We don't hire people to make brownies, we make brownies to hire people.

It's the Sunday before Christmas, and it's the first night of Chanukah, and I have to say just the idea of giving gifts out of necessity is something that has always made me queasy. In our relatively gluttonous society, and in this particular economic uncertainty, the very last thing we all need to be doing is spending money we don't have on things we definitely don't need and very possibly don't even want. Luckily, though, creative capitalism has meant that it is easier than ever for an altruistic company to do good while also doing well (as said by many more famous and prolific than I). The RED campaign is one example, where the Gap and other well-known retailers create a single red product whose profits partially go towards fighting AIDS in Africa. Or Tom's shoes, where for every pair of shoes we buy here, another pair is donated to a needy child. This strategy directly ties profits with philanthropy, making the process cyclical and interdependent. The greater the business's economic success, the greater its ability to do good; the more good it does, the more good it can do.

For some companies, though, they have not just adopted this premise but are founded on it. In other words, they were invented to do good, not the other way around. Greyston Bakery is probably my favorite of those, and it's partially because they make all of the brownies for all the Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Their founding motto is, "We don't hire people to make brownies, we make brownies to hire people." In particular, people who other companies might consider too risky, Greyston hires, mentors, promotes, and supports. Much of their profits go into the Greyston Mandala Foundation, which also goes back into the community through contributions to local needs like low income housing or providing public space for positive social interaction. In addition, they promote their business as a model to be emulated, therefore contributing exponentially to the landscape of good deed capitalism. All that, and you get good brownies, too. At their website you can order 12 or 48 at a time. Click here. Or, buy them locally at these locations (Park Slope Co-op, anyone?)

In a recent email from KCRW, my local NPR station, they mentioned the yellow bird project. Another cool altruism meets consumerism effort, where famous musicians design unique t-shirts sold for $25 each. The profits from each shirt are then donated to the musician's charity of choice, from Bon Iver's selection of a women's shelter in Toronto to The Shins' selection of the Nature Conservancy. Yellow Bird gets to give money to good causes while promoting musical artists they think are both creative and conscientious. All that, and you get a t-shirt too. Click here.


So, don't give people crap they don't want this year. Make something together, give thoughtful deeds, or buy brownies and t-shirts and get a great two for one. Choose well, and choose good, skip the relegation to the attic, and let your gift count twice, and maybe then some.

REPLATE

First of all, if you missed last week's post, please scroll down and take a look. Coming up on December 20th (this Saturday!), 27th, and 28th, the Los Angles Poverty Department (LAPD) will be presenting a fascinating and free piece of theater written by Ron Allen. I had a brief preview of one of the monologues over some very tasty Chinese food last week, and I can tell you it looks like it will be quite entertaining. I'm planning on going to the show on the 20th if anyone else wants to join me.

What I have learned in the first few months of this adventure in spreading change is that a lot of causes need a lot of money, and particularly right now, forking over our own limited cash is harder than it was even a year ago. In addition, to be honest, it starts to seem like giving money is somehow a substitute for action. Don't get me wrong - sometimes money is the best answer, or the one most appropriate and generous for you or the cause at hand, but what I'm hoping to put into the public eye here are ways we can ACT that will make a difference. Some efforts really are clear actions, some are variations on current actions, and some might be considered 'awarenesses'. I'm still figuring this all out.

This week I heard a story on KCRW's Good Food program about food waste, which we all know, particularly post-Thanksgiving, is rampant in this simultaneously ambitious and generally lazy society (oh, I'll buy greens and squash and fish and make soup and grill and... zzzzzzzzzz). A movement called REPLATE is emerging out of San Francisco. The gist is this: rather than taking home our own leftovers to quite possibly squander them in an already abundant fridge, or dumping them in the trash when you realize you're too lazy to carry them, why not leave them - fully wrapped and ready to be eaten - on TOP of the street table we often call a trash can so someone else might reap the benefits of your much appreciated fullness. REPLATE's catch phrase - you might already be an activist - takes an easy action and makes it matter. So, give it a try yourself (we actually DID pass on a selection of leftovers from that LAPD meeting) and then spread the word.

The Frequently Asked Questions on the REPLATE site contribute also to the conversation about activism (is the bar too low?) as well as health and humanity. I would add, of course this kind of system works best when there are people on both sides who participate. And, please, if you have the flu, stay home in the first place. Here are their FAQs (see you on the corner):

We started this project because we noticed that people in West Coast cities and beyond were leaving their leftovers on top of (or next to) garbage cans when they couldn't find someone to give them to. We thought this behavior was worth talking about, so we gave it a name.

Now that it has a name, there's been a lot of good conversation.

Here are the issues that keep coming up:

Won't the food go bad and make people sick?
People are eating food out of the trash. They are digging into public trash cans, pulling out old, dirty food, and eating it. Surely food that's on top of the trash, and not mixed in with the muck, is less likely to make a person ill. Surely food that's in plain sight and easily accessible will be picked up sooner (and thus in a fresher state) than food that's hidden in the trash.

The idea of food left outdoors feels messy.
Some have worried that food will rot or that rats will get to it before hungry people do. This is a legitimate concern in small towns or sparsely populated areas, but certainly not in a town like San Francisco where, at any given moment, there are many people without enough to eat. [However, I have to add, this is not a mass excuse for litter or laziness. The heart of generosity is giving away something of value, something that you yourself might still want or use. In other words, your discarded pizza crusts are not equivalent to dinner. Keep in mind - litter is evil. More on that another time.]

Why not just eat your own leftovers?
Of course. Many of us do. But sometimes you just don't, for any number of reasons. Rather than toss 'em out, or go traipsing through the city looking for a hungry person, maybe the next best thing is to replate them.

Incompatible trash cans.
Apparently, New York City trash cans don't have hoods or ledges, so there's no horizontal surface on which to replate. This isn't as big a problem as some have suggested. If you want to give someone the food you're not going to eat, simply put it next to the trash can, or on a newspaper dispenser.

