Update on Art Institute addition

I published my story on the Art Institute's new wing ten days before the Chicago Tribune reported on it. But the Trib made up for it in quality with a nice front page article. There's a good illustration of the plans here.

Some of the details I didn't get quite right in my earlier blog entry. I had said that the pedestrian bridge would lead to the museum's top floor. Actually, it goes to the roof. But because the roof is covered by a canopy, it is difficult to tell from the architect's renderings that the roof level is open to the air.

I think the pedestrian bridge is a late addition to the design, and I don't think it has been approved yet. In my opinion, the design would work with or without the bridge. The plan-view illustration in the Tribune gave me my first look at the Millennium Park side of it, and I'm not sure it puts to rest all my concerns about how it fits in with the park.

One minor clarification... In my earlier entry, I had written that the original museum building was neoclassical in style. While technically correct, Beaux Arts is a more precise description. I won't lose sleep over the distinction, but I thought I'd pass on a little trivia you can use to impress your friends.

Bartlett Hindu temple

Today I made a trek out to the western suburb of Bartlett, IL, to take a look at a Hindu temple being built there. This temple is the Chicago Regional Mandir of Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Santha, a Vedic branch of Hinduism based in the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajastan, north of Mumbai.



The temple is large and ornate and expensive. And it looks very non-Western. And so it has attracted some attention out in Bartlett, where architecture tends more toward the Super-Target big box and the McMansion.

The two enclosed structures on the site are made of marble and teak, which were carved in India and brought here to be assembled. The stone is structural and not merely a facade; there is no steel frame underneath. I took note of the environmental controls, since that's the business I'm in, and I was pleased to see that they're using our products. Modernity meets antiquity.

The design of the temple serves to embody an objective stated in a brochure I was given: "[W]e strive to sustain the roots of Indian and Hindu culture and all the good that it represents."

More on church-state issues and public schools

Just a few days after my posting about public schools and separation of church and state, I find this article on the same issue, written by Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn.

The column tells of a Richard Sherman, son of an outspoken atheist, who had been offered a teaching job with High School District 211 in Chicago's northwest suburbs. The job offer was withdrawn after a meeting between Sherman and District 211 personnel director Robert Grimm. Here is how Zorn tells the story:

Sherman said Grimm expressed keen interest in Sherman's "famous father" and warned him that "some parents might give you a hard time."

Monday morning, [Sherman] said, Grimm called him and said the district had new, "serious concerns" to discuss with him. At a face-to-face meeting that afternoon, ... Sherman said Grimm then told him he felt Sherman's "philosophies on teaching didn't mesh well with those of other teachers and division heads" at the school. He said Grimm told him he therefore would not recommend Sherman be formally hired in a pro-forma motion at Thursday night's board of education meeting.

Such an abrupt and peculiar withdrawal of a job offer would raise significant questions under any circumstances. But here it raises an odor as well -- the smell of fear, of religious intolerance and injustice.

As I was reading this, the name of the school district administrator struck me as familiar. I attended high school in District 211, and I had a physics teacher named Mr. Grimm. First name Robert, if I wasn't mistaken. Couldn't be...

Mr. Grimm was, I recall, an excellent teacher. It was he who taught me those formulas in my previous blog entry. And he won the Illinois Teacher of the Year award in 2002. If it is true that he denied Mr. Sherman a teaching job based on Sherman's religious beliefs, he ought to know better. Physics wasn't the only course I took in high school; here's a little something I learned in civics class: "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." That's from Article VI of the U.S. Constitution.

What's the matter with science education?

The Christian fundamentalists are at it again, trying to get creationism into the science classroom. The Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story about this in yesterday's edition. The story includes a poll, which I found rather disturbing:

Teach both, say most Illinois poll respondents

A recent Tribune/WGN-TV poll found that a majority of Illinois voters favor teaching both evolution and creationism in public schools.

Should creationism, evolution or both be taught in public schools?

Only evolution: 15%
Only creationism: 6%
Both: 57%
Neither: 11%
Don't know / no opinion: 11%

Does teaching creationism violate separation of church and state?

Does violate: 26%
Does not violate: 58%
No opinion: 16%

Note: Questions are paraphrased for brevity.
Source: Market Shares Corp. survey of 1,200 Illinois registered voters conducted May 5-10. Margin of error is +/-3 percentage points.

What the poll demonstrates is not that both creationism and evolution should be taught, but rather that the general public lacks a basic understanding of science. In addition, it is infuriating to think that science curricula might be influenced by poll numbers -- you can poll all you want, but it doesn't change the way the universe works.

There must be something wrong with the way science is taught in our society. I admit I haven't studied the problem, but I'd surmise that there is too much emphasis on the rote learning of facts and formulas, and too little on the scientific method and critical thinking. From this it would follow that five years out of school, when F = ma and SUM(dE) = Q - W are forgotten, people really wouldn't have any understanding of science.

Now, if someone wants to say that there are religious or folkloric traditions that attempt to describe natural phenomena in non-scientific ways, fine. But it's still not science. And pre-modern mythology, having been devised at a time when human knowledge was much more limited, generally does a poor job of describing the natural world.

As for violating the separation of church and state, Christians might consider substituting something from a different tradition and see if they still have no objection. Should the myth of Pangu's cosmic egg, evolution, or both be taught in public schools?

Nearly terminated by The Governator

I spent this afternoon shopping on Michigan Avenue. Walking out of a store, had my attention been focused more on my purchase than on where I was going, I would have been knocked down by a rather large man. And not just any large man. This was none other than Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.

I must say, while Arnold may not be in his bodybuilder prime anymore, he still did not look like your average man on the street. He's big.

One thing I was curious about. What was he doing wandering around Chicago's Gold Coast, flanked by bodyguards? I mean, I know he can't be on the job 24/7, but doesn't he have a state to run?

Metapost: Leaving comments on this site

The Rag doesn't get a huge number of visitors. And that's just fine with me.

And every so often, someone visits and then posts a comment. So far, I have found the comments, few as they are, to be respectful and well written. And they add something of value to what I have written. While I don't typically respond to the comments, you can be sure that I read them and appreciate what you have to say.

The other day I stumbled across a comment that almost fell through the cracks, never to be read by me. It was a comment posted about a week ago to an entry I wrote back in March. So I started to wonder if there were some way I could ensure that I never miss a comment -- and there is. In the blogger.com settings, I was able to specify an e-mail address to receive notification that a comment has been posted.

New wing in the works for Art Institute

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony at the end of the month for a large addition to the Art Institute of Chicago.

I haven't seen much of the plans, but here is what I know... The addition is to be erected at the corner of Columbus and Monroe. Presently, there is an entrance to the museum facing this corner, to which you can drive up -- I think it is accessible to people with disabilities. Passers-by on foot can see the Louis Sullivan Arch, also known as the Chicago Stock Exchange Arch, standing in a small garden at the corner. I don't know what will happen to the arch, or how easternmost portion of the museum will be reconfigured to accommodate the new wing.

The new addition is a contemporary glass/stone/steel design by architect Renzo Piano. The modern appearance should match the style of the existing structures on the Columbus Drive side of the complex, and I think it should be far enough away from the neoclassical Michigan Avenue side that it won't be too jarring. From what I have seen, it looks like it will have 3 stories above ground level, and there will be a pedestrian bridge across Monroe connecting Millennium Park to a top-floor museum entrance. The project won't be completed until 2009.

I wasn't paying much attention to all of this until I visited the museum this past week. Entering at Michigan Avenue, I walked straight back, through the exhibit of medieval armor, to Marc Chagall's America Windows. Except... there were no windows. For a second I felt disoriented. The Chagall piece had been there for as long as I can remember; had I taken a wrong turn? No... It has been taken down temporarily to protect the glass from vibrations during construction. I just hope they'll put it back up before 2009.

Broadway: 5400 block, east side

5401-03 is an older 3-story building. An Italian restaurant occupies the 5401 storefront, and an Ethiopian restaurant is in 5403.
5405-07 is an auto repair shop.
5409-15 is a single-story building of recent construction. It contains a Radio Shack and a paint store. One storefront is vacant; signs in the window suggest it might open as a tanning salon?
5417-21 is a parking lot.
5423-37 is the old North Side Cleaners and Dyers Co. Building, formerly occupied by A.W. Zengeler, but now vacant. It is a tall, 3-story building. There are plans to convert the building to 12 condo units with retail on the ground floor.
5439-41 is an older 3-story building. The storefront is vacant but under construction. I'm uncertain as to whether this is part of the Zengeler project.
5443-45 is an older 2-story office building.
5447 is an older 2-story building containing an auto repair shop.
5449 is an older 2-story building occupied by a medical professional office.
5451-53 is an ugly, modern ('50s?) single-story building. It is vacant. This might be the single-story building referred to in the Zengeler plans that is slated to become a restaurant?
5455-59 is an older 2-story building. 5455-57 is an office where traditional Chinese medicine is practiced. 5459 is a florist.

