WORLD: The Case for "Intelligent Design" (aka G*d) Has Been Made

The Wall Street Journal makes the scientific and mathematical case for the "intelligent design" of our universe and life on our planet, which you can read by clicking here. I'll give you the "Reader's Digest" version below:

In 1966, no less a world-famous astronomer than Carl Sagan announced that there were 2 important criteria for life on a planet: the right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star. Given that there were believed to be 1 octillion (1 with 24 zeroes after it) planets in our universe, there should be about 1 septillion (1 with 21 zeroes after it) planets capable of supporting some sort of life.

Above (click to enlarge): The Waag Clan enjoys an odd Christmas/Chanukah Tradition - a fun day at Magic Mountain on Christmas eve. We've executed this fun tradition at least 5 or 6 times, and it continues today. Why put a photo in here? Because text-only articles are boring, and I like pictures. In fact, how about one more? (below).

Above (click to enlarge): Andrew and James gettin' ready to rock on Magic Mountain's INSANE X2 Roller Coaster. We were able to ride it 4 times (a fact only meaningful to roller coaster fans).

WORLD: US Moves to Keep Control of the World Internet Until 2017

Despite the wishes of the Obama Administration to give over control of the internet to G*d only knows who, Congress has stepped in to prevent that from happening until at least 2017. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, also known as Icann, will remain under US control until at least September, 2017.

IMO, this is a great relief. The forfeiture of internet control was one of many moves by the Obama Administration to act on the belief that there is no such thing as "American Exceptionalism" - only the belief that all countries, including ours, are exceptional. Proof of that America is "special", just like "everyone else", would be giving up control over the internet, and showing that any crazy regime could do what the United States has done to keep the internet free and open to all comers.

This news has so far only appeared in the Wall Street Journal, as far as I can tell. You can read the Wall Street Journal on the subject by clicking here. Stay tuned for confirmation of this news.

Above (click to enlarge): Random photo. Grapepicker Tim at a GleanSlo event at a winery in SLO county.

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SLO: Fresh Eyes Come Up With Fresh Ideas

I responded to a Viewpoint article in The Tribune written by teacher and friend Brian Miller, way back in 2011 with a corresponding Viewpoint article a week later. I had deleted the interchange from this web site, so it's time to bring it back.

You can read Brian's original article entitled "Viewpoint: SLO's Homeless Need Real Solutions" published by the Tribune on September 17, 2011, by clicking here. By Golly, what Brian said still rings true now. Just a snippet from his full article:

"A few years ago, I designed a unit on homelessness for my sociology class at San Luis Obispo High School. We visited the Prado Day Center and Sunny Acres. We worked on the farm at Sunny Acres and served breakfast at the Prado Day Center. We had speakers in, and we pored over statistics. We researched, role-played and wrote essays. We debated, and we discussed. And then we took to the task of offering solutions. On paper, they are long gone, but these solutions resonate still in my mind. We sent our solutions to Adam Hill, we sent our solutions to Dan De Vaul. Neither party gave us even a response. Both parties will now swear they never saw my email with our solutions. No one would ignore high school students wanting to help, would they? That’s some cold stuff, man. But both parties did. Make of that what you will. All I can tell you is this. In 50 minutes, my students came up with ideas that I don’t see happening right now in our county."

Dear elected representatives: Nothing has changed in the past 3 years. Brian Miller is still dead on correct.

My response, entitled "Viewpoint: Don't Wait on 'Real' Solutions for Homelessness - Act Now!", published in response to Brian's letter on September 25, 2011, which you can read by clicking here. 

Just a snippet from the full length article:

"I decided that the time for talking about problems was over for me and that the time for doing something about them was now. There are numerous things that an ordinary person can do to help. Some ways to get started include: 

• Donating money to homeless support service organizations; 

• Calling a homeless support organization (examples: CAPSLO, Food Bank, Sunny Acres, etc.) and ask how you can help; 

• When you see a homeless person, treating them as a real person, and not as somebody you see right through. If you have a few minutes (and you are in a safe, public location), stop and talk to them like you might to any other person; just being treated with respect and dignity might make their day; 

• Talking to your friends and family about what you are doing to help, and encouraging them to get involved in any way, no matter how small — every little bit helps. 
My goal in helping with the homeless situation is to be inclusive and not divisive. I hope that The Tribune’s readers see these words and get started “being a part of the solution.” 

In reading this article 3 years later, I realize that my approach has not changed. If you care about the problem, get out and do something now - don't wait for the powers-that-be to do something, or you'll be waiting a long time!

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SLO: County Needs Affordable Housing - Part V

*****ORIGINAL ARTICLE: December 19, 2014:

I tend to be long-winded and take forever to get to my point. Often, by the time I get there, the message is convoluted. Stay with me here. That is the reason that I am a doer, and though frequently invited, I rarely/never accept invitations to serve on boards or committees, or anything that requires sitting in a room with a bunch of people for more than 20 minutes. I've been true to that commitment, until this year.

Above: I've never seen a homeless shelter comic, so I had to snag this one - thanks Sally G. for pointing this out to me!

Somehow, through a twist of strange fate, I ended up serving on the Homeless Services Oversight Committee's (HSOC) Housing Committee. Briefly, I'll tell you how I got there. I am on the Interfaith Coalition for the Homeless' (ICH) Homeless Shelter Overflow Program, helping to manage the overflow every year during the month of July. The ICH identified an opening in the HSOC full committee (not the Housing sub-committee) that nobody was stepping forward to fill. Knowing that it was important that someone from ICH fill the "faith" position on HSOC, I reluctantly applied. In the interim, somebody else (apparently more qualified) stepped forward and was awarded the position. Great - I didn't want to be on it anyways, for all the reasons previously mentioned. 

SLO: County Needs Affordable Housing - Part IV

*****December 19, 2014:

The Tribune ran my letter to the editor in the 12/19/2014 edition on page B4. You can read the article "Adding to the Homeless" by clicking here. It is a slightly modified letter that I sent to the SLO City Council to oppose their "Rental Inspection Program" (RIP) that they recently voted in favor of by a 3-2 margin. I am in favor of RIP only if it is accompanied by an equal or greater program for affordable housing. The idea is to at least offset the housing we are losing to the RIP by creating affordable housing in place of the lost housing.

*****December 18, 2014:

To make it easier, I'm removing the identity of the city council people that I am corresponding with, as it does nothing helpful, but may not be constructive. Also, printing the back-and-forth emails is counter-productive as well. Nothing but well meaning discourse, resulting in nothing. If any concrete action is ever proposed (in the future), I'll print that.

Dear Slo-City-Council-Person, 

Thanks  for taking the time to get back to me. I appreciate your concern for homeless and workforce housing issues. Unfortunately, the workforce model that you describe below does not appear to work. Why do I say that? Because it does not produce affordable housing. At least that’s what homeless people in search of Section 8 housing told me recently - there isn't any. Same with the 50 Now program - no affordable housing for the program. Don't believe me - ask them yourself.

SLO: National Homeless Persons Memorial Day.

Next Thursday, Dec. 18th, from 5pm to 6pm in front of the SLO Courthouse, the Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC) is hosting a Homeless Persons Memorial Event to commemorate those we have lost this year on the streets. Note that this is also a fundraising event for the “50 Now” Project and our local warming centers. There will be many speakers from homeless service providers, who will be setting up tables with more information, and there may be live music as well.

Anyways, I'm not generally one to attend these things, as I am better off helping a homeless person rather than listen to politicians and others talk about it. However, this event does create awareness to the plight of our local homeless population, and I am on the HSOC Housing Committee, so I am attending. If you want to attend, then that's great. More importantly, I encourage you to help those in need in a way that you see fit for yourself. This is a year 'round effort, and not just at the holidays. Blessings to all.

Poster of event below (click to enlarge):

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SLO: Winter is Here: Volunteer at Prado Warming Station

**********

12/4/2014 PRADO WARMING STATION 

Each year Prado Day Center in San Luis Obispo opens up as a “Warming Station” to provide overnight accommodations to those homeless individuals and families that would otherwise be outside in the elements.  The Warming Station opens when freezing temperatures and/or more than 3 nights of rain are forecast.

Prado Day Center is looking for volunteers who have a heart for those in need and are willing to donate their time to covering the Warming Station shifts. Please email CAPSLO manager Shawn Ison at sison@capslo.org so that you can get on the distribution list. Later this winter, when they plan to open the Warming Station, you will get an email asking if you’d like to volunteer. Just like with the Homeless Shelter Overflow, no experience is necessary - only compassion for your fellow human beings.

I found a good explanation online for the "Warming Station"  (note that some details may have changed since this was written). The interior of the Prado day center does not change. No beds would be offered. There may be blankets and sleeping bags, but people would have to utilize the interior as is. The accommodations are similar to an 'airport style' of comfort. People can rest in chairs and/or sleeping bags, but no beds will be brought in.

Additional Information

- Warming Station Shifts: 4:30pm-12:00a, 12:00am-8:30am or 4:30pm-8:30am

- Volunteers must complete a volunteer application

- Volunteers must show a photo I.D.

- Volunteers must be willing to be called upon within 24-hours’ notice

Above (click to enlarge): My son Andrew on a backpack with us earlier this year in Surprise Canyon in the Panamint Mountains. Yes, somebody did inscribe "Human Stupidity Has No Limit" into the canyon walls. Yes, this should be considered awful, but we find it clever and funny, and it is a great source for photos. What does this have to do with the Warming Station? Absolutely nothing, but I love photos on text-only postings!