Evil people.
There's a strange paranoia in the conversation about evil people poisoning the food. Sure, it could happen. But you could also get pushed in front of the subway train. Or someone could put razor blades in your Halloween candy. People could betray your trust in any number of ways, but if you ride the subway, or eat Halloween candy, you know that the fear far outweighs the actual risk.

The City should officially get involved.
Some have suggested formalizing a leftovers drop-off point like a food bank, free dining room, or some city-sponsored receptacle. We think that's a great idea. Make it happen.

If replating your leftovers counts as activism, then the bar for activism is set way too low.
Maybe that's true, but though the first steps of activism (however you define it) are small ones, they form the foundation for the giant leaps to come. And replate is just the beginning of a conversation that we hope will inspire greater action.

And don't forget that this is an open-source movement. It's yours as much as anybody's, and you can build on it however you want. [I personally LOVE this sentiment, and feel it is the central and overriding cause of 'cause of the week']

So if you don't think it's activism yet. And if you want to make replate bigger and badder and more hardcore, we've got a hunch you'll get all the support you'll need.

If you have more questions or want to expand the conversation, email us at:

leftovers [at] replate [dot] org



To hear the whole show on Good Food, go here.

LOS ANGELES POVERTY DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
"MY EYES ARE THE CAGE IN MY HEAD"
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY RON ALLEN

"My Eyes Are The Cage In My Head" depicts the reality of a tethered humanity in search of itself through desire and self-destructive relationships. Ron Allen subverts language to teach and deconstruct social models and create visions of new worlds.

'Ron Allen's raw, ultra-poetic examination of the African American experience rips into its targets to locate the true nature of freedom within one archetypal black man's mind.' - LA WEEKLY



Three Performances at three locations
All performances are free!

Saturday Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. at The Box Gallery, 977 Chung King Road in Chinatown
Saturday Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Nazarene, entrance on the corner of San Pedro and 6th Street, on Skid Row
Sunday Dec. 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Industry Cafe & Jazz, 6039 Washington Blvd. in Culver City

Ron Allen is a poet, playwright and teacher who lives and works in Los Angeles. This project continues LAPD's relationship with Allen, building on the 2006 production of "Fried Poetry", presented at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center and Skid Row's James Wood Community Center. Allen also taught in LAPD 's 2007 summer changeXchange workshop.

LOS ANGELES POVERTY DEPARTMENT creates performance work that connects lived experience to the social forces that shape the lives and communities of people living in poverty. For more information, www.lapovertydept.org

LAPD's production of "my eyes are the cage in my head" is funded in part by the City of LA Cultural Affairs Department with the National Endowment for the Arts.

My Economic Plan (a cause of a different sort)

So, my plan is this, and it is two-fold. First, I have always been a fan of the Ben & Jerry's model, and they seemed to make plenty of money. They had a pay ratio where the highest paid employee could only make a factor of what the lowest paid employee made. At one point I think it was a factor of 10. So, obviously, if the lowest paid employee made $30,000 then the top earner would make $300,000. Seems like an empathetic way to run a company.

Second, I'm taking the model of NPR fund raising. Regularly you hear someone call in to offer a matching incentive for donor donations. When you look at Forbes' list of the top 400 US billionaires, nearly all of them are related to the banking/fund management industry. This is but one example of those on the top making extraordinary gains off the hard work of those on the bottom. I propose (and include a retroactive application to the bank bailouts) that those seeking financial assistance from US (tax payers, our government) be required to first put up a matching donation, be it on a one to one basis or as a factor of the overall contribution - before we are willing to take the risk with our own finances. This makes the risk one that is mutually shared, mutually gained and mutually lost. So, again maybe an obvious example (and I will reduce the numbers here for the sake of all of our sanity) if GM asks us to take $1 million away from our other investments that need it (schools, roads, crime prevention, social services) at the very least the individuals responsible for the gains and losses of the company - those who have made so much for so long - will be required to contribute from their personal finances, say, a 50% match, or $500,000. Not only does this make them more invested in the process and makes their risk somewhat equivalent, it also reinvests the process with real VALUES, that the cost of success is sometimes sacrifice, and that you have to work hard and contribute, not ask for hand outs when the storm arrives.

And, finally. Bonuses? I'm a teacher. And a taxpayer. And a student. And an artist. I work very hard, and I work very hard advocating for others and preparing our next generation to be American visionaries. I've never gotten a bonus doing this work. The fact that AIG had to say explicitly that they will not be giving bonuses this year is scandalous. The fact that any of these bloated - and FAILING - companies are giving bonues this year is scandalous. I challenge every executive who has reaped the benefits of high living over the last decades to make this a time of real altruism, to set up a financial services non-profit to help those on the verge of losing their homes, to develop creative loan solutions or find ways to give grants or match funds for those who need it most. If our universities can do it, can't the guys who know even more about money? or supposedly know so much about business?

It's time to end the old ways, and seek change in the way business is done. No more rich getting richer, lets get back to a rising tide and lift all boats. Let's use the expertise at the top not to fly to DC in a private plane panhandling our government, but on the streets, where some people have to live in their cars because it's all they have.

exercising in spirit

Thanksgiving is always one of those times of the year when we feel more inclined to be generous. Maybe because there is much to be thankful for in our own lives, or maybe because of the guilt that comes with gluttony. In the Jewish tradition, as in many others, there is an ingrained link between food and love which has led to many hefty, well-loved Jewish children and generations of dieting neuroses. Maybe for this reason, too (the equating food with love, not the neuroses) we find that food-based holidays generate a ritualistic impulse to spread the food, and hence the love. Though the first of the seasonal holidays has come and gone - which means the downhill to the consumer capitalist monster of all holidays is on its way - we know this year that the need at food banks and soup kitchens is higher now than it has been in the last ten years. In 2007, when financial consequences were even less extreme than they are now, 1 in 25 US households reduced their food intake due to a financial shortage, and 1 in 6 households with children could not afford adequate sustenance. (USDA from Time, 12/01/08)

As Thanksgiving comes and goes, and many of us have volunteered to give out a turkey, or a basket, or donate a day to the soup kitchen, remember that there are 364 other days in the year, and we all need to eat on each and every one of those days as well.

