The proposed suspension of the Aid to Needy Disabled Program, known as "AND", that was announced by Governor Ritter last week.

Here is what we know about AND.
The Governor has proposed a budget cut that would suspend the program indefinitely; it will take action by the state General Assembly. This can't happen until the Legislature convenes after January 1, 2010. The AND program remains in place, and funds will be allocated to recipients, until then. Enrollment processes regarding AND will continue as usual.

We are working diligently with the Governor's office, the Legislature and our partners in the community to prevent the program from being discontinued, however the outcome of these efforts are far from certain right now. Directors and managers should discuss with their teams the best approach in communicating the situation to individual clients.
What we are doing.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and their partners, have begun a campaign of online email Action Alerts, news media coverage, meetings with stakeholders and public presentations.

What you can do.

Become informed and spread the word. Click on this link to review an Action Alert we released last week. Forward the page to your friends, family, church groups, and clubs that you may belong to, etc. Post a link on any social networking sites you may belong to, like My Space.

http://www.coloradocoalition.org/advocate/aa_archive/aa_8-21-09.aspx
Contact the Governor's office and members of the Joint Budget Committee (their contact info is on the Action Alert). Tell them you oppose the suspension of the AND program.

(Tip: communicating via email is preferable to a phone call when possible, and it may be more effective if you do so from your home or personal account. The Governor's office and the legislature are aware that many activists strongly opposes their plan to cut the program.)

Inform your clients about what they can do (same as above), should they wish to voice their opposition.

Help us identify AND recipients who would be willing to tell their story to the media, to the Governor and to state legislators. Should you have a client who would be willing to talk about his or her experiences, or allow us to tell their story, please provide their name and contact info with a bit about their history.

We are building a roster of employees who would be willing to speak to their congregation, club, neighborhood group, or speak at an event. Let me know if you'd like to be on our AND Speaker's Bureau and we'll put you to work right away.

It encourages us to know that we are all working to improve the lives of all of our vulnerable citizens.

“If Anyone Could Have He Would Have.”

What a public servant and a citizen means to us is more than a responsibility as an individual to the community trust; a person who dedicates their life to the commonweal models the commitment and integrity of caring for the rest of the world as a way of life.

Theodore Kennedy was such a member of the community. He led by example in the highest level of service that is possible. His passing marks a gift of humanity to all human beings and all life itself; by sacrificing his life through his work we are all better. Thanks and grace is all that we can bestow on such a remarkable person in response.

What we are called to do is rise and seek to do what is right, emulating the commitment and integrity of this civil servant.

Expediency would dictate that instincts for survival drive a person to preserve his or her ability to make a living somehow. Eking out an existence is predicated largely and fundamentally on the will and the effort to fulfill a role in the social milieu. Yet, many people in the current condition of the world who are faced with the challenge of providing sustenance for their families cannot and will not make choices that sustain their families nor themselves.
Our citizens more and more are finding the effort that they expend in surviving is futile. Many of our kindred spirits are lacking the will power to keep from escaping the harsh reality that they face in everyday matters. Instead of focusing on what can be done to thrive there are more and more people who give up and do nothing. Doing nothing is a more difficult and challenging choice than expending effort to do the mundane with clarity and purpose. One can easily disappear in the attention paid to social drugs like eating, playing mindless games, using substances , gambling, preying on the limited capacities we have in the present world to make a difference in our community.
Distinct from this reality is simply being a citizen who focuses on the profound role of doing the ordinary well. When one listens to values and views of others with openness and abandoning judgment, there is an opportunity to give to others grace and to transform one’s being. The money that we earn and the things that we possess do not define us. What matters is what we do between each other with a spirit of care and respect.
The world in which we are thrust is vindictive and cruel to many people. It is at least unfair and unreasonable, but how we regard one another can be the axis for surviving these stout challenges of the spirit. We can learn that being independent is not as significant a value as being interrelated. We can chose to help out the other person we encounter not by giving the beggar alms but by our character as warriors of the spirit, who resolve to hold another up arm in arm and embrace the person whole heartedly, and by this simple act we can transform our world. Doing ordinary activities may be hard for us because it has no obvious rewards but the value in the effort is achieved by incremental changes in our disposition as loving and peaceful inhabitants of the earth.
Looking at work in this way, it is not an end to achieve like a pay check, but a life long pursuit of fulfillment of the heart. The passion of the heart endures and melts the harshness that is everywhere in these hard times.

