AIESEC CHICAGO

AIESEC International Party!!!

2006-05-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Enough said :)

Come party with us and meet cool/crazy northwestern girls/guys!!!

Tuesday 5/30. Nevin's pub.
1450 N Sherman
Evanston, IL

(Take the purple line and get off at Davis, walk east to Sherman, and a little south to Sherman and Lake).

MSN ME YOUR AWESOME INTERNATIONAL DANCE MUSIC!!! WE'RE MAKING A CD!! my msn is hellokitty8023@hotmail.com Or your can try AIESECNU@gmail.com

See u guys there!!

~Kaidi

Movie night: No Man's Land (2001)

2006-03-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

As always, Monday night, 8 pm

Director: Danis Tanovic
Writer: Danis Tanovic
Producers: Marc Baschet, Frederique Dumas, Cedomir Kolar
Actors:Branko Djuric as ChikiRene
Bitorajac as NinoFilip
Sovagovic as Cera
Genre: Drama/Comedy

Plot:
A Bosnian and a Serb get stranded in the middle of a battleground between two sides of the Bosnian war. The men do not like each other, but attempt to stay civil throughout. When they discover another man in the trench with a mine stuck under him, things get a little more complicated, and even further more, when the UN peacekeepers and news media find out about their particular situation stuck in no man's land.

Critique by Berge Garabedian:
An interesting foreign war movie featuring a nice balance between drama and humor, an eye-opening perspective on the Bosnian conflict and some beautiful, and I mean beautiful (I'm not kidding) surroundings. In fact, that's one of the things that really separates this movie from all other "war" flicks. It ain't grungy, it's ain't dark, it's ain't muddy and rainy...it's actually set in a picturesque field, each side of which is covered by the respective factions of the war. A nice plot device is having one person from either side (one Bosnian and one Serb) fall into the middle trench together, at which point they must deal with each other on a one-on-one basis. It's always funny (not funny "ha-ha") how folks find it more difficult to kill one another during a war, when they actually get to know each other, and are standing face-to-face...only them alone. And seeing as the film is set during one very gorgeous sunny afternoon, the injection of many funny lines and lighter moments, fit in nicely as well. One of my personal favorite running jokes was the one featuring the French UN peacekeeper who kept approaching people with the same first question, "Do you speak French?"-to which the proverbial answer was always "No"...but they do speak English! Poor French...no respect, I tell ya! There were also some tense moments, including one specific de-mining scene, which was particularly unnerving.

For more info on the movie click here

Last chance to go for ice skating

2006-03-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday, 10 am, Millenium Park

Second City

2006-03-10T11:53:00.000-08:00

Second City's "Iraqtile Dysfunction" show
Tuesday, 8 pm, $18
Reservations: 312.337.3992
1616 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60614

St.Patrick's parade, the South Side

2006-03-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a quote from internet:
"Forget the touristy event downtown; this is where the real Irish action happens.
The FestivitiesThe South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade takes over the streets for the largest community parade in the United States. Expect bagpipes, kilts, candy-throwing leprechauns and the omnipresence of all things green. The South Side Parade attracts bona fide Irish men and women and a spirited group of residents, wacky onlookers and serious partiers looking for an excuse to drink on a Monday morning. The parade begins at 12:00 am on Sunday, at 103rd Street and Western Avenue and proceeds south on Western to 115th Street, meandering through the Beverly and Morgan Park communities.

http://www.southsideirishparade.org/

St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday!!!

2006-03-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Information on the downtown St. Patrick's Day Parade this coming Saturday, March 11:

http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/parade.html

Images from 4 hour 14 countries' presentations: Europe

2006-03-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Michal presenting Slovakia. Lets see ... I remember they manufacture a lot of cars, future Detroit of Europe, then they manufacture a lot of cars ... and they manufacture a lot of cars. sorry Michal, I do not remember anything else :)

Deniz with Turkey presentation - they have a beautiful bridge that connects Asia and Europe. And for sure they all know how to dance belly dance.

Katia from Russia. Singing cheburashka, chocolates, wonderful St.Petersburg and Poexali! You do remember that :)

P.S. comments on Lithuania are more than welcome:)

Asia coverage

2006-03-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Kaushik covering one of the biggest democracies in the world with paradise on earth called Goa.

Katie presenting China with the fastest trains and biggest malls and Calvin taking us all the way to Honk Kong. They have pretty nice gate that was built to meet English Queen:)

Latinos

2006-03-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Lelis' and Christoph's presentation about tango, beef, soccer, matte, glaciers and parties on Wednesdays in Buenos Aires.