I want to reprint an email I got from John Mathews, a quiet guy who works at the front office in the Department of Urban Planning at the School of Public Affairs. It seems he ran a 10k for the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services Center and still needs to raise $70 to reach his total goal of $250. I think his spirit of humor, with a touch of truth, is worth supporting. Let's see if we can put John over his goal, even if it's one yam at a time. I sure wish I had done this instead of that extra five pounds of potatoes!

Look, you know you all hate it, that avalanche of food that overwhelms you during the holidays! What do you do with it all? Well, here's a chance to get rid of that problem once and for all!

Donate some money that would normally go towards a second tray of mashed potatoes, or yams, or some other horrible tragedy of food that would just be piled on more food and smother you in your sleep. Take that money instead and give it to some people on the street who are hungry. Make it their problem!

Click here!

After all, why should you have to deal with too much food for the holidays? You work hard all year. Get rid of that extra food, donate canned goods, and donate some cash so that all that extra food can be someone else's problem! You deserve it!

Happy Holidays!

-John

homeless street soccer at UCLA. Join US!

On their way to the HOMELESS STREET SOCCER WORLD CUP IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (Nov 24-Dec.8th) the founder of Street Soccer USA (SSUSA), Lawrence Cann, and members of his team, will speak at the School of Public Affairs this Tuesday evening.

Join us to discuss their personal experiences, share the positive effects of sports programs in combating homelessness, see clips from their documentary & play some soccer on the roof.

5391 School of Public Affairs Bldg.

Now headquartered in NY under the umbrella of HELP USA, SSUSA launched its pilot program in 2004 out of the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, NC. SSUSA has reached more than 20% of chronically homeless living in Greater Charlotte, and realized a 75% success rate in effecting a positive life change such as addressing a substance abuse problem or mental health issue, securing full-time employment or moving off the streets.

Eight homeless men ranging in age from 19 to 41 and residing in California, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, and Texas will constitute Street Soccer USA's 2008 National Team. They will compete with 47 other nations in a 4 versus 4 soccer tournament. Check out these links to learn more:
www.streetsoccerusablog.com; www.helpusa.org; www.homelessworldcup.org

marriage - it's not just for straight masochists!

LA does everything big. Right now, even two mountain ranges away, I can smell the smoke from the Sayre Fire, one of three major areas still burning outside of Los Angeles. The winds have died down a bit, but the destruction is massive and hundreds of people newly homeless. Some sites estimate up to 40,000 people have been evacuated in the three fires combined. If you're reading this while the news is still happening, check here for the latest fire maps. If you follow the 405 or the 5 south, I live between them in West Hollywood. It's strange to live in a place with almost no rain, humidity hovering in the single digits, and such extreme weather when it does come. This is Santa Ana wind season - hot, fast, dry. It's November and it was nearly 90 degrees yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday... Yesterday a group called Join the Impact helped organize cross-country protests against proposition 8 (and other recent legislation) that is attempting to impose discriminatory and unequal rights eliminating the recently won right to marry for gays and lesbians. In the midst of a historic and awe-inspiring election, it was one giant sour note for Prop 8 to pass here, even if by a slim margin. To imagine the rationale of people willing to remove the constitutional right of fellow humans is beyond my comprehension. So, the cause of the week this week is, generally, equal rights, more specifically gay equal rights, and most specifically the newly developed Join the Impact. Check out their website. Volunteer, join a protest, post your support. And, then, check out this list of supporters of the 'Yes on Prop 8' campaign (Thanks, Tim!) and use the power of your dollars to peacefully choose to go elsewhere.

What a week! When contemplating driving to downtown LA on Wednesday to hear what I was sure would be a fantastic discussion between Wolf Prix and Sylvia Lavin regarding the brand new tower of a school on Grand Avenue, I told my friend Whitney: This week I have chosen the election over architecture. That, I believe, is a shift of consciousness. Or, at the very least, an overt awareness of a shift long in the making.

To vastly oversimplify, I used to see the world through architecture, but now I see architecture through the world. There will be more on that in the weeks to come.

But now, to bask for one more moment in the glory that is this just-passed election.... wow. wow. wow. And the big wow is that we all did it together, we all focused our energy, gave of our time, joined in the cause. What it represents to me is not only the ground breaking idea of who Obama is as a person - black, mixed race, underdog, young, vital, vibrant, liberal, kind, considerate, prioritizing equity, education and rights; or that we all feel we are part of his family, part of his inner circle; or that the rest of the world is once again on our team. What it represents to me is that one person really can change the world. One person really can make a difference. Whatever he does from here on out may be scrutinized, may be more or less what we hope for in terms of our own political objectives, but there is no question that he has mobilized, energized, and unified - locally to globally - in a way I have not seen in my lifetime. It is that engagement, that excitement, that sense of purpose and generosity that we must absorb, expand, export.

In light of that, I ran across an article on the NPR website that Obamaizes the famous JFK aphorism, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." (click here for a link to the article) Though I find his example of journalism a bit weak, his sentiment is strong. In this week, and the weeks to come, what is it we can each do to bring that sense of generosity, equity, and optimism to our own smaller sphere? And not necessarily where it is easiest - to family and friends - but to your community and to your profession. What is a more equitable and optimistic law firm, architecture practice, university, insurance company, film studio, lower school, retail store? What part can it play, can they play, can you play? What can we learn as individuals, as practitioners of our own art, as citizens and humans from this past campaign and its successes? 'Yes we can' is so resolutely different from 'country first' because it is all inclusive, undeniably optimistic, personal, confident and yet egoless.

Many of us got a bit teary on Tuesday, and again when the newspaper covers appeared on Wednesday. I thought it was over until I got a link to this flikr site. Who but Obama would make us feel like we were in the room with him when it happened? Sitting there, watching the TV returns just like we all were doing across the country, across the world, just another member of this family, our family, all of us.

