Smart Growth.org
A SERVICE OF THE SMART GROWTH NETWORK
http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/default.asp?res=1024

In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns -- dominated by what some call "sprawl" -- are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Spurring the smart growth movement are demographic shifts, a strong environmental ethic, increased fiscal concerns, and more nuanced views of growth. The result is both a new demand and a new opportunity for smart growth.

The features that distinguish smart growth in a community vary from place to place. In general, smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.

The Smart Growth Principles and Issues below describe in greater details the various aspects of planning and development that make up smart growth.

MUNGU AKUBARIKI (ANGELS OF AFRICA)

I LAY IN BED AND CLOSED MY EYES
I THOUGHT THAT I WAS DREAMING
NOW I STAY AWAKE EACH NIGHT
TO HEAR THE ANGELS SINGING

MUNGU AKUBARIKI MUNGU AKUBARIKI
GOD BLESS THE ANGELS OF AFRICA
MUNGU AKUBARIKI MUNGU AKUBARIKI
GOLDEN ANGELS DRAPED IN WHITE

I ASKED THE MAN WHO MADE THIS LAND
TO SET MY PEOPLE FREE
YOUR PRAYERS THEY WILL BE ANSWERED SOON
THE ANGEL SANG TO ME

(CHORUS)

DON'T LET THIS WORLD BRING YOU DOWN
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP RISE ABOVE
THINK OF THEM AND SING THIS SONG
IT WILL FILL YOUR HEART WITH LOVE

(CHORUS)

Words by Clarita Zarate
Music by Barry Finnerty and Clarita Zarate

Subject: Watch the all new Obama ad
Also available at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XywL8Xc7ko

How to get a job in the Obama administration

If Barack Obama inspired you so much that after voting for him you now want to work for him, there are thousands of jobs to be had in the new administration.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27476450/from/ET/
INBOX: Email 1 of 21

I came across this story early this morning. I don't know who wrote it. It is very beautiful:

The Betrothal of Snow Bird, Princess of the Seneca Indians


The only daughter of chief Bald Eagle and his wife, White Rock, was Snow Bird. As a young girl she played at the base of these towering rocks, often gazing at their topmost peaks and longing to be able to climb to the tallest of them. As a young woman, she became the most beautiful of all the maidens of the Senecas. Her rank and beauty brought many men from her tribe and neighboring tribes courting her. The rivalry caused her to face the serious problem of choosing a mate. When the day arrived to choose a mate, seven young warriors, all suitors for the hand of the Seneca princess, assembled in an open space and arranged themselves in a semi-circle facing the mighty rocks. The faint-hearted had dropped from the contest, not daring to face the ordeal to which they were sure they would be subjected. Silence reigned on all sides. This rush of expectancy was on all until the beautiful Princess Snow Bird clad in the royal garb of her tribe, moved swiftly and gracefully into the circle and faced her lovers. She lifted her hand and silence fell upon the assembled. Ever since I was a little girl, I have watched yonder rocks push their rugged summits into the heavens and many times I have longed to be able to climb to their topmost crags. There have I spent the happiest, the most enjoyable days of my life. Of all the Seneca Indians, I am the only one who has accomplished the feat. One day, about a moon past, I decided upon a contest, a trial of bravery and endurance. You will soon engage in this contest, and to the successful one of you, I will give my hand, my heart and my life."

Princess Snow Bird set out on the journey, followed by the seven braves. Upward they climbed, the sure-footed maiden always leading. As the climb became more and more difficult, three of the seven turned back, dispirited and disappointed. Another followed to the fifth pinnacle and then wearied of the struggle and gave up. A fifth man crumpled in a heap near the same pinnacle and was rescued from death by the fourth, who led him back to safety. The two that remained followed closely in the footsteps of the maiden. Finally, with renewed determination, they set out on the last and most dangerous stretch of the journey, the maiden as always, in the lead. At last she reached the summit and turned to look for her most persistent suitor. He was only a few feet below her. In this moment of waiting, his foot slipped on the ledge of rock. The maiden hesitated for a fraction of a second. Was he not the bravest and strongest of the Senecas? Where would she ever find his equal? So with the alertness and strength of her young arms, she caught the falling brave and drew him to safety and to herself. Long they sat together talking of their future, and then as darkness approached, the two lovers descended by the trail at the rear of the gigantic rocks. They stood before Chief Bald Eagle and White Rock. The great chief conferred upon his newfound son-in-law the authority to become his successor as chief of the tribe.

video link:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html

Transcript - Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech - Text - NYTimes.com
Here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/us/politics/28text-obama.html

In Big Shift, Latino Vote Was Heavily for Obama



By JULIA PRESTON
Published: November 6, 2008
Latino voters shifted in huge numbers away from the Republicans to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the presidential election, exit polls show, providing the votes that gave him unexpectedly large margins of victory in three battleground states: Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

Hey,

President-Elect Obama is hard at work getting this country back on track, but he's counting on input from all of us.

