Skye Cielo is a gentle, shy and incredibly sweet, four-year-old, golden-eyed brown tabby cat looking for a loving guardian.
This shy girl landed at Chicago Animal Care and Control as a stray and was lucky to go home with a wonderful foster mom with Friends of Petraits Rescue.
She crawls into her foster mom’s lap, plays with wand toys and the laser pointer. She uses a litter box perfectly and is gentle with her nails.
Skye is nervous around other cats and dogs and would prefer to be the only pet in the home.
She is extremely healthy, spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated for rabies and distemper.
Her adoption fee of $150 benefits the rescued pets of Friends of Petraits Rescue.
If you’re interested in meeting and possibly adopting this beautiful girl, please contact [email protected] for an adoption application.
She is currently being fostered in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.
Prior to ESPN’s “Long Gone Summer” airing this weekend, co-hosts Joe Pisapia and Craig Mish reminisced on the epic 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
MADISON – Wisconsin Public Radio will end production of the long-running “Old Time Radio Drama” in June, WPR announced this week. The program, which will air for the last time on June 14, currently airs on Saturday and Sunday nights on stations in The Ideas Network.
The program, featuring radio dramas from the 1930s to 1960s, will be replaced by “PRX Remix,” which showcases stories, podcasts and documentaries from independent creators and the PRX podcast network Radiotopia.
The period often is referred to the Golden Age of Radio. Is it fair to ask if every program from that period offended and that the entire series should be censored as a result?
I assume someone will be screening the new program, PRX Remix, to ensure the absence of any material that offends someone, somewhere.
Reminds me of the Catholic Legion of Decency, founded in 1933 to screen films that contain morally objection content whose viewing would constitute a mortal sin. Except that NPR is a federally subsidized, Congressionally established institution.
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On this week’s Consumer Guide Automotive Car Stuff Podcast, I geek out a little bit over the fact that Acura brought its Type S Concept to life in the form of the all-new 2021 Acura TLX. Sure there are some differences, but the shape is there — as are some of the cool design elements.
We also discussed the all-electric Mini Cooper SE, which Damon loved. But I’m still skeptical about spending $38K on a commuter car that will only have 100 miles of range. Damon makes a good case that it’s fun to drive (which will deplete the range even faster) and that most people won’t drive more than 100 miles in a day. But in my mind, a car like this only works if you have a second car, and you truly rarely push beyond 80 miles in a day. Plus, you’re going to want a Level 2 home charger — otherwise it’ll take 24 hours to bring the battery back to 100%.
Our guest this week was John Kraman, lead TV commentator/analyst for Mecum Auctions, who discusses how the company will begin hosting live events again in the COVID Era. Plus we take a deep dive into one of their Featured Lots for the July 10-18 Indianapolis auction — a 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible, which is an unrestored model. What’s more interesting is that the same auction will also feature a restored version of the same make/model.
Kraman anticipates the unrestored model will go for at least $500k, while the restored version will clear $1M.
While I will continue to post the podcast to my blog each week, you can subscribe to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast on any podcast subscription service or visit the Buzzsprout link. New episodes are usually posted on Friday, and then the show itself airs on WCPT 820 AM on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m.
Be sure to let us know if you have questions or if there are any topics you’d like us to cover on future podcasts.
Here is my sister all ready to go into her second infusion of TDM1 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN!
