Evanston Girl Scouts Advance to State LEGO Robotics Competition

"R1E6," a LEGO Robotics team of six Evanston Girl Scouts from cadette troops 33 and 99, have placed fourth out of 12 teams competing in the First LEGO League regional tournament, held on Dec. 15 in Waukegan. The Scouts' sophisticated robot earned them the opportunity to attend the 10th annual Illinois State FLL Championships to be held Jan. 18-19 in Arlington Heights.

Annika Erixon, Emily Fishkin, Eleanor Goerss, Emma Milliken, are all from Girl Scout Troop 33, and Elizabeth Haas is a member of Troop 99. Their Scout leader in this endeavor is Debbie Crimmins.

When the challenge was first issued on Sept. 5, 2006, the girls' first task was to build a LEGO robot provided through a collaboration between Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the Motorola Foundation. The girls programmed the robot to accomplish a series of "missions," or tasks, including placing or retrieving items. This year's theme was "Power Puzzle"; tasks included opening a solar-powered satellite, placing power lines and removing barrels from an oil rig.

Additionally, the team was required to choose a building in the community, perform an energy audit and make suggestions on saving energy. The Girl Scouts chose the Evanston Public Library, interviewed the interim library director, reviewed the blueprints and power usage statistics and toured the heating and air conditioning system areas.

In Waukegan, R1E6 had four opportunities to demonstrate their robot at the judges' table throughout the day-long tournament. The R1E6 Girl Scout team also prepared a project presentation, a team interview, and a technical interview for the panel of judges.

R1E6 will run the same course with their robot in the state competition. They will be competing against the top eight teams from each of the 13 regional tournaments. Teams will be judged on fulfillment of technical requirements, challenge project, and research presentation and observation.

A Book Review

"The Island"

By Sue Brooke

"The Island," by Victoria Hislop, is a multi-generational saga taking the reader to a small island just off Crete. The book was a number-one best-selling novel in Britain before being published in the United States.

Spinalonga, a beautiful island with vibrant blue waters washing against the white pebble beaches, was a leper colony from 1903 to 1957.

During World War II, Spinalonga had a bustling economy, its busy streets lined with houses and small shops. Flowers bloomed in the gardens and the cinema showed movies twice a week.

Nonetheless, the people were isolated, banished from their families and considered "the unclean." Family members on the mainland were reluctant to admit they had a leper in the family.

Just across from Spinalonga, on Crete, the townspeople of Plaka feared contamination from Spinalonga. Everyone knew someone who had been banished. And everyone knew the telltale sign - a brown spot that meant a child or a young mother or a fiancée had to go away. Those left behind had to deal with the shame.

In 2001 Alexis is at loose ends and not sure she really wants to marry her fiancé. Having grown up in England,
she visits Plaka to find out more about her roots.

At Plaka she becomes fascinated with the now-deserted island of Spinalonga. What she learns is that things that happened in the distant past have rippling effects down several generations. It is necessary to understand what happened to parents and grandparents in order to better understand oneself.

Though the Internet has photos of the deserted leper colony and boats make the trip to the island daily, there are no accommodations on Spinalonga now.

A Film Review

"There Will Be Blood"

By Joe Linstroth

In what was already a strong year for movies, 2007 saved the best for last with the highly anticipated release of "There Will Be Blood," writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film in almost five years.

Those familiar with Mr. Anderson's previous work - "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," and "Punch Drunk Love" - will recognize the themes of corrupted, troubled souls and tenuous family bonds in this sprawling epic, loosely based on Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil!", which, thanks in large part to a jaw-dropping performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, is nothing short of
a masterpiece.

Mr. Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a silver miner who, at the turn of the century, manages to pick and dynamite his way into the burgeoning oil business. By the time he utters his first words, nearly 20 minutes into the film, it is clear Daniel Plainview is both hardworking and out to ensure that his hard work benefits himself greatly.

Pitching his services to small towns, Mr. Plainview sounds like a traveling quack. In place of snake-oils and tonics that promise rejuvenation, he offers wealth and civic improvement to naive townsfolk unable to comprehend the riches that lie beneath their ranches and farms.

Mr. Plainview totes around a preadolescent boy he took in as a baby with the dubious intention, it seems, of adding legitimacy to his charming façade. "I have the bond of family that very few oilmen can understand," he tells one Texas town inquiring about his services.

Pitching his services to small towns, Mr. Plainview sounds like a traveling quack. In place of snake-oils and tonics that promise rejuvenation, he offers wealth and civic improvement to naive townsfolk unable to comprehend the riches that lie beneath their ranches and farms.