I just wrote in to share my vision for where President-Elect Obama should lead the country, and I thought you might want to do the same:

http://www.change.gov/yourvision

Thanks.

written by Barry Finnerty
A President Without Precedent

November 5, 2008

Unbelievable. What happened last night was unbelievable. A historic, cathartic moment that could possibly have redefined our country to ourselves and to the world. Barack Hussein Obama is now the president-elect of the United States of America.

After 8 years of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. After all the shameless lying, the cheating, the dirty tricks, the stolen elections, the war-mongering, the scandals, the stonewalling, the incompetence, the relentless attacks on our civil liberties and the Constitution, and the greatest transfer of public wealth to the private sector, that is to say, the greatest mass rip-off in the history of the world, there appears to be a glimmer of hope. Democracy just might not be dead after all.

Personally, I was one of the millions that were swept off our collective feet by the Obama phenomenon. The guy is brilliant. He is the most inspiring political speaker that I can ever remember hearing. He has an uncanny ability to appeal to the better part of human nature. To our intelligence, not our fears. To our sense of justice, not our prejudices. The part that knows we are all in this together.

His story is truly a realization of the American dream. He is not one of the children of money and power. This son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Africa has raised himself up from his humble beginnings, and in a nation where the deck was totally stacked against him, he has achieved the most powerful office in the world. Because in this increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-racial society, he is the embodiment of unity.

But wait a minute. How did this happen? Or, more specifically, how - and WHY was this ALLOWED to happen?

Because if the last two presidential elections proved anything, they proved that the right wing of American politics has the power to steal an election from right under the nose of the American people. And that with their corporate control of the media, they have the power to (largely) cover it up.

I was one of millions of people who was seriously afraid that they would do it again.
And get away with it. What is - or was - there to stop them?

Why, in this election, were the final results almost exactly the same as the polls predicted, when in 2004 the exit polls showed that Kerry had won both Ohio and Florida, and there was absolutely NO media questioning of the "official" results?

In most countries, the exit polls are a very exact science - usually within 1/2 of 1 percent - that insure that votes are being fairly counted. Why - in 2004 - were we asked to accept a 4-point differential without question? And why - with the exception of Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article in Rolling Stone - was there no major media coverage?

And let's not even talk about the 2000 debacle, in which the U.S. Supreme Court awarded the presidency to George W. Bush, while blocking a recount which by all impartial estimates would have proved that Al Gore had won Florida, and hence the election.

So here we are. November 5. 2008. With the amazing Barack Obama ... the first black, African-American President-elect of the United States. I have to ask, what persuaded the powers that be - the real powers behind the scenes, pulling the strings - to allow this?

Did our democracy just miraculously fix itself? Did the electronic voting machine
companies, which, as we remember, promised to deliver the election to Bush in 2004, suddenly put honesty above hackability? Were the vote caging, vote suppression, voter disenfranchisement, and other Karl Rove-style dirty tricks that worked so well for Bush in the last two elections just not good enough this time? Did the corporate media that reported on none of the above acquire a conscience? Was the organization that Obama built good enough, smart enough, big enough, and above all POWERFUL enough to stop them from stealing it again?

Well, maybe. I mean, the man won. And I think it's great. Stunningly, amazingly great. And one of the MOST important things that his victory represents is what it means to the world. The entire planet looks to America for inspiration and leadership. They want so badly to have an America that they can believe in again...
just like WE do. And having an American President with brown skin named Barack Hussein Obama might just take some of the fire out of the world terrorist movement. I think at the very least they (the terrorists) are going to wait and see.

All across the globe, in Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Europe, people are celebrating, breathing a collective sigh of relief, and most of all hoping that with this man things will really be different.

Think of it. After a guy who reportedly called the Constitution "just a goddamned piece of paper" we have a man who actually taught classes in constitutional law! Let us hope that Obama will work to undo the numerous violations of the Constitution that have occurred under Mr. Bush, many of them having been actually passed into law.

Let us also hope that Mr. Obama will recognize the need to show his country and the world that the extraordinary executive powers that were arrogantly asserted
under Bush and Cheney, mostly under the pretext of the "war on terror", are in themselves a threat to our national security because they undermine the foundation of our constitutional democracy. He needs to disavow those powers and return the government to its proper constitutional balance. And he knows better than most of us what that is supposed to be.

Barack Obama is an honorable man. Comparing him to what we have had for the last 8 years is like comparing intelligence to ignorance. Humility to arrogance. Honesty to utter mendacity. Compassion to indifference. And hope to despair.

He really made people believe in America again. That it CAN work the way it is supposed to. That democracy IS still real and alive. And people want SO badly to believe that. Here and all across the world.

And I think maybe the people at the top said, "You know what? It's more important for America to be perceived this way in the world than it is for us to fix the election again and continue our right-wing fascist agenda. We got away with it twice. We made hundreds of billions of dollars. The wars are still going on. He's not going to cut the military budget. We should be OK for a while. Three times in a row might be too much. There would be riots in the streets and we'd have to bring in the Army and it would make us look REALLY bad. Let the people have their vote... and let them have a real result... this time."