TOMORROW

As you may have heard, it's election week. Tomorrow we have a historic opportunity to turn what started out as a long shot grassroots movement into a real opportunity for nation wide change. To me, this election is not only about a vast divide in policy, but a vast difference in ideology. We have the chance to move our country toward equity, opportunity, creativity, and education. What more important ideals are there if not those? If you need one last push, or if you need to know where to vote, take a look at the latest (and last?) video of this election season.

We are all generally less informed about the 15 propositions on the California ballot. Though my research was not exhaustive, I have scoured the for and against positions, the rebuttals, and the press on most of them, and offer the following for anyone who cares to read my conclusions:

1A (Safe, Reliable, High-speed passenger train bond) and R (Traffic Relief, Rail extensions, Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence): These two transit measures are highly controversial as light rail and subway take a much higher up front cost to produce than buses, yet are much less flexible, carry fewer total passengers, and tend to cater to a more affluent ridership. The bus system in LA is a system of necessity for LA's working poor and is often short-changed in the allocation of funds. R in particular is a regressive tax, burdening all who live in LA county an additional 1/2 cent sales tax for the next 30 years. The Bus Riders Union and the Strategy Center are OPPOSED to R. However, I fear we will not be able to get a better option on the table for comprehensive transit planning that includes transit variety and forward-thinking strategies for mobility, so I'm supporting both 1A and R. If you want to read their position, though, here is a link.

2 (Standards for Confining Farm Animals): This seems to be an 'animal rights' bill, but in actuality it also has several implications for health and disease, as well as balancing the opportunities for small farms with the monopolies of their large bossy brothers. I'm voting yes on 2 because of those latter reasons.

4 Waiting period and parental notification before termination of minor's pregnancy, initiative CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT) NO NO NO on 4. By requiring any woman under 18 to seek parental approval and abide by a 48 hour waiting period prior to receiving an abortion, countless teenagers will seek dangerous, possibly life threatening alternatives. In addition, the right to confidential counseling and reproductive choices should be extended to all women, regardless of age. What we really need is accessible and accurate sex education and birth control options so every woman is knowledgeable and prepared - if at all possible - prior to the time of unwanted pregnancy.

5 (nonviolent drug offenses, sentencing, parole, and rehab) I'm voting yes on 5, which invests in treatment programs that help keep those at risk from enacting crimes in the first place.

6 (police and law enforcement funding, criminal penalties and laws) The Strategy Center says it better than I can: Proposition 6 exploits the fear of crime in urban areas in order to position the prison and police system as the one and only solution to the symptoms of urban neglect and structural racism—drugs, crime and violence—and in doing so, further criminalize the youth and communities of the inner city and further take from social welfare programs. No on the 6.

7 (renewable energy generation): This is a hidden agenda initiative which actually does not support the best and most productive environmental policy. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, this and the 10 (alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy) are misleading and misguided. No on both 7 and 10.

8 (eliminates rights of same-sex couples to marry. initiative CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT) NO NO NO NO on 8. No matter how you feel about gay marriage - which I aggressively support - our constitution (state or federal) is not intended to TAKE AWAY the rights of any individual in our country. Support equal rights for everyone - no no no on 8.

9 (criminal justice system, victim's rights, parole, initiative constitutional amendment and statute) Again, The Strategy Center: Nicholas' Initiative - Weakens the limited rights of parolees. Prop 9 masks its intentions in the concept of “victims rights.” While no one deserves to be the victim of violence and its pain and trauma are not easily reconcilable, it is necessary that we challenge the reactionary nature of the victim’s rights movement that in fact increases the intensity of state violence against Black and Latino communities. In 2007, of the approximately 173,000 California prisoners, 50% are in for technical parole violations (meaning no new “crime” has occurred), and less than 1% of 5,520 scheduled hearings resulted in someone being released from prison. No on 9.

12 ( veteran's bond act of 2008) - Yes on 12, which is a no cost initiative that extends a program of loans for VA home buying.

The three I have not covered I simply don't know enough about. They sound good on paper - more children's hospitals, more school support, safe healthy neighborhoods - but the first especially seems to already have money in the bank unspent. My inclination from my own reading is No on 3 (hospitals), and Yes on J and Q (community colleges and schools).

Whatever side you take, I encourage you to VOTE, and at the end of the day, fingers crossed, to CELEBRATE.

(thanks to Alvaro, my own personal science advisor, for working through these with me in the car to Nevada this weekend! Photo credits from the Henderson rally go to him, with my touch of design. GObama!)

two weeks two days and four years

As my millions of readers may have noticed, last week came and went with no 'cause of the week'. There's just so much election on my mind I'm having a hard time letting anything else in (Larry David's weigh in about waiting is spot on). I'm holding my breath as swing states do their swinging thing, talking up the talking points, and sticking stickers on anything not already stuck. I tried to vote early, but found out that the reason my LA County option is an hour away from my house is that by law each county can only have one early voting site. Considering LA County could swallow whole many of the states in this country, I'll have to wait until the 4th. That said, as these final days to the election approach, vote early if you can. Also, take a listen to this week's This American Life if you missed it. The story looks at Pennsylvania, a tricky and important swing state. Part one follows student volunteers who registered 16,000 new voters and part two follows voter activists talking to union members about race, what they've learned about racism and their neighbors, and why bigotry has no place in policy. Click on Ground Game.

In California, there is tremendous controversy over the 15 state, county, and school propositions on the ballot. For example, though Measure R claims to be a comprehensive plan for LA transit, many residents are arguing that it prioritizes high ticket items (light rail, airport links, subway extensions) that serve the affluent to the detriment of investments in new buses, bus routes, and bus lanes (which already have unfilled commitments on the table). Measure R would impose a half cent sales tax across the board for 30 years. Those who need it most, those represented by the Bus Riders Union and its Strategy Center, are against Measure R. There is also prop 10, which seems to support alternative fuel use and pro-eco measures like renewable energy resources, but is also apparently funded by the man who monopolizes the local distribution of same alternative fuel resources and is expected to line his pockets with some prop 10 gold. I'm still in the process of doing the research on these.

