I walked in and sat down with a plate of cookies at a recent screening of the documentary, “The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers,” produced by the Invisible Children activist group. This movie was about Uganda and opened my eyes to the implications of community.

As the movie opened with the words, “Invisible because … no records are kept of their numbers or age” and “Invisible because … their own armies deny they exist,” I quickly finished off the cookies because I knew I couldn’t get emotional with food in my mouth. As expected, the film made me want to cry out in anguish and sorrow. Was it really that good of a movie? The film prompted me, a financially struggling college student, to buy a t-shirt that I vowed to wear the crap out of as well as donate what cash I had on me.

The film revealed a single man rising to power in Uganda and leading a rebel army — the Lord’s Rebel Army (LRA) — which consists of abducted children from five countries surrounding Uganda. The LRA is made up of children as young as 5 years old. They are “abducted” (for lack of a more brutal word) from their homes and families and then indoctrinated into committing murder or, in other cases, used as sex toys. The leader of the LRA, Kony, who is now in his late 40s, surrounds himself with his wives and children, becoming virtually untouchable to outside forces.

To date, an estimated 2,000-plus residents and child soldiers have died in the conflict. To some people, statistics are simply numbers that do not register. Rather than slap in some numbers here, the important thing to realize about the statistics in this film is that the death rate is cringingly high, and the number of abductees is painfully high. It is basically genocide.

“Generations of Ugandan children have not known peace,” a mentor for Ugandan students said to the stunned crowd after the film. “If Bill Gates was killed as a child, where would you all be right now? Without the Wright brothers, many of us would not be here today either.”

The night’s atmosphere changed, however, when I went to talk to Jimmy, an LRA escapee-turned-college-bound Ugandan. The night suddenly changed from a sense of deep urgency and sadness, to extreme urgency and slight humor. As I approached, Jimmy was already in conversation with a blonde girl wearing sweats and a sweatshirt. Her head was cocked and she kept repeating, “uh-huh, uh-huh.”

Jimmy’s voice was low and gentle. I walked up to them and heard the girl say, “But, like, I don’t get it. I know he has a lot of people around him but like, at this point, can’t you just like shoot through them all to get to him?”

I looked at Jimmy, scared to see his reaction to this blatant comment. Jimmy was gracious, however, and explained generously in his soft, accented voice, “No one can kill Joseph Kony because they would have to kill children. And the children close to him do not turn against him because he is their father. Kony has become even more powerful ever since the president of Sudan has joined in supporting him.”

The girl nodded and gave some more “um hmms” and then said, “So is there, like, dancing areas in Uganda because I’m majoring in dance, and I would like really like to go there.”

Did she just say she wanted to vacation in the terrorized country of Uganda? The comment caught Jimmy and me off guard, but instead of getting angry, he laughed and said patiently that there are people and places in Uganda that are beautiful.

To differentiate myself from the slapdash comments from this girl, I asked Jimmy if he was going to continue touring with the Invisible Children roadies group after he enters college. He said he will hopefully continue raising awareness during his college years.

The girl interjected with, “College? Here at Columbia College Chicago?!”

“No…” Jimmy said smiling, “In my own country, Uganda.”

The conversation ended with Jimmy handing us fliers so we can “learn more about what the Invisible Children movement does,” because after that conversation, we obviously needed to educate ourselves. I realized how important it was to donate what I could so that I would not be just another American who watches inhumane atrocities on screen and then returns home to forget.

Later on, Jimmy said that America is the country that will save Uganda, according to Stacy Scott, who also talked to him after the screening. She is part of the Invisible Children Club at Columbia College Chicago, which hosted the event that brought the roadies of the Invisible Children. Jimmy pointed out that Europe and Asia are close to Uganda, yet the United States is the country actually donating money and calling for the salvation of the child soldiers and the demise of Joseph Kony.

At least Jimmy recognizes that not all Americans are dim-witted. To help the child soldiers and other victims in Uganda, you can donate or purchase merchandise from www.invisiblechildren.com. Also, for $35 a month you can pay for a Ugandan student’s education. This last suggestion perplexed me. Could I really shape a whole new population that shares the same values, rules and beliefs? The answer is yes. With $35 a month, one American can raise a community that values education, believes in helping others and teaches peace and not gunfire.

However, doing something for another fellow human being for the sake of being “good” does not interest many people. What I found gripping about the Invisible Children’s donation proposal was the idea that an American could help to create a civilization far away from towering skyscrapers and far away from our paper-doll society in which blatant lies dress up in suits and ties and disappointment comes wrapped in cute presents. I learned that we can help people who live far away from American soil, where  green paper rectangles are dangled above a swamp of ravenous piranhas as bait for an army of hollow, blind slaves.

We can create a community unlike the useless, lazy parasites of American neighborhoods in which jobless beer bellies, 40-year-olds still living with their parents, and bunny-slippered ladies with none or too much makeup are pitied by the many Goodwill stores they slink off to. All of these stores are conveniently located on street corners hundreds of miles nearer to town than the more appropriate discarding areas of the dumps.

