Monday, December 23, 2013

Posada (Shelter) for Undocumented Immigrants

Last Friday morning, I joined around 100 hardy souls at the
USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) building in the Loop. We were going to join a Posada walking to some of the sites that are sources of pain for many undocumented immigrants. Most of the people were Hispanic,but there were Irish, Polish, and Filipinos, too. Each group took a turn praying in their own language. A stout older Irish man prayed in Gaelic. Apparently, there are around 50,000 undocumented Irish in the U.S. - mainly in New York, Boston, and Chicago.


Next we went to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal prison for men and women awaiting hearings. Many undocumented immigrants are here. (This is also the prison where two convicted bank robbers made a daring escape using bed sheets just a year ago in December 2012. When you view this building from the plaza in front, it's crazy to think that anyone could get out of it.)




 
With a very helpful Chicago police escort, we made our way across some busy Loop intersections during the morning rush hour to DePaul University's Loop campus. This stop highlighted the many restrictions on undocumented students - the Dreamers - who were brought to the U.S. when they were too little to have any say in the matter and are often denied the education that would help themselves and all of us.

Then we went to Federal Plaza to mark the fact that Congress has failed to move forward on Immigration Reform this year.










And we ended up at St. Peter's Church where we were treated to a  breakfast of tamales and hot chocolate. A nice end to a good morning.

Friday, December 13, 2013

A Nice Surprise in the Catechism

I just finished reading through all of the latest edition of the Catechism. I've been at it since the end of last June! There were many Post-Its stuck to the pages I didn't agree with, but the last section on prayer was worth all the time it took to get there. I especially liked the 6 pages on "The Battle of Prayer." It was so good that the authors of this book recognize the struggle many of us have in moving beyond ritualistic words. "We pray as we live, because we live as we pray." What a deep mystery it is to find our efforts thwarted by distraction, dryness, lack of faith, and carelessness.

Now that I am in the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, I'm learning new ways to pray with the Jesuit community. It's really exhilarating to discover so many important things to try out in my thinking. The glories of getting older - and better.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Give tips in CASH

I just came away from a powerful discussion of faith and the world of workers. One eye-opener for me was to be told that many homeless, low-income, or marginal workers are often cheated of some of their wages by their employers. These people lack the power to protest, so it happens. One way that service workers are cheated is when customers add a tip to their bill when they pay by credit/debit card, but the worker never receives the money - or they receive a "discounted" amount. We can help them by leaving tips in cash whenever possible. I'm going to start today.

Friday, September 13, 2013

The Jo in the news today!

I was so excited to read a huge editorial piece in the Trib's op-ed section today - all about a student at the small girls Catholic high school where I will begin working as a volunteer librarian in a few weeks. Josephinum Academy has only 200 students and they haven't been able to afford a degreed librarian for 7 years (is that Biblical or what?). I'm anxious to see what I can do for them, and what I know they will do for me.

I can't get a permanent link to the Trib story, so I'll just copy it here. Read on and rejoice for me!

In search of an education

1 car ride, 2 bus rides, 2 train rides and 2 brisk walks laterSeptember 13, 2013  

6:30 a.m. Jailyn Baker doesn't think of herself as a morning person, but compared with most teenagers — and probably many adults — she is. Her alarm went off 90 minutes ago. She is showered and dressed in her school uniform — gray pants, white top, navy sweatshirt. Her backpack, which looks like it is going to burst, is slung over her shoulders.Jailyn is ready to go to school. 

In Chicago, students are assigned to public schools within a few miles of their homes. For 16-year-old Jailyn, that's Harlan Community Academy High School. Jailyn doesn't attend Harlan; she and her mom, Marcia, didn't think it was the right fit.

Instead, Jailyn is a junior at Josephinum Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school 15 miles north in Wicker Park. The reason she's out the door so early is that the seven-leg trip she takes to school lasts an hour and a half.