Letter to the Editor:

HEALTH CARE REFORM for DUMMIES!
By Helen L. Burleson

1. Do you understand the law of supply and demand?
2. Do you know why a Rolls Royce costs so much more than a Volks Wagon?
3. Do you realize that the RR is reproduced in a very limited number?
4. Do you realize the VW rolls off the assembly line like rabbits reproducing?
5. Which one is more expensive and why?
6. Okay, now you understand the law of supply and demand!
7. If only insurance companies are in the mix to provide health care costs do you realize that is why they can set their rates according to how much profit they want to extract from you. Do you understand why they can raise their rates willy nilly because there is no major competitor like the government?
8. With the government as a major competitor can you see how this will FORCE insurance companies to provide the coverage you need for pre-existing conditions, for medical treatments that your physician thinks are best for you, for prescriptions that help to save your life without having to give up your life savings to be able to afford those brand named drugs that your physician feels are the best to treat and cure you, and should you need home health care, won't they have to cover that, too?
9. With the government (which by the way is YOU), won't insurance companies because of the law of supply and demand have to compete for your business with competitive prices with full unlimited care to help you live a more healthful life?
10. When supply is greatly expanded ( the Volks Wagon), the demand is greater because the price is affordable, thus the prices come down. Do you see thousands more VW's on the road than RR's?
11. When the supply is limited (Rolls Royce), the demand is lower because the prices rise and are exorbitant. How many people can afford a Rolls Royce?

Now DUMMIES, DO YOU GET IT? STOP LISTENING TO THE LIARS WHO EITHER ARE THE INSURANCE COMPANIES OR THOSE POLITICIANS ON THEIR PAYROLL! LET'S ALL PRAY THAT THE DUMMIES HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND!

Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, Inc. (CHUN)
40th Anniversary Gala
When: October 1, 2009 – 5:30PM to 10:00PM -- (Cocktails 5:30, Dinner 7:00)
Where: The Denver Botanic Gardens – 1005 York Street, Denver CO
Why: To celebrate and reflect on CHUN’s 40 year history. CHUN members past,
present and future from the Greater Capitol Hill community will gather
for an evening of good food, drink, entertainment and community celebration.
CHUN co-founder and former Colorado Congresswoman Pat Schroeder,
co-founders Bernie Jones and former Denver City Councilwoman Cathy
Donohue will join us along with our elected officials and many other
Greater Capitol Hill friends. Hazel Miller will be there to entertain as will
former state legislator-turned-piano man Jerry Kopel.
Ticket Information: Individual Tickets - $75.00
Table of Ten - $750.00
Patron Sponsor - $1250.00
Corporate Sponsor - $2500.00
Presenting Sponsor - $5000.00
Background:
In 1969, a group of young Capitol Hill residents took a hard look at what was happening to
their neighborhoods in light of the urban flight and civic indifference, and decided something
had to be done to stem further deterioration and disrespect of this historic but tarnished and
neglected center city jewel. As community organizers they were a talented and experienced
cadre. Many came from the ranks of the turbulent 60’s protest generation. Their initial grassroots
resistance was to stand in opposition to the city’s plan to add more invasive and divisive
one-way streets through the Capitol Hill neighborhoods (specifically 11th and 12th avenues).
They won that battle, and from that community initiative formed Capitol Hill United
Neighborhoods (CHUN), which today serves the community interests in matters of public
safety, land use, zoning, liquor licenses, development, housing, transportation, historic
preservation, education and the environment within Greater Capitol Hill.
For additional information or to purchase tickets please call Cody Galloway at 303-830-1651

My Private Life With A Private Guide
By Kelli Wilson

“You’re so close to graduation, if you keep up at the rate you’re going then you’ll be done in a year!” Those are the words that every college Junior wants to hear. You’re almost done! Being so close to graduation, you can practically taste the cap and gown, graduation party and job search. But of course, there is always a catch. The advisor who gave me those encouraging words just moments before also reminded me that I needed to get involved with a company and begin my internship. The first thoughts that went through my mind were, “Okay, I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

However, “tomorrow” came sooner than I thought it would. Coming from a family of women with contacts in the travel industry, I was soon introduced to the spirited and motivated Daphne Marrable. Daphne is a Certified International Tour Manager (CITM) and Director of Youth and Student Tours for A Private Guide Inc. in Denver, CO. Upon our first meeting at the lovely Second Home Kitchen and Bar, I was convinced that A Private Guide Inc. was going to not only be a fun and interesting internship but would also serve as a challenging and competitive environment in which to learn.

The word “internship” means that a beginner will spend time in a chosen occupation to, basically, learn the ropes. Some interns are paid but the majority of the time, especially for a college internship, the intern is unpaid. This is fine seeing as how it is a learning experience, but it makes it difficult not to change your entire routine! Let me explain that a little better.

I received an internship packet that was 45 pages long. Every page was full of timesheets, papers to sign, papers for me to write, and of course what was expected of me. The required amount of hours I need to spend working for A Private Guide Inc. is 450 hours. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Okay well take those 450 hours which breaks down to being 18.75 24-hour days, 27,000 minutes and a whopping 1,620,000 seconds and do it in approximately 3.5 months. Doesn’t sound as easy anymore does it? AND to add on to that, imagine you’re Daphne Marrable who agreed to be my internship supervisor during this time. That’s like being Pierce Brosnan and having to show Daniel Craig the ropes so 007 doesn’t go down in flames.

So how are we going to get all this work done in such a short amount of time and still keep A Private Guide Inc.’s good name? Well that is what we are going to find out! Daphne and I have come up with a busy (to say the least) schedule that will keep me on my toes and working for the duration of my time. We decided I needed to be on the job five days a week and do a certain amount of hours over the weekends.

Since I signed up for classes long before this internship was final, we had to base my work schedule off my school schedule. I take classes at Metropolitan State College of Denver where I am a Hospitality, Tourism and Event Planning major. I am on campus Monday through Thursday and between 1pm and 7pm. This means that if I need to be working Monday through Friday and get enough hours, I have to start early in the morning. Now for a night owl like myself, early in the morning is 10am, 9am is cutting is close usually. But for a woman like Daphne who has been hard at work for the last twenty-three years, 6am is sleeping in. So we met in the middle and decided I would meet at her office Monday through Friday at 8am.

The first actual day of work, I showed up on time but only half awake. Within five minutes of Daphne going over the basics, I was halfway crouched over and snoring. Every time she would try to intervene by asking me if I needed something cold to drink or offering me a friendly kick, I assured her that I was NOT sleeping, just resting my eyes. All that I can say now is thank goodness for coffee!

My first week went well besides the “I promise I’m not sleeping” incident. On Monday I was able to meet with the president of A Private Guide Inc, Sid Wilson. Sid, being a good friend of my mother, had been introduced to me before. This happened to be about eighteen years ago when I didn’t even know what work was. All I can recall about Sid Wilson is telling my Mom that I was glad to finally be able to meet my Uncle Sid. (Since we share the same last name I was a bit confused.) However, it was great to meet with the president of the company I would be working for and suck up a little by letting him know that in my summer marketing class, my group and I did our market research project on A Private Guide Inc.

During that week I also learned that flip flops are not a professional foot item and an Adidas workout bag is NOT the same thing as a briefcase. However that is a whole other story that you’ll have to read about next week.

Stay with me as I venture on with A Private Guide Inc., and maybe even see me through graduation…

Kelli Wilson, Intern,
A Private Guide, Inc.