With our support, Ugandans could create a new society and not model itself after capitalist America, where gifts are convertibles for speeding past slums and pocket cell phones are used for communicating hate. Instead, gifts are food, family, and friends to be thankful for everyday and not just on Thanksgiving. We could have a part in creating a country in which truth shines without having to be deciphered and disentangled from doubt. We could have a role in creating a nation where what counts, what really matters is what the residents hold dear, and it is all they have — all they really need. Let’s help make a land in which people can start surviving on ships: friendships and love relationships to carry them along. We could have a part in creating something in which time is not confining, manipulative and slippery but, instead, a guiding touch on the back. Uganda could be a place where they will feel back-breaking work, and know their place, exalted in breathing in and out the oxygen they earn. It could be a land in which the volume is always turned up on everything and people feel gratitude for life.

If we helped to alter life in Uganda in this way, with just a small monthly contribution to one Ugandan student, we would perpetuate a chain of peace-minded people on another continent. We could be the builders of a generation concerned not with getting filthy rich but imbued with gratitude.

“Her bouffant was an hourglass shape and not round, like everyone else’s,” recalled Spatz in a recent interview.

She loved styling hair so much that she got a full-time stylist position during high school. She wanted to drop out and go to work as a stylist, but her mother wouldn’t let her leave school. Instead, her mother gave her tuition to attend a beauty academy as a graduation gift after high school.

From her simple beginnings, Spatz, now 53, owns a well-known salon, Selvaggio, in the Edison Park area on the Northwest Side of Chicago, which does about 250 haircuts a week. Along with one other stylist, she earns about $10,000 a month. Spatz founded her salon in 2005.

“I can cut seven haircuts in five different techniques,” she said. “Being a well-rounded hairdresser is my favorite because I know how to do all three things well.”

She also believes that cutting and styling hair is an important contribution to other people’s happiness. “Hair is an expression of someone’s beauty, personality,” she said. “They can be a chameleon with their hair.”

Spatz, who sports an angled bob with highlights, has warm hazel eyes and a round face. Her love for her clients is contagious, and her positive feelings for her work are obvious. Of Italian descent, Spatz said she loves cooking Italian dishes and decorating her home and her salon; its walls are covered with portraits of the reggae singer Bob Marley, as well as photos of haircuts she feels most proud of.

“I think hairdressers are usually the most happy people in the world; there is a major history to hairdressing that is inspiring,” she said.

Spatz is following a tradition that started thousands of years ago. Evidence of hairdressing dates back to 30,000-25,000 BC, also known as the Ice Age, according to “Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History” by Victoria Sherrow. In her book, Sherrow said this evidence came from two statuettes, as well as scientific discoveries from pictures, artifacts and writings.

Like many hairdressers before her, Spatz was fortunate enough to be trained by some of the true masters of the industry, she said. One of these masters and the most influential to her was the top international hair designer, Irving Rusk.

Before launching her own salon, Spatz was among the select few who were able to work alongside the legendary Rusk. “He would come into Vidal Sassoon and train us,” she said. Rusk drew admirers from all over world. Spatz worked with teams to collaborate on styles and accompanied Rusk to styling conventions in Chicago.

“He was a mentor of mine,” she recalled. “I loved what he did. We worked as a true team. He produced looks that took over the whole industry. People ran to his shows before anything else.”

But her career was not always one of glamor and conventions. Spatz worked for seven years in her own basement after she married and became pregnant with her daughter and, later, her son. While she was working in her home, however, she read hairdressing journals like Estetica and kept up with changes in the industry, she said.

Her previous work places included Sam Martiranos in Northbrook and Vidal Sassoon in the Gold Coast.

A free-spirited type, Spatz moved to London in 1978 to cut hair after seeing an ad for a job there. “It was the height of pure rock. I learned how to cut inversions, mohawks, punky extreme haircuts.”

She also met the rock singer Rod Stewart there.

Spatz moved back to Chicago in 1979 and has lived here since, where she has developed a large circle of admirers, loyal clients and friends.

“I think she’s the best hairdresser in the entire world,” said Glee Mangiamele, 53, Spatz’s best friend. “I don’t care where she is in the world; I’ll go. If she moved to a hut in Jamaica, I’d go out there or fly her here.”

Mangiamele said Spatz is able to make her look her best. “She always makes me feel like I have the best hair in the world.”

Spatz has clients of all ages. Tanya Quershi, 20, a student who lives in Morton Grove, said when she got her first haircut from Spatz, she thought Spatz was cutting her hair too fast. “I got a little scared because she used a razor instead of scissors, but the end result was perfect.”

Allison Spatz, 25, who is Spatz’s daughter, said she refers her friends to her mother and they “rave about her.”

Allison Spatz said her mother cuts hair in a way that enables clients to recreate the same look at home. “She makes it easy. And if you don’t know how, she’ll show you how while you’re in her chair until you feel comfortable to do it on your own.”

She also credited her mother with being able to take a woman’s look and achieve a new style that is appropriate and still fashionable.

Spatz herself said one of her goals in cutting hair is to encourage people to try different hairstyles. “Some are so attached to the same look and hair that they don’t realize what a new look can do for them. They become so regimented,” she said.

Her daughter credited Spatz with putting clients’ interests above those of her own. “She’s honest. If she doesn’t think you’ll look good with the idea you’re thinking of because a lot of people want the most popular ‘in’ look, she will tell you. She helps you create a look of your own.”

Another client, Kristen Hope, agreed that Spatz sincerely cares about her customers. “I feel like I’m taken care of, as opposed to taken advantage of,” she said. Hope said she has been coming to Spatz for haircuts for five years.

Apparently Spatz commands a feeling of deep loyalty from some of her clients.