This blog post is the 24th in a series about my (and my twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. The 1st post is about my first mammogram ever; the 2nd post is about my consultation at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic; the 3rd post is about my stereotactic core biopsy at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic; the 4th post is about my diagnosis with “Stage 0” DCIS breast cancer; the 5th post is about my in-person DCIS diagnosis at Mayo Clinic, beginning thoughts on my surgery timeline, and discovering that my twin sister might have breast cancer, too; the 6th post is about my twin sister’s invasive ductal carcinoma clinical stage 2A breast cancer diagnosis; the 7th post is about my breast MRI and two ultrasounds to investigate “suspicious” spots on my right breast and liver; the 8th post is about my second DCIS diagnosis following a week of MRIs, ultrasounds, and biopsies at Mayo Clinic; the 9th post is about preparing for my twin sister’s chemotherapy appointments, including details about her egg banking procedure in the city; the 10th post is a summary of my sister’s ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and visit to the emergency room; the 11th post is a summary of my double mastectomy surgery plan scheduled to occur on December 3rd, 2019 at Mayo Clinic’s Methodist Campus Hospital in Rochester; the 12th post is about my twin sister’s first chemotherapy infusion at Mayo Clinic; the 13th post is about foobs, photo shoots and nipple tattoos (my plastic / reconstructive surgery plan); the 14th post is a recap of my successful double mastectomy and immediate direct-to-implant reconstruction operation; the 15th post is about my surgical recovery and day full of follow-up appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester; the 16th post is about my one-month-post-surgical-follow-up appointment and preventative baseline ovarian cancer screenings at Mayo Clinic; the 17th post is about a suspicious rash I developed a month after my surgery called “pigmented purpura,” my consultation with a gynecological oncologist about ovarian cancer prevention, and my sister’s fifth chemotherapy infusion; the 18th post is about the end of my twin sister’s six neoadjuvant chemotherapy infusions (TCHP); the 19th post was about my twin sister’s double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery plan (amid the global outbreak of COVID19); the 20th post was about my twin sister’s double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction; the 21st post was about my twin sister’s surgical recovery; the 22nd post was about my twin sister’s first infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic; and the 23rd post was about my six-month survivorship clinic visit. To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link.
Here is my sister and her husband with the Mayo Brothers statue outside of the Gonda Building!
My twin sister just completed her second infusion of TDM1/Kadcyla–also known as “chemotherapy lite”–at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, last Friday! She and her husband arrived for her blood test at 10am, which showed that her blood levels were all within healthy ranges, so she was good to go for her second infusion. At her first infusion of TDM1/Kadcyla, she had an echocardiogram to check on her heart health, because Herceptin–a regular part of her TCHP chemotherapy infusions before her surgery and a part of the TDM1 she’s receiving now–can be hard on your heart. Her echocardiogram looked great, so she won’t need to do another echocardiogram until her third infusion of TDM1 (approximately every 3 months!).
She didn’t even need to visit with her oncologist or chemotherapy coordinator before her second infusion because things looked so good! So she and her husband were able to wander around the Mayo Clinic grounds and take lots of nice photographs in addition to playing some Pokémon GO. 🙂
My sister’s schedule for her second infusion of TDM1 at Mayo Clinic Rochester was nice and light!
When my sister and her husband arrived in the chemotherapy waiting room on Gonda 10, they talked with a 30-year-old woman who was also waiting for an infusion. It turns out she was also diagnosed with HER2+ Stage 2 breast cancer last year! She talked with my sister about how she had also been through surgery, the TCHP chemotherapy regimen, and now was on Herceptin. She had a cousin who beat Stage 3C breast cancer, as well, which was awesome for my sister to hear!!
Several people also stopped my sister and her husband to ask: “I love your shirt! Where can I buy one of those??” They had to tell them they were custom made 🙂
The second infusion of TDM1
After my sister’s first infusion of TDM1, she didn’t have any side effects besides being a bit tired. After her second round last Friday, she was pretty tired, so she laid low and took a nap the day after her infusion. But two days after her second infusion, she took a 6 mile “social distance” walk with a friend! Our prayers have been for her, and her entire family–including her husband who works at a high-volume warehouse!–to stay healthy; for her to have minimal/zero side effects following each infusion; and for joy and strength for her along the journey.
We are so grateful that God continues to answer those prayers! As you can tell, from her thumbs up in the photo below, the joy of the Lord is her strength 🙂 Which is the most amazing thing ever to see!!!
Thumbs up, all ready to go for her second infusion of TDM1/Kadcyla!
There was one speed bump in my sister’s second infusion of TDM1 last Friday. The chemo infusion sped up from 90 minutes to 30 minutes this time around, and my sister was a little nervous about that.
As soon as they started the infusion, my sister’s heart rate spiked suddenly–so the chemo nurses stopped the infusion. Luckily, she didn’t experience any pain or discomfort–just an elevated heart rate for a short period of time. So, after the chemo nurses observed her for a few minutes and took a small break in the infusion, they started it again.
Then she was fine!
