I talked about this issue on Brian Barnhart’s show on 10.31.24, starting at 1:14:00. The Election Day is approaching fast, with the portentous choice between Harris and Trump on everyone’s mind. But the ballots are long here, with votes on state senators, county auditors, and city council members filling them. Urbana, Illinois ballot has also […]
hacking the township Read More »
As a freshly minted American, I will be proudly exercising my newly acquired right to vote. Here’s what I plan to do, with rationales (click to see the answers).
becoming an American Read More »
October 7 Somewhat coincidentally to the meeting I described yesterday, the Channing Murray Foundation surfaced also on WUNA-Main, a listserv (rather a google group) for the dwellers of West Urbana, the better-off part of the town between the campus and downtown Urbana. It was one of the recipients of the funds sent by the federal
nice quiet community here Read More »
October 6, 2024 (follow up) Two events happened in Champaign-Urbana over the past couple of week, rhyming and resonating with each other. The first meeting was a lecture and a Q&A at the University YMCA by Dr. Mohammad Darawshe. Dr. Darawshe is a politician (in the past he ran Knesset election campaigns for various Arab
a tale of two meetings Read More »
The plot shows how frequently Google users inquire about “settler colonialism.” Red circles indicate Julys – i.e., summer breaks. The valleys between them are, quite obviously, winter breaks. Homework: interpret why over the last few years even the Spring breaks became discernible.
less surprising time series Read More »
Slogans. Once, a succinct expression of goals or aspirations (“Proletarians of all countries, unite!” or “No Taxation Without Representation”), they became a much more ambiguous affairs lately. Especially when we are talking about a pretty complicated matter, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Slogans are the key in the battle for the public opinion, an integral part
Germany couldn’t become free while Nazis remained in power. Gaza cannot become free while Hamas remains in power.
The newly convened Urbana School District Facilities Committee, presented as the ultimate decision-making body in the casus Wiley, – an egregious attempt to disband a successful majority-minority elementary school, – had its second meeting on May 9th. A few patterns came into focus, all familiar. One is the administration’s reliance on raw power: the voting
agendas and manipulations Read More »
This happened on November 11 last year. A friend’s kid attending Yankee Ridge Elementary was pulled out of a classroom activity dedicated to Veterans Day and sent to the office to do some unrelated work instead. Why? The voicemail left on the parent’s phone explained that they think the parents don’t want the kid celebrating
antisemitism, inclusive edition Read More »