Spatz tells the story of Delores Hank, 89, a short, bubbly, white-haired client who drives a Mercedes-Benz and always brings cakes or flowering plants to Spatz with every appointment. “She was one of my first clients, and I still do her hair today,” Spatz said, laughing.

Cricket, a leading provider of wireless services, is looking for Chicagoans who want to make a difference in their communities. Details about the grant program are available at www.chicagocommunityvoices.com.

All Chicagoland-area residents who are in an area where Cricket service is available – young and old – are encouraged to apply with details on the positive change they wish to bring to their communities through the “Cricket Community Voices” program. An esteemed panel of renowned Chicagoans will judge the entries and select 10 winners four times a year to make their ideas come to life. The grants range up to $2,000 based on the need to activate the dream.

You must describe a community service project that you would use Cricket service to carry out. Your plan needs some clear objectives, and should tell which Chicagoland community it will serve. Be sure to be clear about what community problem you are tackling and show how the project will serve as a solution, the requested funding, and projected results. Winning grants will be announced in early 2011.

Veteran community leaders and activists will be the judges for grant funding. The panel is comprised of:

• John Pfeiffer – CEO and executive director of Inspiration Corporation
• Suzy Yehl Marta – CEO and founder of Rainbows for All Children
• Miss Lori – Founder of Miss Lori’s CAMPUS, children’s television host, recording artist, spokesperson and celebrated social media influencer.
• Marty Castro – president of Castro Synergies and chair of the Illinois Human Rights Commission
• René Parson – Area General Manager, Cricket and co-chair of Cricket’s Diversity Council

More details are available at www.chicagocommunityvoices.com, and a formal press release is below.

Written in large letters above the daunting timeline are the words: “Using fossil fuels has a cost we hadn’t understood — until now.” The rest of the museum’s temporary exhibit is devoted to explaining just what that cost is.

“For our generation, there is probably no more important scientific issue that we need to think about in our lives,” said Janet Hong, project manager for the Field Museum. “It’s not something to debate.”

The start of the dimly-lit exhibit, which runs through Nov. 28, explains the basics of climate change with an eight-minute video showing how increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, released from burning fossil fuels and other greenhouse gases, have caused Earth’s average temperature to rise. The exhibit explains that the average rise, 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, can seem small because extreme changes in world temperatures, like those in the Arctic, are not seen in an average. But the seemingly small increase has huge consequences.

Large, rotating globes with Earth’s image projected onto them show visitors how average climates have changed using colors: shifting reds and yellows represent parts of the globe that are heating up fastest. Other globes demonstrate ocean currents and storm patterns, and how those, too, have changed on a global scale.

Much of the exhibit features interactive displays where visitors can get a hands-on understanding of what Earth’s rising temperatures mean for all living things, especially humans.

One display features an eerie diorama showing how much of Manhattan would be underwater if sea levels were to rise 10 to 16 feet, which would devastate New York and destroy many island countries.

A shocking but real specimen of a bony polar bear climbing over mounds of garbage teaches visitors the consequences of melting ice caps. Scientists believe that soon polar bears will run out of room in their native habitats and be forced to invade human territory.

Other displays focus more on plant life. Huge cross sections of trees dating back to 1772 are put under magnifying glasses with the rings labeled so viewers can understand what environmental factors, such as droughts or fires, caused the trees to die after almost 300 years. A diseased coral reef, pale and misshapen, was also re-created to show visitors the effect rising temperatures have had on oceans.

It’s not all bad news, though. The exhibit focuses heavily on simple ways people can make changes in their lives to reduce their carbon footprints. One of the highlights is a series of interactive touch screens that let users choose small actions like changing light bulbs to energy-saving Compact Florescent Lamps, driving less and planting trees, and then shows them on a large screen what the impact would be if large cities made the same commitment.

Some visitors have already taken steps.

“Oh, we use mass transit, cars with good gas mileage, those energy-saving lights, insulation, minimum-flush toilets,” said Janet Fouts, 68, who traveled to the exhibit from Springfield.

Saving our only planet won’t be that simple, though. The end of the exhibit emphasizes — with graphs, models and video— that a combination of conservation, renewable resources, nuclear power, natural gas and carbon capture is the only way to make dangerous climate changes into more manageable climate shifts.

Teachers Grace and David Barger, a couple who traveled from Tennessee specifically to visit the museum, said they are a minority in their town for believing in climate change. However, David Berger plans to lend his students traveling to Chicago his membership pass so they can learn about the effects of humans’ energy consumption on the planet.

“Maybe it will make them think about their world more,” said Grace Berger, 64. “Because it’s not our world anymore, it’s y’alls.”

The Field Museum, located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., us open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. All access passes are $23-29 for adults, $19-24 for seniors, and $16-20 for children.

Last Wednesday, Oct. 13, more than 200 people crowded into the Humboldt Park Field House to be part of the Humboldt Park Smart Communities launch of its new community portal. The event, which had more than 12 tables staffed by Humboldt Parks Smart Communities organizations and selected technology vendors, showcased both some of the extraordinary work taking place in Humboldt Park and the promise of the increased collaboration between community residents, agencies and local elected officials.

To continue reading and to watch the video, click here.

Cover of Historic Photos of the Chicago World's Fair by Russell Lewis

Chicago’s 1893 Columbian World’s Fair, or the World’s Columbian Exposition, was known popularly as Chicago World’s Fair introduced Chicago and the world to the 20th century.