So, ultimately, it was all okay. And all of her doctors have told her that after the second infusion of TDM1, it’s more or less smooth sailing for her remaining 12 infusions spaced 3 weeks apart! For every one of her remaining infusions, she will: 1) Get a COVID test to make sure she doesn’t have COVID one week before her scheduled infusion 2) Show up the morning of her infusion for a blood test to make sure her levels look good 3) Potentially have a meeting with her oncologist or chemo coordinator to make sure things look good / she’s feeling good the day of the infusion 4) She will have a half hour infusion! 5) She gets to go home to rest! (Also, she will have an echocardiogram approx. every 3 months to test her heart health.)
And, she and her husband got to enjoy this awesome view of the Gonda Building during the infusion!
Here’s the wonderful view of the Gonda Building my sister and her husband got to enjoy during my sister’s second infusion of TDM1!
I was talking with my husband the other day and we both agreed it seemed like years since all of this started. While 2020 has been terrible all around, the end of 2019 wasn’t awesome, either. The fact that I was diagnosed with and cured of cancer in a matter of 5 months at the age of 30 and my sister is being healed from her cancer for forever during a global pandemic is crazy to think about. We know she’s in the hands of the best doctors and nurses in the world, and we know God is in control over all of that. That truth gives us a lot of peace!
One of the most amazing things we’ve heard recently is about Lori, one of our baby-sister’s-best friend’s-mother’s-college-roommates who dedicated a bike ride to us as part of her participation in the annual “Ride for Roswell” to End Cancer in New York! She is riding 500 miles between June 1 and August 1, 2020, and dedicated a 14.1-mile leg of her ride to us this month!! According to her letter, it was a “lovely but cool morning” and she prayed for us the entire way. She prayed that “they may have the strength to get through the treatments, hope for better days and their eyes opened to see all of the wonderful people who are helping them on their journey.” We are so grateful for encouraging stories and supporters like Lori 🙂
One of our baby sister’s best friend’s mom’s college roommates dedicated part of her 500-mile bike ride to us!!! :)) <3
Also, “Phil’s Friends” is a nonprofit out of Chicago that provides free care packages for cancer patients. Someone signed up to provide both my sister and I with care packages for our journey, which we received toward the beginning of this journey after we’d both been diagnosed! We still receive thoughtful cards from them with prayers and jokes on the inside every several weeks. The jokes are hilarious (“How can you tell if a clock is hungry?” “It goes back 4 seconds!”), the packages we both got several months ago were amazing, there are handwritten and heartfelt notes and prayers from volunteers (like mine, below, from Yahmir!), and the whole initiative is so encouraging. If you know anyone going through cancer treatments, sign them up for a package from Phil’s Friends!!!
The card I received last month had this joke…
HAHA!
“I wish you joy. I hope this card makes you happy and you are amazing. -Yahmir, age 8” I almost cried reading this!!! Phil’s Friends cards are so thoughtful 🙂
While wandering around Mayo’s Rochester campus before her chemotherapy infusion, my sister and her husband took some photos and this is one of one of the Mayo Medical School buildings. Someday, maybe we will have children who go there and become doctors who save people’s lives!! Maybe we’ll even be able to start a scholarship in honor of our doctors and our journey someday :))
My sister’s next infusion of TDM1 will be on Friday, July 3rd; she meets with her plastic surgeon for her three-month follow-up appointment on July 9th; and we all basically forgot she’s taking a daily dose of Tamoxifen, a drug to keep estrogen levels low which lowers the risk of estrogen-positive cancer returning, every day for the next 3-5 years. She now has 12 infusions of TDM1 to go over the next 10 months!
Thank you so much for your continued prayers for 1) No reactions to these new chemo drugs 2) 100% effectiveness of the treatment so her cancer never ever comes back!! 3) Side effects to be minimal / nonexistent!! And, as I mentioned before, that the joy of the Lord would continue to be her strength. 🙂
Here is a nice “Oasis Garden” down the street from the Gonda Building at Mayo Clinic in Rochester!
