Should I sign the Illinois Redistricting Petitition? After listening to a discuss of this topic on WBEZ, I asked myself this question regarding this potential amendment to the Illinois Constitution. The truth is that this amendment is no panacea, but it may increase political transparency and reduce partisanship. Shady redistricting practices is not just aContinue reading “Should I Sign the Illinois Redistricting Petition?”
Author Archives: andrewatnu
6 Things We Learned in 2013
With 2013 coming to a close, it is time to look back on a busy year for International Chicago. February: US government data suggests that the US remains a huge CO2 emitter, especially when one looks per capita. As for Illinois, we are average in our polluting. April: Boeing Battled Back on Battery Bedevilments. TheContinue reading “6 Things We Learned in 2013”
5 Chicago Gems on the South & West Sides
You may have heard about the French Foreign Ministry’s warning to French nationals to avoid the Chicago’s South and West sides. Well, the French government has removed its travel warnings, so there is no reason now to avoid some of Chicago’s most historical and beautiful tourist attractions. Here is just my Top 5 List: 1) Garfield Park ConservatoryContinue reading “5 Chicago Gems on the South & West Sides”
The American Dream or Just DREAMing?
DREAMers, or children of undocumented immigrants, have entered the American lexicon over the last two years. Their stories are often of heartbreak – families torn about or themselves deported to countries where they may not even speak its language! But also of hope – they are often safer, healthier, and have a better education thanContinue reading “The American Dream or Just DREAMing?”
‘I want my Native Americans’?: Indigenous focused, run network premiers today in Chicago
‘I want my Native Americans’?: Indigenous focused, run network premiers today in Chicago Starting today (November 1st), PBS station WYCC will host a Native American-focused channel, FNX, on 20-2. FNX which stands for First Nations Experience is an excellent addition to the WYCC channels which already feature one of the best sources of education andContinue reading “‘I want my Native Americans’?: Indigenous focused, run network premiers today in Chicago”
India’s new boom: Grandma?
From time to time, I bring to your attention to books that hit chords with the global trends and local challenges. Deborah Moggach’s book, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” brings together a fictional tale that addresses the conundrum of aging in a globalized economy. In Bangalore, India’s Marigold Hotel plays host to about 2 dozenContinue reading “India’s new boom: Grandma?”
A Reason for Hope in Mali
With the inauguration of a democratically-elected leader, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali may finally jetison the uncertainty and violence of the last 18 months. Challenges Remain Despite this positive move, Keita has a lot of work to do. Many Malians remain internally displaced, for the underlying Tuareg separatist movement is still kicking. In addition, corruption remainsContinue reading “A Reason for Hope in Mali”
Should There Be A Travel Advisory Against Chicago?
Through your Facebook network or media articles, you may have come across the website, HowSafeisMexico.com . The website which is not openly credited to a specific author, provides a number of statistics that generally show that much of Mexico is very safe and open for business and tourism (as long as you use common senseContinue reading “Should There Be A Travel Advisory Against Chicago?”
Going Global Chicago-style
A joint project of the Brookings Institute and JPMorgan Chase analyzed what makes cities relatively global and recently produced a report. The writing describes “the 10 traits of globally fluent metro areas.” Globally fluent as far as I can tell means that the city matters. It tells other cities what to do and can onlyContinue reading “Going Global Chicago-style”
The Nation of Maybe Next Time
You don’t have to be a politico or even mildly observant to know that June has been a politics-overload. The Supreme Court provided grist for the mill on everything from the role of race in college admissions to effectively ending the pre-clearance process for voting changes. They also gave the right to states to decideContinue reading “The Nation of Maybe Next Time”
Andrew Levin 