Category: Current Affairs
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Happy Canada Day! … from Chicago…
In connecting two concepts: July 1 is Canada Day. July 1, 1867 was the day that HRM Queen Victoria signed the British North America Act and officially declared Canada to be a country. Milt Rosenberg is an iconic Chicago radio broadcaster. Over the years, he has regularly interviewed the likes of Henry Kissinger and Margaret…
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Darrel Babuk presented with Visit Oak Park Award
At the Annual Meeting of Visit Oak Park (formerly known as the Oak Park Area Visitor and Convention Bureau), Darrel Babuk was presented with the “New Member of the Year Award”, in recognition of the Babuk Presentations, Inc. initiative. Though Darrel Babuk is a practicing architect – having completed various project and program management projects…
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It’s a New Year – 2011!
As I keep reminding people, any good Canadian Prairie Kid can tell you that there’s a good three or four days left to celebrate Christmas… In exchanging Seasons Greetings with my colleagues, the universal response has been something to the effect that “2011 will definitely be better than 2010 because it couldn’t get much worse”. …
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An Expanding Role for Babuk Presentations
The relationship enjoyed by Canada and the United States is a model to be envied around the world. While the cross border relationship thrives in many ways, the intertwined nature of both countries’ economies is fascinating: not only are both countries each others’ largest trading partner, but the value of exports from one virtually equals…
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It’s been a while, folks….
…and a whirlwind of activities it has been. Just to name a few of the distractions that came over me: Leading a program for the National Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians that was held in Chicago. Delivering a presentation of “Canadian Architects of the Chicago School 1884 – 1935” to the National Festival…
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The North Avenue Architecture Photo Party
North Avenue, the border between the north side of Oak Park and the Galewood neighborhood of Chicago, is relatively newer than many surrounding neighborhoods. While the buildings along North Avenue post date Frank Lloyd Wright, he golfed here with friends and clients. Many used the area as a place to get away and hide from…
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So, what was that you wanted to know?
The last month or so has seen a flurry of behind the scenes activity at the Babuk Report. All for the good. It’s all about Learn About Chicago a venture described elsewhere in this blog. Learn About Chicago is an initiative that is an extension of the sort of architectural awareness and organization that I’ve…
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More Poetry
In response to a recent musing about William McGonagall, friends from Vancouver have since brought to my attention Sarah Binks, the Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan. A regular feature on a CBC Radio broadcast, her works included poetry like this: “My Garden” A little blade of grass I see Its banner waving wild and free And…
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Happy New Decade!
Happy New Year. It’s surprising to see that we’re already a decade into the new century. Previous posts have spoken about vacant storefronts and even vacant buildings, all from the aftermath of the latest economic turn. There is so much vacant space out there that based on current absorption rates, some markets have several years…
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Christmas Trees Around the World in Cook County
Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods, and a city of many ethnic backgrounds and traditions. Recently, I was invited to attend the Cook County Treasurer’s / Office of Ethnic Affairs Christmas Party of “Christmas Trees Around the World”. Every year, they send me an invite to attend. They know me from the…