3/29/2013

Driven into Poverty


Driven into Poverty: Walkable urbanism and the suburbanization of poverty

by David Moser
Seatac_Pac_Highway
"American suburbs are a particularly bad place to be poor. Though poverty poses dire and unjust challenges no matter where it exists, sprawling and auto-dependent land use patterns can exacerbate these difficulties. And this problem is gaining urgency, as more and more of America’s low-income individuals now live in suburbs (or are being pushed there), a phenomenon the Brookings Institute has called “the suburbanization of poverty”."



Mae Jemison Astronaut


MAE JEMISON.  "It does matter which way we go and what road we take!  Revitalize arts and sciences!"   http://www.ted.com/talks/mae_jemison_on_teaching_arts_and_sciences_together.html


3/28/2013

HISTORIC PICTURES RESTORED

A company does HD photo restorations of vintage pics from the Library of Congress. Pictures from various states from the late 1800's, amazing shots of life back then.

Here are some of the amazing results!

1900 | Scranton , Pennsylvania . " Delaware , Lackawanna , and Western Railroad yards"

002 | 1862 | On the James River in Virginia . "Effect of Confederate shot on Federal ironclad Galena " | James F. Gibson

003 | 1864 | " James River , Virginia . Double-turreted monitor U.S.S. Onondaga, soldiers in rowboat"

004 | 1865 | " City Point , Virginia (vicinity). Medical supply boat Planter at General Hospital wharf on the Appomattox "

005 | 1890 | Florida . "Brown's Landing, Rice Creek"

006 | 1896 | U.S.S. New York . "Group of sailors" | Edward Hart

007 | 1897 | "Commodore H.M. Gillig's racing sloop Vencedor on Lake Erie " | John S. Johnston

008 | 1897 | "Berth deck cooks, U.S.S. Oregon" | Edward H. Hart

Click for more Historic Photos



3/27/2013

Serenity Prayer



God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,


And wisdom to know the difference.




  1. The Serenity Prayer

    www.cptryon.org/prayer/special/serenity.html
    God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; ...
  2. Serenity Prayer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer
    The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). It has been adopted by ...
  3. Serenity Prayer - God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can

    www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/.../Serenity-Prayer.aspx
    God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a ...
  4. Images for serenity prayer

     - Report images
  5. Serenity Prayer at AA History & Trivia

    www.aahistory.com/prayer.html
    For many years, long after the Serenity Prayer became attached to the very fabric of the Fellowship's life and thought, its exact origin, its actual author, have ...
  6. God Grant Me The Serenity - Full Serenity Prayer & Meaning

    www.lords-prayer-words.com/...prayers/god_grant_me_the_se...
    The Serenity Prayer - 'God Grant Me The Serenity'. The full words, meaning & history behind this beautiful prayer. Also featuring the prayer in song & as a ...
  7. Serenity Prayer - Full Original Copy of the Serenity Prayer

    www.thevoiceforlove.com › Prayer › Healing Prayers
    Serenity Prayer. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
  8. Serenity Prayer Gifts - The Catholic Company

    www.catholiccompany.com › Gift Ideas
    The Serenity Prayer was originally written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930's or 40's as part of a sermon. Though the full prayer is ...
  9. Serenity Prayer - The Serenity Prayer

    alcoholism.about.com › ... › 12 Step Recovery › Daily InspirationShare
    Brilliant in its simplicity, The Serenity Prayer is one of the key spiritual tools used by virtually all 12-step recovery support group members and many others.




3/24/2013

Social Marketing


Social Marketing

Social Marketing is a low cost and effective way to market your organization, business or yourself. There are many different ways to use the internet and social marketing to promote your business and organization. The following is one way.

You try to make your blog interesting to your intended reader. You can just have entries originated by you, but it will probably be more interesting if you add content from other similar web sites. It takes a little time to figure how to do it, but essentially you are linking other similar web sites, blogs, twitter, facebook, linkedin and other sites to your blog. As they write new content it appears on your site. My examples below:

Simple One Page Blog:


More Complex Blogs: 

planningnews.blogspot.com


First step for you? Create your Blog. For blogging I prefer blogger.com which is free and part of google, but there are numerous other free and low cost services. You can get up and blogging in a few minutes, although it will take some time to learn the tricks.



