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.

Ireland: "the US is just good entertainment"...

I am always interested to hear what other countries think of the US. In Ireland, people had relatively strong opinions/feelings about the US.
Long story short, the clutch went out on our rental car and we got stuck in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere- somewhere near Ballydesmond. So we needed to call AA (no not triple A, double A). After waiting a lot longer than an Irish 5 minutes AA arrived and I ended up next to him in his truck to get to the Shannon Airport.
Once he found out I was American he starting ruffling around in his side compartment, until he pulled out a large container full of CD's. After putting in ACDC, The Dropkick Murphy's, and Kid Cudi, he found the CD he was looking for-it was recordings of talk shows criticizing Bush, Tiger Woods, Paris Hilton, and other American icons. He laughed heartily, and I must admit that I thought it was pretty good stuff. He asked me about my opinions of former President Bush (who is apparently hated by nearly all Irish, and particularly by this man) and Obama (who the Irish were generally in favor of, mostly because he was going to visit Offaly county in May).

I, in turn, asked him about his opinion of President Kennedy, who all Irish seemed to love, to the point a main square/park in the large city of Galway was named after him after he visited for less than 24 hours.
The AA man seemed to have steadfast opinions on many American presidents and celebrities. However, as he said, to the Irish "the US is just good entertainment for us here overseas, just f***ing funny stuff."

Overall, this instance and the trip in general reminded me of how brightly the global spotlight shines on America. There are many stereotypes about American politics, tourists and general ways of life.
One article further highlights what the Irish and other Europeans think of us Americans. Is there a way to improve how we are thought of by the rest of the world?

The View from the Top

I can't believe it. It's over.

At 2:16 today we turned in our junior themes....CONGRATS EVERYONE!!!!
I just had to take a post to acknowledge everyone's hard work, some sleepless nights, great teamwork and class bonding (through peer editing, interviews and late night Skype sessions). We did it, and I hope everyone's relieved, proud and finally taking some time to celebrate Passover and Easter.

(and no worries Doc Oc and Bolos, I'll write a legit post shortly!)

Ireland: Simplicity

(A continuation of my trip to Ireland...please note that this was my personal perception of the 'state of things' and is not fact or applicable to the country as a whole!)

Within a half hour of landing in Shannon, Ireland I realized that the Irish sense of time is somewhat skewed. An airport security guard warned my family and I of a "Irish 5 minutes". In reality their 5 minutes is a half and hour in reality.

Throughout the trip the "Irish 5 minutes" was applicable across the country (from Galway to Glendalough). The Irish seemed to have a much laid back attitude about life in general. My high-strung family, used to rushing around, stressed out about work, school and time was somewhat confused by the degree of relaxation that the Irish generally seemed to incorporate in their everyday life.
My sister attends the National University of Ireland in Galway. She has noted, as a very high-achieving and self-motivated student, that Irish students take school less seriously than students in America... one could definitely say they're more laid back and take time to enjoy themselves even more so than students at certain so-dubbed "party" schools in the US.
It seemed to me that the Irish follow a different lifestyle with different priorities and a different mindset.

I think that America, or at least the Northshore, could take a lesson from the Irish. We should all take a 20 minute break from our day to sit down with a cup of tea, and heck maybe even a scone!

(In major cities there were advertisements for therapy and yoga and such in many places. In fact Ireland has it's own Stress Management Institute... check it out!

Ireland: Heritage

Clonmacnoise, Ireland                                        March 29th, 2011

"May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again, May God hold
you in the hollow of his hand"

~ Traditional Irish Blessing