There are, however, two I am sure of:

No on Prop 8, and No on Prop 4.

Prop 8 is the discriminatory proposal that initiates a constitutional amendment to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. There are so many arguments against this -- the first being that it is flat out discrimination based on sexual preference and the last being that heteros certainly don't have such great role model marriages yet we still get to do it -- that to even consider not voting against prop 8 should be criminal.

Prop 4 institutes a waiting period and parental notification requirement "before termination of a minor's pregnancy." Not only could this result in the dangerous seeking of illegal options - most detrimental to unprotected minors - but it could also result in notification procedures to parents who might not prioritize the interest of their children's rights and safety foremost. Prop 4 is a dangerous step backwards in the rights of all women to make personal, safe, and confidential decisions about their own family planning options. However, it further emphasizes the need for accurate, thorough, and available sex education to everyone along with prevention and protection measures. See the Planned Parenthood site for further new initiatives to fight the latest administrative plan to allow health care providers to impose their personal morality on the options provided to patients who expect and deserve factually accurate and inclusive medical advice.

Next Sunday will be two days before the election, and I can only imagine that the one cause on my mind will be helping to elect the candidate who looks out for all the causes I believe in - education, equity, rights, opportunity. After that, we'll branch out again and find other things we can do each week to change the world. This week get educated on your options, stand up for the little guy, and VOTE vote vote vote vote.

street soccer usa - just do it.

This blog was started as a way to turn the desire to help into real action. Few programs do that as well as Homeless Street Soccer. Yes, HOMELESS street soccer. This program, initiated in the US in my former home town of Charlotte, North Carolina, has expanded to more than a dozen cities throughout the country. The Homeless World Cup is similar to the non-homeless version in that it operates as a competitive global sports event with team representation from around the world. The difference, of course, is that these team members have struggled through a range of difficult circumstances including living on the streets, joblessness, hunger, and in some cases abuse and addiction. Soccer gives them the opportunity to find new meaning in their lives, to develop an identity beyond their disadvantages, to learn new physical, emotional, and social skills, and to bond with team members and competitors from weekly practice to the global stage of international competition.

This year's competition will be held in Australia, and the US Team needs your help to fund their trip. You might think this seems extravagant; that spending $2000 on travel, training, lodging, and other expenses couldn't possibly be as useful as spending it on a down-payment for an apartment or a couple months worth of food (of course, if you've seen the documentary on the Homeless World Cup - Kicking It! - you know the magnitude and power of the event). But in the 'teach a man to fish' philosophy, being one of the select few given the honor to represent your country, to hone and show your skills, to be cheered on by strangers, to work as a team, to succeed at this one thing, might very well be the event that turns a life around. And that new life might go on to inspire the lives of others, the optimism of others, the giving of others.

When financial times are hard, you can imagine they are even harder for those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder. Already there is buzz about the difficult holiday season to come. Imagine what it can teach your children, who might also be interested in sports, or your relative who played soccer as a child himself or herself, to give a gift in their name. It might cost you less than a new sweater, and mean a whole lot more.

My friend Lawrence Cann started this program (and, yes, this is the same Urban Ministry Center I mentioned in the Artworks auction blog). Below is his letter to you, contact information, and ways you can contribute. The Homeless World Cup is our cause of the week.

US Homeless World Cup Participation

Several years ago we started a soccer team because we thought our homeless clients would benefit from team sports. They literally took the ball and ran with it. Then a bunch of other cities got their own balls and they all started running. Check out our blog to see news of the 11 cities which now run street soccer programs. In the US, it all started here at the Urban Ministry Center.

The prospects for the future are looking fantastic. However, after hosting a great qualifying event this summer, we currently have a gap in our funding for our participation in the Homeless World Cup coming up in December. We must meet our funding goal soon to insure that we can proceed with plans to participate in the competition. Unfortunately we are still $15,000 short. Therefore we are making this grassroots funding plea. Thanks to great support from Corporations and a few individuals, we haven't had to do this in the past. Now we need those of you who value what this program achieves, and are able, to make substantial contributions.

Participation per player in the Homeless World Cup costs $2000. Our USA National team includes 13 people.

The coaches, as well as other staff, and even some of the players have all donated so far. Please join us with a donation of whatever you can - $100 or more would be greatly appreciated. Without exception, the players have taken full advantage of the opportunity and have all made impressive turnarounds. Please let us know if you can join us as a donor. Pay when you can, any time between now and the end of December. But please, please let us know as soon as possible if you do want to make a pledge.

I am available all the time on my cell phone (704 975 5755) to talk about the project and the impact it is having on the players, or email me at the address below. Seventy five percent of team members move off the street within 18 months of sticking with the team!

Donations can be taken online at www.urbanministrycenter.org under the donate tab. Or checks can be mailed to:

Urban Ministry Center
945 N. College Street
Charlotte, NC 28206

Please earmark them "world cup" and add "cause of the week" if you want us to know you read it here!

Thank you so much. All donors will be recognized as Club Members on our site and be sent updates on the team's performance at the Homeless World Cup.


Best,

Lawrence Cann
lawrence@streetsoccerusa.org
www.streetsoccerusa.org

complete this cause, and it boosts all the others... 30 more days

My personal cause of the week today is the 200 plus pages of reading for Sylvia Lavin's theory class, but that's just me. School has started, and it is a large rolling stone speeding up ever faster for the months to come. I'm doing my best to be on the sunny side, or the mossy side, or even on the shiny cover, but not under the rock itself.