This is not the story of a student who is a victim of Chicago Public Schools' recent mass school closings. Nor is it the story of a stellar student who attends an elite private high school because she's on her way to Harvard. Jailyn is an average student. From an average neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. She wants a chance at being better than average, and Chicago Public Schools can't do that for her.
The average student at Josephinum graduates and attends college; the average student at Harlan does not. Jailyn's 90-minute trip to school is the price she pays for a chance at a brighter future. This commute is Jailyn's lifeline out of a failing educational system.
On this particular morning, Jailyn is already waiting outside of her home. A few minutes later, Marcia walks out the door.
As they settle into the car, Marcia checks to make sure Jailyn didn't forget anything.
Phone? Yes. ID? Got it. Money? No.
Marcia opens her wallet and pulls out $10.
"Make it stretch," she tells Jailyn.
6:40 a.m. Normally, Marcia drives Jailyn to the 95th Street Red Line stop, but because of the CTA's multimillion-dollar construction project, they're headed to the shuttle bus parked on 87th and State streets.
Marcia and Jailyn first heard about Josephinum when Jailyn was in eighth grade. It was time to choose a high school, but Marcia, who is raising Jailyn alone, felt their options were limited.
"We weren't really looking at the neighborhood school," says Marcia, 50. "We looked at the charters. I really wanted her to go to a Catholic high school, but I knew I couldn't afford them."
For students in Chicago who don't want to attend the neighborhood public school, the list of possibilities shrinks quickly.
The Illinois State Board of Education pegs the number of nonpublic high schools in Chicago at around 90. Some of those are elite private schools such as Francis W. Parker in Lincoln Park, where sticker price tuition for just the freshman year is $30,780.
When the list of nonpublic schools is narrowed to those that advertise an annual tuition rate below $5,000, it contains fewer than 10 schools.
Josephinum is one of those schools.
"The Jo," as students affectionately call it, is not your typical college prep school. The average family income is $32,000, and Jailyn is among the 74 percent of the student body who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch. Tuition is priced at $4,900 to attract students who otherwise wouldn't have access to many educational opportunities. And 95 percent of the student body — including Jailyn — receives additional financial aid.
"We want to push the boundaries of educational opportunities for women," says Michael Dougherty, Josephinum's president. "We have no intention of becoming an affluent school."
Most Chicago families get stuck in that unfortunate place where Marcia first found herself — feeling like they have no choice and no control over their children's futures.
Chicago has become a place where it seems the only way to get a good education is to be smart enough to get into a magnet school, rich enough to afford a private school or lucky enough to win the charter lottery.
"If your kid is really smart or if you have a lot of money, there are great options," Marcia says. "(Otherwise) it seems like education is left by the wayside."
But what if your child isn't smart enough, or isn't lucky enough? Should this mean your only option is a failing neighborhood public school?
In a city that will spend $5.58 billion on education this school year, is that the best Chicago can do?
When they reach 87th Street, Marcia pulls up behind the bus. Jailyn says a quick goodbye and exits the car.
7:06 a.m. When the bus arrives at the Garfield "L" stop, Jailyn joins a thick crowd climbing the steps to the platform.
From Garfield, Jailyn can take either the Red or Green line.
"Whichever gets here first," she says.
Today's it's the Red Line.
Jailyn says she doesn't mind the patchwork of buses and trains that get her to school every day. It could be worse. She could be at her neighborhood school, Harlan.
According to CPS, fewer than half of the students who enter as freshmen at Harlan graduate within five years. In 2012, the school's average ACT score was 15.1, more than five points below what ACT considers college-ready. This puts Harlan students in the 15th percentile (from the bottom) of all U.S. high schoolers who take the college entrance exam.
Besides Harlan, Jailyn passes about 15 other public high schools along her way to Josephinum. She's simply passing one failing school after another.
At Paul Robeson High School in Englewood, CPS reports that in 2012 nearly 6 of 10 students who started as freshmen never made it to graduation. The average ACT score at Robeson is 13.8.
At Dyett High School in Washington Park, fewer than 45 percent of the students graduate within five years. Not four years. Five.
At Tilden Career Community Academy in New City, statistics from 2012 show that 2 of 3 students who walked in as freshmen never walked out with a diploma.
Not even the six selective-enrollment schools along Jailyn's commute — where, theoretically, Chicago's best and brightest students attend — had dropout rates lower than 25 percent.
Jailyn isn't just passing by these 15 or so failing schools on her way to Josephinum every day; she's escaping them.
7:28 a.m. When the Red Line reaches its Jackson stop, Jailyn has to transfer. She exits the train and walks down the tunnel to the Blue Line platform.
After a few minutes, a train arrives and Jailyn continues her commute.