If you can’t volunteer your time, Prado Day Center needs the following items to support the Warming Station:

- Blankets, Pillows, Sleeping Bags

- Disposable plates/bowls/cups/utensils

- Milk, juice, lunchmeat, cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, sliced bread

- Coffee/tea, creamer, sugar, snacks- Cup of Noodles/canned soups

Send your email address to Shawn Ison at sison@capslo.org to get on the Warming Station email list. Note that Prado just completed their first "Warming Station" session of the season, starting on Monday 12/1/2014 and ending on Thursday 12/4/2014. I did not participate, as they had already filled all the spots, but the reports are that it went well.

You can read more about the Prado Warming Station in SLO at the HopeDance website by clicking here.

SLO: You Can Help Support "Housing First"

*****Update 4/7/2015: A friend forward this article about the "Housing First" program in Washington DC, which I found particularly relevant. You can read the entire article in the Huffington Post by clicking here. I inserted some minor clarifications to an excerpt from the article that you can read below. 

In DC, the "housing first" program is only for the chronically homeless, and I tend to agree with that. The chronically homeless are defined as being homeless for more than a year, and are disabled or mentally ill. The article notes both that housing the chronically homeless saves the government money (in theory), and is in contrast to many government municipalities that make homelessness a crime through citations and arrests for people trying to survive on the streets.

Begin Excerpt:

In the entire United States, chronically homeless represent just 14 percent of the overall homeless population, and “housing first” is not a solution for the 7.7 million Americans at risk of homelessness for economic reasons. But chronic cases -- people who've been homeless more than a year and suffer from a disability of some kind -- are the most visible of the homeless, the kind many city dwellers see on the street every day.

Pathways D.C. (the group running the housing first program in Washington DC) said that since the group opened its D.C. office in 2004, Pathways has housed 600 formerly homeless people here, of whom 90 percent have remained in their apartments. Pathways is one of several organizations helping administer the 1,312 currently filled slots in the city's permanent supportive housing program. The number of chronically homeless individuals within city limits has declined from 2,110 in 2010 to 1,609 in 2014, according to the most recently available data.

Housing first is not only effective in getting homeless people off the streets. It is also designed to save the government money. The District's 400 most vulnerable chronically homeless people soak up an average of $40,000 per person annually in ambulance rides, hospitalizations and run-ins with the law, according to a February analysis commissioned by Miriam’s Kitchen, another homeless services provider in the city. By contrast, rent and social services for someone in a permanent supportive housing program run about $20,000 annually.

Despite the proven effectiveness of housing first, many cities have taken a more punitive approach to addressing homelessness, outlawing things like sleeping in public or panhandling.

*****Original Post: December 2, 2014
Beginning of "Welcome Home Kit Drive" Flier

Welcome Home 

Kit Drive

For Homeless Individuals Being Housed

December 2, 2014 - January 9, 2015

The 50 Now Project is a program to house the top 50 most vulnerable, chronically homeless people throughout SLO County. Kicking off on Giving Tuesday 12/2/14, the Welcome Home Kit Drive will help make their future homes more cozy and ensure that the newly housed have everything they need. This is a great project for your family, friends and coworkers during the holidays!

YOU CAN HELP! Collect individual items or create your own kit. See suggested essentials below: 

PERSONAL HYGIENE - toothbrush - toothpaste - soap - lotion - toilet paper - deodorant

HOUSEHOLD BASICS - paper towels - trash bags - sponges - mop - broom - dustpan

LAUNDRY - detergent - fabric softener - laundry basket - dryer sheets - roll of quarters - basket/hamper

KITCHEN - dish soap - pots - pans - aluminum foil - cling wrap - utensils

***Non-perishable, non-food items only, NO BLEACH OR AMMONIA products please.***

Lobby Drop Off Locations:

Your local Social Services office, including:
- Arroyo Grande – 1086 Grand Avenue - SLO – 3433 South Higuera
- Atascadero – 9415 El Camino Real - 
- Paso Robles – 406 Spring Street
- Nipomo – 681 W. Tefft Street, Suite 1 (Department staff will accept donations)

United Way of San Luis Obispo County: 1288 Morro Street #10, Corner of Morro & Pismo in Downtown SLO

Transitions-Mental Health Association: 784 High Street, SLO

*****End of "Welcome Home Kit Drive" Flier

ANOTHER WAY TO DONATE: In addition to donating the above items for the "Welcome Home Kit", there is now an option to make a monetary donation. You can write a check made out to:

Transitions Mental Health Association

Attn: Mark Lamore
784 High St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

On the check, please indicate that the check is for the "Welcome Home Kit" Drive (i.e., write "Welcome Home Kit Drive" on the "For" section of the check). I will be sending in my donation today (12/3/2014). I hope you will consider doing so as well.