A Farm on Every Floor
By DICKSON D. DESPOMMIER
Published: August 23, 2009 in the New York Times
IF climate change and population growth progress at their current pace, in roughly 50 years farming as we know it will no longer exist. This means that the majority of people could soon be without enough food or water. But there is a solution that is surprisingly within reach: Move most farming into cities, and grow crops in tall, specially constructed buildings. It’s called vertical farming.
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Times Topics: Urban Agriculture| AgricultureThe floods and droughts that have come with climate change are wreaking havoc on traditional farmland. Three recent floods (in 1993, 2007 and 2008) cost the United States billions of dollars in lost crops, with even more devastating losses in topsoil. Changes in rain patterns and temperature could diminish India’s agricultural output by 30 percent by the end of the century.
What’s more, population increases will soon cause our farmers to run out of land. The amount of arable land per person decreased from about an acre in 1970 to roughly half an acre in 2000 and is projected to decline to about a third of an acre by 2050, according to the United Nations. With billions more people on the way, before we know it the traditional soil-based farming model developed over the last 12,000 years will no longer be a sustainable option.
Irrigation now claims some 70 percent of the fresh water that we use. After applying this water to crops, the excess agricultural runoff, contaminated with silt, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, is unfit for reuse. The developed world must find new agricultural approaches before the world’s hungriest come knocking on its door for a glass of clean water and a plate of disease-free rice and beans.
Imagine a farm right in the middle of a major city. Food production would take advantage of hydroponic and aeroponic technologies. Both methods are soil-free. Hydroponics allows us to grow plants in a water-and-nutrient solution, while aeroponics grows them in a nutrient-laden mist. These methods use far less water than conventional cultivation techniques, in some cases as much as 90 percent less.
Now apply the vertical farm concept to countries that are water-challenged — the Middle East readily comes to mind — and suddenly things look less hopeless. For this reason the world’s very first vertical farm may be established there, although the idea has garnered considerable interest from architects and governments all over the world.
Vertical farms are now feasible, in large part because of a robust global greenhouse initiative that has enjoyed considerable commercial success over the last 10 years. (Disclosure: I’ve started a business to build vertical farms.) There is a rising consumer demand for locally grown vegetables and fruits, as well as intense urban-farming activity in cities throughout the United States. Vertical farms would not only revolutionize and improve urban life but also revitalize land that was damaged by traditional farming. For every indoor acre farmed, some 10 to 20 outdoor acres of farmland could be allowed to return to their original ecological state (mostly hardwood forest). Abandoned farms do this free of charge, with no human help required.
A vertical farm would behave like a functional ecosystem, in which waste was recycled and the water used in hydroponics and aeroponics was recaptured by dehumidification and used over and over again. The technologies needed to create a vertical farm are currently being used in controlled-environment agriculture facilities but have not been integrated into a seamless source of food production in urban high-rise buildings.
Such buildings, by the way, are not the only structures that could house vertical farms. Farms of various dimensions and crop yields could be built into a variety of urban settings — from schools, restaurants and hospitals to the upper floors of apartment complexes. By supplying a continuous quantity of fresh vegetables and fruits to city dwellers, these farms would help combat health problems, like Type II diabetes and obesity, that arise in part from the lack of quality produce in our diet.
The list of benefits is long. Vertical farms would produce crops year-round that contain no agro-chemicals. Fish and poultry could also be raised indoors. The farms would greatly reduce fossil-fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions, since they would eliminate the need for heavy farm machinery and trucks that deliver food from farm to fork. (Wouldn’t it be great if everything on your plate came from around the corner, rather than from hundreds to thousands of miles away?)
Vertical farming could finally put an end to agricultural runoff, a major source of water pollution. Crops would never again be destroyed by floods or droughts. New employment opportunities for vertical farm managers and workers would abound, and abandoned city properties would become productive once again.
Vertical farms would also make cities more pleasant places to live. The structures themselves would be things of beauty and grace. In order to allow plants to capture passive sunlight, walls and ceilings would be completely transparent. So from a distance, it would look as if there were gardens suspended in space.
City dwellers would also be able to breathe easier — quite literally. Vertical farms would bring a great concentration of plants into cities. These plants would absorb carbon dioxide produced by automobile emissions and give off oxygen in return. So imagine you wanted to build the first vertical farm and put it in New York City. What would it take? We have the technology — now we need money, political will and, of course, proof that this concept can work. That’s why a prototype would be a good place to start. I estimate that constructing a five-story farm, taking up one-eighth of a square city block, would cost $20 million to $30 million. Part of the financing should come from the city government, as a vertical farm would go a long way toward achieving Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s goal of a green New York City by 2030. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has already expressed interest in having a vertical farm in the city. City officials should be interested. If a farm is located where the public can easily visit it, the iconic building could generate significant tourist dollars, on top of revenue from the sales of its produce.
But most of the financing should come from private sources, including groups controlling venture-capital funds. The real money would flow once entrepreneurs and clean-tech investors realize how much profit there is to be made in urban farming. Imagine a farm in which crop production is not limited by seasons or adverse weather events. Sales could be made in advance because crop-production levels could be guaranteed, thanks to the predictable nature of indoor agriculture. An actual indoor farm developed at Cornell University growing hydroponic lettuce was able to produce as many as 68 heads per square foot per year. At a retail price in New York of up to $2.50 a head for hydroponic lettuce, you can easily do the math and project profitability for other similar crops.
When people ask me why the world still does not have a single vertical farm, I just raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders. Perhaps people just need to see proof that farms can grow several stories high. As soon as the first city takes that leap of faith, the world’s first vertical farm could be less than a year away from coming to the aid of a hungry, thirsty world. Not a moment too soon.

