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POPSMore people on SF streets are newly homeless More: Twenty of 21 cities surveyed for a new report from U.S. Conference of Mayors reported an increase in requests for food, and 59 percent of those requests came from families. In addition, 16 of 25 cities reported a significant increase in homeless families, with San Francisco among the leaders. "Monday we had 136 families on the waiting list for a shelter," said Dariush Kayhan, the city's homeless policy director. "That's 50 percent more than we had on the list one year ago." What's more concerning is that, according to the city's Human Services Agency, 62 percent of those on the waiting list are new to the system. They haven't been homeless in San Francisco before… Indications are that we are only seeing the beginning of what the faltering economy will do to those living on the edge of homelessness…single men, particularly returning veterans, continue to be most likely to end up on the street.
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POPSDorothea Lange - Artist With Vision Beyond The Lens Of Any Camera (Errata Clog)
In response to my clog post entitled, "Strong Support For Health Care Reform With Public Option," I have participated in some discussions about the stunning work of Dorothea Lange. As many of you may know, Dorothea Lange is the photographer/artist who took the famous picture, "Migrant Mother," which is featured in my clog. I entitled this picture incorrectly as "The Dust Bowl," so please accept my apologies for this error. If any of my clogs ever contain incorrect information of this nature, I ask that my readers let me know right away. Aside from correcting errata, I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight Dorothea Lange's work further in the clips below. I clipped these bits from the My Hero website. Dorothea Lange is an interesting individual who, in my opinion, captured the class struggles in this country better than any artist of her day with a medium that was not then fully realized. Dorothea Lange died on October 16, 1965. If you are not familiar with the life
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POPSFortresses Of Solitude And Sanctuary
Many of us have seen photographs of the Buddhist monasteries in Asia, perched precariously among the clouds. But, did you know that Greece, like Asia, has a number of similar architectural wonders? Today's San Francisco Chronicle ran the first photograph I clipped below, which I founded stunning. This particular monastery is known as Roussanou Monastery in Meteora, Greece. The word "meteora" is typically translated as "suspended in the air," a reference to the lofty sandstone pillars on which the monasteries are built. Roussanou is not the only such monastery in the region; in fact, there are 6. I clipped some additonal photos from Meteora, which I hope you will enjoy. They are, in the order presented: Agios Nikoloas Anapafsa Monastery, Agias Triados (Holy Trinity) Monastery, and the Grand Meteron Monastery. My personal favorite, however, is the last picture. Though it shows the scaffolding of repair-work, it also shows off the beautiful hues of blue I associate
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POPSFrom both sides of his mouth!!!!! This latest move by the administration follows a pattern replicated countless times by Obama since assuming the presidency in January: denounce the lawless behavior of his Oval Office predecessor while continuing, even expanding, the reach of unaccountable security agencies that subvert constitutional guarantees barring "unreasonable searches and seizures."
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POPSSan Francisco test drives Universal Health Care: Result - Good More: The program, now in its third year, is proving popular. More than 43,000 people were enrolled as of June, up from 24,000 a year before. One reason for the jump: the income test for eligibility was relaxed in February to include people whose income was 500 percent of the poverty level--about $54,000 for a single person and $110,000 for a family of four. The program costs San Francisco about $280 per person per month. How are the results? Hospital admissions of plan members have dropped, and the average stay for those who wind up in the hospital has been cut almost in half, Varney reports. Those changes suggest chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension, are being managed better, reducing the need for crisis care.