Jailyn's mother is not an education activist. Marcia doesn't send Jailyn to Josephinum because she wants to protest CPS, or make some sort of statement against public schools. She doesn't study school performance statistics. She has never even heard of school vouchers.
The reason Marcia sends Jailyn to Josephinum is that Marcia believes in her daughter. She says something inside told her Jailyn's future would be brighter if she attended Josephinum.
When parents get that feeling — for whatever the reason — why doesn't Chicago have avenues for them to act on it?
These avenues exist in Milwaukee and Racine, Wis. They exist in Indiana, too.
In fact, Jailyn lives just 10 miles from the Indiana border — closer than she does to Josephinum. If only Jailyn lived over the state line, her educational experience would be very different.
Thanks to a law passed in 2011 and upheld by the Indiana Supreme Court in 2013, Indiana is home to one of the most liberating school voucher programs in the nation.
Here's how it works: State money for education follows an individual student to any school he or she chooses, private or public. The amount of money that goes to the school is based on the family's income and the amount of education funding the local public school district normally would receive from the state.
If Jailyn and Marcia lived in Hammond, Ind., Jailyn would be eligible for nearly $6,000 in a voucher to apply toward the cost of attending any school of her choice.
"She would get 90 percent of what the state would have spent on her education," says Robert Enlow, president and CEO at the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. "This would open the door to almost every high school except the most expensive."
7:38 a.m. As the Blue Line travels northwest, Jailyn starts mapping out her school day. Homeroom is first. A schoolwide assembly is next, followed by global studies. Then, the highlight of the day — dissecting a pig in biology class.
It doesn't make Jailyn the least bit squeamish. In fact, it's probably good preparation for when she goes to college because she wants to become an anesthesiologist.
Not if she goes to college. When.
This is just one of the differences between what Jailyn's life is like as a Josephinum student and what it might have been like had she attended Harlan.
College is on Jailyn's horizon because it's something she and her mom are working toward, and it's something that is ingrained in the culture at her school.
At Josephinum, more than 90 percent of students graduate on time, and when they graduate, college is the expectation. Josephinum graduates go to such schools as the University of Chicago or Kenyon College, which is considered one of the country's premier liberal arts schools. Others attend DePaul University or a community college.
But back at Jailyn's neighborhood school, the story is very different. In 2012, just 48.3 percent of Harlan's freshmen graduate within five years. In addition, the school is on probation and based on CPS' performance policy, Harlan has a low academic performance rating.
7:51 a.m. When the Blue Line reaches Damen Avenue, it's finally time for Jailyn to get off the "L." She exits, then walks a few blocks to the No. 72 bus stop on North Avenue.
Jailyn knows that a scholarship is part of why this long commute to the Jo is even possible. The other reason is her mom's sacrifice.
"Needless to say, her (Jailyn's) education came first," says Marcia. So Marcia traded rent money to save for tuition, and moved back into her childhood home to live with her parents. Living with her parents made it possible for Marcia to send Jailyn to private elementary school.
But Marcia's father passed away in 2001, and her mother died this winter. She's worried about how she'll be able to afford the tuition for the rest of Jailyn's high school years — and college. "It's definitely going to be a stretch to do everything on my own now," Marcia says.
She wouldn't have to worry so much if Illinois had passed the school voucher bill of 2010. Then, living in Chicago would be a lot more like living in Milwaukee or Hammond.
Three years ago, then-state Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, proposed legislation that would have created a school voucher program in Illinois. Parents whose children were assigned to the lowest-performing public schools in Chicago would have been given the opportunity to send their children to a private school.
This was a bill designed for students like Jailyn.
It passed the Illinois Senate with bipartisan support. Then it died in the House. It hasn't seen the light of day since.
Jailyn says she is happy attending Josephinum. She likes her teachers. She has friends. But if only the school voucher bill of 2010 had become law, it would have taken effect just in time for Jailyn to start high school.
Maybe she wouldn't have needed to travel 90 minutes to get to school. Maybe she could have attended a private school closer to her home. Maybe all the other Jailyns in Chicago also would have had a chance at a better future.
7:57 a.m. When the bus reaches Oakley Boulevard, it's finally time for Jailyn to stop getting on and off buses and trains. She exits and waits to cross the street.
Jailyn's trip to school took one car ride, two bus rides, two train rides and two brisk walks. A few minutes after 8 a.m. Jailyn finally is standing at the front door of Josephinum. She swings the door open, and walks into school.
Diana Sroka Rickert is a writer with the Illinois Policy Institute.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Sal-ve! Sal-ve!! Salve, Regina!!!

 
Around 6:30 pm tonight, I had dug out what leftovers we were going to finish off for dinner, then headed for the computer to check my e-mail. I found a reminder that today is a holy day of obligation, and realized we could still get to the 7:30 Mass. So I stuffed the leftovers back in the fridge, and we drove off to church. There were only a handful of the faithful there (the "remnant" acc. to the priest), but he was in a cheerful mood and invited us all up to the altar to make it more cozy.

I had been reading my way through the Catechism and had just finished one of the big sections on Mary. I was really disappointed to be reminded there that Mary is believed to be without "original sin." I want her to be just as human as the rest of us, otherwise her "yes" isn't quite as impressive for me. Nevertheless, my attitude about Marian devotion is undergoing a change. I've been rather Protestant about her for many years, but I've been doing some thinking about it lately. I even joined my parents in the Rosary with some thoughtfulness when I visited them last week. At any rate, it felt really good to belt out "Hail, Holy Queen" for the recessional tonight!

(Found this photo of a young Palestinian woman on Google. I bet Mary looked more like this than the usual paintings of fair-skinned, blue-eyed European women.)

Monday, July 29, 2013

Waste Land

Almost every week I have a date with my ironing board, which I set up in front of our tv in the basement. I put in a dvd and start in on the shirts and handkerchiefs (that's right, I don't like the no-iron version - not absorbent). This week I finally got around to watching a much-recommended documentary, Waste Land - and I had to stop ironing and sit down to watch with full attention.

Waste Land is about a famous artist, Vik Muniz, who made his way from Brazil to New York and became wealthy from his success as a sculptor and visual artist. After a time he decided to return to Brazil and work on a project with the pickers of recyclable materials that he met working in a huge garbage dump outside of Rio de Janeiro. He took some wonderful photographic portraits of some of the most memorable pickers. The story of how he collaborated with them to create very large versions of the photographs constructed entirely of stuff collected from the dump was life-changing for everyone involved - reminded me of the story of Pinocchio. The project helped the pickers to see themselves as so much more than human "garbage." A film like that always makes me feel larger.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Little Train Fan

We live just 4 blocks from a station for Metra, the commuter rail system in the area, and two of our grandkids live 4 blocks from the station two stops north of ours. The little one loves to watch the trains from the library windows just across the tracks from that station, and I've taken him there in his stroller just to watch the trains at rush hour - one every few minutes. Every so often he'll get to ride the train down to our house for a short visit, then back again - a great delight! So, when he turned two just last week, I knew just what to get for a birthday present. Where to get it was a bigger problem. No luck on Amazon or the nearby costume store. Enter the Chicago Costume Company - just across the street from the main DePaul Univ. campus along our old route to Grandma's. 


They told me they had one hat left, so we rushed over to get it. The little conductor looked very proud to wear his hat at his birthday party, and I'm told that it will be part of his Halloween costume this year. A good time was had by all!


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Another Great Recipe - 3 Ingredients and No Cooking!


I love cooking shows and find most of them on PBS since we don't have cable. Yesterday I was watching Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence and saw a really easy dessert - fresh pineapple chunks drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. I've learned how to cut up fresh pineapple, but if you need help with it, watch this clip. Supposedly, the olive oil cuts the acidity of the pineapple and the flaky salt brings out the flavor. Now to get some Maldon salt.......

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Extended Warranties - a Reluctant Fan


Last week, my 10-year-old Kenmore washer died in the middle of the 4th load on my wash day. I fished out a couple of sheets and dialed around until I got a spin cycle to try to get the water out. All was well until I got to within 2 inches of the bottom of the tub, then a horrible clanking and a bad smell told me to shut the thing off immediately. Fortunately, we found out that the extended warranty we bought from Sears a few years ago was still in effect! We have argued a lot about whether or not to get them lately. I've been reading that they are a waste of money and an easy source of upgrades for appliance stores.

Today, the repairman came out, replaced a timer, and then talked us into a new warranty on the washer AND the dryer that will last until 2015. We are either big-time suckers or brilliant.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Chicago Garbage Trucks vs. Flooded Basements

 So here is the mighty garbage truck in Chicago. Today I went for a walk in my neighborhood and saw that a few people just got around to cleaning out their basement from the flooding last week and stacked the ruined items on the curb for pickup today. Carpets, furniture, black bags (heavy with damp stuff) - it all gets eaten by the garbage truck. I got to watch as my neighbor's huge pile of mildewed debris was fed into the maw by the two regular workers, PLUS the driver, who actually got out of the truck and put on work gloves! (I've never seen the driver do anything but sit and look bored.) Within a minute, a van drove up and another guy got out, putting on gloves to help the other three. The best part was seeing a big, overstuffed sofa get mangled, then swallowed whole by the truck's compactor (see above) - truly amazing! They cleaned it all up in less than 5 minutes.

In other news, I've given up on Chrome for Blogger posts - now it's Firefox once again. At least I can add photos that way. Now to see if I can update my reading list. Good to be back!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Another Google problem!

Guess it wasn't bad enough that Google Reader is on life support. Now I can't update my reading list - forums say that other Google gadgets are also not working. Depressing news.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Google Reader Alternative Needed

Here I thought Google stuff would be around forever - silly me. Now I've got until July 1 to come up with something to take its place. Anybody have a good candidate?

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Encyclopedia of Chicago - fini!

 - -

On May 20, 2005, I bought a print copy of the Encyclopedia of Chicago, pub. 2004, for my husband and had it autographed by Ann Durkin Keating, one of the editors. Her mother is a neighborhood acquaintance of mine, so the book has more than one significance for me.

Even though my husband is a lifelong Chicagoan, I was more interested in the book than he was. I began reading one column at a time nearly every day, even the Chicago business histories at the end of the A-Z articles. After almost 8 years, I finished the last business entry, Zenith Radio Corp. It seemed fitting to read that Zenith filed for Chapter 11 in the late 90s and then went into further decline - like so many of the other Chicago businesses in the list.

I've now lived in Chicago longer than any other place. Before that, my family moved about every 4 years on average, so it feels good to know that I've been here for 40 odd years and can call it home. It's so big, though, that I don't have personal knowledge of large parts of the city or all the different kinds of people who live here. That's where the book comes in handy. Take a look at the online version. You can read about everything Chicagoan, from birthing practices to vaudeville.

I'm going to miss spending time with the book on my lap, but it was great reading!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Bridge and Euchre








My dad's parents played Bridge, my parents play Bridge, and I killed time as a commuter in college by playing with other students waiting for their car pools to assemble. Later, I realized I had married a guy who has no card sense, and joined a neighborhood club for young moms who didn't really care about the game, but wanted to get out on their own once a month. That club eventually crumbled and I was left to play bridge against a CD-ROM, which I did faithfully just on the weekends, since I had taken a job.

Now that I'm retired, I decided to test the waters of real person play again by signing up as a sub in a local club. I didn't humiliate myself in playing, but it was pretty embarrassing to realize I had lost all skills handling actual cards. I looked like a 5th grader trying to shuffle and deal. Despite that, it must have been decided that I was good enough to get another call, so I'm going to play again next week.

Enter daughter and fiance who like to play Euchre and wanted us to try it last week. As soon as I saw that it involved bidding, trump cards, and taking tricks, I started to get worried. Is it possible to keep rules and strategies for two such similar games separate in your head??? Anyone know somebody who can?

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Winter Drought

Great. My first attempt at a post after many months and I can't figure out how to insert a photo now that Blogger has been upgraded since I was last here. Well, I will publish anyway - use your imagination for a city neighborhood that is empty of greenery and snow - just cold.

I was going to show you my block this morning, January 23. It was only 10 degrees and I was out for a walk wearing a down hooded parka, and 2 pairs each of pants, socks, and gloves. Perfect for walking - no snow or ice! This is pretty unbelievable for Chicago, and all of us who have to walk or bike around town are grateful. My #2 daughter can still ride her bike to work from time to time, and there are no worries about slipping in traffic. The other day I read in the paper that no snow cover in January means that plants are suffering from the lack of cover for their roots. The ground freezes more deeply, and that affects insects and animals, too. The biggest problem, though, is that the lack of snow will result in little moisture for trees and other plants in the spring. Is this another aspect of global warming?