up your architecture.

Hey Readerdom,

As you may know, my good friends Colin Kloecker and Troy Gallas of Solutions Twin Cities are in the running for a $10,000 Nau Grant for Change. You can check out their submission here: http://bit.ly/solutionsg4c The G4C supports those who instigate lasting, positive change in their communities. As someone who has experienced their work first hand, I hope you see the value in their work and feel this grant is a perfect fit. I am connected to a diverse and active group of people I feel should support their work and would greatly appreciate your help spreading the word about Solutions. Winners are selected based on votes so every vote counts! Voting closes TODAY! Monday, August 31st, so please spread the word!

Below you'll find a little info that might be helpful in writing something to pass along.

Thank you so much!

James

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Help Solutions Twin Cities win the $10,000 Nau Grant for Change!

The Nau Grant for Change supports those who instigate lasting, positive change in their communities. Please visit our submission page to learn more, and if you think we fit the bill, please vote for us! You have to register, but it's quick, easy, and hopefully well worth your time to support the work that we do. If you have any trouble, read more about how to vote here. Thank you!

Troy & Colin

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HOW TO VOTE & RATE

1. REGISTER.
Go to the Nau G4C registration page and create an account: https://www.nau.com/za/NAU?PAGE=register&nextpage=grant-for-change All it takes is an email address (psst - use an old email account if you have one), a name, and a password of your choice. Once you are logged in, you will be sent back to the G4C home page.

2. FIND TROY & COLIN
Now copy and paste our permalink into your browser bar: http://www.nau.com/collective/grant-for-change/troy-gallas---colin-kloecker-944.html.share (If you click over to the tab that says "who" to the right of the image, it will say "Troy Gallas & Colin Kloecker." That's how you know it's us!)

3. VOTE
You should now be on our vote page, so give us some stars... hopefully 5! The stars fill up as you hover your mouse. When you've made your final decision, make the final click. The vote count will increase by one, and the rating average will adjust. You have just successfully voted & rated.

4. SPREAD THE WORD
Now please, please, please encourage your friends to vote! Every vote counts!

I would also like to let everyone know that despite the fact there have not been a lot of updates, I have been keeping up and around on the world and architecture in particular on a tumblr at upyourarchitecture.tumblr.com.

Tumblr is a blogging platform that allows users to post text, images, video, links, quotes, and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog. Users are able to "follow" other users and see their posts together on their dashboard. You can like or reblog other blogs on the site and other users can do the same to your posts. As your blog becomes more popular your tumblarity will rise.

I'm going to try to more seamlessly blend the tumblr, twitter, and main blog to create a web of information about myself, the work I'm doing on the Coast and regurgitate the information I absorb from the net and beyond each day. Once the site is finished I will have my tumblr roll and twitter feed streaming on the right hand columns as well as useful links and a search function for UYA.com and other goodies. Thanks for all the patience and I'm looking forward to getting settled into my multi-media empire soon.

Dear Sarah Palin,

I don't know how that could have possibly been part of a speech. Did your writers already resign?

Ouch.
J

If you haven't seen this, hopefully it will warm your heart and forgive my delays as I continue to modify code to get the look of UYA back to something recognizable. Oh Minnesota...

I'm upgrading to Moveable Type 4.25 in anticipation of a major overhaul to the site, so we're at bare bones right now. Expect something good looking after the weekend.

Give & Take - where happy hour meets show & tell

We're excited to introduce you to Give & Take, a new monthly event series produced by Solutions Twin Cities and co-presented with Intermedia Arts.

Give & Take subverts the traditional short-format presentation model that says information has to flow one way - from the presenter to the audience. We do this by asking everybody in attendance, presenters and audience, two questions:

1) What do you know about?
2) What do you want to know about?

This makes Give & Take a vehicle for spurring new connections, conversations, and relationships within a community under the guise of a single, simple event.

Our goal is to create a welcoming, participatory, and effervescent environment in which unexpected connections can happen between members of the audience/community, and people with hidden talents, fascinations, and expertise can be invited onto the stage; revealing matches and overlaps in what people know and what they want to know, and -in doing so- create stronger interstitial bonds within the community.

We believe that the more our audience connects with one another, the more it becomes a community in and of itself, and a community defined by sharing passion, energy, and creativity is a powerful thing.

We hope to see you there!

Give & Take
Wednesday, July 22nd

7pm doors / 7:30 - 9:30pm program / Social hour to follow

Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55408

$3 - $5 Suggested donation

This month at Give & Take...

