Sure it’s fun to talk about Hillary and Barack, but where your vote really makes a difference is on the local level. Finally I’m getting a better sense of where things stand here in Chicago’s 46th ward with the help of Gapers Block:
46th Ward (Uptown, Edgewater): What the Helen? Shiller somehow secured the CFL’s vote despite her conspicuous “No Vote” on Big Box Living Wage. Granted her previous decade or so of service probably played into that, but it is a serious blow for her highest-profile opponent, one James Cappleman. Cappleman has been running an energetic campaign and there is no doubt that the Uptown/Buena Park area is seriously split in who it supports. But is there enough of a “No-Helen” movement up there? I don’t see it when I tour the neighborhoods, and talking to some of the activists up there, it will be an uphill climb. Shiller may be an independent on the Council, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a mean electoral organization — she does.
Alderman Shiller no doubt voted against the big-box living wage because she’s been working for years on a mega-development anchored by an urban double-decker Target store. I don’t think that particular development is the worst thing in the world, considering how much that particular stretch of Broadway is hurting, though it is well-positioned real estate and the all-too-common use of tax increment financing (TIF) to get the project going seems altogether unnecessary. So that’s two strikes against Shiller, though her track record and personal history as listed on her website are compelling enough.
Her opponent, James Cappleman has a compelling biography as well, and he says all the right things about open government and community-driven sustainable urban design. To top things off, his attractive and well written website clearly is doing a lot more to earn the votes of writer-designers like me.
Having only been here since August, I can’t say that I have the full picture just yet. Are there any other neighborhoodbloggersout there with insight on this race? Election day is February 27.
I’m now a registered voter in Chicago and will almost certainly be voting for most of Boss Daley’s surprisingly green Democrats tomorrow. Jan Schakowsky here in IL-9 is one of the most progressive members of the house and this district will probably re-elect her with a very comfortable margin. I’m less enthusiastic about about Gov. Blagojevich, but in our imperfect winner-take-all system I’m hesitant to vote for the best candidate - Green Rich Whitney.
Voters in Minneapolis have the opportunity to avoid that problem - at least in future municipal elections. A charter amendment that would allow Instant Runoff Voting is on the ballot. The supporters created this animated explanation:
The move would create more competitive races between Greens and Democrats in a city where Greens have already made major inroads. Emopage endorses a Yes vote. Hopefully that isn’t what takes them over the top.
And of course, I’m a little bit disappointed that I won’t be able to vote against Rick Santorum back in Pennsylvania. I trust everyone back there will be able to do the job - even if Casey isn’t exactly a progressive candidate.
Discovered after my recently posted podcast playlist, the art-talk podcast Bad At Sports is well worthy of its own post. I’ve caught three episodes so far, and each has been at least nine times as entertaining as any artist talk I’ve attended in recent years (and without uncomfortable folding chairs). Though its focus is the Chicago art scene, I’m sure Seattle and Philadelphia will find plenty to love in its brainy and witty dissection of art, art school, and the scary world of the professional artist. The most recent episode (#61) features an excellent interview with Kerry James Marshall.
While exploring after dinner last night, the paintings of Icelandic artist Anna Jóelsdóttir caught our eyes. A few of her works are on display at Zg gallery - located under the brown line tracks at Chicago St. They don’t reproduce as well on screen, but the combination of detail and sparseness was appealing to me. This is a detail from a journal in which she draws one panel daily before flipping the page. These drawings then become the basis for larger paintings. More works at the zggallery.com.
With this week’s announcement that Chicago’s own This American Life is podcasting its new episodes, I now have a nicely well-rounded weekly playlist of sonic ear and brain candy to entertain me while I work. I play wordy brain candy while doing visual/design work:
Economist - more world news from the UK. Ryan recently was raving about the print version - which caused me to add this to my rotation.
Filmspotting - based in Chicago, this podcast discusses film and often has running themes discussed over several weeks (recently: Herzog, Animation, Documentary)
And I play ear candy when I’m writing or doing work that requires a little more attention from the left side of the brain. Actually, when I’m writing I usually turn things way down or off.