Mr. Plainview totes around a preadolescent boy he took in as a baby with the dubious intention, it seems, of adding legitimacy to his charming façade. "I have the bond of family that very few oilmen can understand," he tells one Texas town inquiring about his services.

When Mr. Plainview and his son receive a tip from a stranger (Paul Dano) about oil oozing from the man's family ranch in California, they head west. Before long, the dusty California town of New Boston is littered with oil derricks and giddy with the prospect of economic growth.

The town's unofficial leader is the tipster's twin brother, Eli Sunday (Mr. Dano), a fundamentalist preacher who manipulates fire and brimstone for personal gain much the same way Plainview uses oil. Daniel and Eli recognize their similarities and despise each other for them, touching off a battle of wills in which both men plumb the depths of their own shamelessness to achieve their fortunes.

"There Will Be Blood" is visually stunning. From the filthy muck of a well bottom to the velvety oil oozing from the earth to the vast desert landscape, cinematographer Robert Elswit captures the grueling early days of the American oil business.

The soundtrack, by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, adds an audio texture to Mr. Elswit's images with tribal beats, menacing pizzicato and rapid crescendos that scream like air-raid sirens.

Never one to take a role lightly, Daniel Day-Lewis's transformation of Mr. Plainview from a self-made oilman into an unscrupulous misanthrope is so complete that watching him is both awe-inspiring and disturbing. Despite Mr. Lewis's commanding presence, however, Paul Dano ("Little Miss Sunshine") more than holds his own as a preacher infected by worldly desires.

Whether it is viewed as an exploration of how greed corrupts the soul, an allegory about the influences of religion and capitalism on society and on each other, or just a gripping, epic tale, "There Will Be Blood" has solidified Paul Thomas Anderson's status as one of
Hollywood's true auteurs.

2 hrs., 38min. Rated R for violence and language.

EYE ON EVANSTON

The Children's Library

By John Macsai

We all have our favorite places in Evanston, one we like to frequent summer or winter, one where we feel comfortable. My place is the Public Library. Though I would not have voted for an imitation Frank Lloyd Wright building, I find it fits into the eclectic Evanston environment. For me, the garland in the recently renovated Children's Library just left of the main lobby says it all: "Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library."

As a place for meetings and performances, as a place for young children to be introduced to culture through reading, even as a place for the homeless to get warm or use the washrooms to clean up, the library is a place with a heart.

As you enter the lobby, you can immediately sense the children's area: It is extremely colorful and has a higher noise level than the rest of the building. The original building was designed by Joe Powell, a young Philadelphia architect who won first prize in a national competition; the construction documents were prepared by the firm Nagle Hartray of Chicago. The interior design of the Children's Library is the work of the firm architectureisfun (Sharon and Peter Exley) and Nagle Hartray again prepared the construction documents.

"Colorful" is the right adjective to use to describe the space, well lit by ambient lighting. Suspended light troughs shoot up light that bounces from the ceiling, while the glare of the source is invisible. The walls are bright blue or green set off by sections of mellow gray; the columns are vivid orange, red, green or blue and the carpeting on the floor consists of areas of orange, beige, green or yellow ochre. Some of the carpet panels create a visual variety with interesting patterns of gingko leaves.

The bookcases are in scale with the children, and the computers are placed at the right height. Space flows effortlessly except when it is periodically interrupted by imaginative, colorful activity isles that invite the kids to play, rest on padded pillows, interact or become puppeteers in a mini-theater.

I am sure I have left out some of the large variety of available activities. As I wandered around, I bumped into a life-sized teddy bear leaning against the wall, and in one corner I chatted with a small boy of 13 reading on the floor to his 6-year-old sister.

Most of the children were with an adult. Of course the noise level was higher than elsewhere in the library, as expected. I discussed this with the librarians who are genuinely nice people who love their jobs and the kids. The only complaint I heard was that occasionally a parent will disappear.

Having no adult book stacks on the first floor makes the second floor adult section pleasantly quiet and one has the choice of taking the elevators or the extremely maneuverable stairs.

The new Children's Library is a cheerful, happy, warm space run by the same friendly, devoted people who run the rest of the library. Do not miss it. The only regret I have is that I am not young enough to take full advantage of the space.

Eight 'Green' Resolutions for 2008

By Mayre Press

Most of us make New Year's resolutions and, with recent news items about living greener, some plan to incorporate that. Here are ideas to combine 2008 resolutions with "doable" actions to create a greener life.