Andy Dayton & Lindsey Borgerson know about making short films

Robert Wallace knows about influenza

Ed Kohler knows about the art of toilet paper folding

Melissa Constantine knows about architecture

Paul Merrill know about Minnesota history

Arlene Birt knows about telling background stories

A PORTRAIT OF MISSISSIPPI

LAUNCHED JANUARY 26, 2009

A Portrait of Mississippi: Mississippi Human Development Report 2009
Mississippi ranks last among U.S. states on the American Human Development Index. But some groups in the state enjoy well-being levels similar to those in top-ranked Connecticut, while others experience levels of human development of the average American nearly a half century ago. The Mississippi State Conference NAACP commissioned this analysis by county, gender, and race to stimulate dialogue and action about Mississippi's disparities.

Read the Full Report (PDF - 3.3MB)
Read the Executive Summary (PDF - 980KB)

MAIN FINDINGS ON MISSISSIPPI

BY COUNTY:

The top three county groups in the state, Rankin, Madison-Hinds, and DeSoto, are well ahead of the rest of the state in well-being with a human develop­ment level around the U.S. average.

A resident of top-ranked Rankin County lives, on average, 6 years longer than a resident of the bottom-ranked Panola-Coahoma area, is 3 times more likely to complete college, and earns over $12,000 more. Mississippians living in Panola-Coahoma have a human development level similar to that of the average American in 1975, more than thirty years ago.

BY RACE:

Whites who are worst off in the entire state in terms of income are still better off than the vast majority of African Americans. Earnings for white Mississippians in all county groups spans from $22,000 to $38,000. For African Americans, the range is $13,000 to $25,000.

An African American baby boy born today in Mississippi can expect a shorter lifespan than the average American in 1960.

BY GENDER:

Mississippi's females have a higher Human Development Index than do males, despite the fact that they earn 33 percent less, because females live over 5 years longer and have far higher rates of school enrollment.

White men in Mississippi earn an average of $5,000 more per year than the typical American worker today, at $33,390. But white women have median personal earnings about equal to what typical Americans earned in 1980, $21,453.

Main Recommendations

Reduce infant mortality by improving health care for African American girls and women. African American babies die in Mississippi at more than twice the rate of white babies. The death of a child is a loss like no other, and the burden of grief borne by the African American community is heavy. The solution lies in ensuring that women have access to quality medical care and that girls grow to adulthood in an environment that supports them to eat a nutritious diet, get adequate exercise, manage chronic conditions like diabetes and HIV, cope with stress, and enjoy overall mental health.

Improve the health of African American men. An African American baby boy born today in Mississippi can expect to live 68.2 years. This is a lifespan shorter than that of the average American in 1960. African American men in Mississippi die at higher rates than white men from the leading causes of death--heart disease, cancer, and stroke--as well as from other causes like homicide, accidents, diabe­tes, and HIV/AIDS. The premature loss of African American men is a source of both economic and emotional distress in African American communities.

Improve the quality of public education in Mississippi. Mississippi has some of the worst scores in the nation on most measures of K-12 educational quality. It is difficult to imagine how the state can make economic progress when the future workforce is deprived of the opportunity to develop even basic skills, much less the higher-order skills needed to obtain better-paying jobs, such as independence of thought, communications skills, interpersonal skills, and technology literacy.

Connect at-risk boys to school. About a third of Mississippi's African American men over 25 do not have a high school diploma. And today, still greater numbers of African American boys are leaving high school without graduating. Without a high school diploma, prison becomes a far likelier destination than college. The high rate of juvenile detention in Mississippi, especially for nonviolent offenses, is a worri­some impediment to long-term ability of African American boys to become produc­tive members of society and to lead fulfilling lives of choice, freedom, and dignity.

Ensure that working families can make ends meet. White men in Mississippi are, on average, earning about $5,000 more per year than the typical American worker today. But African American women today earn less than the typical American in 1960; African American men earn what typical Americans earned in 1970; and white women what typical Americans earned in 1980. More than one in five Mississippians lives below the poverty line; nearly seven in ten public school stu­dents qualifies for a subsidized lunch. Other states help working families meet a basic monthly budget with a state earned income tax credit, state minimum wages, affordable housing, affordable health care options, and subsidized childcare. Such policies help to create an infrastructure of opportunity for all.

The first ever Encierro (bull run) of San Fermin in Nueva Orleans took place on Saturday, July 7th 2007 at 8am in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the same day the original Spanish event took place in Pamplona. Close to 200 participants arrived on that fateful day, and were promptly chased and "gored" by 14 "bulls".

