration the American Dream provided for Irish (as well as other) immigrants to migrate to the US.  

For a visual recording of the speech go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwyKsUg9Ms

Obama defined the American Dream in a variety of ways saying immigrants left "behind all they knew in hopes that something better lay over the horizon" they had, "...faith in America" which was seen as "a place where you could be prosperous, you could be free, to think, and talk, and worship as you pleased, a place where you could make it if you tried." I think his definition agrees with much of what we were saying in class. This dream extends beyond material wealth to social freedoms and ultimately happiness.

 

A summary article quotes Irish Taoiseach, or prime minister, Edna Kenny. "Today, the 44th president comes home," he said "He doesn't just speak the American dream. He is the American dream."

The idea of one person representing the American Dream also relates to class discussions. Is it possible for Obama to represent the American Dream even though he grew up with wealth and did not follow the "rags to riches" trend we've highlighted in class?

P.S. If you listen to the whole speech, you'll even catch a pretty interesting Freddy D. reference!

The World is Over...Why is Everyone still Here?

Yes. We made it. We are alive...
Despite the Rapture becoming a relatively large topic of discussion this past week, the world remains pretty much as we know it (despite the news Arnold Schwarzenegger has fathered multiple love-children). Though there has been considerable hype about this event, a lot of people don't really know what it is. In fact, I heard someone call it the "Rupture" today.
Most people recognize the Rapture, May 21st, 2011- as the day the "world will end" or the day all non-Christians will die, or go to hell. Yep, admittedly some heavy stuff. All of this absurd ruckus began when Harold Camping, an admittedly adorable old man, decided to alert the world of the Rapture.
I'm just confused as to why anyone believe Camping such as one man, Steve, who believed Camping's 1994 doomsday prediction as well.

In his book "Time Has an End," Camping explains many questions I had about this day.
1. How did he determine the exact date? "The year 391 B.C. is the year when the Old Testament was finished, and 2,011 + 391 - 1 = 2,401, or 7 x 7 x 7 x 7"(Camping)
2. Why would God kill so many people? Camping says God will punish America and the rest of the world for Gay Pride and same-sex marriages.
3. Who will God save? It seems that Camping believed Jesus would descend to earth and select about 2 to 3% of the population to be raptured (yes, it is a verb as well) and the other 98% or so would be left on Earth to be crushed in an earthquake on October 21st.
For more Q&A: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hottopics/detail?entry_id=89183#ixzz1NCaBmM00

All I can think of throughout any of this is that the media is desperate to grab onto this ridiculous claim. Or, that there were people out there willing to believe it.

To read more about Camping's reaction on the 22nd please go here, he seems legitimately confused: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/harold-camping-speaks-after-rapture-fails-to-begin-on-may-21/2011/05/23/AFxMIp9G_blog.html
For other believer's reactions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/22/may-21-judgment-day-may-22_n_865298.html

Donald Trump on Citizen Kane

After we finished the classic movie, "Citizen Kane" in class today, I couldn't help but compare Kane to the wealthy  and influential men of today. Personally, when I think of rich men, I think of Bill Gates, professional sports players and Donald Trump. I found 'The Donald' to be most similar to Kane. He is currently the 278th richest man in the world, has his own TV show, is funding the construction of huge buildings across the country and now may be running for president. Kane was one of the most wealthy men in the world, had his own newspaper, built an opera house along with other mammoth buildings and, at one point, it seemed that he would inevitably become president. Both had immense public influence. What we don't know, is whether Trump suffers from the same hardships that Kane did.
Curiously enough, I found a clip of Trump talking about what  Citizen Kane meant to him. You can view it below:

In this expose Trump acknowledges that he can relate to Kane. He notes that Kane, "had the wealth, but he didn't have the happiness" and that he believes (most likely from personal experience) that "wealth does isolate you from other people. It's a protective mechanism..." He can relate to the way wealth can separate one from others. However, before getting too personal the interview ends.
He fails to hold Kane responsible for his selfishness or loneliness, instead he blames it on his wife, ending with advising Kane to, "Get yourself a different woman."
By blaming his unhappiness on anyone but himself gives one insight on Trump's self-righteousness and superiority complex (that I believe is similar to that of Kane).

***In the clip check out the framing of Trump and his facial expressions...at points eerily similar to Kane's.

Carl Smith

Tonight we had the opening performance for American Studies Day 2011.
Professor Carl Smith from Northwestern University spoke to a sizable crowd about the power of place, while focusing on Chicago.

For those of you who were unable to attend here are some highlights that I thought connected to our class discussions:
- Smith talked a lot about trains, and the placement of the tracks. For example, the railroads were arranged so freight traffic wouldn't go through the city (for aesthetic purposes)
- He also spent a lot of time on the "Chicago Plan" of 1921, I believe it was called. Apparently architects had hopes of Chicago developing into a new Athens or Paris... it seems these plans were not fulfilled.
- Chicago underwent something called the "City Beautiful Movement." This movement emphasized a common theme in Smith's lecture- that appearance/aesthetics was vital in the creation of Chicago, and in nearly all places
- One ideology, "a good place to live is a good place to work" relates to our investigation of the Western suburbs. One suburb, Winnetka does not seem to follow this ideology.  Winnetka seems to be primarily a residential community, and most residents travel away from their homes to go to work. Instead, this ideology seems to support the lifestyle that many people in Bellwood follow.
- An opposing ideology was, "a great place makes for a great people." This belief focuses more on the appearance and structure of a community, rather than on it's purpose as, like in Bellwood a logistic center.
-Lastly, Smith spoke about the 1921 Winnetka Plan. Evidently, this plan seemed to focus on zoning (like we spoke of in class today) as well as depressing the train tracks. This depression can be related to the "Big Ditch" completed in 1943.

Overall the presentation was extremely enlightening and really leaves one to wonder about the thought process that must be undergone when constructing a city or community such as Chicago or Winnetka. Where do you place everything? What's more important purpose or presence? It seems nearly everything was considered to create the Chicago we know and love today.

Prom on the Northshore

Yesterday was Prom for New Trier High School. Nearly everywhere I looked I was reminded of the ridiculous amount of money that was lavishly spent on this one night. Prom is a dance that takes place in all classes and communities however, the different aspects of prom is certainly indicate class.

1.  nearly all groups of 16, 17, and 18 year-olds arrived in limos, or at least party buses. Some of these limos were large enough to fit 50 people.

2. The prom was held at the Rosemont Center, where chandeliers line every ceiling.

3. Dinner was, let's just say, surprisingly extensive. There were chefs with huge roast turkeys, slabs of beef, ham, salad bars, fruit, cheeses, pasta, burgers and (to show how culturally diverse we are) kabobs and spanikopita.

3. The dance was elegantly decorated, and  we were trusted with real glass plates, metal silverware and clothe napkins.

4. There were large TV screens on the dance floor showing both music videos and live footage of the dance.

5. A professional photographer was distributing printed photos in folders for anyone who so desired.

6. Many girls were clad in designer dress, shoes and glitzy jewelry- correspondingly guys all had on nice tuxes, complete with cuff links and shiny shoes.
7. Probably a quarter of girls got their hair professionally styled.
8. At my after party, Arnold Palmers were served.

The indicators continued into the night, but my main point I guess is simply that there are indicators of class EVERYWHERE! Regardless of the fact that prom is a lavish occasion regardless of social class, the details of every prom can indicate what class the school falls into.

Obama, Credited for Death of Osama?

Osama Bin Laden is dead. As Obama stated, his death marks that "Justice has been done." Although the execution of one of the most-wanted terrorists in the world is an incredible achievement highlighting America's capabilities, terrorism is still a prevalent if not probable reality.

Ever since Osama was killed in a raid, the country has been on high-alert. Extra precautions are being taken everywhere, particularly in airports were soldiers are present, and specialists are sitting analyzing behaviors of all passengers. (details here).

It seems a new paranoia has set-in.
The globe seems to be holding its breathe for reprisal attacks by al Qaeda. In fact, many friends of mine seem positive of an attack on 9/11/11. Obama seems to be at particular risk. He will shortly depart for Ireland (in about 3 weeks), and extreme measures must be taken to ensure Obama's safety. The security in Ireland (as I experienced) is not as thorough as that in the US, and the possibility that an al Qaeda sympathizer travels to Ireland in order to find Obama there is relatively high.

That being said. Will Obama be credited for the death of Osama? Democrats are often criticized for being weak on defense. However, I believe that the fact that Osama was tracked down and executed under a democratic president definitely combats these aggressive and radical claims. I am hopeful that Obama will be given full credit, and hope that those critical of what "little process" he has made in his presidency are able to recognize the significance of this accomplishment...for the US and for the world.

Lastly and most importantly, I hope this news gives the people who's lives were directly affected by 9/11 a small sense of peace. My heart and prayers always go out to you.

***Also, anyone who has ever uttered the words "Barrack Osama" please, just think before you speak.