This blog post is the 24th in a series about my (and my twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. The 1st post is about my first mammogram ever; the 2nd post is about my consultation at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic; the 3rd post is about my stereotactic core biopsy at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic; the 4th post is about my diagnosis with “Stage 0” DCIS breast cancer; the 5th post is about my in-person DCIS diagnosis at Mayo Clinic, beginning thoughts on my surgery timeline, and discovering that my twin sister might have breast cancer, too; the 6th post is about my twin sister’s invasive ductal carcinoma clinical stage 2A breast cancer diagnosis; the 7th post is about my breast MRI and two ultrasounds to investigate “suspicious” spots on my right breast and liver; the 8th post is about my second DCIS diagnosis following a week of MRIs, ultrasounds, and biopsies at Mayo Clinic; the 9th post is about preparing for my twin sister’s chemotherapy appointments, including details about her egg banking procedure in the city; the 10th post is a summary of my sister’s ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and visit to the emergency room; the 11th post is a summary of my double mastectomy surgery plan scheduled to occur on December 3rd, 2019 at Mayo Clinic’s Methodist Campus Hospital in Rochester; the 12th post is about my twin sister’s first chemotherapy infusion at Mayo Clinic; the 13th post is about foobs, photo shoots and nipple tattoos (my plastic / reconstructive surgery plan); the 14th post is a recap of my successful double mastectomy and immediate direct-to-implant reconstruction operation; the 15th post is about my surgical recovery and day full of follow-up appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester; the 16th post is about my one-month-post-surgical-follow-up appointment and preventative baseline ovarian cancer screenings at Mayo Clinic; the 17th post is about a suspicious rash I developed a month after my surgery called “pigmented purpura,” my consultation with a gynecological oncologist about ovarian cancer prevention, and my sister’s fifth chemotherapy infusion; the 18th post is about the end of my twin sister’s six neoadjuvant chemotherapy infusions (TCHP); the 19th post was about my twin sister’s double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery plan (amid the global outbreak of COVID19); the 20th post was about my twin sister’s double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction; the 21st post was about my twin sister’s surgical recovery; the 22nd post was about my twin sister’s first infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic; and the 23rd post was about my six-month survivorship clinic visit. To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link.
Sister Christian is a blogger, reporter, editor and follower of Jesus Christ seeking to find little miracles each and every day. She especially loves finding Jesus in art, music and culture. Learn more about her on Twitter @adailymiracle, and on Facebook as “A Daily Miracle.” Send an email to [email protected] with any comments, concerns or suggestions!
YouTube has refused to get rid of racist videos for over a decade.
YouTube is the biggest channel racists have to recruit and spread their views. For over a decade, I have reported hundreds of racist videos and comments that YouTube has refused to remove. Now, YouTube has posted a silly message in support of Black Lives Matter, while still refusing to remove videos like El Negrito Tomas, El Negro Thomas and El Nego Mama.
Tron Griffin grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He writes about issues facing Chicagoans. You can check out Tron’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/tron-griffin
In her valedictorian speech for the Hancock College Prep’s virtual graduation ceremony, Chicago Public Schools graduate Luria Tapia emphasized that “earning this high school diploma means more than earning a piece of paper. Earning this diploma means perseverance but not just through high school. We lived in the era of school shootings. For the past four years, we lived in Trump’s America. And now, we are living in a pandemic. Nonetheless, we went to school.”
She pushed graduates to be optimistic by saying, “I hope when we look back on life, we won’t look back on the things we lost or missed out on but on the way we learned more about ourselves and our potential during this time more than ever before.”
Because “George Floyd lost his life as a result of police brutality” and because of “a history of systemic oppression that has consistently worked against people of color, those of the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone who is different for that matter,” Tapia urged graduates to “rise to the occasion to make positive change. If there was a ‘time’ for us,” Tapia said, “I would say that time has officially arrived.”
Most importantly, Tapia highlighted how the class of 2020 must “listen to the truth that’s inside of you and ask yourself: what matters most in my life and what am I doing about the things that matter most to me? Until we know those answers, keep searching. And when you do know, please share it with someone, anyone, and everyone–even if they don’t want to listen.”
Click on the arrow in the upper right-hand corner to listen to her speech:
Since 1995, Ray has been an English teacher in the Chicago Public Schools.
In 2017, thanks to a former student, Ray received a Distinguished Secondary Teacher Award from Northwestern University.
