Category Archives: Uncategorized

New Citizenship Form is on the Way

Starting on May 3rd, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services will begin using a new Citizenship Form (N400) exclusively. If you have been thinking about applying for citizenship, now may be the time for you to take the plunge. The new form is double the length of the old one! To help you with filing contact HIAS.Continue reading “New Citizenship Form is on the Way”

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”

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”

Governor for the Day? The problem of over-simplification

Earlier today I came across a very interesting resource: an interactive model of the Illinois state budget. In case you have been living under a rock, Illinois is about as well-run as gymnasium managed by chimpanzees (and I fear that I give that state’s legislators too much credit in the comparison). The extent of Illinois’Continue reading “Governor for the Day? The problem of over-simplification”

The Mali I Knew

This post is not about the country currently torn in two by Tuareg rebels and their Al-Qaida allies whose extremism has recent spread like a disease to Algeria, but of what I saw in Mali a few years ago. The Mali then was no paradise. It suffered under the chains of poverty and its peopleContinue reading “The Mali I Knew”

Streetwise Goes Global!

Streetwise, a local magazine written and sold by Chicagoans affected by homelessness, had a great issue over the New Years. For those that don’t know Streetwise is a real asset to the community. In a job market that has far too few entry level positions, this non-profit allows those who are homeless or in fearContinue reading “Streetwise Goes Global!”

What do you know about your tank of gas? (The answers are here!)

Last week I put up this poll asking where our oil comes for here in Chicago? Thanks to the monthly data on imports, I can now report that the majority of Illinois’ petroleum comes from our neighbors to the north: Canada. Congratulations to the forty percent of you who got this one right! But those whoContinue reading “What do you know about your tank of gas? (The answers are here!)”

QE3: Money for Nothing (and the Chicks for Free)

Chicago School Teachers entered the second week on strike following disagreements over a medley of education issues. As a result average Chicagoans have been frantically searching for safe alternative daycare. And to make matters worse our beloved Bears fell short up in Green Bay. Chicago has been busy. Yet from the Beltway came a Fed decision thatContinue reading “QE3: Money for Nothing (and the Chicks for Free)”