Author Archive
Posted by Realist on February 2, 2012
That’s how the song goes. In our case, the chairmen on the CCC bus go round and round from one post to another with Rahm at the wheel and controlling the door. Can we have some stability at the top?
This just in from CCC Special Announce (check your email):
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that he is nominating Martin Cabrera, Jr., chairman of our Board of Trustees, as the chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission and recommending that City Colleges board member Paula Wolff replace him as chair.
What’s next? Who’s next? Can we stop with these antics and just get down to education? Is it just me or do you feel like a pawn in Rahm’s chess game? Was this change really necessary? If Rahm really, truly cared about CCC, he’d stop shuffling people around. Ugh.
Posted in Events, Faculty | Tagged: If graduation was a circus - then this is the Merry-Go-Round outside the big tent! | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on January 25, 2012
With consent from blogmaster PhiloDave, this is a special edition of Website Wednesday that will appear from time to time over the course of the semester. The focus will be our newly designed HWC website, and the CCC website in general, in an effort to give the folks at District some feedback on what we believe to be working or not working with the sites.
Where to begin? Well, a bit o’ history might be helpful. Go to this post and read all the replies to get all caught up on some initial feedback on the reinvented webpages. You’ll note that Audrey Berns, Executive Director-Web Services at CCC responded and made changes per our comments. (Thanks again, Audrey!)
Now, if you have somethin’ nice to say, let Audrey know. If you’d like to see some changes (major or just tweaks), make a comment. Anonymity encouraged. If you see some problems or concerns, say so. District, Audrey specifically, listened once and I do believe she’d listen again.
So, have at it peeps! You’ve accessed the pages. What do you think? Your students are viewing them. What have they told you? Tolle Blege!
Posted in Advice, Faculty, Students | Tagged: HWC and CCC websites, Sorry-can't do much about the color, YOU can make a difference! | 9 Comments »
Posted by Realist on January 17, 2012
Here we are peeps, right in the middle of the NFL playoffs and I forgot to update you in the results of our regular season pool.
We have a winner. Big congratulations to PhiloDave for picking the most wins over the course of the 17 week regular season. Here’s the summary:
PhiloDave: 166 (Nicely done. Consistent effort from start to finish.)
marta lacor: 163 (After missing week 1, came back to almsot beat PhiloDave.)
Chicago Realist: 161 (What can I say, I sided with the Bears for one too many games.)
Mathissexy: 141 (Not bad for a guy who has a newborn in the house. Fumes from the diapers may have clouded his mind, I think.)
MrDocProf: 86 (Marta’s alter-ego. Played sporadically, kinda like the Bears.)
There you have it folks. CBSSports did not let the picks continue into the post season, otherwise I woulda had a chance to, nah, what am I sayin, I woulda picked GB, the Saints, and Tebow’s team.
PhiloDave, let this win be a consolation to that unexpected loss on Sunday. Can’t say I’m too surprised. The Packers defense was picked apart like a new faculty member’s tenure portfolio. Worry not PhiloDave, I feel your pain. Remember, I’m a Cubs AND Bears fan. Anytime you want to commiserate, just let me know. Focus on your regular season pool victory boss.
Posted in Social | Tagged: NFL pool picks all done for the season, See ya next year | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 24, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
1 Day before Christmas: The Christmas Gift
If you’ve not had time to read all of the books from this year’s countdown, or if you want to narrow your selection down to the best of the best, then I highly recommend you make time to read this beautiful and deeply moving story. Without revealing too much, this children’s book deals with the experience of one child, Panchito, and his migrant family traveling from one job opportunity to the next. As Christmas approaches, he longs for one special gift. What he receives is nothing short of an epiphany and what he learns is that it is very rewarding to give, even when it seems that there is nothing to give. I’ll leave it at that in terms of the story, you’ve just got to read it. Make sure you read the author’s statement too!
The other beauty of the book is the bilingual text. So if you are familiar with the Spanish language, no deje pasar esta oportunidad de leer un gran libro. (I’ll let the WLL peeps correct my errors.) If I could, I’d put this on every Spanish 101 required reading list.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who assisted me with this year’s list.
OK, that does it for this year’s countdown. I’d like to thank all of you wonderful readers of these past twelve postings for your time. As I’ve stated all along, if you have other selections, feel free to throw them into the list. I wouldn’t mind seeing this list grow and we’d be able to learn from each other; that is the purpose of The Lounge, right?
I’ll be taking the next 12 days off to enjoy the Holy Day and holiday. Until then, may you, your family, and friends have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Virtual hugs for all. (I almost forgot to give a big thanks to PhiloDave – thanks for the time and space on The Lounge Blog Master!)
May you give with love. May you receive with love.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Life lessons, Merry Christmas, The Christmas Gift | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 23, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
2 Days before Christmas: The Crippled Lamb
Have you ever felt out of place ’cause you got some physical or mental impairment? Three cheers for these animals that remind readers how people can, and should, turn a negative into a positive. According to this story, we all have a purpose in life and we should always remain hopeful that our weaknesses are nothing more than hidden strengths; or as one member of Camp Realist stated, “Even though [the lamb] is crippled, he’s still important.”
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Aren't we all crippled in some way or another?, The Crippled Lamb | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 22, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
3 Days before Christmas: Great Joy
The spirit of Christmas is alive, and well-told, in this story of a young inquisitive girl who asks a simple question and receives her answer in the form of love and friendship. Like all other works of children’s literature, this one is told with succinct words and beautiful illustrations. The artist captures the cold weather of the streets and compliments it with the warmth of home and social gatherings. (Not to lessen the value of a novel for grown-ups, but there are times when a story doesn’t need chapters or so much detail; just a few sentences to make a direct point. Perhaps the illustrations in a children’s book are the equivalent to the details in a novel.)
BTW, if the author’s name, Kate DiCamillo, sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard of her ‘major’ works that have become movies – The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Great Joy, great meaning, great read | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 21, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
4 Days before Christmas: Christmas Tapestry
In honor of Chanukah, which began last night with the lighting of the first candle, I give you this gem of a story. According to one member of Camp Realist, the story is “poignant, powerful and a tale for all faiths” to enjoy. Have a tissue handy for yourself because the little ones may be a few years away from appreciating the religious threads that are woven through the fabric of this tapestry. This is another story from this year’s countdown that is written and illustrated by the same artist/author. Here’s her website. I recommend any book from her collection.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Chanukah, Christmas Tapestry, It's more than a patch job | 2 Comments »
Posted by Realist on December 20, 2011
Not sure at what exact time it went live; you’ll forgive me if I had busier things to do, like sleep, than to stay up and keep a vigil, but, true to their word, the pages have been launched and we have a new look to our college website.
Share your thoughts on the new look. (IMHO, I’d like to see that 10,000 small business stuff removed from the Features section since we are first and foremost AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION, NOT A BUSINESS! At the very least, make it the fourth feature story. The second feature should be first since that really speaks to the majority of our students.)
So who won, Bob? I just saw it at 8:20am today. Could have gone live at midnight, but again, I was doing better things.
Posted in Events, News, Opinion | Tagged: The reinvention of Reinvention makes it to the web | 26 Comments »
Posted by Realist on December 20, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
5 Days before Christmas: Mortimer’s Christmas Manger
There’s a mouse in the house! If you’d like to share the story of Christmas with a young audience make sure you have this book on hand. Makes me think twice about putting out a mousetrap when the weather gets cold ’cause ya know those varmints are lookin’ for a warm spot in our walls. Oh, what am I sayin’… perhaps I need to read the book again and leave some crumbs outside my door.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Mortimer's Christmas Manger, Mouse in the house, Stranger in the manger | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 19, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
6 Days before Christmas: The Legend of the Poinsettia
If you’ve walked into a church building around this time of year and have seen it decorated with red flowers, read this book and you’ll understand why. The legend of this flower is retold and illustrated beautifully by this author. As with all the selections that have been part of this 12 day countdown, this one can be enjoyed by children of all ages AND is available at your Chicago Public Library.
To learn more about this beautiful flower, read these facts. To learn more about the talented author/illustrator, go to this link.
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Legend of the Poinsettia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 18, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
7 Days before Christmas: It’s a Wonderful Life for Kids
In honor of last year’s movie selections for Christmas, I offer y’all this title. What makes this book special is the author, Jimmy Hawkins. Who is he you ask? Well, he was that young boy who played the part of Tommy Bailey in the movie? What movie you say? Go to last year’s post. The plot then is going to be predictable, but what a nice way to introduce those youngsters to the plot of a wonderful story.
Enjoy!
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: It's a Wonderful Life for Kids, It's wonderful to blog about wonderful things | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 17, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
8 Days before Christmas: A Christmas Carol / Charles Dickens
It’s the weekend. If your tree is up then it’s time to sit down and read THE AUTHENTIC version of A Christmas Carol. There are too many wanna-be versions that try to capture the essence of this novel. However, if you want the real deal, then this is THE ONLY version you should be reading. Per the afterword in the book, “On December 27, 1853, [Dickens] gave a public reading of A Christmas Carol for charity…. for his first public reading , he judiciously edited the text for maximum dramatic effect.” He continued to read in public and continued to make changes until he had the right choice of words and the best dramatic effect.
So that’s why, this is really the only version you should read aloud to your listeners. BTW, the illustrations are good, but I’ve yet to see a good representation of Dickens’ ghosts, in either books or movies. This is the one exception where you should let the words create the images, only because the author was a literal master. (Today’s children’s lit is an integration of words and images, so I ain’t diluting the worth or merit of contemporary books for the young.)
I believe this selection qualifies for Great Books emphasis, but I’ll let you classical readers weigh in on that.
Enjoy!
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Dickens Christmas Carol, Ghosts of past present and future | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 16, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
9 Days before Christmas: Night Tree
In honor of the annual trip some peeps make to purchase that special Christmas tree, I give you this story. I don’t want to reveal much, but if you like nature, and you like those creatures that live in forests, give this book a read. Then, if you have time, head on over to Brookfield Zoo to see examples similar to the one in this book. BTW nothin’ wrong with puttin’ up the artificial Tannenbaum. Enjoy your tree trimmin’!
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Night Tree, What ever happened to those original ornaments? | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Realist on December 15, 2011
The 12 Days of [Children's Literature before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one book per day leading up to Christmas. The books can be read by children of all ages (when do we really stop being children?) and to children of all ages (who says a newborn doesn’t understand what you read to her/him?).
Comments are always welcomed. May your days and wintry evenings be merry and bright as you cuddle-up with a blanket and book, and maybe in the company of other children. Enjoy!
10 Days before Christmas: The Polar Express
I told you I’d have a title for older children. Thanks for your patience.
Not only does this book have a wonderful story, it was also the Caldecott Medal Winner in 1986. Reading the words and processing the images made me feel like I was on that train ride with the other children. I’m sorry to say that when the movie came out, I was rather disappointed that it failed to capture the essence of the book. Suffice it to say, read the book or just marvel at the illustrations. A cup of hot chocolate and a bell will compliment the experience. Just like the previous recommendations, this one can be read again and again.
Enjoy!
High-five to the book worms at Camp Realist who are assisting me with the list.
Posted in Events, Fascinating, Musing, Social | Tagged: Believe, The Polar Express | Leave a Comment »
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