Broadway: 5400 block, west side

This is a continuation of the Broadway survey. (The previous posting was way back last month.)

5400-04 is Bromann Park, a children's play lot.
5406 is an older 2-story building with an empty storefront at street level.
5408 is an empty lot.
5410 is a single-story auto repair / body shop. The building is older, but it has a recent (and ugly) wood-paneled facade.
5414 is an older 2-story building. The first floor is occupied by a physical therapy office.
5416-18 is a single story building in a modern style, probably about 50 years old. From the street there is no indication as to its use, but when I peeked through a door that was propped open, I could see some light manufacturing going on.
5420-24 is an older, tall 2-story building. The 5420 storefront is vacant, formerly a hair salon. 5424 is a tacqueria.
5426 is an older, 2-story building occupied by an Asian food wholesaler.
5428-30 is an Italian cultural center. (In this neighborhood?)
5432-5436 is a parking lot.
5438 is a single-story, modern (up to 50 years old) building occupied by a Chinese food wholesaler.
5440-44 is a parking lot.
5446-52 is a tall, 4-story nursing home.
5454-58 is a 3-story building with apartments on the upper floors. The 5454 storefront is a small grocery. 5458 is a Chinese carry-out restaurant.

Tree House cat shelter update

In March, there was a fire next door to the Tree House cat shelter, which I wrote about here. Yesterday I decided to take a walk south of Foster to view the scene for myself...



(Note: This is the first image I've uploaded to my blog -- a bit of an experiment. If it doesn't display properly in your browser, let me know!)

The building that burned down is now gone without a trace, as if nothing had ever stood there. And sure enough, there's fire damage on the side of the shelter. You can see the darkened siding just to the left of the tree trunk.

After the fire, I received a letter from the Tree House that told of the successful evacuation. Fifteen of the cats were adopted during the ordeal, which is definitely good news. But there was also a bit of sad news. The Tree House is home to over 300 cats of all ages. Although I am sure they are well cared for, not all of them are in good health. The evacuation was too stressful for two of the older cats, and they passed away as a result.

Lefkow to Senate: Respect judges

Yesterday morning, my neighbor, Judge Joan Lefkow, testified before the U.S. Senate on judicial security. According to the Chicago Tribune, it was her first public appearance since her mother and husband were slain by a deranged former litigant on February 28. In her testimony, she made the case that in specific areas, the government can take concrete steps to help protect judges. She also spoke out against the increasingly open hostility by some against the judicial branch:

Lefkow mentioned Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, who appeared on a national talk show recently and criticized judges with agendas by saying the "gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."

In her testimony, Lefkow countered by saying that be they liberal or conservative, she had never come across a judge in the federal judiciary who deserved to be described in such a way.

"In this age of mass communication, harsh rhetoric is truly dangerous," she said. "It seems to me that even though we cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship between rhetorical attacks on judges in general and violent acts of vengeance by a particular litigant, the fostering of disrespect for judges can only encourage those who are on the edge or on the fringe to exact revenge on a judge who displeases them."

There are elements of our society, particularly from the extreme political right, who don't seem to understand the role of the judicial branch of our government. While our democracy is meant to be responsive to the populace, it is also based on a fairly static constitution, and this prevents lawmakers, acting on the capricious whims of the people, from enacting legislation that is in conflict with established law. It is the courts' role to enforce this -- a role that is not entirely straightforward, as it gets increasingly difficult to ensure a system's internal consistency as the system becomes increasingly complex.

When a judge overturns a law as being unconstitutional, you may disagree with his or her opinion, but as long as it is done with the intention of restoring consistency to the body of law, it is not, as they say, "legislating from the bench."

Senn Tomorrow, two days ago

This past Monday there was a meeting of the Senn Tomorrow Task Force, which, as I've written before, was created by Alderman Mary Ann Smith to address concerns in the community related to the conversion of Nicholas Senn High School into a military academy.

