I've served on the local school council (LSC) at Pilsen Academy for the last 4 years. I joke that I ran so I could drink bad coffee and practice my Spanish once a month. Really though, there was a city-wide push to get people involved in their schools and neighborhoods. I ran to get more… Continue reading Too much democracy in CPS – HB4777
Simulating March Madness in R
Edit 3: Awkwardly, if you go and download 538’s data now, the numbers they published on Monday Forecast_date == 2018-03-12, were retroactively changed so that Virginia is now ranked second instead of first. I guess I’ll take that as a win.? (For the skeptics, here's the video evidence.) Below I implement Edit 2 using Monday's… Continue reading Simulating March Madness in R
NASA Frontier Development Lab
As usual, my long absence from writing has run concurrently with life being busy. Since my last post, PERRO has had three lead water filter distributions and is preparing for a fourth. I've been promoted to Executive Architect at IBM. The gut rehab of my new home has provided a constant source of excitement, entertainment,… Continue reading NASA Frontier Development Lab
Lead in Chicago’s Water
Back in 2014 I was giving a talk at the local library on a local environmental issue. Afterwards a man came up and started telling me about the danger of lead in Chicago's water. If you're like me, when someone starts talking about the danger to the water supply, your expectation is that tinfoil hat… Continue reading Lead in Chicago’s Water
On this Election Day
On this election day, when you decide between an insane trust-fund baby and a candidate that has proven themselves most adept at trading their public service for personal wealth, let us remember St. George: The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice … you don’t. You… Continue reading On this Election Day
The Chicago Cadet Cap
Democrats with Chicago Characteristics To many in the US, Chicago is the quintessential Democratic city. Indeed, the last Republican mayor of Chicago was "Big Bill" Thompson in 1931. But under the surface of that solid stretch of Democratic control are stories of power struggles and corruption that make Chicago's politics legendary. My hope is that… Continue reading The Chicago Cadet Cap
The Last Time the Cubs Won the World Series
The last time the Cubs won the World Series the year was 1908. The last time the Cubs won the World Series they played at West Side Park "bounded by Taylor, Wood, Polk and Lincoln (now Wolcott) Streets". The original rooftop seating was on Taylor Street! My alma mater, UIC, now stands here. You could see Pilsen's St. Procopius church all… Continue reading The Last Time the Cubs Won the World Series