Fabio with Brazil: everything what ends with -est ..is from Brazil: the best voting system, the best banking system, the best oil refinement (?) system ... too many .. cannot remember them all :)

Australia

2006-03-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

The only continent and island at the same time. Be careful about pronouncation, it is not that easy as it seems :)

Random pics

2006-03-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

International Movie Festival

2006-03-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight we'll have the oscar winning Crash, at 8 pm as usual.
3000 N Sheridan

Crash

A Brentwood housewife and her D.A. husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. An African-American television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A middle-aged Korean couple. They all live in Los Angeles. And during the next 36 hours, they will all collide.

Thanks!

2006-03-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the trainees for an awesome time Saturday. It was so much fun learning about your cultures. You guys rock!

And thanks to Indre, Michal, and Christoph for organizing it all :)

2006-03-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

More info on countries' presentations

2006-03-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Looks like there will be quite a few presentations and load of new information. Please try to make it around 10-15 min.

C u tomorrow
@ Sheridan 3000, 8 pm

Here come the countries

2006-02-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

So we already have a few presentations for Saturday night. Here are the nominees for the future most visited country :)

1. Mexico
2. Slovakia
3. India
4. Lithuania
5. Turkey
6. Hong Kong/China
7. Shanghai
8. Australia
9. Argentina
10. Russia
11. Brazil
12. Ivory Coast
13. Morocco
14. US
........

hopefully more to come

Science and Industry Museum on Saturday

2006-02-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Museum of Science and Industry Chicago Discount through March 31, 2006

If you wanna come, lets meet Saturday 1 pm @ Museum

Because of Kraft's support of the Museum of Science & Industry, employees can enjoy a 15 percent discount on general admission and Omnimax ticket purchases. The discount, which was effective since last March, expires this March 31, 2006.To receive the discount, employees must give the museum representative a code number, which can be found on the attached document.For more information on the museum's exhibits, theater times and more, visit its website at www.msichicago.org. For reservations, call 773.684.1414.

Link: http://www.msichicago.org

You can find the discount coupon on Kraft Etc. bulletin (under Community/Leasure)

Indre

It's time to tell us about YOUR COUNTRY

2006-02-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons why I (and believe most of the trainees too) came here - was curiosity to meet people from all over the world: Africa, America, Europe, Asia. And although I am sure there will be a lot of traineeship follow-up trips visitng each other and experiencing different cultures lets start this weekend with our countries' presentation.
If you have powerpoint presentation already, just bring it to our house, if not put together some facts, nice places, funny info, few language tips, some body language tips, foods, characteristics of people from your homecountry and come to Sheridan 3000 this Saturday, March4th, 8pm.

C u, Indre

International Movie Nights @ Sheridan 3000 (as always 8pm)

2006-02-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hi, tonight we are watching "Maria Full of Grace"
United States/Colombia, 2004

When applied to an animal, the term "mule" refers to a beast of burden - a slow, plodding, stupid creature whose sole asset is that it can transport large amounts of cargo without choice or complaint. When applied to a human being, the word means essentially the same thing, or at least that's the perception of those who employ the "mule." In the drug world, mules are used to carry the product into countries without being detected. Instead of being stashed in luggage or sewn into jacket linings, where they will likely be detected, the illegal substances are transported in the stomach of the mule. It's a dangerous business, but, for those who normally make poverty-level wages working long hours, the money is sometimes too great a lure.

Maria Full of Grace, the feature debut from Joshua Marston, tells the stories of three mules who travel from Colombia to New York with more than fifty pellets of cocaine in their bellies. It's a brilliant motion picture, not only because of the meticulous detail used in presenting the process from start to finish, but because of the clarity with which Marston develops the characters. The individuals populating Maria Full of Grace are three-dimensional, with understandable motives. They do not seem like constructs whose actions are determined by the needs of a screenplay. In dramatizing the situations depicted in the movie, Marston's approach is virtually flawless.

In a stunning performance, Catalina Sandino Moreno plays Maria, a 17-year old Colombian girl who quits her grueling job as a rose de-thorner after a run-in with an unsympathetic boss. For Maria's family, this is a harsh economic blow, because everyone living in the small house - including her mother, grandmother, and unmarried sister - relies in part on Maria's wages to survive. Worse still, Maria learns that she is pregnant, but refuses to marry her baby's father. In desperate need of money, Maria investigates an "employment opportunity" that requires her to act as a mule on the Colombia to New York run. She is accompanied on the trip by her best friend, Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega), and Lucy (Guilied Lopez), a young woman making her third such journey.

When it comes to the nuts-and-bolts process of transporting the dope, no movie I have seen has done as thorough a job. (I would compare this to the first 30 minutes of Martin Scorsese's Casino, which presents a semi-documentary primer on casino operation.) We see how the pellets are manufactured, how the mules practice suppressing the gag reflex so they can swallow, how they are "fed" the drugs, what happens if they accidentally expel one before it is meant to be released, and the brutal consequences of a ruptured pellet.

The Colombian drug lord who employs Maria makes it sound like an easy way to make money, but it is shown to be anything but that. The process is grueling. Airport security is on the lookout for mules, and Maria's cover-story is too thin to pass muster. And the "hotel" in New York where she must deliver the goods is a seedy dive, and she's under the "care" of two thugs who will do whatever is necessary to retrieve the product. To them, she's no more important than any other container.

The motivations of the three women are explored. Maria, desperately unhappy with her current lot in life, wants an opportunity for herself and her unborn child. The United States is not a wonderland, but it offers better possibilities than Colombia. Blanca agrees to become a mule because she is bored, stubborn, and seduced by the money. And Lucy, whose story is the saddest, wants to be reunited with her sister, who lives in New York. On her two previous trips, she was unable to work up the courage to make contact. This may be her last opportunity.
By making the characters ordinary, Marston enhances the audience's ability to identify with them. Maria, Blanca, and Lucy are not in any way superhuman, nor are they endowed with amazing abilities. They are flawed, and make mistakes. When the pressure is on, they don't always do the right thing. We believe in Maria, and accept that, although she may not be real, there are others out there just like her who are.

The film's title (taken from the Catholic "Hail Mary" prayer) and poster imagery (a young woman receiving communion, with the wafer being replaced by a pellet) might lead a potential viewer to expect Maria Full of Grace to be overflowing with religious iconography. In fact, it isn't. Although there is an implied criticism of the hypocrisy inherent in a heavily religious society, this isn't something Marston dwells on. The movie is political, but there's an evenhandedness to its approach of the drug culture. Maria, Blanca, and Lucy are presented as victims, but not as unwilling innocents. Their plight is tragic, and there's little doubt that they have been preyed upon by avaricious men, but they enter into the contract with the Devil willingly. Like all who make such a pact, they are shocked when payment is exacted so quickly and ruthlessly.

Like many movies I have championed over the years, this one is disturbing. It is impossible to sit through Maria Full of Grace and not be affected by the circumstances of the characters. For that, the credit must go to Marston and his actors (especially Moreno, who, if she desires, could have an impressive career in front of the camera). The film's dramatic arc has genuine emotional impact, but there is never the slightest hint of manipulation on the part of the director. Yet, despite the dark nature of the material, Maria Full of Grace is not steeped in bleakness. The film ends not on a nihilistic note, but on one that could be considered hopeful. For those who appreciate serious dramas, this is one that should not be missed.

Weekend plan

2006-02-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

Saturday
1.30pm – AMERICAN FOOTBALL CAMP
( Lincoln Park at the Corner of North ave. and Clark.)
- Jeff Davis will teach us how to play American football

7.00pm – 10.00pm – Quick Party @ 3000 N Sheridan to welcome our new trainee, KATYA from Russia, and to have some shots on Michal's birthday…

10.00pm leaving for Brazilian carnival at Nacional 27 (325 W. Huron St.) Place closes around 2 am, so if you cannot make it to Sheridan 3000 before 10, come to Nacional straight.

Sunday
1.30 pm Lunch @ CZECH-O-SLOVAKIAN restaurant www.klaschicago.com

For lunch, please confirm to Michal's email, or send him text message on cell phone, latest Saturday 10.00 am, so he can make reservation.

c u somewhere

Kevin Cooper's message

2006-02-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends and Llamas,

I'm fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of 'Fabulous Fabian' who passed away when he was just 5 years old.

I'm also having a fundraising party at the always classy (well, always fun anyhow) Bar Chicago at 9 W. Division (At State Street) in Chicago. It will be on Friday, February 17th.

There will be free draft beer and 2 for 1 mixed drinks from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Well, almost free. In order to help people survive Leukemia and other cancers, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has to pay for research, and I'm trying to help. I'm charging just $10 in advance, or $15 at the door.

I'll also be raffling off prizes during the bar party. I still have stuff coming in, but so far I have stuff from Great Clips, Chili's, Chipotle, Dominick's, and Best Buy.