It was the first event of its kind to have a publicity department, and an organized promotional campaign that included two official photographers who were licensed to produce images. Photography by the public was limited and cost $2 a day.

Electric lighting was still novel on a large scale, but was featured throughout the White City and the rest of the Fair. Even State Street was draped with electric lights to promote the Columbia Exposition, as the fair was called.

My grand-parents’ parents met at the World’s Fair, as did my husband’s grand-parents’ parents. For these and many other young immigrants in Chicago in the 1890s, women found work “in service” as ladies, maids or nannies, and men were journeymen, tradesmen, chauffeurs or manual laborers. The World’s Fair was an escape from life’s drudgeries. For less than one dollar a day, you could enter the White City, stroll along the Midway and spend the day in what must have seemed like a dream of a distant future.

The photos in this book chronicle the wonder that was the Columbian Exposition, which was built on the shore of Lake Michigan, rose to shine brightly and literally, with an unprecedented display of electric lighting, and then burst into flames to disappear into the collective memories of Chicagoans and the world.

Russell Lewis’ access to the most extensive collection of photographs of the 1893 World’s Fair held by the Chicago History Museum where he is  chief historian, allowed him to go seek out images that weren’t part of the fair’s official promotion. These  images are not available online, and the images by Arnold, the official fair photographer, are available only from other libraries and archives. Only a single structure from the 1893 World’s Fair, the Museum of Science and Industry, survived into the 21st century. Typically, we see photos of the fair’s lost buildings, most of which burned down in a series of fires between 1893 and 1894.

Lewis chooses a different set of photos that put the fair into a geographic context. Through photos of the “intramural elevated railway” and the electric shuttle trains that moved attendees from the 63rd St. pier, where many arrived by the ferry from downtown, to the fair grounds, we can map the World’s Fair onto the Chicago of the 21st century. The origins of public transportation are evident in photos of the the South Side Rapid Transit, the first elevated line put in operation, built and put into operation to take people from the Loop to the fair. It was originally pulled by small steam locomotive and it was electrified in the late 1890s. The intramural was built for the fair. There are several photos that allow the viewer to see the fair in relation to Hyde Park and downtown.

The photos have been cropped, and some have been cleaned up, but the prints have not been otherwise digitally altered. The captions are informative, but not exhaustive. This makes the book accessible to someone who is new to the World’s Fair, as well as making it a quick reference for those who are interested in architecture or history. The chapter called  “Building the White City” makes Historic Photos of the Chicago World’s Fair a visual companion piece for the exhaustive information about the construction and site preparation in “Devil in the White City.”

The Chicago History Museum has a set of the official images as well as professional images by a number of prominent photographers of the day. If you have any photos of the fair taken by amateurs, the staff would love for you to click on “About the Collection” and then click on “Artifact Donation.” Scroll down to “How to donate artifacts and documents” and fill out the online donation form. Attach a copy of the photograph for the curatorial staff to review.

The book can be purchased from Amazon.com or from Turner Publishing.

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WindyCitizen’s Brad Flora is one of this years recipients and his work will revolve around real time ads. ChicagoTalks.org often promotes its stories on WindyCitizen. The real time ads are meant to provide a way for online start-ups to become sustainable. The real time ads are Flora’s original idea.

Brad Flora, WindyCitizen

Teru Kuwayama, another recipient of the Knight awards, will create “One-Eight” which “will chronicle a battalion by combining reporting from embedded journalists with user-generated content from the Marines and their families who will be online steering, challenging and augmenting the coverage with their feedback.”  This project will also study the impact of allowing soldiers to use social media on the military.

More about the awards:

WindyCitizen’s Real Time Ads
Award: $250,000
Winner: Brad Flora, WindyCitizen.com
Web URL: http://windycitizen.com
Twitter: @bradflora
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Summary: As a way to help online startups become sustainable, this project will develop an improved software interface to help sites create and sell what are known as “real-time ads.” These ads are designed to be engaging as they constantly change – showing the latest message or post from the advertiser’s Twitter account, Facebook page or blog. Challenge winner Flora helped pioneer the idea on his Chicago news site, WindyCitizen.com.
Bio: Brad Flora is a journalist and entrepreneur in Chicago. He is the founder and president of WindyCitizen.com, which gives Chicagoans a place to share, rate and discuss their favorite local stories, events and deals. His work has appeared in Slate magazine and Chicago-area newspapers. He was a 2008 Carnegie-Knight News 21 Fellow, and is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

One-Eight
Award: $202,000
Winner: Teru Kuwayama
Web URL: www.novembereleven.org; www.lightstalkers.org/teru
Twitter: @terukuwayama
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Summary: Broadening the perspectives that surround U.S . military operations in Afghanistan, this project will chronicle a battalion by combining reporting from embedded journalists with user-generated content from the Marines themselves. The troops and their families will be key audiences for the online journal steering, challenging and augmenting the coverage with their feedback. The approach will directly serve the stakeholders, and inform the wider public by bringing in on-the-ground views on military issues and the execution of U.S. foreign policy. The troops were recently authorized to use social media while deployed, and this project will also study the impact of that decision on the military.
Bio: Teru Kuwayama is a photographer who has spent most of the past decade reporting on conflict and humanitarian crisis. He has reported in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and Iraq – traveling both independently and as an embedded reporter with military forces. His photographs have appeared in publications including: Time, Newsweek, Outside and National Geographic. Kuwayama is the co-founder of Lightstalkers.org, a Web-based network of media, military, aid and development personnel serving more than 40,000 members. He is currently a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University. Kuwayama received a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany.