Illusion? Reality?

I would SO much love to believe that this election signifies a true comeback for democracy and the beginning of the end of the dominance of rich, greedy white men. But I think that might be a little too much to hope for.

That being said, I am very happy to call Barack Obama MY new President.

As it did for so many others, it even brings tears to my eyes.

Because the last years have been so hard. And I want to believe again too.

I remember when Ukraine won democracy America was in bad condition. I wrote to my friend congratulating her for their victory in Ukraine wondering if that would ever happen again for my own country. It only got worse. Soon after Ukraine's victory Bush made a mess in the world passing laws that benefited only him and his slimy administration. Now that we have some hope Bush is still up to no good. I will never trust people like him no matter what they say. Follow this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081105/pl_afp/usvotebushtransition_081105210950
If you followed the link you will have read that Bush publicly invited Obama to join him as soon as possible for dinner at the white house.
We all know that Bush is not going to hold back from protecting his best interest by having Obama come to dinner as soon as possible. I can't wait until Jan. 20, 2009. It is to long to wait while these crooked politicians do their last bits of damage to the people.
Now that we have stood up together as one people all over the world it is easy to understand that one people is not just one country. It is everyone everywhere all around the world. We in America saw the world stand with us. Without you we would've stood alone.
I want to continue to believe Obama will not be manipulated into any agreements that are not for the benefit of all. Representatives that once lied about him now invite him to dinners and hold his hand congratulating him. They come to Obama as 'nice guys' who either never did anything wrong, had no intentions do any harm, or are sorry for any past mistakes. They all come saying the same things basically in the same words. I am your friend, I congratulate you, and lets talk. How could they even begin to be a friend if they don't even understand what he stands for? If they knew they wouldn't be standing in front of him making excuses. They will try to manipulate him with kindness in the days ahead. We still have a danger zone for the next couple months to deal with. I want to believe Obama will deal with this in the best way. I hope we can all look back on this some day as one global family. Sharing an inner strength, love, and peace whose dream of peace will never be destroy.

Preface: At this moment in time, I have so much work to do and I need to write a Report with a ferocious focus but I simply can't begin until I have written some words on this momentous occasion.

VICTORY!

Barack Obama won the American presidential race in a landslide last night with many sighs of relief from supporters and booos and hisses from the opponents. But the American people have spoken, and for the first time in eight years the majority has made the right decision.

I have never felt a sense of solidarity or pride in this country where I was born and raised. But I feel it today. There is some new electrical charge in the air encapsulating hope and optimism for a brighter future. But it is also a sense of pride tinged with humility.

I wish I would have taken notes on the speeches that both candidates gave last night but finding myself in such a daze, I wasn't able to take my eyes off the candidates as they spoke (except to write a congratualtory text message to everyone I know!). But a few impressions stuck with me and don't consider this to be anything other than my own interpretation and personal take-aways:

First of all, I have to commend John McCain who proved his integrity and humanity last night when he urged his supporters, some of whom are ruthless racist biggots and many of whom are not, to accept and support Obama moving forward. He quickly discouraged negative outcries and literally asked people to lay down their differences. It was crucial for McCain to do so in a country where many people were not reluctant to admit they would not vote for Obama because of the color of his skin. He essentially called for his supporters to move forward into a new era with the president elect and adapt to a changing world. He shone through the defeat with a grace and a message that many Republicans would never be able to achieve.

And as for Barack - he was absolutely pragmatic and inspirational all in one moment. He said its not about him but rather us. Its about the American people as well as the global community, those on both sides of the digital divide. What stands out the most is his mention of finding security through peaceful means, as well as his call for us all to be of service. His belief is that individual liberty can prevail when we take care of one another and make that our focus. No American president has called for altruism as a means in itself in my lifetime and that is one amongst many traits that sets Obama apart from other leaders of our country. JFK said it as wel,l but after him the focus shifted. And that shift has led us into the economic crisis as well as our deteriorated reputation in the global community.

Inshallah Barack Obama will be strong enough to stand up against the forces of corruption and a very powerful machine in Washington DC that few of us will ever have access to understand. And in shallah, Barack Obama will be shielded from forces that few of us wish to understand, the leftovers of a dark past of slavery and racism that despite what John McCain claims has not yet been fully confronted.

But he's going to need help. It is going to take much effort from the people, cooperation between all sectors, and insight into each of ourselves. There are many paths to achieve this and that diversity must be respected. Change has got to come from within and compassion must prevail.

OBAMA WON!!!!!!!!
I am so thankful to the creative spirit that unites us. I see greater hope for our future as one people. As one great global family.
This is such a special moment.
We couldn't have done it without the rest of the world.
Thank you
I love you all
Clarita

I apologize for the mistakes in this blog. I didn't write it that way. For some reason it comes out different after I post it. I edit it to change make corrections and it doesn't show up.
What I am saying is that I feel blessed by the creator and for this I am humbly thankful. I hope there are no mistakes in what I just wrote. I am looking at it now and don't see any. Lets see what happens when I post it.