Dickson D. Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University, is writing a book about vertical farms.

The substance of this idea is that when we consider zoning we also must take into account sun light, space, air, blocking the light of both solar installations and the sky light that people have in their existing homes and where there are energy efficient investments.

Come to the Zoning meeting or weigh in at www.Newcodedenver.org

How Would You Reduce Poverty in Denver?

Tonight there is another zoning public meeting at 6 p.m. at the National Jewish Hospital. It is vital that residents have input into the zoning changes. Remarks can be forwarded to the Zoning Commission, which is reviewing these decisions. Your neighborhood can consider higher density by building a higher number of stories for residential and mixed use buildings. You may require less parking spots and reduce the number of cars that are parked in front of buildings. There are plans for the right of way to be pedestrian friendly and the public access to the street to be places for walking and bicycles. Many changes can occur to make Denver greener and more calm, like islands and plantings along pedestrian areas. In hot spots there can be less traffic and more neighbor to neighbor relations. Developers who have the opportunity to build a higher density neighborhood can include mixed income housing, especially targeted for families. Step backs can ensure that there is more public right of way that is pedestrian friendly. Above all the size of lots can be reduced to include more compact constriction and more connected homes instead of single family dwellings. These are insights from Randle Loeb.

"With the current economic quicksand, many more people are feeling financially vulnerable. More individuals are sliding into poverty, even as resources to address the needs of those already struggling erode. As of 2007, about 18% of Denverites lived in poverty. These are individuals living on less than about $10,000 per year, and a family of 4 living on less than about $21,000 per year.

The Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations is currently conducting a survey on poverty in Denver and would love your opinions. This survey will be used to gain a greater perspective on poverty in Denver, especially in relation to minority groups and special populations. Barriers to economic opportunities may vary by constituent group. The Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations has Commissions – community advisory bodies -- that work with different communities:

Women
People with Disabilities
Older Adults
Latina/o
African American
American Indian
Asian American
Gay,Lesbian,Bisexual and Transgendered

The survey and final report be used to develop work plans for the Agency and to consider new policies to help address poverty in our City. We are asking you to share your perspective. We will also be considering census data, interviews with service providers and with individuals who live in poverty in developing recommendations.

Please fill out the survey by August 28th by clicking on the link below. The ten question survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Thank you so much for your help. You have the freedom to remain anonymous or to put your name down to be quoted or asked for more information.

Please forward this survey to all of your contacts (individuals whom you work with, friends, clients, or other organizations).That would be extremely helpful. The more responses that we have to our survey, the more accurate the information will be and greater the chance that it will have the power and insight to recommend effective policy changes."

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=q2oph5AwtAq_2b_2fduyFLEDQQ_3d_3d


For questions, contact

Chaer Robert
720-913-8465