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This is the usual scene at Studio Be’s weekly college night show, which features Columbia College’s Drop in $cience and DePaul University’s Cosby Sweaters improvisation groups. On this evening, April 22, the performance also featured an independent adult group, the Shock T’s.

The show runs from 10:30 to midnight every Thursday during the school year. The theater is BYOB and promotes itself on its Web site as “Chicago’s best BYOB venue.” Tickets are $5, and according to fans and actors alike, the show is a blast and is always packed.

“We’re the big money-maker for Studio Be,” bragged Ryan Barton, 20, of Chicago, who is an actor for Drop in $cience. “We almost always sell out the show.”

“It’s very hard to be this popular; we can’t even go to the grocery store without someone coming up to us and asking, ‘Would you like paper or plastic?’” joked Kenny Metroff, 27, of Chicago. Metroff is the head coach of Columbia’s Drop in $cience. He has been the head coach for two years, and has recently graduated from the Second City Conservatory.

Studio Be, located at 3110 N. Sheffield Ave, hosts many comedy events throughout the weekend. It is a small theater, seating less than 100 people on folding chairs, which are set up in three sections around the stage. The stage is on the same floor as the seats, only a few feet away, giving it a very personal feeling.

“I think it really works,” said Sachiko Yoshitsugu, 21, of Chicago. Yoshitsugu is a DePaul student and frequenter of college night. “You don’t expect it, walking behind those black curtains after you come in. I was surprised at how intimate the audience is with the stage. It really adds to the whole experience.”

The show’s setup changes from week to week. This time, the Shock T’s went first. This team was comprised of three actors improvising comical songs, with one playing guitar. They started off the show with a song called “Two Guys Tryin’ to Bang One Girl,” where the two males would trade off hitting on the female actress while singing.

Next was DePaul’s Cosby Sweaters. They performed a longer skit about a dysfunctional family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

“Now what does everyone want from Taco Bell?” the male actor playing the mother said in a mock feminine voice. “MOM! Why can’t you put the bottle down and just learn to cook!” said another actor playing the disgruntled son, who was obviously older and still living at home.

Drop in $cience went last, performing a series of skits where cast members were tagged in and out of the scenes. At the beginning, one of the actors asks for a topic. The audience shouted things ranging from “Madonna” to “breast implants,” but the topic chosen tonight was “waffles.”

The actor knelt down, put his jazz hands up in the air and said, “Blueberry!” The others join in one at a time, pretending to be a pile of waffles. “Chocolate chip!” said another. “Plain!” “Artichoke!” “Vodka!” All the while, one actor ran around the group saying “syrup” over and over again. All three groups were a hit with the audience.

After the show, many of the audience members and actors lingered in the theater, talking and laughing with each other. The energy in the room was strong, and almost everyone was finishing off their remaining liquor. Most of Columbia’s team went to a house party later, inviting members of the audience to come.

“They are a pretty tight group of friends now,” Metroff said. He added that working with such a large group of personalities can at times be difficult, but is extremely rewarding.

It took more than a half hour for the managers of Studio Be to get the last remaining actors and patrons to leave the theater.

That has been the big stumbling block to paying for news and information online. Registration, paywalls, lots of clicking just to read a story just drives readers off. We are experimenting with a new tool called Kachingle, and we are asking you to check it out. We have our Kachingle badge (in the sidebar on the left.)

You join Kachingle as a reader and as a site owner, if you have your own site. Kachingle asks you to put up $5.00 per month using Paypal. That part takes about five minutes to set up. Once you’ve pledged money in Kachingle, you can click on the Kachingle badge on ChicagoTalks.org (and any other Kachingle badges on sites you read or view.)

Kachingle keeps track of your visits and each month, it takes your $5.00 and distributes it to all the sites you visited – but the best part to me is Kachingle allocates the money proportionally, based on what places you visited the most. If you Kachingle and only visit ChicagoTalks.org, we’d get the whole $5.00. If you visit five sites, each would get $1.00.

Simple, easy, fair to all the sites you visit, and it provides a low-cost way to help keep sites with content you enjoy going. Why not try it today? You can cancel your monthly payout whenever you want to.

If you are a ChicagoTalks writer or reader, how about Kachingling us? We thank you and hope the idea of Kachingle, not pay walls or set monthly fees, becomes a model for the way online publishing works.

INFOGRAPHIC: With New Mobile Rates, There Are Now 10 Million Ways to Pay for a Cell Phone.

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Auburn Gresham‘s “food desert” got a bit less empty, as international grocery retail store ALDI opened a new 18,000 square foot store on the South Side of Chicago at 7627 S. Ashland Ave. Read the newsletter to see how this is bringing jobs as well as food into the neighborhood.

Mayor Richard M. Daley accompanied Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski and a host of other civic and community leaders at the recent announcement of the Smart Communities Digital Excellence Initiative. This initiative is a collaboration of the City of Chicago, MacArthur Foundation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC/Chicago) and “Smart Communities” Chicago neighborhoods: Auburn Gresham, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Humboldt Park and Pilsen.

