Only The Politics Are Naked!

WELCOME TO THE DEMOCRACY BURLESQUE BLOG

Democracy Burlesque has been performing as a political satire group for over 3 years now. This blog is here for members of Democracy Burlesque to talk about their experiences, for guests of the group to visit and share thoughts, and for the general public to learn about and get a taste of some of the funniest political satire happening in the Midwest - - or anywhere.

American Reindeer video

Rudolph must go home!



Video created for Democracy Burlesque by Greg landgraf and Tom Jones

Vacationing Holiday Icons: The Most Wonderful Time

From the DB archives: Holiday pageant, December 2006

sketch author: Jim McCarthy

Actors: Aaron Gang (tooth fairy), Dan kennedy (Easter Bunny), and Greg Langraf (Santa Claus)

Musical underscore: Tom Jones


BUCKY HALKER WITH DEMOCRACY BURLESQUE DEC. 11 8pm AT THE NO EXIT CAFE




http://www.buckyhalker.com/

A tall man with a big voice and big songs delivered with truth, character, and conviction. Born 1954, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and raised in Ashland, WI, a worn-down iron-ore and lumbering town. Took piano lessons and listened to polkas, country, and early rock and roll as a kid. At age 8 he was already on the airwaves of the family’s 1000 watt AM radio station, WATW. “I worked with Santa Claus on the air from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. He talked and I read the letters to Santa from the kids. I loved it. I was Santa’s helper. Way cooler than the livestock reports and the polkas!”

Started playing guitar and gigging locally. “Girls were a big incentive! I wanted to be like Elvis or John Lennon, but I liked the way Dylan smoked.” Hit 16, discovered cigarettes, black coffee, Woody Guthrie and folk music, Lightnin’ Hopkins and acoustic blues. ”Along with a democratic vision, America’s greatest gift to the world is the blues and the jazz and rock that grew out of it.” Got a BA in history (1976), followed by MA and PhD. Continued to do solo acoustic gigs and front rock bands and released first album A Sense of Place in 1984, a collection of his acoustic originals.

Eight albums have followed, all of which draw heavily on country, rockabilly, folk, blues, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Alt-country and Americana long before any marketing director or trendy ‘zine used the term. Welcome To Labor Land, (2002 USA and Europe) features Bucky’s interpretations of Illinois labor and working-class protest songs from 1865-1955. Long-time musical comrades The Complete Unknowns joined him on the recording.

Bucky’s new CD Wisconsin, 2-13-63, volume 1, includes twelve originals and guest performances from some of Chicago’s best musicians. The CD was released in Europe in the Spring of 2006 and in the USA in 2007.

A prominent scholar of working-class history, he also wrote For Democracy, Workers, and God: Labor Song-Poems and Labor Protest 1865-1895 (University of Illinois Press, 1991). Bucky is also the producer of Folksongs of Illinois, a three-CD series that documents the rich and diverse heritage of Illinois folk and popular music. The series utilizes archival, 78, LP, and contemporary studio recordings and will be released in 2007 by the University of Illinois Press.

SUPPORT HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN 773.465.5770



http://www.how-inc.org/

THE SECOND ANNUAL
DEMOCRACY BURLESQUE HOLIDAY PAGEANT

Musical Guest: Bucky Halker

WHEN: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11 at 8PM
WHERE: THE NO EXIT CAFE ROGERS PARK
6970 N. GLENWOOD
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE!

$10 (cheap!) or what you can afford at the door.

A CANNED FOOD AND CHILDREN'S GIFT DRIVE IS BEING CONDUCTED, TO BENEFIT CAUSE CELEBRE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN. PLEASE BRING WHAT YOU CAN!

_____________________________________

Contact Us
Administrative Offices
1607 West Howard Street
Second Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60626

For information on housing availability or volunteer opportunities, please contact:
Intake/Volunteer Coordinator - Jeong Shin ( jshin@how-inc.org)
Telephone: (773) 465-5770
Facsimile: (773) 465-5771

Britt Shawver
Executive Director

Agency Staff

Board of Directors

The HOW Philosophy.

HOW believes that housing is a right.

We see the potential in all people to become more self-sufficient when given the opportunity for stability in their lives. This includes access to safe, affordable housing and the support needed to meet their goals.