One of the big issues was the question of whether the task force would operate under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. When the subject was first brought up two months ago, many of the task force members who came from outside the school system were unfamiliar with the act. There were concerns that it would place an excessive burden on the task force and leave members open to legal action against them. However, most members, upon reviewing the act, agreed that it would not be difficult to comply with it, and a motion was passed 18-1-2 in favor of operating under the Open Meetings Act.

As for substantive work being done, a subcommittee is working on a survey to be distributed to members of the community. It is hoped this will provide insight as to how people think the school can be made better. The subcommittee plans to get a market research expert to help create the survey on a pro bono basis, and I can speak from personal experience that an expert is necessary. Many years ago, I worked for a market research firm, manning the phones. (I was terrible at it, by the way.) All employees had to be trained on the basic methodology of how the surveys were developed. I learned that there is a science to it, even if it is a "soft science," and if it's not done right, the Senn Tomorrow Task Force could end up expending a lot of time and energy collecting garbage data.

Blogging from home

Yesterday was my band concert, so now that I'm no longer preparing for it, I'll have more time to devote to the blog. The concert went OK, but as my mom commented, "It's not the Chicago Symphony." Thanks, Mom.

I have a request from Mimi for the program, but unfortunately, I didn't get a written program, and the music has already been returned to the band's library. So here is what I can piece together:

American Overture for Band -- Jenkins
Porgy and Bess Suite -- Gershwin
Conertino for Marimba and Orchestra -- Creston
Adagio for Strings (without strings!) -- Barber
Stephen Foster something or other -- I can't remember the title
Fete Dieu a Seville -- Albeniz / Cailliet

* Intermission *

Danza Espanola -- ???
Amazing Grace -- Ticheli
A Chorus Line
Count Basie something or other -- I can't remember this title either
Grease
Capriccio Espagnole -- Rimsky-Korsakov

A recording of the concert is available on DVD (seriously!). Yours for just two installments of $19.95... order now! But wait, there's more!!! The DVD can also be used as a coaster...

Blogging from work

I'm not supposed to be doing this at the office. But it's the end of the day -- so sue me.

It's been a week since I posted anything, and someone out there in cyberspace might suspect that I'm a fool on account of my silence. I better say something and remove all doubt.

This Sunday the band I'm in is putting on its big spring formal concert. Which means I gotta stop procrastinating and practice what's on the program. And not Bach Partita for Solo Flute in A minor (BWV 1013). It also means I can't spend too much time updating my blog.

On making a living

May 1st this year was cold and damp in Chicago. Today, it even snowed a little. Is there no end to our suffering?

Aside from its unusual chill, yesterday was notable in that it was May Day, which might be considered an international Labor Day. A good day to reflect on the present state of labor.

Chicago was once an important center of the labor movement. One thinks of the 1890s as having given birth to this movement, a reaction to the robber barons -- meat packers, railroad tycoons, bankers, and other assorted industrialists -- who amassed great wealth at the expense of the powerless rank and file. But in Chicago, a key episode took place in the preceding decade. On May 1, 1886, workers gathered in Haymarket Square in Chicago, at the present-day location of Randolph and Halsted, to demand an eight-hour workday, something many workers take for granted today. The protest continued until May 4 when, tragically, a riot broke out -- a riot that became known as the Haymarket Riot. Around the world, May 1 became a day for workers to commemorate this watershed event.

Today, we have a government in Washington that actually passed legislation to weaken the 40-hour workweek by taking away time-and-a-half overtime pay for a large segment workers who are paid by the hour: professionals, artists, IT workers, salespeople, and others. This is the very thing for which people gave their lives in Haymarket Square over a century ago. And it is just one example of the present-day erosion in workers' rights.

You might recall, in the last Presidential election, how John Kerry would often talk about the increasing prevalence of offshore outsourcing. He'd give an anecdote about how workers had lost their jobs to low-paid foreigners -- after having trained them. As the election neared, I found the source of this anecdote in a transcript of a Congressional hearing from early 2004. The company implicated in this affair was well known to me. It was the company I work for.

Since then, some of my own coworkers have made trips to India to train people to do work that is done at my office today. And every quarter, management has the nerve to send me an e-mail that exhorts me to contribute to my company's PAC -- to influence lawmakers who would clear the way for my employer to send my job overseas.