In Over Your Head - I actually listen to this more for Julien Smith’s rants from Montreal, but the indie hip-hip tracks he plays are also amazing
…and a handful of random ’song of the day’ or ’song of the week’ type podcasts I’ve run across here and there, making for a nice mix of new music
I really love being able to listen to what I want, when I want and being able to skip ahead, pause, and rewind whenever I feel the need. Sometimes I miss the immediacy of live radio and the surprises that come with it, but since moving to Chicago I haven’t adjusted well to the daytime schedule offered by Chicago Public Radio - though overall I prefer their offerings over Philly’s WHYY.
This unlikely sign hangs above the busiest of the many Vietnamese restaurants surrounding the Argyle el stop. Rachel and I have quickly become fans of the vegetarian spring rolls at Tank Noodle (or Pho Xe Tang according to the receipt in front of me). A fresher, tastier roll I’ve never had. And why not wash it down with a mango bubble tea? Sadly, I haven’t found much else on their meat-heavy menu for my vegetarian tastes. Happily, two of these spring rolls make for a fairly satisfying $3.50 bite to eat. There are plenty of delicious Thai vegetarian options in the neighborhood. Does anyone know which Argyle-area spot has the best vegetarian options?
So that last post about (virtually) meeting the neighborhood bloggers needs to be amended a bit. Not only because half the neighbors mentioned added comments about having left the Wilson/Sheridan neighborhoods, but also because I didn’t end up living there either. I’ll save you the gory details two-plus months after the fact. For now, lets just appreciate the simple joys of shopping for soy milk, tofu, and pasta. More interesting photos and Chicago explorations are forthcoming.
I just stumbled upon chicagobloggers.com, which offers a very cool directory of Chicago blogs grouped by authors’ nearest El stop. I submitted this very blog today under the Wilson Red Line stop, which is near the apartment Rachel and I are moving to (in two weeks!). Eight blogs are listed there, and 34 are listed near the Sheridan stop which is just a slightly farther walk from our new place. Here are a few of my new neighbors and what they’ve been doing/writing about:
Pleased to virtually meet all of you. No disrespect to Philly, but Chicago seems to be light years ahead in building these kinds of very practical applications for using the internet to build real-world communities.
Two books starring the 1893 World’s Columbian Expo have been on my favorites list for some time – and have shaped my understanding of Chicago ahead of my move there next month. Sunday’s Sun-Times reports that both Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: Smartest Kid on Earth and Eric Larson’s The Devil in the White City are being made into feature films (via Gapers Block).
If done right, the Expo could be a perfect subject for the big screen. It was itself a sort of fleeting fantasy that was (mostly) destroyed after its six-month run. It is unlikely that any other event did as much to craft the American cityscape of the 20th Century (for better or worse, I suppose). Most fascinating to me is the monumental scale of the Expo. Quoting Chris Ware in the Sun-Times:
“Ironically, to the modern mind, the whole fair seems a wondrous and practically inconceivable ‘folly,’ something I think people today unconsciously hunger for, though they might not be willing to admit it… The scale and expenditure that went into the 1893 Exposition is really only matched today by Hollywood blockbuster movies, and is just about as transitory, but there’s still something so much more reassuring, dignified and hopeful about it being a real place to visit and encounter rather than simply a brief flickering of colored shadows on a screen.”
It would be great if Hollywood could do a good job recreating the 1893 Expo, but it would be better if cities were inspired to take more risks with fantastic architecture. In these conservative times, would any city take on something like a Statue of Liberty or a Mount Rushmore? On that note, Mayor Street has still not commented on my proposal for 8th and Market.
Pictured: vintage playing cards from the World’s Columbian Exposition
Since Tuesday’s primary election solved all of Philadelphia’s problems, Rachel and I are turning our sights to Chicago. Above is a panorama of two giant video art monoliths in Millenium Park – just across the street from Rachel’s new school for the fall (click image to enlarge).
Hello! I'm Erik Moe: an artist, writer, designer, and activist living in DC. Enclosed here please find work samples, opinion and perhaps a bit of snark. I am now proudly serving as Art Director for New Media at SEIU, where I hope my skills in some small way are helping create justice for all. Send comments, invitations and vegetarian recipies to:
