1984

• The Bell System broke up into regional “Baby Bells.”
• Van Hallen released 1984.
• Michael Jackson burned his scalp while shooting a commercial for Pepsi.
• Apple introduced the Macintosh during Super Bowl XVIII.
• The Winter Olympics opened in Sarajevo.
• Marvin Gay was shot and killed.
• The Soviet Union boycotted the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
• Virgin Atlantic Airways made its inaugural flight.
• Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space.
• Vanessa Williams relinquished her crown as Miss America after nude photos appeared in Penthouse.
• Space Shuttle Challenger made its 10^th mission; Discovery, its first.
• Hezbollah bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
• The BBC first reported on the famine plaguing Ethiopia that would kill a million by year’s end.
• Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale for a second term as President.
• Crack, the smokeable form of cocaine, was introduced into Los Angeles.
• Tipper Gore forms Parents Music Resource Center after hearing Prince’s Purple Rain.
• Andy Kaufman died.
• Mark Zuckerberg was born (on my birthday, no less).

These Late Victorian storefronts feature Greek Revival and Italianate detail, and sit mostly empty today.

Sharing Personal Information

When Facebook went public a few weeks ago, I reconsidered my social media presence. I have clamped down on what I share and where I share. In short, I aim to keep family stuff private. When I share things about my family, it will be generically. No names, places, and so forth.

Sharing Other’s Information

I do not share other people’s personal information. If I do, it is with that person’s knowledge and permission. Sometimes I may write about

Facebook

If you are connected to me on Facebook, we know each other. I do not connect with people that I have never met, and decline invitations from people I do not know. Where my professional connections have crossed over into friendships, I have connected. I am reconsidering that policy, however.

By year’s end, my Facebook will be high school friends, college classmates, family, and my social circle.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is my professional world. If we have a professional relationship, have met at a conference, or done work together, I connect with people here. LinkedIn is my most public profile with a few caveats.

Twitter

I have not tried to build an audience on Twitter. What I have to say, I say on my blog. However, you will see me link to articles that I find interesting—in a curator-sort of way. I follow people I find interesting, news services, and a few friends. Despite having published more than 6,000 tweets, I listen more often than not.

Question: Do you have a personal social media policy?

According to the nominating form submitted in 1978, the Joliet Post Office “does not fit exactly into any one [architectural] style.” It is most characteristic of Renaissance Revival, a style common between 1840 and 1890 and still practiced for public buildings in 1900 when James Knox Taylor designed the building.

Contractor Adam Groth of Joliet built the original building between August 1901 and June 1903 at the corner of Scott Street and Clinton Street. The post office opened for business on June 28, 1903 and served the city until 1981.

I think the most striking thing about this crucifix is its scale. A person stands at eye-level to Christ’s feet. It is a powerful example of what a crucified human looks like, without the blood and agony, of course.

The evergreen trees in the background are a beautiful contrast to the representation of death. You might also interpret the evergreen trees as part of the ever-living God. Either way, this is one of my favorite spots on the property.

Do not think silence means boredom, though. A Jesuit Retreat Master delivers a series of eight talks based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola designed to help retreatants deepen their spirituality. In addition to the talks, there is opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, and spiritual direction.

When I grow up, I want a library that looks like this one.

Now composed of three interconnected buildings, Bellarmine Hall consists of 80 private rooms, some with private baths. The retreat house also features a conference center with a 2,500 square foot main room and five smaller meeting rooms.

Benedictines may aspire to hospitality, but this portal to Ignatius Spirituality clearly shows the Jesuits understand radial hospitality too.