Revolution in US? Don't Doubt It.

Do we need a revolution and a radically different society? What is happening every day—what this system does to people, day in, day out—here and all over the world, cries out: YES, WE DO.

Is revolution really possible in a country like the U.S.? YES, IT IS.

Is there actually a strategy and method for approaching how to make such a revolution? YES, THERE IS.

Is there a group that is organized on the basis of that strategy and method, is working for such a revolution and could lead that revolution when the time is right? YES, AGAIN.

These serious questions were addressed on Sunday at the University Center by the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. And believe me, they really do want revolution. And it isn't just a minor change in the system that they are calling for, it is an all out collapse of the capitalist structure as we know it. A complete tear down, just think V for Vendetta and you'll get the general idea of just what type of revolution the RCP, USA is calling for.
In light of the current downturn in the economy and the fact that capitalism and our government had a obvious hand in it, I just thought that this was a very interesting event. Seeing as it has been over 50 years since the Red Scare and the Cold War it was interesting to see this mentality still around, and in such an aggressive way too. But these aren't your traditional communists. Well, not completely.
Anyway, if you are interested in more information check out their website: www.revcom.us

Liberal Arts & That "Perfect Job"

Attaining the perfect job after college is the ultimate goal for most graduates. However, the ease in which one gains employment may vary depending on their field. Nonetheless, finding a job is not something that can be done in a single day; “job hunting” takes forethought and careful planning. Colleges, such as DePaul University, provide many tools for students who are seeking jobs (including career centers and possibly even on campus interviews). In addition, DePaul’s Liberal Studies program prepares graduates by providing courses that educate them on a variety of topics. Even so, it is up to each student to individually take time to learn the system and interview their way to a promising career. 

The importance of liberal education is that it provides students with a greater understanding of many different fields that may or may not pertain to their major. Furthermore, liberal education prepares students to be involved in many kinds of jobs because of today’s ever-changing world.

I believe students with a liberal arts education are prepared for today's evolving world of work. Liberal arts graduates are attractive to employers because they have developed the skills necessary to adapt in a transitioning workforce. Careers in liberal studies share similar characteristics when it comes to the notion of skills. As students in the College of Communications, we are taught such skills as the ability to distribute and communicate information; the ability to make judgements and decisions; the ability to understand and analyze difficult concepts. In addition, we understand the importance of exhibiting excellent writing and public speaking skills. What more could an employer want? 

Climbing meter prices

As one of the largest commuter schools in the country, one would think that parking would be simple for students, but seeing that DePaul is located in one of the busiest cities in the country one has to expect for difficulty parking. With this being said you would think the city or at least the school would try to make it a bit easier for commuters to park in the city, but instead there are timed meters all on and around campus. If thats not bad enough, many meter's prices are starting to go up from 25 cents for and hour to 25 cents for only 15 minutes. It is absurd that the city is raising the prices of the meters and lowering the time that a quarter gets a driver. All this does is create more tickets for the people and more revenue for the city. Not only are the prices being raised, many are also going to be 24 hour meters meaning that the meter will no longer allow people to park in the spot without paying between the time period of 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. With an already troubled parking problem, these new regulations only create a further problem for the DePaul students and all Chicago residents in general.

Popular East Coast Burger Joint "Five Guys" Comes to Lincoln Park

The other day a few of my friends and I were having a discussion about the best burgers in America: my favorite comes from Jake Moran's in Mundelein, one of my friends thought west coast chain In 'N Out was tops, another made a case for Chicago landmark Billy Goat Tavern (albeit in jest). The fourth member of our debate, however, chose chain with which none of us were familiar: Five Guys Burgers & Fries. Conveniently enough, this reputable Virginia-based chain recently made their way to Chicago. So off we went to check it out.

Five Guys' storefront is decorated in a retro red-and-white-checkered motif, and the walls are adorned with newpaper and magazine clippings singing their praises... so obviously, I had pretty high hopes.

The menu at Five Guys is pretty straightforward: you can get hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and not much else: the real appeal here is that all the toppings are free. They have traditional toppings like lettuce, tomato, and mayo, as well as more interesting options like grilled mushrooms or A-1 steak sauce. Another item of note is that their fries are incredibly fresh, and there was even a dry-erase board indicating which small Idaho town provided the day's potatoes. You can expect to wait for about ten minutes for your food, but there are complimentary in-the-shell peanuts to munch on while you wait.


Upon biting my burger, I was somewhat underwhelmed. The toppings were fresh, but the burger itself seemed to be a little lacking in flavor. The fries, on the other hand, were fantastic. I order mine "cajun style", and the seasoning added to the fries gave them a pleasant, spicy flavor.

Overall, I suppose I would recommend Five Guys. You should expect to pay about $10 for a burger and fries, so budget-conscious students may want to steer clear. Five Guys is located at on Clybourn Avenue between Webster and Armitage, so it's just barely within walking of the Lincoln Park campus.


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A Minority Report- Revisited

Above: Khaled Abu Toameh addresses room 325 of the Student Center which is filled out the door with students and members of the community listening to what he has to say about the Israel/Palestine conflict as an Arab-Israeli.

So last week I blogged about the journalist Khaled Abu Toameh coming on to campus to give a talk about his time writing and filming for different news organizations in the Middle East, more specifically Israel and Palestine.

While the speech was very interesting to me as someone who has invested interest in the Israel/Palestine conflict, I don't think that as a journalism student I gained much besides how lucky I am to be living in a place where freedom of the press is allowed unlike in Palestine.

Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed the event and want to thank DePaul's Hillel as well as the College of Communication for putting on such an informative dialogue!

UPDATE: Flipped Car, Sheffeild Ave. & Fullerton Ave

Here’s an update about the car flipped over on Sheffield last Friday that Liza covered (http://tinyurl.com/crmogt). I interviewed two DePaul Students who witnessed the accident and helped the person out of the flipped car. Louis McGill and Jeremy Applebaum (both seniors) were driving north on Sheffield and were stopped at the light on Fullerton when the accident happened.

Here is what they saw: According to both McGill and Applebaum, the car clipped an SUV parked in front of the Post Office on Sheffield. The clip was just enough force to flip the car over. The two students pulled over to help the gentleman out of the flipped car. McGill commented that a mild concussion and a few scratches were the only injuries on the gentleman. McGill then proceeded to call 911 for the gentleman. From there, both McGill and Applebaum waited with the man for help to arrive. McGill mentioned that while they were watching the police handle the scene, the owner of the SUV came out of the Post Office and asked police if it was OK for her to move her SUV, oblivious to the situation. No damage was done to the SUV. McGill and Applebaum waited around until they knew authorities had the situation under control.

Neither the gentleman nor the SUV owner was a DePaul Student. Also, both McGill and Applebaum mentioned that the SUV was not parked illegally or in any way that would have caused the accident. In addition, both students also said that it didn’t look like the gentleman who clipped the car was on his cell phone. It just appeared to be a very bad accident with a very lucky outcome for the gentleman who survived it. Kudos to McGill and Applebaum for helping out and being heroes in the process.

I took all the photos with my cell phone while walking to work that day.

Lectures Recorded in CDM

This quarter I am in a class that takes place in the CDM building on the downtown campus. In this class there is a camera and a mic in the back of the classroom that tapes each lecture that takes place during our class period. The recorded lectures are put on the class website for the use of the students at anytime. Another great aspect of this is that while you watch the lecture it also shows what is being projected on the screen of the class, so that one is able to get the note missed for that class period. I, myself has used it a few times this semester upon missing the class. While at home sick, I was able to still watch what was taking place in the classroom, allowing me to keep up with my studies and allowed me to still be prepared for the test the next quarter. What troubles me is why this technology is not used in every classroom on both campuses? This is an amazing thing to have for the students and it truly helps both the teacher and the student out when it comes to staying on track in a class. CDM students have gaming labs and recorded lectures, makes me wonder what else communication students are missing out on...