Some of these suggestions have been made before, and some have followed them. Bravo. Others though, may require a bit more prodding. So, as they say in advertising, "Tell them. Tell them what you told them. Then tell them again."

1. Take a reusable water bottle for working out. We have heard the phrase, "Just say no to bottled water." Now put it to use. Stainless steel or Nalgene plastic bottles are more durable and do not leach toxins. These bottles have wider mouths that make it easier to add ice.

2. Bring canvas bags for shopping. Look at the trees near any shopping mall to see a sad sight; bare trees littered with petroleum-based, non-degradable plastic bags. Canvas bags are not a luxury item as most cost less than $10, and some sell for as little as $5.

3. Use a mug for coffee or tea at the office. Take a favorite mug from home or buy one with your name, initials, favorite animal or cartoon character on it. Go ahead. ... Express your inner child. If you must be serious, go with basic black.... It will not show the tea or coffee stains.

4. Replace at least one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent (CFL). Gee, this one sounds familiar. The price for these little energy misers has come down to an affordable $6.95 for four bulbs. Now there is no excuse.

5. Turn the thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in summer. On a cold winter's night this may seem like a huge sacrifice. Most seasons, those extremely cold periods only happen for a day or two at a time. Conversely, during summer's hottest spells, two degrees warmer may be more than some can handle. Gratefully, those dog days of summer do not hang around long. So sleep winters in flannels or summers in lightweight T-shirts, and smile as the energy bills grown smaller.

6. Commute with an alternative transportation mode at least two days per month. This one is easy. ... carpool, walk, bike or take public transit. Use common sense. ... Don't pick the coldest or hottest days to be outdoors. Perhaps you will enjoy the change so much it will become permanent.

7. Eat lower on the food chain: Go meatless at least one day per week. Even meat-and-potato eaters can do this. There are plenty of other proteins available, such as beans, cheese, fish and eggs. Eating vegetables and grains mixed with some delicious proteins will still satisfy.

8. Be an advocate for greener living. Perhaps a neighbor or co-worker does not shop with reusable bags. Speak up about the need for public transit or the benefits of eating locally grown fruits and vegetables. A degree in environmental or earth sciences is not required to advocate on behalf of greener living.

Do not hesitate to go out and live greener in 2008. Please feel free to become overachievers. Replace four bulbs with CFLs or ride a bike to work one day a week. Throw another quilt on the bed and turn the thermostat down four degrees. Many eco-conscious readers may do everything on this list and have done so for years. Great. Now reread number eight and advocate, advocate, advocate.

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

Porchlight Works to Create Safer Environments and Heal College Sexual Assault Survivors

By Julie Hynes

Inside Sherman Methodist Church on the corner of Ridge and Noyes, the motivated young staff of Porchlight Counseling Services works tirelessly to connect with college campuses in Chicagoland and influential community members around them in their efforts to tackle one of the most serious, under-addressed problems facing students pursuing higher education.

"One in four women experiences sexual assault or attempted sexual assault during college," reads a bright pink flyer designed by a female marketing student at Columbia College who volunteered her services to Porchlight Counseling Services. An orange poster reports that "one in six men will be sexually assaulted in his lifetime."

Evanston, whose appreciation of higher education is illustrated by the statistic that less than 10 percent of the population over 25 years old lacks a college education, seems a natural base from which to organize efforts to create safer educational environments.

Porchlight Counseling Services, a not-for-profit corporation with a small board of directors, exists "to help college sexual assault survivors achieve healing and wholeness and to create a world in which a person's life is not defined by the devastating experience of sexual assault."

The organization was founded in 2004 by a group of community members concerned about the high incidence of sexual assault among college students. These individuals partnered with a psychologist and conducted a study which revealed that many college students did not seek the services they needed after experiencing sexual assault because they feared their peers would see them going into the college counseling office.

To ensure confidentiality for this underserved population, Porchlight Counseling Services provides off-campus counseling, advocacy and other services to male and female college students who have been victims of sexual assault either before or during college. Services are also provided to adults who are no longer in college but who were assaulted while they were in
college or graduate school.

Porchlight Counseling Services aims to "[provide] high-quality, long-term counseling and services at no charge to the client as quickly as possible in order to help the sexual assault survivor heal and get on with life." The organization also provides community education around the issue of college assault.

The work of Porchlight Counseling Services is not without its frustrations, as the uncomfortable topic of sexual assault on campus is one that people are often reluctant and sometimes unwilling to discuss.

Executive director Laura Sabino says of college sexual assault that "the ramifications of acknowledging [it] affect interpersonal relationships," and, further, the fact "that in the society there are places that women are allowed to go and not allowed to go has huge implications for the idea of equality in higher education." Ms. Sabino, who has 11 years experience as an executive director and specializes in helping grassroots organizations increase their ability to deliver services, explains the severity of this problem, saying that "the fear of rape restricts what women do, where they go, and how they exist in the world. ... Women will never achieve equality in society until they can be free from the threat of violence."

This year, Porchlight Counseling Services received a grant from Americorps VISTA that has made it possible to hire five new staff members. This has resulted in an increase in community outreach efforts. VISTA worker Kelsey Telega, an outreach specialist, provides a link between Porchlight Counseling Services and local colleges as well as the larger community. She educates people about sexual assault with presentations to student groups, faculty members and students living in campus housing.

On her role at Porchlight Counseling Services, Ms. Telega states, "I am here to create a constant presence at universities, so that if someone needs our services, they will know, right away, where to seek help."

Megan Chuhran recently began her work at Porchlight Counseling Services as an outreach specialist to various colleges. She will use her experience as a teaching assistant in creative writing courses to facilitate workshops that use creative writing as a tool to heal the wounds of sexual assault. Ms. Chuhran believes her work will "encourage openness and discussion, so that the community can deepen its understanding of, and take responsibility for, violence against women." Ms. Chuhran hopes to end the silence and ignorance surrounding the issues of sexual assault that she describes as "the perfect environment in which sexual assault, and the isolation and shame of the victim, thrive."

The majority of the Porchlight Counseling Services's clients are and have been from the north side of Chicago, and the earliest work in community outreach was directed towards the northern suburbs and the north side of the city. Evanston, which is known for the community involvement of its citizens, has provided the organization with many compassionate volunteers and donors. Currently, Porchlight Counseling Services is especially in need of volunteers with experience in the fields of marketing and advertising to help with projects such as redesigning their web page, as well as volunteers who may be prospective board members.

To volunteer or make a donation, call Laura Sabino at 847-864-1557 or e-mail her through the organization's web page: www.porchlightcounseling.org. Potential clients seeking services can call the helpline at 773-750-7077.

Free Tax Assistance For Seniors

The City of Evanston provides two locations where seniors can schedule assistance from trained AARP volunteers to prepare their 2006 state and federal tax returns.

The Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave., offers assistance on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to noon, from Feb. 1 through April 11. Seniors can schedule appointments at the Levy Center by calling 847-448-8250.

The Commission on Aging also provides tax assistance to seniors at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave. Appointments can be made from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, from Feb. 6 through April 9. To schedule a session at the Civic Center, call the Commission on Aging, 847-866-2919.

Youth Job Center Receives $50,000 Grant From Gap Inc.

The Youth Job Center of Evanston has received $50,000 from Gap Inc. in support of the organization's job training and placement services. Representatives from YJC agency received a check distributed through Gap Inc.'s 2007 community investment program.

Speaking of the Youth Job Center, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said, "I can personally attest to the organization's effectiveness in providing job-readiness, placement and employment support in partnership with area employers. The organization has established strong partnerships with school districts, businesses and community members to significantly enhance the comprehensive and specialized employment services available to young people in Northern Cook County."

The YJC says it will use the grant to support its Youth Employment Initiative, which deals with the agency's programs for younger youth, ages 14-15.

Firewood Sale Continues

The City of Evanston's annual firewood sale continues 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays, at 2310 Oakton St., Evanston (between the former recycling center and the animal shelter). The cost is $20 per 1/8 face cord; $30 per 1/4 face cord; $50 per 1/2 face cord; or $90 per full face cord.

Payment by personal check is preferred, although payment can also be made in cash. Credit cards are not accepted. Delivery is not available.

Because of the emerald ash borer infestation, none of the firewood being sold is ash.

As a result, there will be less firewood available for sale this year than in previous years. Once supplies are depleted, the Saturday sales will be discontinued for the year. For more information, call 847-866-2912.

Registration for Children's Storytimes

Registration opens at the Evanston Public Library for children's winter programs and storytimes on Jan. 7. Storytimes are open to children ages 12 months and up. Parents or caregivers accompany children for storytimes with the exception of "All by Myself," a special storytime for children who are ready to attend a program without a parent present. Parent-Child Workshops, for parents and children ages 1-3 years, include traditional play activities, crafts and songs, with additional support from experienced parenting professionals. Register for these and other Library programs by visiting or calling the Main Library at 847-448-8610. Parents may call the South Branch at 866-0333 or the North Branch at 866-0330 to register for programs at those sites.