Entries in Chicago (75)
Spending Day @ UIC's electronic visualization lab #chicago #futureof
Dudes, they made the original Death Star graphics, and they have a 100 megapixel display. Go University of Illinois at Chicago!
See and download the full gallery on posterous
This chicago subway car shares my facebook profile number!
I don't know what that means, but I'm going to assume it's a good thing
Bryant Park. A Nice Place To Chill After Having $3500 Of Your Stuff Stolen
Just chillin.
For those out of the loop, last night I did a standup show for the cellege democrats of new york state. It was at a midtown nyc club called rush. While performing my mc duties, some asshole stole my bag. Inside: new macbook pro, house and work keys, wallet with all the important stuff a wallet usually has, klean kanteen, probably my digital cam.
It occurred sometime between 950pm and 1018pm. The club has been swept, college dems asked, police report filed. The bad news (besides the obvious) is my lack of rental insurance to cover the loss. I couldn't go home last night (keys) cause wife was out of town
The good news: I crashed with my friend justin krebs who was a real trooper, waiting with me for hours until the police showed and searching the club himself several times. After filing the police report other friends joined, and we had a pretty good time at the club (what else could I do?).
As for losses, my laptop was backed up by time machine a week ago. I still had my cell phone and changed my gmail password immediately. I have an older less reliable (but also less stolen) macbook at home.
Called my bank and froze/ordered new cards. Still have my passport so ID, necessary for my flight to chicago this week, is in order.
What I could have done: left my bag w friends or coat check (which I did not know existed), had a password or encryption on my mac to prevent file access, had some kind of lojack or remote detonator service on the laptop, had renter's insurance. I'm not in a position to pay to replace all that very important stuff right now.
So its bad but could be worse.
My Evening In The Biljmer, Amsterdam's Hood
This evening, one of the Amsterdam members of our Pioneers group a brother -- who goes by "Philly" and could easily pass for Dominican in my NYC neighborhood -- invited me to "Get Known" a stand-up comedy open mic in Biljmerdreef in the Southeast section of Amsterdam. It's one of the creative outlets produced by his "Get Entertained" company which seeks to offer artistic outlets for the largely black, Surinam-descended inhabitants of this often-neglected part of the city.
I jumped at the opportunity and found what you can find in hoods everywhere across the world, whether a favela in Rio or Chicago's South Side. On the drive over, Philly described the shoot-first attitude of the cops toward these communities, the hustle engaged in by so many young people with no job prospects, the avoidance of conversation about Holland's slavery-based economy. I saw with my own eyes the same prison-esque project towers that dot so many urban landscapes across the globe.
But Phil also showed me what Get Entertained (http://www.getentertained.nl/) is doing, and it's inspiring to see. I'll post video later, but for now, trust me when I say they have an impressive, grassroots-directed program. You can tune in to their top-rated radio program via http://www.getmixed.fm and watch black DJs spitting Dutch and mixing live on the air.
Also, I got to do stand-up comedy, and it went really, really well. There really is a universal black (and actually human) experience that can transcend cultures and languages. Here are some pictures from my trek to The Biljmer.
On Politicians, Social Media And Obama (with diagrams!)
So my social media homeysita Teresa Valdez Klein blogged over at Web Community Forum the following
In their new book, Groundswell, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff outline five major objectives in online community building: listening, talking, energizing, supporting, embracingGood point, but I'd like to extend it. I haven't read Li's book yet (though I have it thanks to you, Teresa), but I have been working on a response to BL Ochman who thinks Obama's not using the Internet well at all in terms of empowering people. I'm not lumping Teresa and BL into the same boat, but I'll respond to both with a part of my view on political campaigns and social media. Let's start with Talking 2.0If I had to wager, I’d say that the candidates’ efforts on Linkedin fall neatly into the second category. It’s unlikely that the candidates are actually paying attention to the thousands of responses pouring in, but that’s a smaller part of the political equation. The important thing from where the campaigns stand is that these outreach strategies make people feel heard. But, as we online community geeks all know, there’s a big difference between making people feel heard and actually hearing them.