Regardless. Michelle Obama tells me (in a personal email, of course) that tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in Ohio. Ohio voters can also choose to vote early by tomorrow, which means the very first actual votes will go on record in the next few days! After all the chatter (and some patronizing winks and smirks in the last two weeks) I know we're all ready to get this voting going. The Obama website has a simple way to get involved in encouraging your neighbors - or your emotional neighbors in far away swing states - to register and to vote. By signing up on their website, you can get names, phone numbers, and/or addresses of folks with which you can share your personal Obamalove. For those who aren't into one-on-one political encouragement, head down to your local hq and help sell stickers, assemble yard signs, or fill out paperwork. And for the least physically active and most financially active option, you can always fund a commerical, sponsor a registration trip, pay for someone else to join the team on your behalf. Or, do something creative - make a film, write a song, paint a painting to support voter registreation - and post it here. (I'm going to write a blog entry!) So, let's get Ohio on our team, and North Carolina, and Colorado, and Nevada, and let's win this thing, so we can get back to all the other causes that need us, too.

Let's be huge, together.

This day in political history: James Meredith became the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi, accompanied by 16,000 federal troops sent to Oxford (Oct. 1, 1962). (from Ken Rudin's 'political junkie')

There's simply something phenomenal about the smallness of one person and the hugeness it takes to overcome such ingrained discrimination. There have been many steps between those of Meredith and those to the stage of the most recent presidential debate.

one spice girl away from secession and over-population

The day after the first presidential debate between McCain and Obama, all I truly feel is that the divide between the positions of the two candidates and the parties and people they now represent is cataclysmic. Any illusion of partisan-free progress is dead, and had it not already been dead a month ago, McCain's VP nomination would have killed it. His selection is a gallop towards division, and the country now faces an election divisive at the civil war level. These are not mild disagreements, but divergent cosmologies; these are fundamentally opposed views of the natural world, the responsibilities of government, and the rights of all humans. There is no maybe, there is no grey, there is only I deserve to exist and be bailed out by the government and you do not. So let's return for one minute to Obama's speech at the DNC, where his diplomatic demeanor insisted on providing examples where the approach might be different, but common ground is still possible. He eloquently reminded us of the semantic battle around reproductive rights. Everyone I know is for life, and all support reproductive freedoms for women. What we hope to reduce in this world is not knowledge or access, but unwanted pregnancies and the difficult procedure of abortion. No one wants to have to make that choice, but the choice must be there nonetheless. The fewer who have to make it due to better education and better access to birth control, the better for all of us. So this week I hope you'll take action with Planned Parenthood to not only continue the fight for women's rights across the country, but to also help defeat dangerous state initiatives by protecting teens in California, privacy in Colorado, and rights to access in South Dakota. And while you're at the PP site, be sure to let the woman in the race know that she's not the woman for you.

SCI, TRC, and everything else that matters

In a continued discussion about who has rights to the city, particularly the street, this week I draw your attention to an event organized by the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN ) to combat an initiative that has further criminalized the homeless population in downtown LA. This email was received from LACAN and the event is scheduled for this Thursday:

The second "anniversary" of the Safer Cities Initiative (SCI) in downtown Los Angeles is coming September 25th. Join downtown residents in calling for the end of SCI and demanding housing and respect for all human rights in our communities!

*Thursday, September 25, 2008*
*10:00 AM - 2:00 PM*
*Skid Row Community 10:00 AM at San Julian Park OR 9:30 AM at LA CAN

As many of you know, SCI was touted as a public safety initiative that would include increased housing and services for homeless residents of downtown. Instead it has consisted entirely of punitive efforts that have damaged our community and residents for the long-term. For example:

v In the first year of SCI, LAPD issued about 12,000 citations, primarily for "walk/don't walk" violations. This is 48 to 69 times the rate of citations given City-wide. Citations given to homeless and other low-income people inevitably lead to warrants and arrest.
v About 750 arrests have been made PER MONTH, in a community that's home to only about 13,000 people. The majority of arrests are drug related and, due to efforts by the District Attorney to escalate charges, most people will be ineligible for Food Stamps and subsidized housing upon their release.
v Law enforcement has not focused on serious crimes. Among the first 1,350 arrests by the SCI task force, only 22 were for serious, violent crimes.
v The cost of the extra police officers alone is $6 million per year, not to mention court and incarceration costs. $6 million per year could provide housing subsidies and services for 350 homeless people. Jail costs $63 per day, housing and services cost $45 per day.

It is unacceptable that the City of Los Angeles has implemented this failed policy for two years already - and it simply cannot continue. Many downtown residents and organizations have opposed this policy since its inception. However, it is time for the entire City of Los Angeles to speak out and demand an end to SCI before it enters its third year.

For additional information please contact Pete White at 213-228-0024

Also, I have many friends who are either displaced or without power - or both - in the wake of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The Red Cross is seeking replenishment to its currently over-tapped Disaster Relief Fund. Money in this fund goes to support shelters, counseling, and emergency supplies for disaster victims. You can donate by going to their website; calling 800-REDCROSS; or mailing in a contribution to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.

Finally, this entry is an effort on my part to not talk about the upcoming election. No matter what cause of the week I was considering earlier today, they all seemed somehow affected by who will take over in the white house come January. The environment, the economy, social services, reproductive rights - all will change, for the better or for the much worse, depending on the votes cast in 44 days. So for now I'll just remind you to register, read, and be ready to act. And consider what Anne Lamott said in her piece in Salon this week - let's not let our energy be sucked into the vortex of the evil possibilities that have been put before us, but let's continue to promote the virtues of the positive and the possibilities of positions we believe are equitable, just, and forward-thinking.

post-parking 3.1b

Here is an image from our park(ing) spot yesterday. What a wonderful sunny day to hang out on the street with cool people and distribute information about the state of public space in America. Of course, actions speak louder than words, and in the end I think many of us are more concerned than ever that public space is only vaguely public in this neoliberal city. Though we successfully negotiated with the parking patrol (who turned out to be a very nice woman who made a phone call to her supervisor on our behalf) we were not so lucky with the woman who owns the knitting shop down the street. Because we didn't have an official permit (isn't that part of the point?) and she had called in a formal complaint, the policeman had to insist we disassemble. Who knew that parking spaces and sidewalks really are not public space. Prior to that, though, we had a fun full day of truck driving, measuring, gluing, griding, eating, and laughing. Big apologies to the band and all their musical friends who were willing to play for our event that died an early death due to the crankiness of a crazy knitter. But big thanks for the semi-private performance post-parking. Let's do it again soon everyone.