To buy tickets, go to this website: www.active.com/donate/tntil/KMCooper and make a donation equal to the number of tickets you want x $10. (Feel free to donate more than the tickets are if you'd like, I gotta raise $3100)

Then email me (preferably at kevin4leukemiasociety@hotmail.com) with the number of tickets you ordered and your name. Also, if you order soon and want them mailed, please let me know your address. Otherwise, I will hold them at the door.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at either address, or call me at 847-942-9298.

Go ahead and pass this one to all your closest friends!I appreciate your support!!

Thanks,
Coop

Hey AIESECers!

2006-02-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

Many of you attended our AIESEC conference last quarter and we made some great steps forward. I want to invite everyone to the AIESEC conference this quarter which we're lucky to have in Chicago again!

The conference will be held the weekend of February 17-19 and will be the major conference for the entire region so we will have AIESECers from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota.

We are working on the location right now (probably a hotel in one of the Chicago suburbs) but I will keep everyone updated as I know more.

If you are interested in attending please contact me at ao-smith@northwestern.edu soon so that I know how many people are interested in coming!

Hope to see you soon,
A.O.
937.216.1038

PS. The country presentation night won't take place that weekend and will be held probably the weekend of the 25th. Christoph

Hey AIESECers!

2006-02-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

I know many of the trainees have been keen to volunteer, so here are some resources to help you get involved. Since we all have different interests, schedules, and locations, I think it would be easiest if we find the opportunities most appealing to each of us. Once you have some idea of what you are interested in (issue area, demographic, location) I would be happy to help you find specific opportunities or contact a particular organization. Just call or send me an email – (847) 644-6117. Also, please be aware that working with children usually requires a background check.

Chicago Volunteer: http://www.chicagovolunteer.net. This is an excellent site that you can use to search for opportunities by location, issue area and other criteria. If you use the search on the top right corner of the site you will get to a page from where you can conduct a more advanced search.

Volunteer Match: http://www.volunteermatch.org. Another good volunteering search engine like Chicago Volunteer.

Chicago Cares: http://www.chicagocares.org/IndVol_Today.asp. Chicago Cares organizes over 100 projects each month in areas such as children, education, hunger, and senior citizens. An orientation is required – see website for more information.

You can also use Northwestern’s volunteer opportunities page, though I don’t find it quite as good/specific as the first two search engines: http://www.norris.northwestern.edu/vc.php. It has information about opportunities in other areas of Chicago, not just Evanston.

If anyone is interested in volunteering in Evanston please let me know as I have more information about specific opportunities in this area.

Let me know when and where you start volunteering!

Good luck!

<>Nandita
AIESEC Northwestern
(847) 644-6117

Country Presentation @ 3000 N Sheridan

2006-01-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, we are having a country presentation night in a couple of weeks (most probably weekend of Feb 18-19). Detailed information on the event will be provided soon. But meanwhile I need to know who would be attending and who would be interested in presenting. Please e-mail me.

Thanks

Calvin wrote:

2006-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

My roommates and I are hosting a house-warming party this coming Saturday night. You're most welcome to visit us!

Date: January 28, 2006 Saturday
Time: 9pm
Venue: The Pavilion Apartment
Highlight:
- Beer & snacks will be served
- Celebrating the Chinese New Year (which is Jan 29!)
Address:
5461 N. East River Rd, Apt 1602
Chicago, IL 60656Directions:
(by CTA towards O'Hare airport) Take blue line and get off at Cumberland station and pickup will be arranged.

(by car but please let me know in advance if you're driving - for parking issue)
1. I-90W towards O'Hare/Rockford
2. Take exit 79A (IL-171S)
3. Bear right at N. Cumberland Ave (go for 0.4 mi)
4. Turn right at W Catalpa Ave (go for 0.5 mi)
5. Turn left at N. East River Rd (for 261 ft)
You'll see the only high-rise,16-storey building - i.e. The Pavilion Apartments

Hope to see you on Saturday!! (my cell phone is shown below)
--
CalvinVNU Media Measurement and Information
---------------------------------------------------------------
t: 1.773.399.0164 (Chicago Home)
t: 1.646.725.9138 (US Cellphone)
t: 852.8175.8022 (Hong Kong Skype#)
"All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them."~ Walt Disney

2006-01-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

So, this is it. We now have a blog for the Chicago AIESEC community. I hope this helps us keep in touch. Please send me e-mails so I can add you to the members list.