Get all the details in the newsletter. Keep up the great work, GADC organizers. You can contact GADC’s Ernest Sanders at 773.483.3696 or via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. The GADC offices are at 1159 West 79th Street, Chicago, IL 60620.

Andrew Bird at Fourth Presbyterian Church, by Joshua Mellin

Along a frozen Michigan Avenue, amongst towering skyscrapers, a Bird’s somber whistle fills a golden trimmed wood cathedral. This Bird, however, is not of the feathered flock.

Just a few years ago you may have heard him whistling down a Logan Square street, yet this year alone he’s played grandiose venues around the city, from the Civic Opera House to the Art Institute’s new Modern Wing and the 94th floor of the Hancock Observatory.

This time around, Chicago native Andrew Bird chose the Fourth Presbyterian Church to showcase his series of sold out “Gezelligheid”-themed shows. Dutch for “social cozy,” the four night home stand helped bring a calming end to a whirlwind 2009 tour to support his fourth studio album Noble Beast.

“What I hope to do with these shows is adapt my music completely to the atmosphere of the space and the season,” Bird said, describing how he envisioned the shows.

“I want the audience to be both lifted and comforted as we head into another cold and dark winter. I feel the space should be sacred so the audience can experience my music in a different atmosphere.”

After injuring his ankle opening night, a grizzled Bird hobbled to the stage and took a seat underneath a giant fuzzy hat. “Man-on-hat, is there a term for that?” he asked the audience. “I’m sure there is.”

Deciding against setting up a PA system to highlight the acoustics of the cathedral walls, the shows were marked with interference from radio station WNUA, broadcast directly across the street from John Hancock’s radio antenna. Intermittently the audience could swear they heard Bill Wither’s “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Amplified by only his trademark spinning double speaker horns swirling behind him and four custom made Specimen speaker sculptures, Bird invited the audience into his cozy musical inner sanctum.

Lit by only ambient light, he presented rare gems such as a live rendition of “The Barnyard Tapes,” a track he originally recorded at his second home, a farm three hours west of the city. “It’s missing the crickets and cicadas,” he said, “but they’re out of season.”

Also featured was the rarely played “Carrion Suite,” a playful take on Sesame Street classic “I in the Sky,” and a solo version of his latest single “Fitz and the Dizzyspells.”

Known for his generally awkward stage presence, Bird managed to crack a smile. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” a visibly comfortable Bird confessed before closing the night with a somber version of Bob Dylan’s “Oh, Sister.”

As the crowd scurried back out into the frozen tundra of a mid-December Michigan Avenue, their hearts were warmed by the looping melodies that “accidently fit the season.”

The reviews and ratings help you figure out which one will give you the kind of information you need to get around. How about giving one of these apps as a holiday gift? If someone uses it to get around and save time or energy, it’s a little green for the holidays, right?

Chicagoland bikers can choose from Ride the City (4 stars), Bike Your Drive (2 stars) with its attempt track your bike mileage in terms of C02 offsets, or EveryTrail (2 stars.)

The site has a larger agenda, and that is to encourage government agencies to open up public data to the public in order to make public transit more convenient. The more convenient public transit is, the more we will all use it, thus conserving energy and curbing CO2. The site is supported by a Rockefeller Foundation grant, which is deliciously ironic because it was John D. Rockefeller who transformed oil into “black gold.”

According to the site, “lack of open data is the biggest barrier to software innovation. One of City-Go-Round’s goals is to make all public transit data public. To do this, we show the benefit of providing open data (innovative apps built on top of that data) and also provide a list of agencies who haven’t yet opened their data.”

They match two public transportation databases to identify which agencies do and don’t provide open data. And if you work for a transit agency, they tell you how to make sure the data from your organization is open.

See a sample for zipcode 60605.

• “The Internet Must Not Become a Segregated Community”
• “Network Neutrality, Universal Broadband, and Racial Justice”

Are you planning on attending the meeting? Send us your impression of the meeting, or look for Chicagotalks’s Barbara Iverson at the meeting, to tell us what you think.

Image via Wikipedia

The Federal Communications Commission is holding a public hearing in Chicago on Monday, Dec. 21 on the future of the Internet, specifically on the development of the National Broadband Plan. The FCC has a site about the National Broadband Plan; it’s on Twitter, too. In a press release the FCC said:

“The Federal Communications Commission will hold a field hearing at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business focusing on how broadband technology can help small businesses spur growth and reach new markets. The public is encouraged to attend and participate. The agenda will be announced shortly.”

Post your photos of the event on Chicagotalks and call in a live report to 312.436.1820.

The hearing will focus on the Internet’s benefits and advantages, with an emphasis on how the Internet can help small businesses, like the many startups that are vital to jobs and economic recovery in Chicago. In the past, the public registered to speak in person, but the FCC is adapting to the way we communicate today. You can Tweet your questions during the session to panelists from Twitter @fcc. Use hashtag #BBwkshp to have your question asked during the workshop. You can  questions and ideas for discussion during the workshop. And you can just Share Your Ideas on how to develop the National Broadband Plan with the FCC.

This is part of a series of meetings where the public can give feedback on the FCC’s proposed National Broadband Plan. FreePress.net, a media watchdog group, advises us to get our ideas about how we need a fast, affordable and open Internet for everyone in Chicago to the FCC before it is too late.

Here are the details:

What: FCC Field Hearing on Broadband and Business
When: Monday, Dec. 21, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Gleacher Center, University of Chicago
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
Online:http://www.fcc.gov/live/

Post your photos of the event on Chicagotalks and call in a live report to 312.436.1820.

