Will Big Data help us to make better Policy Decisions in Real Time?- Let's hope so… in the meantime one older speaker at Congress is putting in his two cents about "defending life at every stage" and ending the "death penalty", income inequality, and in praise of America and the Golden Rule.  You can get it on your ipad or laptop and it brings us back to a complex world at risk, that needs mutual decision making in time for human need. 

You can read the Pope's encyclical on your Nook or pull it up on your ipad from the library, but journalists are describing humanity on the move and the impact and circumstances are beyond jarring.  On a personal level, nerves are stressed and emotions high.  The news sounds like WB Yeat's "The Second Coming".  We can use metaphor and 3D imagery (UN new videos) to build response and pull on common ground and revive compassion.  Here's to these teachable moments where personal responsibility and social judgement are deciding our trajectory towards solutions or quick fixes without a long term look to real costs and infrastructure that may not resolve conflict, but drive it deeper and faster to conflict.

It's Fall in SoCal.  The weather in California is bouncing between Drought and El Nino.  Hot days and cooler nights.  Traffic will be back to normal today...but the news is full of waves of issues.  Grownups could use the prediction capacity of the common core with mounting tensions and conflicted issues.  The Pope is planting seeds for discussion in the capitol and got a standing ovation.  This is terrific and an opportunity....better to have choices than a doomsday scenario.

For example: we have jobs in San Bernardino County, but

service jobs and not livable wage jobs.  UCLA Claremont McKenna study says San Bernardino needs maker or manufacturing jobs not packing.  Ben Bergman on KPCC says they may not be back.  No sooner is there an improvement, than there is another wave of analysis that proves that critical factors require response, but often the response is limited, inadequate, or even paralysis.  Who takes action to turn us toward rebuilding jobs we've lost as well as building shelters, sanctuaries, and customer services, is it the government or the marketplace or both/and instead of or?

The issues are also stewarding resources and building the economy instead of fear.  The Holy See is working on peace, the environment, resettling people, infrastructure, visionary activism in a gap of such departments on a federal or state level. 

New or old questions or the first time someone addressed these issues? No.  Eleanor Roosevelt had a daily radio show and became the "First Lady" of the World during the Great Depression.  Indie radio like Pacifica and other licensed properties have their missions to gather alternative stories like covering the Heirloom Seed show or the history of the impact of the Black Panthers.  Otherwise we might not have details on mainstream stories to talk about unless you watch comedy…from the Daily Show, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert etc.  We need fun like the Unblackening of the White House to make us laugh at conflict and bias.

Other issues such as giant groves of Sequoias that need help in the Drought or kids at risk are being covered by KPCC. Mold, cockroaches, and lead paint are still on "Wall Street" in South L.A.  Kids get sick from environment at home. (Allergic Rhinitis)  It's good that the Mayor is putting money into building new housing. We've made improvement on signs and on charter schools.  And then ooops, only 2-3% of kids are escaping poverty, and there is an "corporate take over of LAUSD" in the works…..it seems the yes or no response in our brains gets no escape from an onslaught of needing to think about justice, mercy, American Values, adjusting our expectations, and making pledges. Los Angeles has some great journalistic responses that break out complex narratives for a thoughtful response.

Medical Triage is for immediate response.  The response to upset often turns off the ability to think and to respond.   The Pope is reminding us that how we prioritize matters to morbidity, illness, joblessness, prisoners, young people planning families and more.

We need both short or long range responses that can improve Dental Cal for kids (Little Hoover Commission)?  Will the impact of his talk help nonprofits to step in and back solutions?  Will today's standing ovation help a two party system meet and mutually decide that we, as a force for good, focus on the issues and take actions that matter? 

Societies can decide to be responsive to emerging needs and choose sustainable and comprehensive ways to handle problems.  Without complex answers to address real problems, we are doomed to repeat the past or fail to respond in ways that will save children and society heavy costs.  Violence is one kind of response that can result when people get frustrated or when personal needs conflict with political responses.

The world we have had full of choices is dependent on the Economy, the Climate, a good education system, and literacy.  Good health will require pollinators and supply systems, refridgeration, and design.  Now the return of STEM to schools and its requirement to move to complex testing, not multiple choice looks like preparation for the future. For now, we have passionate people talking out passionately. That may or may not be illicited from well informed approach, but only by emotion or self-interest.

It's clear that we also need to think more clearly about responsible responses and decision making and to celebrate days like today when dialogue can be established. Even the AARP is teaching seniors to be tech savvy. The Pope is demonstrating the possibility of using technology to understand forces in the world and getting his ideas out quickly.  Whether Android, Ipad, Iphone, Hulu or Uverse.....we can get informed more easily but will need media literacy.

It's also clear the times require that we will have to act to stop wars or help other humans early and often in situations of crisis whether war or climate emergency.  The EU is acting to stop the "flood of humanity" and find "safer" alternatives.  The world is looking for better balance.  The Pope spoke about the Golden Rule and defending life.

For now, his speech and our futures depend on getting over differences and rolling up one's sleeves to find solutions.  It unfortunately or not, depends on individuals impacting the world one vote at a time.   It sounds like a Yogi Berra ism.  But "it's not over til its" over and "when you come to a fork in the road take it"…..

We will miss you, while we "when you observe it, you can see alot".....all screens on...

let's look to turning all this devastation around instead of being passive spectators.  But that seems to be the Pope's message too....Democracy is a participatory experience which has a long history.....which way will we choose?  Well, he's made some good points even with his own blindspots.  After the standing ovation, it's up to us to keep moving on the issues of our times.

______________________________

Mayor's Response to Homelessness:

http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/09/24/54598/la-leaders-seek-immediate-emergency-fixes-to-homel/

Kids Count Databook:

http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2014-kids-count-data-book/

Indie Radio:

http://kpfk.org/

Deeply Grateful:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra

Real Characters:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-cudjoe-waters/viola-davis-wins-apple-ad_b_8180012.html

Sequoias at risk:

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8532/20140813/giant-sequoias-under-pressure-from-climate-change.htm

Pope talks about stressors in the world:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/09/pope-says-conflicts-may-amount-third-war-2014913112457628237.html

http://www.papalencyclicals.net/

(May 24, 2015)

[Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish]

NEW! Files in MOBI and EPUB file formats usable on a Kindle, Nook,

and other eReaders are available. Those files are found on the individual pages for each Pope.

A Master list of the available Ereader files may also be found here (scroll down towards the bottom of that page)

National Geographic Classroom on Climate Refugees:

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/climate-refugee/

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Allergen Exposure:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_rhinitis

IRS definitions of Migrants:

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Immigration-Terms-and-Definitions-Involving-Aliens

Migrant definition:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Migrants

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigrant

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_migrant

The Pope talks streaming from Congress about the Human Person, not definitions for service:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/24/443070564/watch-live-pope-francis-poised-to-speak-to-joint-meeting-of-congress

http://wamu.org/news/15/07/08/popes_speech_to_congress_to_be_broadcast_from_capitol

Immigration to the EU:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Europe

Refugees and and history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugees_of_Iraq

EU and Immigrants:

http://syrianrefugees.eu/

Money flowing to stop new migrantion, EU in crisis of values and showing kindness to razor wire:

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/justice-home-affairs/eu-struggles-reconcile-european-values-barbed-wire-fences-317207

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/lesbos-struggles-register-unending-waves-migrants/

Reaching to prepare children to welcome differences:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/lessons_plans/what-makes-someone-a-bystander-lesson-plan/

How do we deal with inclusion?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily_videos/flood-of-war-refugees-tests-greek-hospitality/

What about Economics behind issues?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily_videos/greek-parliament-approves-controversial-bailout-deal/

For Grownups from Ted Talks…get ideas about what we can control in life- Risk Intelligence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFDNLq5Po0c

Mercy and Response needed:

http://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20150721/californias-children-still-struggle-in-poverty-new-report-says

http://www.denti-cal.ca.gov/WSI/Default.jsp?fname=Default

New Zealand Analysis:

https://www.eiseverywhere.com/file_uploads/c7e843692ed3f8de9b70947711276073_RiskImmigrationandAnalyticsAntonyWallaceImmigrationNZ.pdf

Victories and Losses:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory

Janice Hahn, Senator addresses the Climate Change on KPCC:

http://www.scpr.org/

Eyes on the Prize to new Panther Documentary:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/17_panthers.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/22/opinion/the-black-panthers-revisited.html?_r=0

Razor Wire not for holding immigrants back, sometimes fails to stop the flood:

http://wn.com/a_family_of_migrants_used_blankets_to_cross_the_border_in_hungary

Science and Buddhism can give us a breather or at the least thinking options:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/everything-and-nothing/

Musical Responses:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_and_Nothing

Spiritual Responses:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Everything-Nothing-Meher-Baba/dp/188061913X

Science Stats:

http://www.globalchange.gov/

Science Definitions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothingg

Yeat's poem- "The Second Coming"-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Second_Coming_%28poem%29

http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/william_butler_yeats/poems/10177

Cost of Living Calculator:

http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

Naomi Klein book:

http://thischangeseverything.org/

George Lakoff:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/pope-francis-gets-the-mor_b_7665694.html

People and walls:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpuSt_ST4_U