For more information, please contact us at 773.465.5770.

______________________

Refer someone to HOW using our Referral Form.

HOW's Permanent Supportive Housing Program

HOW's Permanent Supportive Housing Program is the mechanism through which HOW is implementing its Housing First strategy. The Permanent Supportive Housing Program is comprised of the following components:

Subsidized Housing
Prevention and Retention
Supportive Services
In addition to these existing programs HOW added the Service Connector Program. For more information click here: Service Connector

Subsidized Housing

The goal of Subsidized Housing is to help homeless women and children exit the homeless shelter system as quickly as possible by providing rental subsidies to secure permanent housing. Women and their families are identified from transitional programs and selected after thorough screening and assessment.

HOW provides housing through a combination of scattered-site apartments and a building-based approach. HOW works with landlords; secures additional housing subsidies, locates and leases new units, transitions women into housing, provides property management services to existing units, and initiates new project development.

In FY07, HOW expects to serve even more women and children.

Prevention and Retention

Prevention and Retention is designed to help people retain their housing and prevent them from recycling into, or entering the homeless system. HOW accomplishes this in several ways:

* Cash grants made to those who need one-time rent or utility assistance to prevent them from becoming homeless.
As this program continues to grow and is able to serve a greater number of individuals, it will ultimately reduce homelessness by stabilizing low-income families before homelessness occurs.

* HOW provides on-going support services to women who have been in HOW's programs and moved into independent housing in the community. Individual and group services include crisis intervention, resource advocacy, and linkages to community services. Follow-up case management services help support women in retaining housing and employment and maintaining sobriety and stability.

Supportive Services

Supportive services are the core component of HOW programming and are an integral part of HOW?s Permanent Supportive Housing Program. Supportive services help women establish and achieve employment goals, reconnect to the community, access community services, build social networks, and stabilize their lives.

Comprehensive Case Management
Case Managers work with women to develop a Transition Plan to establish short- and long-term goals. Case Managers provide the support and assistance each woman requires in order to accomplish her goals.

Employment Services
Economic independence is vital to regaining self-sufficiency and retaining housing. An Employment Specialist and Job Developer work in conjunction to ensure clients secure and maintain living wage employment.

Groups
Support groups give women the opportunity to share their experiences and receive mutual support. These include relapse prevention, domestic violence, parenting, and empowerment groups.

Educational groups provide information and impart life skills that help women stabilize their lives and achieve self-sufficiency. These include topics such as tenant-based workshops, and home maintenance groups. In FY06, HOW also added financial literacy to the topics, to further ensure success.

Children & Youth Services Assists children and youth in HOW's programs in healing from the trauma of homelessness and helps to build their capacity to live up to their fullest potential.

Patient Navigator/Health Services HOW's health care services provides clients with a network of health services including Recovery Support, Domestic Violence Advocacy and Support, Chronic Health Care Services, Physical and Mental Health support led by a Patient Navigator, and Health and Wellness Activities.

Community Outreach

Partners for Rogers Park HOW is the lead organization in a newly established community and faith-based collaborative. This group works to ensure the continued and long-term social and economic well-being of the Rogers Park community.

Housing Locator Services A full-time Housing Locator assists community residents at-risk of homelessness in securing affordable housing in the Rogers Park community as a further community-based effort to prevent an initial occurence of homelessness.

Service Connector
Additionally in FY06 HOW became a Service Connector agency, helping to empower CHA residents to achieve and maintain long-term self-suffiency

Merry Christmas: Food Bank Crisis 2007

I tip my hat to our master blogger, who pointed this out to me - and the New York Times has verified: the Bush White House's Department of Agriculture has lost many of its surpluses, leaving food banks across the U.S. to scrape and claw this holiday season. Story here: Food Banks, In A Squeeze, Tighten Belts

So YOU have a chance to help, just a little bit, by bringing some canned goods, gift certificates, etc., to the December DEMOCRACY BURLESQUE show. As we did last year, we're going to help Rogers Park's Housing Opportunities for Women for this show, and besides also bringing children's gifts with you, the food drive will be especially important and constructive.

But even if you can't make it December 11 (and why can't you?!?!), think of the various Chicago food banks and organizations with food banks, raid your pantries, and take an extra trip to Costco this month.

It's a great way to contribute!