Smoking cowboy
A little doodle for my advertising and art school friends: the Marlboro man in his off hours as a life drawing model.
President Obama and the Pope
This week in Rome, President Obama will meet with Pope Francis for the first time.
Since his election last year, Pope Francis has made numerous proclamations that many have found to be unusually liberal minded for the Church, both politically and even when it comes to social issues like gay marriage. During their closed door meeting on Thursday, President Obama and the Pope are expected to discuss an issue that's been of great concern to both of them: the problem of growing inequality and lack of opportunity among the poor. In the U.S., some in the right-wing media have gone so far as to label the Pope a communist or, even worse, a LIBERAL. They've come to expect such talk from the President, but when the leader of the Catholic Church starts talking about the failure of 'trickle-down economics', he's simply gone too far. According to Rush Limbaugh, "this pope makes it very clear he doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to capitalism." God forbid that the Church voice an opinion on unchecked greed and the plight of the poor.
While it's true that President Obama and Pope Francis have plenty of common ground when it comes to helping the poor, there are also some areas where the two disagree. Obama's use of drones and the civilian casualties that sometimes result are one. Legalized abortion is another. Still, Pope Francis has made it clear in words and actions that world poverty is his overriding concern and that's what's expected to be the focus of tomorrow's meeting.
Change comes slow to government and even slower to the Church, but for progressives, it's encouraging to see the subjects of inequality and world poverty even being discussed at all.
The Polar Vortex: Grilling Weather in Chicago
"While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best." ~former U.S. House Rep.Tom Allen, Maine
"Winter is not a season,it's an occupation." ~Sinclair Lewis
With all due respect to former Rep. Allen (quoted above), while I agree that winter DOES form our character, whether it brings out our best is debatable, if driving etiquette is any indicator.
With all of February still ahead of us, The Chicago Tribune is already editorializing on this season being possibly 'The Worst Winter Ever'™. Not even halfway into into this winter of 2014 and it's already shaping up to be one of the coldest on record in a city known for its fierce winters. At Lincoln Park Zoo, even the polar bears huddled inside to avoid the sub-zero temperatures of the past few weeks.
The polar vortex has brought us a 1-2 punch of near record snow, arctic temperatures, and fodder for climate change deniers' bogus arguments. Funny how an obscure meteorological term around since at least 1950 can so quickly become part of our daily conversation.
Through all of this, Chicagoans have a tough reputation as winter spartans to uphold. So even though our home team may be absent from this year's Superbowl, let's fire up those grills for a weekend barbecue and show that Chicagoans won't let winter get us down. Just be sure to keep that shovel handy for the 6-8 more inches of predicted snowfall. (UGH!)
Deer Leader Rudolph
"You know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen, Comet, and Cupid, and Donder and Blitzen But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?" -from traditional song commemorating Deer Leader
It is the time of year once again when people the world over pay tribute to our great luminescent leader and true Emperor of the North, Rudolph the Radiant. As benevolent patriarch to his countless offspring, Emperor Rudolph sees to it that all his children have a profound understanding of their father's esteemed place in history. Once again this season, they take part in the reindeer games that were denied our young hero during his time of suffering and honor him by reciting the song that recounts his humiliation at the hands of his inferiors and his eventual redemption and glory. As all loyal citizens know, the song tells the story of how brave Rudolph bore the taunting of his peers, only to emerge victorious in the end through sheer pluck and determination. In subsequent verses added after his rise to preeminence, we learn how he showed compassion for his tormentors and oppressors, allowing the few that were deemed worthy of reeducation the opportunity to work side by side with the elves in the factories and mines, doing the good and necessary work of providing toys and coal for all children of the world.
All blessings upon good Rudolph and all his heirs! Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer's name has truly gone down in history.
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
As the year winds down, it's traditionally a time to take stock of where we're at on a personal level and beyond. I and my family have been fortunate in many ways this year and generally enjoy good health and food on the table. But for believers and non-believers alike, the phrase "there but for the grace of God" reminds us that, despite our best intentions and sound decisions, misfortune can hit anytime and anywhere like a figurative (or literal) hurricane.
Recently, I contacted the Community Program Manager at the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry, Kristi Braun, who kindly give me some insight into the workings of our local food pantry (Oak Park and River Forest are villages just west of Chicago) and told me how they're dealing with this year's particular challenges. Here's what she had to say:
____________ Q: Has the latest round of food stamp cuts affected the food pantry's projected need for resources? We are seeing an upsurge in client visits. Too early to tell if that is a result of the SNAP (food stamp benefit) cuts , but the timing is right. I think we will see more people coming. Where else are they going to get the food they need?
Q: How can local residents get involved and what is the best way to donate (volunteering, cash, specific food items)? There are a number of ways that local residents can get involved. People immediately think of donating food as the #1 way to help out. Our focus is to provide protein-rich, nutrient-dense food to our clients. Protein food donations go a long way. Food costs have gone up considerably, especially protein foods (meat, peanut butter, tuna, etc). Of the 60,000 lbs. of food that are distributed each month, only 40% of it comes from food donations. We have to purchase approximately 60%. A $1 donation enables us to purchase $10 worth of food. We purchase our food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository (1 of 8 IL food banks). So monetary donations go a long way. And volunteering is always a great way to get involved at the food pantry. We have been averaging 1,600 volunteer hours each month. Needless to say, volunteers are the backbone of our organization.
Q: How widespread is the hunger problem in our area? Food insecurity in Oak Park is 10.5%. In Austin it’s 34.2%. The other communities we serve range from a River Forest low of 5.1% to Humboldt Park at 22.1%. One of 4 families with children region-wide are food insecure. One in three working poor and single mother-headed households are food insecure.
Q: How does the pantry get its funding? (private donations, federal/state funding, community organizations?) All of the above. By far our biggest source of funding is individual donations. The only federal support we have is USDA commodities (about 10% of the food we distribute). We also have a Community Development Block Grant through HUD (allocated through the Village of Oak Park), but it is only about 5% of our funding.
Q: How will the pantry mark the coming holidays? While we would love to be able to provide our clients with specialty holiday items (turkeys, hams, etc) we have chosen to spend our food dollars on nutrient-dense and protein-rich foods throughout the year rather than focus a large amount of food dollars on holiday foods that only benefit a few or by providing smaller amount of food needed for day to day meals. ____________ The numbers of those going hungry in the richest nation on earth are sad and staggering, but maybe the most significant number is the amazing statistic that food pantries get a 1000% boost in buying power for every dollar they receive.
For more information on the Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry, here's a video that goes into more detail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i06omP_xxh8
Many thanks to Kristi and to all the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry volunteers. And to all a great Thanksgiving and remember that giving to those in need is a year round thing.