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Box’s work was displayed at the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair held in Navy Pier’s Festival Hall during the weekend of Nov. 6. His pieces were exhibited by Niemi Sculpture Gallery and Garden, located in Kenosha, Wis.

The SOFA show is a three-day exposition of design, decorative and fine arts. International galleries and dealers present a variety of artwork created by artists from around the world, including furniture, decorative sculptures and jewelry. This year, the show presented work from 68 top galleries and dealers from 10 countries. Since its start in 1994, the exposition has grown steadily. It started with 14,000 attendees and its attendance has since increased more than 100 percent.

One of the most interesting aspects of Box’s display was the “Please Touch” motto of the exhibit. While the rest of the displays in the exposition posted signs reading “Please Do Not Touch” or “Ask for Assistance,” Box’s showcase did the opposite. Viewers were not only permitted but also encouraged to spin the sculptures around and touch the fragile models of paper. The casual interaction between the artwork and the viewer made the exhibit’s atmosphere more comfortable and intimate, because the observers could get close to the pieces and really look at them without feeling uneasy near the fragile work.

Also displayed in the Niemi Sculpture Gallery and Garden exhibit was the sculptural work of Bruce Niemi, who is the owner of the gallery and has been creating sculptures for nearly 40 years. Niemi mostly works with stainless steel, bronze and stonework. He was introduced to sculptural art by his father, who was a self-taught sculptor and ornamental iron artist. Most of Niemi’s sculptures are rather large, reaching heights of up to 17 feet. However, his standing sculptures displayed at the SOFA show were closer to 10 feet and he also included some smaller wall sculptures.

Niemi’s metalwork involves large base pieces with smaller thin pieces that curve and create most of the detail and shape. The artist explained that he draws his inspiration from things he loves in life, such as nature, the ocean, dance and even wrestling. “There are a lot of moves in wrestling that are actually very sculptural and beautiful,” Niemi said. He also expressed his goals when making his art. “I try to make my work positive and uplifting,” he said.

Keith Schneider is another artist whose work was on display at the SOFA show. His pieces were part of the exhibit presented by Sherrie Gallerie, which is based in Columbus, Ohio. Schneider creates hand-built and wheel-thrown earthenware. His piece entitled “Bertrand” is a ceramic dog that appears to be made of cloth. The dog has wheels for its back legs and wooden sticks for the front. Cloth-like scraps of green, blue and red make up the body of the dog, and it has buttons for its eyes and nose. The detail and intentional imperfections of the piece give it the appearance of a real cloth doll.

The variety of artwork at SOFA was the show’s most striking feature. Christian Faur’s “Forgotten Children” series created the silhouettes of a young boy and girl using 4,900 hand-cast crayons for each image. Scott Dooley’s hand-built porcelain teapots were earth-toned with crooked and angular forms. The ornate persian carpets displayed by Orley Shabahang were spread out on the floor and piled against the wall where people sat and discussed the pieces.

Even on a sunny fall day, crowds of people still chose to spend their Sunday afternoon indoors with the collection of art. While the crowd consisted of mainly middle-aged adults, there were also young families, students and senior citizens present.

Steven Shepard, a Chicago high school student, was introduced to the SOFA show when his art teacher told him about the fair. He was impressed by the variety of work he saw and would recommend the exposition to artists and non-artists alike.

Renie Norris, who works as an interpreter, learned about the SOFA fair in an art class she was working in. “I had no idea it would be so elaborate,” she said. Norris explained that she thought the fair was “very colorful and very interesting.” She also said she plans to attend the show next year and might even try to convince her neighbors to join her. “I like everything I see.”

The SOFA Chicago fair is an annual event and just celebrated its 16th year. It is also a national exposition and will be held in New York starting April 16 and in Santa Fe, N.M. starting July 8.

Inside, the walls are decorated with eye-catching artwork that represents an individual’s identity. One painting that immediately catches the eye is of a Mayan princess with a long snake twirled around her curvaceous body created by artist Fernando Ramirez.

This is not just any art gallery, however, it is Project Onward, a program that allows adults with disabilities to showcase their creative talent and make a profit.

Founders Rob Lents and Mark Jackson gave birth to the art program in 2004 out of the need for disabled adults to have a venue to nurture their talent and show their art. Gallery 37 has a similar program, but once students graduate high school, they are left to wander. To fill this void, Project Onward was born in a studio at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Fernando Ramirez is quite popular because of his breathtaking portraits, vibrant colors and the Mexican roots celebrated in many of his pieces. “I’m Mexican and I think most of my ancestors were either Mayan or Aztec,” he said.

His pieces Snake Charmer and Mayan Snake Princess showcase brilliant colors and possibly resemble his ancestors. The snake in his paintings represents his birth year in the Chinese Zodiac, he said. He said his emotions sometimes alternate, and he becomes sad or angry and then paints what his emotions reflect. Ramirez has been with Project Onward for four years, after being a staff artist at Gallery 37.

Janet Gris is a volunteer who comes in two days a week to greet visitors. “You start to develop relationships the more you’re here,” said Gris. She bought three pieces on the first day.

Though all artists must be 18, some are well into their 30s. Other artists include George Zuniga, whose art displays the realism of wars. He has painted scenes from the Iraq and Afghani battles.

James Allen creates his art based upon his triumphs and daily struggle to survive. Allen mostly creates scenes that include trains resembling the ever present El trains that roam Chicago.

Project Onward’s web site describes Allen’s art, saying, “Apart from the romance of the machine, Allen’s trains are vehicles for escape, often weaving through forbidding imaginary cityscapes, and they hint at the difficulties he seeks to overcome through his art.”

Artists get a chance to display their masterpieces in the Garland hallway at the Cultural Center one at a time. Every four to five weeks the artists rotate so everyone gets an opportunity. Currently, artist David Blaisdell has his work on display.

As of now, most of the artists in Project Onward have only psychological disorders. Director Mark Jackson said people with mental illnesses and developmental disorders are their current niche. As the program continues to grow and they receive more funding, they hope to expand. “We have as many artists as we can handle,” Jackson said.

The artists at Project Onward have a range of disabilities from autism to bi-polar disorder.

Melody Williams started at Project Onward as an intern and for the past two years has been project manager. “If you are comfortable around people with disabilities, then you increase the diversity of people you know,” said Williams.

Williams graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has the desire to not teach art, but to “encourage people to be creative.”

She said, “Here everyone isn’t so concerned about fitting in anymore, which makes them more creative than many artists I know.”

Project Onward is located in the right wing of the Chicago Cultural Center on 33. E Randolph. The exhibit will continue through Jan. 2010. Admission is free.

With their latest release, What We All Come To Need, the Chicago-based band aims to refute that notion entirely. For starters, the album neither looms nor drones, with the exception of the Jesu-esque final track, “Final Breath.” Instead, the band has built upon on their doomy, downtempo origins and delivered a product that clearly shows the evolution of the band as a whole.

But that’s not to say Pelican has become unrecognizable. The chugging guitar riffs, aggressive repetition and more than competent drum work are still there in full force, however the band applies the formula more adventurously than previous efforts.

It’s still fast, much as their last LP, 2007′s City of Echoes was fast, but it seems more intentional this time around. The album doesn’t strive to stay in one place, with the opening track “Glimmer,” the bands builds up to a majestic sparkle, seeming more pop than metal, while “Ephemeral” builds itself upon two dangerous, mildly progressive riffs.

Possibly the most significant change in Pelican’s formula is seen in the closing track, “Final Breath,” which introduces vocals to the band’s work, provided by Allen Epley of The Life and Times. This is the first use of vocals in the band’s almost decade-long history, not including their split with These Arms Are Snakes. While some diehard fans might not appreciate the change, it serves as a pivotal moment for the birth of a new era with the band.

All that being said, while What We All Come To Need does break the mold of previous Pelican releases, the album doesn’t introduce any new concepts to a genre that thrives on simply meeting the audience’s expectations.

The brooding guitars and quiet-loud dynamics a listener would expect from any post-metal release are still in full force, and little ground is made to differentiate the act from their contemporaries. Fans of the genre will be pleased with the release, while those outside it won’t find too many new elements to encourage them to explore.

Band: Pelican

Album: What We All Come To Need

Released: Oct. 27, 2009 on Southern Lord label

NO EXIT is a contemporary chamber opera version of Jean Paul Sartre‘s politically charged play, written during the Nazi Occupation of Paris, and first performed in 1944.  Andy Vores composed the music, which would have been interesting by itself. It is directed by George Cederquist [Yale, Northwestern, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre], and features soprano Susan Nelson as “Estelle,” mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney as “Inez,” tenor Herb Lenz as “Garcin” and baritone Peter Weathers as “Valet.”

"Hell is other people"

The orchestra is conducted by Emanuele Andrizzi who remains out of view of the audience, but in control of the musicians and singers. The singers were able actors, which isn’t always true in opera. The orchestra has four instrumental voices that alternately clash, emphasize and amplify the singers’ voices. The musicians played with precision and suspense. The music stays on the interesting side of distressing, but what do you expect from an opera set in Hell? At 80 minutes, the piece was perfect. The claustrophic setting (a room in Hell,) the limited range of tones played by the orchestra, the fitful and pitiful words of the characters who sing in English, build up a tension to the point of no return. The dramatist stays true to Sartre’s original writing which always has some humor amidst the angst.

The themes of the play aren’t as shocking as they were when it made its debut, but the work holds together well in this operatic version. The price is a terrific value with the  opportunity to enjoy this much talent in one short stretch. Whether you like music, enjoy theater, appreciate operatic singing, or have never dreamed of going to an opera, this is theater with music for the rest of us. Treat yourself to this extraordinary show, it’s a good entertainment lead up to Halloween.

• General Admission is $25; $10 student/senior discount tickets available for the Friday and Sunday performances. Tickets are available online at www.chicagovanguard.org.
• Performances are:
  • 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17
  • 3 p.m. Sunday, October 18
• The opera will be performed at the Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted St. a totally wonderful venue.
• Running time is approximately 80 minutes with one intermission.

See all the details about the performance at Noexitchicago.com or here.

The  design team includes video projections by Cat Forster, sets and costumes by Izumi Inaba [University of Buffalo, Northwestern] and lighting by Samantha Szigeti [Northwestern].

The  Guerilla Opera ensemble in residence at The Boston Conservatory commissioned NO EXIT. It is the season kickoff for the Chicago Opera Vanguard, in partnership with Center on Halsted and Praxis Productions.

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