if Obama's campaign is successful, it will be because we are successful, and if that happens, I envision a country in which people are more engaged in their government and society and thus check the power of those who already have unfettered access. I know the power of this inspiration because it has touched me and made me committed to seeing it happen in my small sphere of influence. If his revolutionary open government and technology plan and government ethics plan (for the love of god, read it!) comes to pass, we will have more visibility and input into the (corrupt) workings of our government than ever before, and it will be up to us to act on that new information. (BTW, compare that to this assessment of Hillary's tech/communications plan. It pales). With the searchable government spending database he spearheaded (use it!), we may find that the obscenity of our budgetary priorities is so readily available, we have no choice but to protest it. Obama's platform is not just about his positions. It's about the tools and infrastructure he's offering directly to the citizens of this country. Forget for a moment who speaks in a most commanding fashion about the particulars of health care legislation. Forget about beautiful language or alleged experience. Look at what President Obama offers all of us: empowerment. Empowerment like we've never seen. Power we forgot we had. Power that a community organizer trained on the streets of Chicago would recognize in a heartbeat. We may not get an opportunity like this for several decades! Look, I am under no illusions about the forces that wield the true power in this country, but what has been restored by Obama's campaign is my faith (and go ahead, say it, "hope") and knowledge that true power is still held by the people, and that we the people can use more of that power under President Obama than under any other. By far.These Obama proposals offer unprecedented access to the workings of government for the common citizen. Searchable databases of federal department documents and activities and data, comment periods on non-emergency legislation, streaming video of important meetings. It's hard for citizens to act intelligently without information, and I'm impressed that Obama sees the value in opening the doors. That's the exciting thing for me. Not so much knowing that a candidate actually reads my posts on twitter, but knowing that I can collaborate with my fellow citizens in keeping an eye on government and in building solutions to some of the pressing problems we face. As always, Fired Up!
Dear Bill and Hillary, Please Stop Yer Bitchin
cross-posted to jack & jill politics I'm neither happy about nor proud of my newly-distasteful opinion of former President Bill Clinton. I've written previously about this sad transition, so I won't repeat all that. What I will say is that, like Hillary, Bill had other choices available to him during this campaign, and he has chosen the low road all too often. He's also getting caught more easily in 2008 than ever was possible 10 years ago. Let's look at these two different Bill Clintons revealed within four days of each other. March 26th, Bill Clinton says:
“If a politician doesn’t wanna get beat up, he shouldn’t run for office,” he said. “If a politician doesn’t wanna get beat up, he shouldn’t run for office. If a football player doesn’t want to get tackled or want the risk of an a occasional clip he shouldn’t put the pads on.”Tell that to your wife, dude! She's done nothing but whine and complain throughout this entire season since her dominating lead started to slip. She talks about how hard it is and tears up. She complains about the boys club, about how guys are piling on. She moans about how this state and that state don't count, about how caucuses are unfair. She rips the media at every opportunity, complaining of sexism and unfair coverage. She had the nerve to argue that getting to speak first in a debate is somehow a problem! Just stop yer bitchin! Saddle up, and fight, but stop bitchin about every little thing all the damn time. As an Obama supporter, I've done my fair share of complaining (especially about racial issues), but my candidate has not. He doesn't threaten press people and dismiss contests he's lost and rally black people the way she relies on women to rescue her. He just keeps on campaigning. This past weekend, another Bill Clinton emerged in California:
The Bill Clinton who met privately with California's superdelegates at last weekend's state convention was a far cry from the congenial former president who afterward publicly urged fellow Democrats to "chill out" over the race between his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Barack Obama. In fact, before his speech Clinton had one of his famous meltdowns Sunday, blasting away at former presidential contender Bill Richardson for having endorsed Obama, the media and the entire nomination process. "It was one of the worst political meetings I have ever attended," one superdelegate said. According to those at the meeting, Clinton - who flew in from Chicago with bags under his eyes - was classic old Bill at first, charming and making small talk with the 15 or so delegates who gathered in a room behind the convention stage. But as the group moved together for the perfunctory photo, Rachel Binah, a former Richardson delegate who now supports Hillary Clinton, told Bill how "sorry" she was to have heard former Clinton campaign manager James Carville call Richardson a "Judas" for backing Obama. It was as if someone pulled the pin from a grenade. "Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that," a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted. The former president then went on a tirade that ran from the media's unfair treatment of Hillary to questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses that voted for Obama. It ended with him asking delegates to imagine what the reaction would be if Obama was trailing by just 1 percent and people were telling him to drop out. "It was very, very intense," said one attendee. "Not at all like the Bill of earlier campaigns." When he finally wound down, Bill was asked what message he wanted the delegates to take away from the meeting. At that point, a much calmer Clinton outlined his message of party unity. "It was kind of strange later when he took the stage and told everyone to 'chill out,' " one delegate told us. "We couldn't help but think he was also talking to himself." When delegate Binah - still stunned from her encounter with Clinton - got home to Little River (Mendocino County) later in the day - there was a phone message waiting for her from State Party Chairman Art Torres, telling her the former president wanted him to apologize to her on his behalf for what happened. Still, word of Clinton's blast shot all the way back to the New Mexico state Capitol, where Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley reiterated Tuesday that his boss had never "promised or guaranteed" Bill and Hillary his endorsement.I hate to see the Clintons self-destruct like this, but I'm glad it's happening now, before they end up in the White House again. Can you imagine, I mean really imagine what four years of these people will be like? They will accept no responsibility for any wrongdoing, for any mistakes. It's always, always someone else's fault. Ready on Day One, to pass the buck. Obama will bring scandal and disappointment to be sure, but it will be different scandal and new disappointments. I prefer that over the sniveling Clintons any day.