3.2 the power of sharing

Two weeks ago I found myself at the opening of the new Los Angeles headquarters for the Obama campaign. They had expected a couple hundred supporters to show up and see the office, but nearly 1000 people came so they moved the activities into the parking lot and street. I snuck upstairs and there were already 30 or 40 people crammed into the office, trying to buy buttons and bumper stickers, shirts, yard signs. It was chaotic and exciting and I found myself at one point on the other side of the counter, assembling signs and handing out forms and before I knew it, I was a volunteer by default. This was the day after McCain's announcement of a running mate. I was already an Obama fan before that announcement, thanks to my very thorough and persuasive Obama support group here in WeHo as well as my natural alignment with his platform. After that announcement, though, the race took on a whole new meaning for me and for every woman - no, every person - who believes in equal rights of all sorts, in the importance of things like good education for everyone, and in the core tenets of the American constitution. By this point, everyone knows the appalling statistics, including an anti-choice position so strong that it trumps health, the law, and basic human morality; an anti-education position so strong that no knowledge is preferred over real knowledge which means all our children, not just hers, would suffer the consequences of not knowing the consequences. It is too important to not act, even if the actions are small.

When I left the Obama headquarters I had in my bag a stack of small stickers made from the now famous Shepard Fairey HOPE poster. What I love about Fairey's design is that it is equal parts art and politics and has generated a viral string of creative expressions spawning energy in the grassroots support of the election - not so unlike Rock the Vote linked young musical groups with voter registration. (This LA weekly article does a good job telling the Fairey/Obama/Sergant story.) My goal last week was to hand out those phone-sized stickers, get people to put them on their phones (we all know how many backs of cell phones we see every day!) and talk to everyone I could about the election, voting, and the facts of the platform. Remember that commercial - you'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on and so on and so on. For those of you who know someone who is undecided or more shocking yet, not registered to vote, this is the week for the small steps to happen, for those who don't know the candidate's positions on the things they might find to be most important, to go to a website and get as informed as possible, then they can tell two friends, and so on and so on. So, yes, regardless of who you might be for in this campaign (though if you're willing to listen, I can certainly tell you what I think!) the cause of this week is to get everyone registered, get everyone talking, and make your own support VISIBLE.

These are the newly committed phones of my two new friends from Terroni, John and Trusty (photo credits to Whitney and her iphone, also bearing Obama sticker). John is my new favorite bartender, playwright, and actor. His one man show about surfing as a metaphor for love that is also a benefit for cancer might just be coming up as a cause of the week. Trusty is a gang member turned good. Not an ex-gang member, as he was clear to remind us, but a gang member working from the inside to help kids choose school over drugs and violence. He was in our neighborhood serving as a consultant for a new film called Capture. Be on the look out for his name in the credits.

Finally, happy one year anniversary to Islands of LA, founded by my friend and new art school student, Ari. Way to be an activist in your own right, whether you want to be one or not.

3.1 Park(ing) day LA

Park(ing) Day LA 2007 happened just after I arrived last year. It was one of those remarkable events that made me realize I am literally surrounded by people who are interested in some of the same things I am and who devote time and energy to creative ways to generate awareness, discussion, and action. Over 180 of these mini-parks in parking spaces were created last year in 47 cities worldwide. Park(ing) Day 2008 is this coming Friday - September 19th - and anyone, anywhere can put quarters in a meter and claim that space as their own. This year a team of PhD students, spouses, friends, and our new favorite musicians have staked out a spot on 3rd street where we will show each person who drives by or walks in the size space that is theirs to claim.


Here is our description of our project, 'the drive-by walk in':

The road is America's largest public space. There are 3,981,512 miles of public road in the US, roughly 69 feet (.0132 miles) for each person in the country. Yet, we rarely treat the road as a public space, occupying it more as a collective of spatially isolated mobile individuals than an interactive citizenry. In celebration of Park(ing) Day 2008, the 'drive-by, walk-in' hopes to capitalize on this untapped social infrastructure, linking the public space of the road with the public space of the sidewalk, encouraging greater exploitation of the multi-scalar, multi-speed, ubiquitous yet under-utilized communal space that surrounds us.
In 2005, the Rebar group, a creative collective out of San Francisco, started Park(ing) Day by transforming a single metered parking spot into a park-for-a-day in an effort to make a public comment on the lack of quality open space in American cities. Now a global one day event, the goal still is to reprogram the urban surface by reclaiming streets for people to rest, relax and play and to:

* Promote a critical dialogue regarding the need for urban open space and the way in which streets are currently used.
* Energize civic life by questioning basic assumptions about urban space while offering provocative and meaningful alternatives.
* Connect artists, designers, and activists with ways to permanently reclaim the street for people.
On September 19th, numerous Park(ing) Day LA spots will be located throughout the city. Join us for 'the drive-by walk-in' in the 8000 block of West 3rd street from 2 to 8 pm to stake your claim on public space. Music by My Hawaii and Bird and Moon begins at 6:00. An after party at the A+D Museum will follow.

http://www.parkingdayla.com/index.html

3.0 - public space and why we need it

Some causes will certainly be more serious than others, and some more long-term. I have two this week. One is fun and playful with potential urban repercussions, the other is a cause that partially defines us as a society. Both are about capitalizing on 'publicness', which is defined by urban scholars as not just the right but the necessity for diversity and the forum within which that diversity can come together in all its glorious messiness; the idea of that forum is our public sphere and the physical manifestation is our public space. Our expression of equity and democracy is ideally grounded there. In the last thirty years, the over-sanitization, privatization, and militarization of those physical spaces has made them more and more exclusionary rather than more and more diverse. Who can do what, what they can do, and where they can do it has become more and more restricted. Typically these are 'public' places like malls and corporate squares, but more and more this also includes sidewalks and parks that exclude marginalized populations through restrictive laws or the use of so-called 'protest zones' which actually deny the constitutional right to assemble and speak when and where it is most effective. The first cause encourages us to look at all of our public spaces - particularly the sidewalk and road - and consider how it is we each use our own 69.25 feet. The second is to remind us how important the public sphere is through making our voice heard in the democratic process.

