Mayor Emanuel with the electoral losers on Carol Marin's Crone Circle WTTW-Chicago. I mean Chicago Tonight . . .and every night.
Last year, 50 outstanding seniors from schools in Illinois and seven Midwest state were invited to Chicago for an action-packed weekend that mixed business and fun.Kewell! I mean Cool, I mean Brad Keywell. Group on!!!!!!!!! At what cost and to whom? This dramatic and historical boondoggle was announced at 1871 -Remember? Chicago Fire? Random Big Blaze the Micks started? Dying Embers and all that? Of Course one might, if of course one is not graduate of Chicago Public Schools.
They visited Chicago businesses and firms with offices here, such as Groupon, Google, Grubhub, Microsoft and Accenture, to learn about job opportunities.
They attended panel discussions with industry leaders on topics ranging from innovation and tech entrepreneurship to how to start a career in Chicago.
The seniors even sampled Chicago’s rich cultural institutions and pulsating night life and got passes to Chicago Ideas Week, a seven-day event featuring marquee speakers and interactive sessions that Emanuel and Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell hope will someday take its place among the best known idea symposiums in the nation.
1871—(1) catalyzing moment in Chicago history, when the most brilliantengineers, architects and inventors came together to build a new city; (2)where Chicago’s brightest digital designers, engineers and entrepreneursare shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models andresetting the boundaries of what’s possible
This year, ThinkChicago will double—to 100 students—with half the slots reserved for outstanding juniors and seniors from the University of Illinois.Emanuel made the announcement at 1871, a new start-up center at the Merchandise Mart that helps connect entrepreneurs to would-be investors, mentors, partners and peers.He noted that there is “an energy” in Chicago today that “did not exist” when Groupon was starting out.“Remember You Tube? Pay Pal? They started here, but they thought they had to get to the coast. If those companies were around today in this type of venture position, they would not have to go to the coast.They would have all the pieces: talent, capital and innovation,” Emanuel said.“We have over a thousand digital tech companies now in the city of Chicago. 128 start-ups launched in Chicago last year alone. Our venture capital--$1 billion—is up 50 percent. That’s in just a year. There is a new energy. The Second City is becoming the Start-Up City. That’s our goal.”
Who is the WE in that OUR? Let's begin with thinkchicago.org/. Click the old mouse-eroo and . . .
The page you were looking for doesn't exist.
You may have mistyped the address or the page may have moved.Shucks, you can not find any information on that source launched August 3, 2011. Totally . . . expunged. You can find Congressman Jesse Jackson easier than info on ThinkChicago.org.
A digital Solyndra Mayhaps?
Groupon's site is Oooops, Down! as well.
http://www.groupon.com/chicago
By Gad those kids are smart fellers! or is it the other way around? Random Irony, Dude.
Ironically enough, and the Smart-sized Urban Center Chicago denizens of the future like Kali and Dax love irony, Chicago's owned Crone Columnist Carol Marin has another heart-tugging-Where-in-the Hell -is Carol- Going -with-this-One, yarn about laid-off janitors and the smart sizing of Chicago.
Fifty Chicago janitors lost their jobs this week.. . .They all lost their jobs because the City of Chicago, which long ago privatized much of its janitorial work to outside firms, rebid its janitorial contracts. And 20 percent of the new contract, unlike the old one, went to a nonunion firm called Dayspring, a minority- and woman-owned company in South Holland.
Dayspring, while promising to pay the prevailing rates for janitorial work, is under no obligation to keep the current employees. And by hiring new workers at entry-level wages and turning some full-time work into part-time work, they can save money and charge the city less.
Is there a villain in this story? It’s not that simple.
In a wretched economy with state and local governments drowning in red ink, city procurement officer Jamie Rhee said, “As stewards of taxpayer money, we put out the bid to get the best price for the city. We keep it open and competitive. . . . [There are] tough choices . . . to make sure the city is on a sustainable financial track.”
The new, nonunion company that got the bid argues it shouldn’t be cast as a villain either.
“I know you have to report this story,” said Dayspring owner Anita Harris, “but this is a dream for us. Talk about small businesses growing. . . . We are not doing a bad thing, we are doing a good thing.”
SEIU contends that with this new contract, the city is trying to kill the union.
SEIU created the Union Busting, Carol! Rahm is an SEIU, Dude! So is Forrest Claypool who times the pee-break for Rahm's CTA. So is Pat Quinn. So is Jan Schakowsky. So is Wee Mike Quigley. So is President Obama. SEIU will be fine - remember they are now "organizing the unemployed." This City layoff of janitors is only the itching sensation - the real bleeding is yet to Garbage Grid & etc. Carol's cynical Boo-Hoos for the laid off Chicago 50 rings way hollow, as there has not been a Progressive boon-doggle to come down the pike that she has not lapped up with gusto.
During the early days of WWII, Mayor Ed Kelly was as tight as a tick with FDR. Rahm and President Obama more than likely exchange tighty whities they are that close. Ed Kelly got General Motors to build a massive series of plants on the south west side to build engines and components for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Immediately, 17,000 people went to work. General Electric owns a huge part of the Obama Regime, just saying. President Obama made General Motors a part of the Obama Regime, while Mayor Rahm was Chief of Staff. Now, get this - Boeing is headquartered in Chicago . . .honor bright! Here is the beauty part - the CEO of Being is James McNereny. Guess what? Mr. McNereny is an Almnus of New Trier High School - the alma mater of Mayor Rahm. Not only that, but also this, James McNereny is reported to be a huge Obama and Rahm money dropper and a member of the Mayor's inner-circle.
Those nuggets plucked from the stream of consciousness - would one not venture a notion that were Rahm, or SEIU, or Carol, in any way, shape or form inclined to really, really, really make a difference to the people of Chicago by way getting Boeing, GM, GE, or any huge, established captialist on-going concern, just might . . .might mind you . . .bend an interested ear or two and invest? Hmmm?
Silly Goose Island goslings! A corporate possiblity such as industrial opportunity for skilled, educated and work-ethical people is not in the Urban Center "Start-up" Plans of Rahm Regime.
Stan and Stella over by Ford City -pack your bags and call Mayflower,
Dax and Kia, down in Urbana - hook up the UHaul and get thee to Bucktown. Rahm is calling the White House for some investment capital, Kids! Not only that, you can fire up some quality weed without a trip to the Bridewell.
Invest now has come to mean taxes, after all.
Naw, we have our supine Media doing hand-stands and Huzzahs over nothing in a sweet, random package.
FORD CITY* has space aplenty and Chicago is already packed with smart, practiced, skilled and willing workers. The problem is - one can point out the piles of horse-shit cast upon our ground, but it takes genuine human effort to refrain from rolling around in it.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/13489965-418/mayor-intent-on-making-chicago-a-start-up-city.html
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/10537450-418/rahms-inner-circle.html
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/13481481-452/delicate-balance-city-budget-workers-lives.html
http://www.1871.com/2012/05/opening-day-for-1871/
By the Way FORD CITY:
Construction started in 1942. The purpose for construction was to build a defense plant. Approximately 17,000 workers were employed. This caused the southwest side of the city to become more populated as more people were moving there for work. By October, Building No. 1 was finished. Testing of aircraft engines to be used for the B29 bomber began. Throughout the winter, they continued building. By the spring of 1943, 10 buildings, made of steel, concrete and wood, had been constructed. The building covered approximately 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2). The largest building was Building No. 4. It covered 62 acres (250,000 m2), and it was built out of reinforced concrete. The plant consisted of 7,000 miles (11,000 km) of underground piping and 15 miles (24 km) of cables and wires for water and power.
By December 1945, the building was left vacant due to the end of the war. The government attempted to sell it without success. It was later retrofitted for automobile production for Tucker Corporation and then Ford Motor Company.
The building remained a white elephant until the Korean War, when it was reopened to build airplane engines for the war effort, under contract from Ford Motor Company. The Ford company modernized everything inside the building, employing nearly 12,000 people. The building closed again in 1959.
In 1961, the government sold it to Harry F Chaddick, along with other Chicagoans. They had a vision for the greatest commerce center in Chicago. Some buildings were torn down to make room for parking lots. The buildings that remained were remodeled to attract retail tenants.[2]
Developers divided the building into a separate portion for the mall. The mall opened in 1965 as Ford City.[3] The mall consists of two halves - a strip mall and enclosed mall. The strip mall portion is connected to the enclosed mall by a tunnel called "The Connection". It utilizes the basement between the severed halves of the buildings directly below the parking lot. The Connection was originally called Peacock Alley from the late 60s through some time in the 1980s. Wieboldt's occupied the western-facing space until 1987 when Carson Pirie Scott moved in. The southern-facing space was last occupied by Montgomery Ward until that chain's bankruptcy. JCPenney occupies the eastern facing space.
Until February 2008, the mall was managed by General Growth Properties Inc. for a private investment company.[4] The Mall is now managed by Jones Lang LaSalle.
In 2009-2010, Ford City Mall began a multi-million dollar long term capital redevelopment program undertaking North Mall infrastructure work, Cicero Avenue frontage and North Mall parking lot resurfacing. During this time new tenants such as Conway’s, US Cellular, Rodeo, Amici, Star Diamond Jewelers, a new GNC, She Bar, Eldorado Fine Jewelers, Avon, China Max, US Sprint and others opened for business at Ford City Mall.
Early 2011 – Phase 2 of the long term capital redevelopment plan began with refurbishment of the Cicero Avenue Pylon signs enabling large square footage use tenants the ability to gain maximum store signage exposure along the heavily trafficked Cicero Avenue roadway.
As part of the 2011 capital redevelopment program, Ford City Mall is in the process of demolishing several small outparcel buildings and a former vacant anchor store, leading the way to future development options under discussion at this time.
[edit]Transportation
[edit]CTA Buses
- #54B South Cicero
- #67 67th/69th/71st
- #79 79th
[edit]Pace Buses
- #379 Midway-Orland Square
- #382 Central/Clearing
- #383 South Cicero
- #384 Narragansett/Ridgeland
- #385 87th/111th/127th
[edit]Orange Line Extension
Original plans for the Orange Line was called for the terminus to be at Ford City. Due to lack of funding the city decided to end the line at Midway with a layout allowing for future expansion.[5] The CTA recently undertook an Alternatives Analysis for the Orange Line extension to Ford City and determined that the project currently stands at an estimated $200 million.[6] On August 12, 2009, the CTA approved the extension plans.[7] The extension will open in 2016.