Hillary's Foreign Policy Experience Comes Down To... A Speech?
cross posted to Jack & Jill Politics Oh this is good. This is so very good. I may be the first to catch this one. Check it. Hillary has been blasting Obama, claiming his foreign policy credentials come down to a speech he gave in 2002 in opposition to the Iraq war. In the process, she has elevated and allied herself with John McCain, an extraordinary move for someone who wants to be the Democratic nominee. So what is Hillary Clinton's foreign policy experience? The Chicago Tribune has written a story focusing on her primary claims of influence. 1. That she helped bring peace to Northern Ireland by involving women's groups. Verdict: nah.
But her involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process was primarily to encourage activism among women's groups there, a contribution that the lead U.S. negotiator described as "helpful" but that an Irish historian who has written extensively about the conflict dismissed as "ancillary" to the peace process.2. That she advocated for use of US military force in Rwanda Verdict: nope.
Whatever her private conversations with the president may have been, key foreign policy officials say that a U.S. military intervention in Rwanda was never considered in the Clinton administration's policy deliberations. Despite lengthy memoirs by both Clintons and former Secretary of State and UN Ambassador Madeleine Albright, any advice she gave on Rwanda had not been mentioned until her presidential campaign.3. That she negotiated with Macedonia to open up its border to refugees from Kosovo. Verdict: uh uh.
The Macedonian government opened its border to refugees the day before Clinton arrived to meet with government leaders. And her mission to Bosnia was a one-day visit in which she was accompanied by performers Sheryl Crow and Sinbad, as well as her daughter, Chelsea, according to the commanding general who hosted her.4. That she delivered a speech at the United Nations' women's conference in Beijing with a strong demand for women's rights. Verdict: yes
"In the years since, I have met many women from many places who tell me they were at Beijing, or had friends who were, or who were inspired by the conference to launch initiatives," [Former Secretary of State] Albright wrote in her 2003 memoir. The speech might never have happened if the first lady had not pressed for it, said one former Clinton administration official sympathetic to her candidacy who traveled with her and Albright to Beijing. The administration was conflicted about whether Hillary Clinton should go to Beijing at all because of the regime's record on human rights. "Yet she was determined to go and was convinced that her going would send a very strong signal of support for human rights," said the official, who spoke on the condition that he not be named. "Everyone at the end of the process almost certainly would have said, 'How could we be so foolish to question the wisdom of the trip?'" Still, [Former Assistant Secretary of State Susan] Rice questioned whether that trip amounted to the kind of preparation for a global crisis that Clinton has claimed. "How does going to Beijing and giving a speech show crisis management? There was no crisis. And there was nothing to manage," Rice said.So let's just review. Hillary has claimed she is vastly more prepared to lead America in a foreign crisis than Barack Obama, whose only legitimate claim is a speech. When asked, she cites four incidents. Three of these are unsubstantiated, which is my fancy, college-educated way of saying "bullshit." The one remaining claim that may be valid is actually a speech? A speech that inspired people? You've got to be kidding me. So when Barack Obama speaks, it's words without substance, but when Hillary Clinton speaks, it's highly relevant foreign policy experience so valuable that it prepares her to manage an international crisis. She needs to be consistent. Either words matter or they don't. I think they do. I think words matter when they are used to exaggerate the role you played in your husband's administration. I think words matter when they are used to fan the flames of racial and religious bigotry. I think words matter when they are used to undermine the likely nominee of what you claim is your political party. Hillary Clinton is a fraud. Her campaign is increasingly based on false logic and false information. She is becoming so absurd, that it's absurd to even point out the absurdity. Hillary was rated as one of the top women lawyers in the U.S. some years ago. Any lawyer will tell you words matter. She knows better. We really need to put an end to this.
Barack Obama, Chicago, Hillary Clinton in Election 2008 