The second ever Encierro took place Saturday July 12, 2008, only this time we had 33 "bulls", over 600 runners, 30 Rolling Elvi, and hundreds of spectators!

The Encierro of 2009 is scheduled for Saturday July 11, 2009 at precisely 8am.

The event will replicate and pay homage to the world famous Encierro of Pamplona, Spain, aka The Running of the Bulls, only our bulls are members of New Orleans' all-female flat-track derby team the Big Easy Rollergirls!

The event will "officially" begin at 7am at the Three Legged Dog bar on the corner of Conti Street and Burgundy Street in the French Quarter section of New Orleans. Sangria, Spanish wines, and good cheer will be available.

There will be a special guest appearance by New Orleans' own Rolling Elvi!

At precisely 8am the run will begin.

The run will end at the Gazebo Cafe in Latrobe Park on the corner of Ursulines Street and Decatur Street, where more Sangria, Spanish wine, tapas and good cheer will be available.

That's when the party starts, probably right around 8:12am. DJ Dub Insurgent (former resident DJ in Buenos Aires, Argentina at La Cigale and recent opener for Manu Chao in New Orleans) will be holding down the turntables, and a general block-party will ensue.

RUNNERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR (ANY KIND OF) WHITE SHIRT, WHITE PANTS OR SHORTS, AND A PIECE OF RED CLOTH ABOUT THE WAIST AND NECK.

The Encierro is free and requires no registration -- just show up and RUN!

Recently, the GCCDS has been researching a variety of building systems and their applications to architecture on the coast. We have looked at everything from whole-building systems (such as structural insulated panels or insulated concrete forms) to individual components (floor finishes, insulation types, etc). For each system, we attempt to analyze its advantages and disadvantages in many areas, including strength, thermal performance, ease of construction, environmental impact, and affordability.

Even when we are finished, our research will only partially cover the vast number of building systems and products that are available. With our guide, we hope to compare a variety of the most common and most promising systems in a way that is useful and easy to understand. If you have experience with any building technologies that we should include, or have ideas for useful ways to present and share this information, let me know.

Information about building systems is not always easily accessible. ToolBase is one site that does a great job collecting information about different systems, but if superior building technologies are to become more widespread, we need more tools for sharing that information. In particular, we need ways of sharing information on the regional level. Throughout the Gulf Coast and the deep South, there are major climate factors and other issues that affect buildings. These include long summers with high temperatures and humidity, seasonal threats from hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding, mold and insects, expansive wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, high levels of poverty and inequality, and more. The GCCDS is committed to seeking regionally appropriate design solutions for the Gulf Coast.

Thanks to Vince for the summary.

I know that it's been a while since I wrote and I should say why. I miss my Dad a lot and on today of all days I feel that it's important to write a post and tell you how I feel and just why I've had a hard time writing these past few months.

I guess that I never thought something could change my life so dramatically. It doesn't really hit you all the way until you need someone for something and you realize just how interdependent we all are. It doesn't have to be anything of great importance but you pick up that phone and you realize that the person you want to hear on the other line isn't going to pick up no matter how much you wish they could.

One of my good friend's on the coast who's father was also battling cancer was rushed to the hospital Monday and just couldn't hold on any longer. In a response to an e.mail I sent expressing to her my condolences she responded and said the following:

"My Dad was the best man I have ever had the privilege to know. I can't say enough about the man he was and he fought the cancer so freakin hard. I am so proud of him. Can't imagine not talking to him several times each day. My brain can't process any of this yet."

It's been six months since my Dad passed and this is something I've come to realize you just don't process. You can go over it again and again, but it never feels better, it just hurts less sometimes. I never thought it would hurt so much to lose someone but it does and I don't really know how to explain it except to say that I have such a huge chasm inside of me that was my Father. His love and generosity filled me with so much strength that it's almost impossible to function sometimes thinking about the fact that he's gone.

I think of how happy he was when my sister got married and when she and her husband started to have kids, his grandchildren and how much he loved them and the pride he took in them. I feel so horrid because all I can think is how unfair that he never got a chance to see any of that with me, or to make it to my brother's graduation, or see our grandchildren.

I hope that one day when I have children of my own this day can be filled with happiness instead of sorrow but it's hard to imagine that right now. I want to thank everyone of my friends and family who are going through this with me and are there every step of the way. I've been working a lot both at my job and on a number of other projects that I'll try to showcase this week in individual posts as well as laying out what is next for upyourarchitecture.com and the blog.

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there and for those of you out there that haven't called your fathers, do it. Tell them how much you love them or just thank them for what they've done for you. It's more than you can ever know.