my favorite place to buy art

Some of you are familiar with Community Works 945, the umbrella name for the art, street soccer, and gardening program located at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. These programs have affected the lives of hundreds of homeless participants by providing opportunities for creative expression, skill-building, regrouping, opening doors, making relationships, and uncovering new passions. I had the great fortune of collaborating with UM staff and volunteers, UNCC faculty, and UNCC students to build the ARTPARK last spring next to the UM train station, a public space that incorporates all three components of Community Works while also providing lockers for storage, benches for relaxation, and quiet corners for time alone. I had been to the Art Works auction before, but spending time at UM daily showed me how much talent is there waiting to be seen and how much pride is taken in the work the UM artists create.

Last year I bought Vanessa/Batgirl at the auction, and regardless of my current distance from Charlotte, I feel she is one thing that ties me back to the city and to the great vision of the Community Works programs. So, for those of you within driving distance, here is this year's information on not just the auction, but a pre-auction exhibit that allows a peek at what will be available on the 13th. If you can't make it in person, you can always donate to Art Works 945 (check out the website at http://urbanministrycenter.org/) and help sponsor the long walk between unearthing creative passion and getting it out for the rest of the world to see.

Below is the official announcement. Please support the artists and the program by attending the auction, purchasing work, or making a donation. Or, shift your consciousness and the consciousness of others - find a group or an individual in your own corner of the world who could benefit from being seen for their talents and potentials rather than their difficulties, and make it happen.

Annual Art Works 945 Auction: 5-7pm Sept. 13^th

Art Works 945 of the Urban Ministry Center is proud to announce its annual auction, a unique event where the homeless are able to be seen for the talents and humanity that they posses and not for what they lack. Art Works 945 was recently included in a nation directory of self –taught and outsider art centers. The programmatic value of the Art Works 945 aside, the auction features authentic, inspiring artwork of real value at great prices. Please come and support the homeless with your attendance, and if you see something you like, please purchase it. Photographs, paintings, carvings, and ceramics at all price ranges are for sale. Proceeds are split between the artist and the cost of supplies for the program.

Gallery Three Pre-Sale We are also proud to announce that Wachovia is hosting a current exhibit at Gallery Three [401 S. Tryon Street, Suite 145 Charlotte, NC 28202] until Sept.10. The show features highlights of 2008 from Art Works 945. Link here for a quick peak at the show. Paintings are available for outright purchase before the auction from Gallery Three.

http://www.communityworks945.org/Artworks945/blog/2008/08/arte-homeless-who-you-think-they-are.html

08.30.08 - It's not about a hurricane. It's about America.

Mayor Ray Nagin is calling the coming hurricane "the storm of the century" and it is nearly impossible to believe that he's talking about Gustav rather than the Katrina/Rita combo that hit the Gulf Coast starting exactly three years ago this week. Right now Gustav is moving over western Cuba after already taking more than 50 lives in Haiti. As residents again evacuate the coast, in what looks like a much more prepared and organized series of events than the sister storms that took over 1500 lives in the state of Louisiana alone, I'm still thinking about the previous damage and destruction and how far we have to go to right those decades-old wrongs made evident in New Orleans and places close. When I can figure out how to post pdf links here, I'll include some essays I have been working on about the rights to the city and problems and opportunities held in infrastructure. For now, though, the cause of the week is this: Trouble the Water.

Last night my friend Deirdre and I went to see this film followed by a Q&A with Danny Glover who is one of the executive producers. It was not well publicized so sadly there were less than about 50 folks in attendance and very little press. The film, produced by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, who also produced Fahrenehit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, is a phenomenal collage of amateur footage and expert documentary made from inside the ninth ward both pre- and post hurricane. Kimberly Rivers Roberts bought a $20 video camera a few days before Katrina to record family occasions and ended up stuck in New Orleans with no transportation and no money to evacuate, taping the locals' view of the disaster. She and her husband, Scott Roberts - dead broke as Mr.Glover explained it - spotted Tia and Carl and their professional film-making equipment on the side of the road as they were trying to leave the city and approached them about selling their footage to make some cash. The collaboration starts then, and the team together show a side to the ninth ward and to the hurricane disaster that is more intimate, moving, and real than anything I have seen so far. The small crowd with us applauded, cried, and yelled in turn.

If you are in LA, we saw it at the Sunset 5 down the street from my house - go quick, as movies seem to last there only a week. The website - http://troublethewaterfilm.com/ - not only has a page that shows all the openings in all the states where it will be showing, it also has a very comprehensive "Learn what you can do" tab with numerous links to organizations that are still working to rebuild and promote the larger cause of equity. The film was shown this past week at the Democratic National Convention and will be shown next week at the Republican National Convention. They have also screened it for numerous non-profits and faith-based initiatives and seem to be keen on sharing it with other interested organizations. Please go see the movie, do what you can, and report back. That's this week. Thanks.

cause of the week, take 1

For years I've been sending out regular emails directing people to this or that cause, this or that event, this or that thing that most surely will change the world if only I can get enough people to attend. Well, now I've decided to go a bit more formal. It's been a while since I've blogged. For those of you who knew me during my time in London, I tried my best to write at least weekly once my blogmaster left the scene, but then for a long time there just wasn't much urban for my urban blog. Well, now it's urban all over again, and there's lots going on, and lots for you and me to do to make this world an even better place to live. I'll try not to be so Los Angeles-centric, but - wow - it sure is an interesting place to live. I'll do my best to be here weekly, to post not only interesting happenings in my life, but real causes that you can all be a part of, real events that you all can attend, real actions that you all can take. I welcome guest contributors, as I am most certain that as a team we can be more effective than any of us are alone. There is so much for us to do, let's get out there and change the world - one cause at a time.