In March 2013, The White Rhino tied for second place in the Best Blog category of the Education Writers Association’s national writing contest.
Ray earned an M.A. in Writing, with distinction, and a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from DePaul University. He’s been a National Board Certified Teacher for over ten years.
He graduated from a neighborhood Chicago public high school.
His writing aired on National Public Radio and Chicago Public Radio many times. His editorials appeared in the Chicago Tribune and on CNN’s Schools of Thought blog, as well as on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ Web site. He’s also written articles for NPR’s Latino USA, Latino Rebels, and NewsTaco.
Ray is also a powerlifter and an aspiring guitarist.
For thirty years, Ray lived in Chicago’s 26th Street neighborhood. Today, he lives a little more south and a little more west in the city with his wife, son, and daughter.
Photo credit: Rocky Jara @RockyJPhotography on Instagram
The Blog’s Title
This comes from a conversation with another Latino English teacher when we met a few years ago. He said I was the only other Latino English teacher he knew: “We’re white rhinos.”
According to National Geographic, there are about 20,000 southern white rhinos struggling to survive in the wild.
The last male northern white rhino in the world died in March.
Like the animal, Latino English teachers exist in low numbers. And we know the low number of Latinos with college degrees in our city.
Therefore, I have a perspective that, like the white rhino, must fight to exist. The writing here includes my responses, reflections, reactions to Latino- and education-related issues.
Thankfully these teens were identified and arrested by local police. I assume that the arrests were warranted and that the police did nothing to cause anyone to set fire to a Walmart.
Meanwhile…
Thankfully, police arrested nearly 50 in the night of looting in Tampa. Thank you, law enforcement.
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Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot who has been promising “soon” whenever she is asked when the Lakefront will reopen has finally taken the first step to “soon.”
Drumroll, please!
The mayor announced the opening date for the Lakefront Trail is June 22. The Lakefront Trail will open East of Lake Shore Drive from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.
The reopening plan allows trail use for commuting and exercise including walking, running and cycling. It requires users to stay in constant motion.
So what about the beaches?
Not so fast.
The beaches as well as all parks East of Lake Shore Drive will remain closed.
When will they reopen? “Soon.”
Bars, taverns and breweries
Beginning Wednesday, June 17, bars, lounges, taverns, breweries and other drinking establishments that sell alcohol for on-site consumption without a Retail Food License will be able to open for outdoor service only.
Bars may reopen outdoor areas, including outdoor patios, rooftops, rooms with retractable roofs and indoor spaces where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels provided that dining tables are within eight feet from such openings.
Under the industry guidelines, drinking establishments may reopen under similar health and safety restrictions that restaurants have been following since June 3, including the same requirements for outdoor service only.
Patrons must be seated at tables that are six feet apart, with six people or fewer per table. Furthermore, seating at drinking establishments will be limited to a maximum of two hours.
Alcohol sales at bars and restaurants for on-site consumption must end at 11:00 p.m. each night.
The sale of alcohol for carryout or delivery must cease at 9:00 p.m. each night.
Pools, playgrounds and athletic fields
While the trail will open, all other lakefront amenities including outdoor fitness equipment athletic fields and beaches will remain closed while public health officials advise the District on options to open safely.
Chicago’s swimming pools and playgrounds will remain closed while public health officials advise the Chicago Park District on options to open them safely. There will also be no use of outdoor fitness equipment, basketball courts, tennis courts or athletic fields, and parking lots will remain closed for the time being.
The Lakefront Trail detours
Due to the significant lakefront storm damage and high lake levels, three sections of the lakefront trail will merge to accommodate users. From Fullerton to North Avenue will be a shared trail. North Avenue to Ohio Street, trail users will be redirected to an on-street detour. From 43rd Street to 51st Street, users will merge onto one trail.
“We’re all excited to start the process of reopening our city but we need to do this cautiously and continue to follow all the guidance,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “Other cities and states that re-opened earlier are seeing rising case rates. We’ve made so much progress, we’d all hate to see that happen here in Chicago.”
For more information about the City’s “Protecting Chicago” reopening framework, and to find industry-specific guidelines, click here.
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Take a look at photos shared on Instagram below of diners enjoying their food out on the town in the Chicago area after restaurants opened outdoor eating to the public.
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