Start slow and easy - the blog below is my simple one entry blog.

You can write many blogs if you wish. You may wish to have one that is just your resume or brochure that does not change very often.  My example is:


The address of the blog is a little long. You can purchase a .com address to make the address easier to remember, and have it automatically forward to your blog. This costs about $75 for ten years from GoDaddy or Google or other sources. My examples below:


After you have your blog up and running you will want to join other social networks which will compliment your blog. There are many different social networks. These are the ones I use.


pinterest.com


facebook.com


linkedin.com

twitter.com


Use the same or very similar name for all the systems. If you are marketing a company or yourself use the name of the company or your name.

After you have your blog working, write a short blast on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, directing people to the blog. Update them each time you write a new entry.

You will want to reach out and find others in your group and link with them. You want to let them know what you are doing without becoming obnoxious about it.

Use the blog as the main focus - Put information on the blog that your target audience will find interesting.  I use the other services to point people to the blog.

My Examples - And I am older then dirt. 
If I can do it  - you can. 

So simple even a cave man can do it.


craighullinger.com


cityplanningnews.com


facebook.com/craighullinger

facebook.com/cityplanningnews



Pictures are worth a 1,000 words. A photo of yourself can be used.  If you look like me, a distant fuzzy shot is best. I am a city planner, hence the map.


You can also use direct email to your contacts.  I usually just send a link to my blog to my contacts so if they are interested they can go to the blog, or if not, just delete the email.  You should send the email to an undisclosed@list.comwith the actual addresses to a bcc address - that way spammers won't pick up the addresses and harass your email contacts.




It is your choice whether you use a simple email format or one with an attractive photo or letterhead - the attractive letter head looks nice but takes longer to open and will not work on everyone's computer.

Social marketing is evolving rapidly, but you can get underway quickly with no cost and a little effort. It takes a reasonably computer savvy person a couple of hours to get all this up and running, and then some time to develop a little skill.


The buttons at the bottom of the entry make it easy for people to send your blog address to their friends on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. 
I will be glad to help you get going if you need help. Have fun.

309 634 5557




facebook.com/cityplanningnews

3/23/2013

Growing Disparities Belie Chicago's Bloom


Recent exultant headlines about downtown's astounding growth overlook Chicago's troubling bifurcation into two cities — "one where optimism abounds, one where hope and opportunity are hard to find," writes Marilyn Katz.
While recent data indicates that downtown Chicago is America's hottest urban center, those numbers don't tell the full story of the city's economy. "While Chicago is on the rebound from the worst of the recession, the recovery has been far less robust here than in all major cities, except Miami and Detroit," writes Katz. "Many Chicagoans are poorer than they were before the economic downturn."
"The very structure of Chicago's economy has changed," Katz explains. "Over the last decade, particularly in the last five years, Chicago lost thousands of good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing and government, while gaining jobs in retail, hospitality and professional services, which pay far less."
"This snapshot represents a painful change for many of the city's residents. Illinois earned the dubious distinction as the state where income disparities have grown the most, with incomes of the richest up by more than 11 percent and middle- and working-class folks down by 15 percent."
Katz ends her piece by imploring the city to commit to growing good-paying jobs, investing in legacy industries, assisting recent graduates, welcoming new immigrants, and supporting entrepreneurs, "to make the city a place of opportunity, not just for the few, but for all who choose to call Chicago home."

3/22/2013

Homes of the Future, Built in the Past


The space race is over, but you wouldn't know it looking at these homes. These stunning space-age creations by architects such as John Lautner, Richard Neutra and Jules Gregory all seem ready to blast off.


atomichomes_bobhope

The most iconic of John Lautner's works, Bob Hope's Palm Springs estate was designed in 1973 to resemble a volcano with a copper roof rising to an open semi-circle at the top. 



atomichomes_neutra 

A home designed by an acclaimed architect is a find in itself, but a home designed by two influential architects is quite unusual. This modernist triplex combines structures by Richard Neutra and Paul Hoag.



atomichomes_julesgregory 

When architects design for themselves, they often stretch their creative muscles. Jules Gregory designed his modern home with a double-conoid roof that appears to float above the structure walls.



atomichomes_elrodhouse

This Lautner-designed home, known as the "Elrod House," was built for interior designer Arthur Elrod and famously used in the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever."