Bill Roth

Things I have no choice but to write

Author: Bill Roth (Page 2 of 8)

End SJPD presence in San Jose USD Schools

August 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

 (my remarks to the SJUSD School Board).

To the Members of School Board and the Superintendent: 

My name is Bill Roth, a member of Grupo de Solidaridad,  SURJ at Sacred Heart, a former SJUSD parent, and a 30 year San Jose resident. Thank you for holding this study session and allowing the public to participate. I would like to voice my support for not only ending the district’s contract with the San José Police Department but also for passing the Derrick Sanderlin Resolution. Having SJPD in schools sends a terrible message to students of color. I strongly recommend you look at re-targeting the funds allocated for SJPD toward professionals trained in Social Work, as well as people trained in De-Escalation and Restorative Justice. I also urge you to hold a vote on these two issues at an appropriate board meeting in the future. 

Thank you for your service to our community

New Mobile Lab for Nicaragua: 2020

August 18, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Help Build a Mobile Lab for Nicaragua

As many of you know, I have been working with a Nicaragua based NGO, Amigos for Christ, for the last 10 or 11 years. I spend my time raising money mainly for the medical team, that has done amazing work in lowering mortality due to diarrhea, lowering incidence of parasitic infections, and improving nutrition. This year is no different. (click here to donate if you get a tl;dr vibe)

Letter from Annie and Juanita

See the email from Annie and Juanita, 2 of the leaders of the medical team. (You can see a video of Juanita here).
Dear Bill,
Thank you so much for reaching out to ask how you can help our Mobile Lab team this year!
Just like the rest of the world, we are adjusting to the changes and precautions we have to take
to keep those we serve safe. But one thing is certain – the mobile lab is absolutely essential to
the work we are doing to help families on the path to long-term health. Thank you for being
such a great advocate for this project.

Last year your group gave $3,788.00 to support the mobile laboratory project that helps detect and treat kidney diseases and parasitic infections. In 2019, 8,705 community members were tested for these infections—and this was possible because of your teams efforts.

Each year, you reach out to Juanita and her team and ask how you can help. Eager and excited,
Juanita brainstorms what the biggest health needs are in the 20 communities involved in Plan 7.
After much thought and collaboration, she responds to you and that’s when you do your magic.
You humbly reach out to your friends and colleagues to get them onboard with what Juanita
and her team does. You help her dreams for our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters become a
reality.

Without you, 506 people would not have been treated for kidney disease and 3,356 people
would not have been treated for parasites. Bill, we are so thankful for your team and your generous heart. Amigos would not be the same without you.

I’ve put together some information about the lab and what the greatest needs are this year for
the Mobile Lab. Amigos for Christ is currently partnered with 21 rural Nicaraguan communities
consisting of 1,568 families. They are the people who will benefit from your generosity!!
Thank you Bill! Let me know if you have any questions! Thank you for all you do.

Juntos,
Annie

The Mobile Lab: This year’s project.

Why is the Mobile Lab so important?
An individual or family’s health is absolutely essential to
live a fulfilled daily life. In Nicaragua, family’s often
struggle with illness that are completely preventable.
Amigos is on a mission to change that by testing families
for the most common illnesses we see, treating those
illnesses, and educating families on how to prevent
them in the future. 

What illnesses is the Mobile Lab focused on? 

  • Intestinal Parasites due to poor sanitation
  • Kidney Disease to inadequate water consumption. 
  • Respiratory Disease due to inhaling cooking smoke. 
The project has done wonders. In some communities, we’ve seen deaths down 30% from diarrhea. I have seen children get healthier and stronger when they have access to clean water. (Ask me about Angel and Avril).
What does the lab look like? Here’s a picture:
(Picture from 2019 doing lab work in the first mobile lab)

How does it fit in with what Amigos does?

How does the Mobile Lab project fit into the big picture of a community partnership?
In the 21 communities we are currently serving, Amigos is committed to a seven-year
partnership with each community. For these seven years, we are focused on helping the
community achieve five goals. 
This effort is called “Plan 7”, our community development
model. The third goal of Plan 7 is: Reduce Preventable Disease. The Mobile Lab is the guiding
project in identifying disease and informing the best path forward to prevention. Infrastructure
changes are also part of the Plan 7 efforts. A clean water system, bathroom, and clean air
kitchen help a family fully prevent disease in the future. 

The Ask

So what is the ask? Simple, please help me raise the $9,235 to keep the Mobile Lab effort going strong. I’ll donate $1000 to kick it off , and get my company, VMware, to match. (If you’re a VMware employee, or you work for a company that has a match, please give through your match system and add the designator “Bill Roth Mobile Lab”.)
So, if you’d like to help, please click below to help fund the Mobile Lab.
As always, reach out if you have questions.

San Jose Resources In Times of Covid-19

April 1, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Many people know I am on the boards of 2 great charities, Sacred Heart Community Service and also Gardner Heath Services. I also do work with my friends in Grupo de Solidaridad with Catholic Charities. Attached are some resources I know about. 

Financial Assistance for Low-Income Residents Impacted by COVID-19

These programs are building waiting lists:
Sacred Heart Community Service(English): https://sacredheartcs.org/covid19/
Sacred Heart Community Service(Español): https://sacredheartcs.org/covid19espanol/

Food distribution

Our Lady of Refuge: Food distribution on Tuesday nights from 4pm to 8pm. Currently drive up.
Saint Martin of Tours: See below.
City of San Jose(English):
Ciudad de San Jose(Español)

Information on the Eviction Ban

My ballot picks for March 3rd 2020 Primary Election

January 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

In the past, I have published my thoughts on the various candidates and measures on the ballot. This year is no different.

Note: Thinking that primaries don’t matter, and that you don’t need to vote? WRONG. There are a number of important measures not related to the presidential primaries that you should consider, especially if issues like housing and homelessness are important to you.

Party Nominated Offices

President

I am torn here, and really don’t have a favorite. There are still a few candidates who have dropped out who are still on the ballot, like Castro and Booker(sob). I’ll likely vote for Biden/Warren/Buttigieg. For the record, I’ll vote for whoever the nominee is.

County Central Committee

These are the voting members of the local party to get to go to the state convention, and vote on things like endorsements. When you here “Local party endorses candidate X”, its these people that vote. There are 6-9 slots per Assembly District. I’m in AD 28. The people I know and am going to vote for include:
  • Angelica Ramos
  • Helen Chapman
  • Shay Franco-Clausen
  • James Kim
  • Adrienne Grey
All are long term progressive activists. You get to pick 6, but you don’t have to.

US Rep, District 19

Zoe Lofgren. No question. She’s a decent, hard working public servant and House Impeachment Manager. I’m so proud to be represented by her.

State Senator

Vote Dave 2020. While Anne Ravel is impressive, former FEC Commissioner during the Obama Administration, Dave Cortese is a great local progressive leader. Support him please.

Member of State Assembly, District 28

Please re-elect Evan Low.

Non-partisan Office and Measures

Judicial

No idea. But all the judges on my ballot are running unopposed.

City Council

Ruben Navarro. A local activist. Dev Davis has been hostile to spending on housing and homelessness, and is a “former” Republican.

State Measure 13

Yes. Look, I don’t like spending on bonds any more than the next guy, but this is the only way to get around Prop 13 and to ensure we improve California Schools.   


City Measure E

Yes. This is an added tax on luxury home sales which will be applied to help housing and homelessness in San Jose. Please vote for this.

Eulogy for My Father

October 31, 2019 / / 0 Comments

My Eulogy for my father, at his Funeral, Given 10/28/2019. (See his obituary here)


Brevity is
the soul of wit[i],
and I’ll endeavor to be both.
Thank you
all for coming today to share in this celebration of the Mass, and my Dad’s life.
I can think of no better way to honor him than through a Mass. He was a loyal
son of the Church. At he bedside, where he spent his last night at home, I
found his Missal. On the cover, was the Christogram, HIS, which comes from the
Latin, In Hoc Signo, or Under This Sign, a reference to Jesus[ii].
He clearly lived under this sign.
Today we
mourn the passing of our Loving Husband, Father, Brother, Uncle, mentor, friend
and golfing buddy; colleague; Boss.
To me he was
simply my dad. A great business and community leader, to be sure, but I
remember was him as a father who taught by example.
  •  His
    example of hard work, and his relentlessness
  •  His
    example of charity, especially to the Church, a certain University[iii],
    and to Habitat for Humanity Collier County     
  •  His
    example of faith, like going to 630 mass every day during lent before going to
    work. Even when running a Multi-Billion $ business.[iv]
He taught
the family, all of us, by his example. His example will wake up the echoes[v]
for years to come.
These past
two weeks have brought many happy memories of flooding back. 
  • In the seventies, mowing the lawn at
    927 Cliffwood Lane, which was at a 45-degree angle, in Bermuda shorts, dark
    socks, and a Tshirt.     
  • Standing at the top of the stairs,
    Dad shouting “Where’s my gold pen!”. (When cleaning out his things over the
    past 2 weeks, I found them. Dad, they were under your desk.[vi]
  • Driving a car Connecticut to Florida
    and listening the same Prairie Home Companion 5 times.
While today is a day of undeniable sadness, it should also be
a day of joy too. First and foremost, that Dad is no longer suffering. And
second that he has received his eternal reward and is in heaven. Of this I have
no doubt. But there is one final reason, and it’s not because Mom finally gets
to control the remote.
The Irish have a notion of “Thin Places”[vii]
where Heaven and Earth meet. Just a few weeks ago, when he was in the hospital,
has just woken up. I asked how we was. He said “Good. I just saw Mom and Dad,
and I haven’t seen Dad in 16 years. They looked good.”[viii]
I am confident this was true and that he had found one of these thin places. I
am just as confident he is with Honey, Bear, Mary, Jim, Clem, Detmer, Hazel and
the rest of the family. Let us be joyful for this too. He is with his family,
and that his physical and spiritual suffering are over.
In conclusion, the best way I can end my remarks is to give
him the last word. Those words are from his last word to us, in a letter he wrote;
the words he wanted to sum up his life with.
To: Pat,
Bill and David:
I have
neglected putting this together for all too long now. I guess that I haven’t
been willing to face up to the fact that my old ticker has more miles on it
than is normal for my model year.
I have been blessed in so many ways
during my lifetime that I am in awe of the generosity that God has bestowed on
me, a sinner. My greatest gifts are my family whose love, understanding and
tolerance sustained me through the years – I cannot begin to fathom why God
showered the blessings of you three on me, preceded by my own family and now
followed up with my two angels, Emma and Anna. What can heaven begin to be like
after all the blessings I had on earth? I love you so much and eagerly await
the day when we can all be together again in the divine and loving presence of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[i]
Shakespeare reference for Dad, who enjoyed the quotes in my thesis
[ii]
IHS is also a reference to the transliterated name of Jesus from the Greek.
[iii]
Ever defiant, this was needling both David and Dad a bit.
[iv]
And he dragged me to Mass more than few times.
[v]
And yet one must pay respect to his love for said University
[vi]
This is true.
[vii]
I got this, most likely, from Fr. Brendan McGuire. But Wikipedia confirms it.
[viii]
I included this to create a bridge to his mother, to whom the same thing
happened.

William George Roth Obituary

October 17, 2019 / / 0 Comments

(Info for Mass and Reception updated at the bottom. See Eulogy here.)
WILLIAM G. ROTH
Naples,FL
William G. Roth, (81), died on October 14th,
2019 at Moorings Park Chateau in Naples, Florida, following a serious illness.
Bill was born in Lamberton,
MN where he graduated from high
school in 1956. He graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Notre Dame in 1960 and earned a Masters degree in Industrial
Administration from Purdue
University in 1961.
After college Bill started a long industrial career
beginning with The Trane Company in Lacrosse, WI. At Trane he held a succession
of sales, marketing and general management assignments before being named as
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1978. After Trane merged with American
Standard in 1984, Bill was named President and Chief Operating officer of the
combined firms at the headquarters in New
York City.
In 1987 he became Chairman, President and Chief Executive of
Dravo Corporation, a Pittsburgh
based engineering, construction, and natural resources firm. He retired as
Chairman of the Board in 1994 while continuing to serve as a Board member.
During his career, Bill was active in many industry and
civic organizations. He served as a Director and member of the executive
committee of the National Association of Manufacturers and the Wisconsin Manufacturers
and Commerce
Association. During his career he served as a director of
numerous publicly held companies including Trane, American Standard, Dravo, G.
Heileman Brewing, Wells Fargo, Teknowledge Corp., Amcast Industrial
Corporation, Service Experts, and Lennox International.
Active in Civic affairs Bill served on the Board’s of St. Francis Hospital and The Adolf Gundersen Medical
Foundation in LaCrosse, The Gateway Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America,
The LaCrosse Boy Choir, The United Way of Greater New York and Catholic
Charities of Collier County.
In 1982 Bill was named the recipient of the University of
Notre Dame College of Engineering Honor Award and joined the Engineering
Advisory Council, a position he held until his death. In 1984 he received the
Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts and the Man of the Year award from the
LaCrosse Chamber of Commerce. The Krannert School of Management at Purdue named
him the 1986 Distinguished Alumnus.
After becoming a Marco
Island resident in 1986,
Bill became involved as the first non-employee President of Hideaway Beach
Association where he served as a Board member for six years and as president
for four years. He twice served three year terms on the Board of The Island
Country Club and served as president for two of those years. He was a founding
director of the Island Country Club Charitable Foundation. Bill was active at
San Marco Church as a principal fund raiser, Lector, Extraordinary Minister of
Communion and a member of and chair of the parish Finance Committee.
The Roths moved to Naples, Florida in 2013 taking up
residence at Moorings Park continuing care retirement community. Elected to the
Moorings Park residents Council in 2016, he served 3 years years on the council
including 2 years as President of the Residents Association and Residents
Council.
Bill is survived by Pat, his wife of 59 years; son, Bill and
granddaughters Emma and Anna; son David and his wife Cheryl; brothers Tom of Los
Angeles; Richard of Huntington Beach, CA; and Mark of Florence, AZ.

Memorial Mass

A funeral Mass will be held at St. William Catholic Church in Naples at on Monday, October 28th, beginning at 9:45am ET.  There will be a reception at Moorings Park
following Mass. Inurnment will be private.

In Lieu of Flowers

The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials be
directed to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County(https://www.habitatcollier.org/)  or the Guadalupe Center (https://www.guadalupecenter.org/) .

Nicaraguan Medical Team Needs Help. Give Today

December 28, 2018 / / 0 Comments

Friends,
   As you know, I work with an NGO down in Nicaragua on clean water projects, including building water systems, and working on healing the after-affects of years of bad water. The Medical team again needs your support to raise money to buy new equipment for the Anti-Parasite project I have written about in the past. (Watch Juanita’s video in order to see the progress we’re making).

Specifically, this time, we need a centrifuge, and items for a mobile clinic. You’ll see their pictures below.

Can you help us raise $2000 to help contain the project? DONATE HERE.
(For more information on Amigos, and they work that do in their community, scroll to the end.)
The vortex:
Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 4.25.12 PM.png
Portable AC unit:
Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 4.26.06 PM.png
The tent: 
Screen Shot 2018-11-27 at 4.26.55 PM.png

Results

Below is a snapshot of their work. For a complete set of results, see: https://amigosforchrist.org/amigosresults/

My ballot picks for Nov 6 2018

October 16, 2018 / / 0 Comments

I have done a post on my ballot picks for the last couple of elections. Here are my picks for November 2018.

Since some of my choices are the same as the primary, I’ll refer to that post for brevity.

Governor: Gavin Newsom. Not a tough call. See primary post for more details.

Lt. Governor: Eleni Kounalakis. See primary post.

Secretary of State: Alex Padilla. Primary post.

Controller: Betty Yee. Primary Post.

Treasurer: Fiona Ma. Still impressed. See primary post.

Attorney General: Xavier Becerra.See primary post.

Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara. Primary post.

Member, Board of Eq., District 2: Malia Cohen. Primary post.

US Senator: OK, this is tough one, but I stand by my primary support for KDL, in spite of Senator Feinstein’s performance during the Kavanaugh hearings. (Sorry Anna).

House: Zoe Lofgren, for as long as she runs…..

State Assembly: Evan Low, primary post.

Judicial offices: I have not heard of any of them, so Yes to all.

State School Superintendent:Tony Thurmond. While my hijada is doing well at her Charter school, I think we need to support people of the current system. (I might have goofed in the primary.

County Supe: Don Rocha. Has the experience we need. And a nice guy too.

Sheriff: John Hirokawa. See primary post….too many scandals under Smith.

The State Propositions

1: Housing Bond: Yes. We have a serious housing crisis.

2: Bond for homeless/mental illness housing: Yes.

3: Infrastructure Bond: Yes.

4: Hospital Construction for Children’s healthcare: Yes

5: Changing requirements for tax treatment when people over 55 sell homes. OK, this is totally selfish, but I gotta retire some day, and I’ll be up for this in 2 year. Shameful, yes…but I’ll take my tax break for myself and my family.

6: Eliminating Road repair and transportation funding: No. Public safety issue.

7: Approval for State Legislature to change Daylight Savings Time. I hate this one, and I don’t care. So No.

8: Regulating Dialysis Treatment Payments. Why are we deciding this? Vote no.

10: Rent Control (Costa-Hawkins): We need to have affordable housing. Yes.

11: Making private ambulance drivers on-call during breaks. Again, why? I suppose Yes.

12: Setting farm animal enclosure standards. Seriously?! Voting no out of a fit of pique.

Local Propositions

A: Continue 1/8 cent sales tax. Yes.

S: Streamlines procurement, adjusts some thresholds. Yes.

T: Disaster Preparedness Bond: Yes.

U: Charter Amendments: Sure. Why not.

V: Local housing bond. Yes. See previous comments on housing.

Speech at Confront Corruption:Demand Democracy SJ Vigil 7/18/18

July 19, 2018 / / 0 Comments

My Name Is
Bill Roth, and I am a board member at Sacred Heart Community Service.

The core
message you have heard tonight is that it’s important, now more than ever, that
we all unite as a community, to protect each others’ rights.

And for
those of us with privilege it’s important we stand up for vulnerable communities.



That’s why I
want you to join with Sacred Heart Community Service and other organizations to
support our Rapid Response Network.

The RapidResponse Network is a community defense project developed to protect immigrant
families from ICE deportation threats and to provide accompaniment support
during and after enforcement activities in our community.

Did you know
that 99.1% of the time ICE does not have a valid judicial warrant when it raids
an immigrant’s home?

Did you know
that very often, ICE will mislead people into thinking it is the local police?
This destroys the trust built by our local police force, and violates
constitutional protections.

You can do
something about this.

Join the
Rapid Response Network, and get trained as an operator or legal observer. Or
join to help comfort a family that has just lost a mother or father to
deportation.

To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/rapidresponsesj
or send me a message at 408 256 3271.

Interview during Vigil. Photo Credit (c) Andy Morris

My Ballot Picks for June 5th Primary

May 12, 2018 / / 0 Comments

5/15: Update with link to Merc endorsements and more thoughts on Governor.

A couple people have asked me for my opinion on things on the June 5th ballot, so here are my picks and the reasons why I am voting the way am.

But before I go through the ballot, let me note that this is an important elections, at the local, state and national level. As many of you know, I have been working on registering Spanish speaking citizens at Catholic Churches in the Modesto area, where there is some amount of chronic under-voting, and we have a real chance to flip a district to a Democratic seat. There are also good people running in San Jose, as well as some pretty nefarious propositions. So please, vote. Now, on with the picks:

FYI: Here are local party endorsements: SCCDP  and the State Party. And the Merc.

It is important to understand my algorithm. I will pick candidates that share my values, but you also get points for running a good campaign, and points subtracted for running a bad campaign. This is because if you can’t run a campaign effectively, you will likely be unable to govern effectively. 

My Picks 

 

Candidates

Governor: I am torn. I have concerns about Gavin Newsom, especially after Stephen Colbert embarrassed him on the old show. And selling gay marriage in San Francisco was not really a tough sell. Had he been mayor of Louisville or Milwaukee, that would have been something. That said, I think he as fairly represented California as Lt. Governor. On one hand, he’s a 1-percenter, scion of the Gettys, that started a winery with family money. On the other hand, he has supported important causes, we line up on most important issues, and he throws great parties for Democrats at the state convention. And he’s from Northern California. We need someone to represent the north, to make sure our resources (especially water) do not get inappropriately siphoned off by southern California. The Merc seems to like him, for good policy reasons. They does not reflect the pause some are given by his messy first divorce, nor his current wife’s penchant for unfortunate mis-statement.

Antonio Villraigosa on the other hand, to me, represents what California is becoming. California is already a minority-majority state, and we should be represented this way. He has experience running LA, no mean feat. However, I am not sure he’d factor in Norcal in his decisions due to lack of experience.

I also like Amanda Renteria, but it feels like she is ballot-riding for her next job, whatever that is.

Pick: Today I am leaning Gavin, last week it was Villraigosa.You Pick. (I’ll update this when I make a choice)

Lt. Governor:  Eleni Kounalakis gave a pretty good speech at the local Dem Pary Dinner, as did Jeff Bleich. Bleich has a serious resume, as a law clerk, lawyer and ambassador. Kounalakis was also an ambassador, and was born in Sacramento. She also seems to have decent money behind her, and is running a decent campaign.

Pick: Kounalakis

Secretary of State: Alex Padilla. Incumbent. Doing a good job.

Controller: Betty Yee. Incumbent. Doing a good job.

Treasurer: Fiona Ma. Gave a great speech at the local Dem Dinner. Very impressive and a solid accounting background.

Attorney General: Xavier Becerra. He’s been doing a great job standing up to Trump. Keep him in this seat.

Insurance Commissioner: Ricardo Lara. The *last* thing we need is a crypto-conservative shill for the insurance industry in the job. I’m looking at you Steve Poizner.

Board of Equalization, District 2: Malia Cohen. Great local candidate.

Senator: KDL (AKA Kevin DeLeon). After enough years, a change is needed. DiFi has been maddeningly centrist on national security and privacy issues. Its time for a change.

Congress: Zoe Lofgren. Because she’s one of my heroes.

State Assembly: Evan Low. Incumbent. Doing a good job.

Superior Court, District 4: Chiarello. He’s the only one running.

Recall Persky: Yes. The Standford case is all you need to know.

Persky Replacements: Unknown. You pick.

School Superintendent: Marshall Tuck. He has good endorsements from people I trust.

County Supervisor: Don Rocha. He understands central San Jose, and he stopped by the house. He’s working hard for it. (and he offer to help me load my Kayak.).

Assessor: Larry Stone. Cuz why not.

DA: Jeff Rosen. Incumbent. Doing a good job.

Sheriff: Too scandals/deaths at the County Jail for Smith to keep her job. Hirokawa.

Mayor: No real choice. Sam Liccardo. A good man who is trying to represent ALL of San Jose, and doing a good job at it.

Propositions/Initiatives

 

Prop 68: Bond measure for natural resources. YES.

Prop 69: Making sure the Legislature does not divert transportation money to something else. Duh. YES.

Prop 70: Requiring 2/3 super-majority on divesting cap-and-trade monies. I hate super-majorities. Seems anti-democratic. NO.

Prop 71: Sets effective date for ballot measures. Unclear what this is for but seems reasonable: YES.

Prop 72: from the why-are-we-deciding-this Dept.: Excludes newly constructed rain-capture equipment from reassessment. Umm….I guess so? YES. (Is the rain-capture lobby really this strong?)

RM3: Raise bridge toll. Not a big affect on me, and we need more monies for traffic alleviation. YES.

Measure B: Sham proposition. NO.

Measure C: Tucked in here is language that allows the creation of affordable housing which San Jose desperately needs. YES.

WUnderground and Weather Station Integration with Python to Wavefront

January 24, 2018 / / 0 Comments

(originally posted on VMware.com)

Here’s a quick post about the latest integrations with Wavefront. In the past, we’ve done Tesla and Nest integrations, but Durren Shen recently posted a blog about integrating Wavefront with an Ambient Weather weather station and WUnderground, the crowd sourced weather site. (The API info is here.)

Durren’s post is here. (Follow him here.) He also talked about code as well. I have cleaned it up and posted it to the GitHub repo here. To be clear, Durren (AKA durren ) wrote the code, I just cleaned it up.

The code is essentially this:

# Pulling data from WUnderground and sending to Wavefront by Python
#
# Core original code written by Durren Shen @durrenshen 
# in a blog at https://www.wavefront.com/weather-metrics/
# 
# Cleaned up by Bill Roth @BillRothVMware
#
import urllib2
import json
import logging
import socket
import sys
import time
import re
import syslog
sock = socket.socket()

#
# Below assumes the proxy is running on the same system. YMMV
#
sock.connect(('127.0.0.1', 2878))
#
# Set the source to yours.
#
sourceName = 'BrothPWS'
#
# Add your key here. You can get an API key here: https://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/

# Also change KCASANJO821.json to your station. Or you can use this one.
# 

f = urllib2.urlopen('http://api.wunderground.com/api/Y/conditions/q/pws:KCASANJO81.json')

json_string = f.read()

parsed_json = json.loads(json_string)

temp_f = parsed_json['current_observation']['temp_f']

sock.sendall('weather.temp_f ' + str(temp_f) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

humidity = parsed_json['current_observation']['relative_humidity']

sock.sendall('weather.humidity ' + re.sub("[^0-9]", "", str((humidity))) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

wind_degrees = parsed_json['current_observation']['wind_degrees']

sock.sendall('weather.wind_degrees ' + str(wind_degrees) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

wind_mph = parsed_json['current_observation']['wind_mph']

sock.sendall('weather.wind_mph ' + str(wind_mph) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

wind_gust_mph = parsed_json['current_observation']['wind_gust_mph']

sock.sendall('weather.wind_gust_mph ' + str(wind_gust_mph) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

pressure_in = parsed_json['current_observation']['pressure_in']

sock.sendall('weather.pressure_in ' + str(pressure_in) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

pressure_trend = parsed_json['current_observation']['pressure_trend']

sock.sendall('weather.pressure_trend ' + str(pressure_trend) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

dewpoint_f = parsed_json['current_observation']['dewpoint_f']

sock.sendall('weather.dewpoint_f ' + str(dewpoint_f) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

feelslike_f = parsed_json['current_observation']['feelslike_f']

sock.sendall('weather.feelslike_f ' + str(feelslike_f) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

visibility_mi = parsed_json['current_observation']['visibility_mi']

sock.sendall('weather.visibility_mi ' + str(visibility_mi) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

solarradiation = parsed_json['current_observation']['solarradiation']

sock.sendall('weather.solarradiation ' + str(solarradiation) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

UV = parsed_json['current_observation']['UV']

sock.sendall('weather.UV ' + str(UV) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

precip_1hr_in = parsed_json['current_observation']['precip_1hr_in']

sock.sendall('weather.precip_1hr_in ' + str(precip_1hr_in) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

precip_today_in = parsed_json['current_observation']['precip_today_in']

sock.sendall('weather.precip_today_in ' + str(precip_today_in) + ' source=' + sourceName + ' \n')

observation_epoch = parsed_json['current_observation']['observation_epoch']

syslog.syslog('Weather logged at ' + str(observation_epoch));

f.close()

sock.close()

It can produce a dashboard like this:

WeatherBlogCapture.PNG

This was for the old Wavefront, which is now Tanzu Observability. You can see the original post here.

How to get a job at VMware

December 27, 2017 / / 0 Comments

How to get a job at VMware

Want to know how to get a job at VMware? I am writing this down because I end up sending a version of this email to a lot of people, like folks in my community, or students at Marquette University.

First off, VMware is a great company, with a good culture. But, if you are looking for a startup, this is not it. That said, they/we have good products, good people, and a good culture. I plan on staying for a long time.

How to get a Job at VMware: The numbers (or 25 to get 1)

How to get a job at VMware? Getting hired at VMware requires persistence. I targeted VMware when I was looking. I sent in upwards of 75 resumes online, and I got 3 sets of interviews, which resulted in 1 job. This is where I come up with the metrics. Assume you’ll have to submit 25 resumes to 25 different jobs in order to get one call back. 25 to get one. Yes, The numbers stink, but that’s life. Get used to it.

How to Get a Job At VMware

It’s who you know….

Mostly. Look, it helps if you know someone, but I am living proof you don’t need to. But, if we do know each other, please let me know you are submitting, and I’ll submit internally for you as a referral. VMware has a robust referral program. But I’ll only do this if I actually know you.

How to get a job at VMware: The process

The process is as follows:

  1. Go to https://rolp.co/3lGQa and search for jobs.
    1. Or  http://careers.vmware.com/ if that’s not working
  2. Find the job you are looking for.
  3. Write down the Job ID. It will be R followed by some numbers, e.g. R123456
  4. Submit your job. Optionally include a cover letter. (more on this in a minute).
  5. If we know each other, send me the job ID, and I’ll submit internally, and tell you what I know about the group.

How to get a job at VMware: Internships

Internships start appearing in December, so if you are in college or grad school make sure to start applying then. Most of them are decided by March, in my experience.

A note about LinkedIn

This is just me: I don’t use PDF or DOCX resumes, I only use LinkedIn. Make sure your profile is up to date. Moreover, be aware of what your Google search results are, because I am going to check.

A note about Passion

The job interviews that worked best for me were the ones I had passion and a firm opinion on. At BEA, I sensed the rise of Eclipse as a platform, and made that known during the interviews, even though it was a competitor to BEA’s then current offering. (Turns out, they were aware of the rise of Eclipse as well). During the interview, I was passionate about what the product strategy is. It helped me get the job.

In a similar sense, at VMware, when I was interviewing, I made it clear that their projections for this new product were wildly optimistic. I gave them my view of the market, which I had been in for 5+ years,  and I gave then an idea of how I would market it, in spite of the disconnect. I got the job. And I’m still here, as of this revision, nearly 7 years later.

So that’s it. Good luck, and let me know how I can help.

(Originally published 12/27/2017, updated 4/1/2020).

Fr. Jon Pedigo has won the Sultan and Saint Peacemaker award

April 19, 2017 / / 0 Comments
(Fr. Jon has won the Sultan and Saint Peacemaker award. Read below.)

Date 4-14-2017
Dear Father Jon,
On behalf of Unity Productions Foundation, the creators of
the docudrama The Sultan and the Saint
we humbly request your attendance and participation in the upcoming premiere of
the film at Santa Teresa Parish on the day of  April 23d.  At this premiere of the film we would like to
honor you with the Sultan and the Saint
Peacemaker Award in recognition of your outstanding work in building
bridges across faiths and cultures.
As an award recipient, you will be included in a national
network of peacemakers working to promote peace and greater understanding
across lines of religious difference, particularly Christian and Muslim
relations.  We would like to include an
overview of the work you do on our website (www.thesultanandthesaint.org)
where we will feature your headshot and a brief overview of your impact.
You will be joining a national network of The Sultan and the
Saint Peacemaker awardees that is made up of interfaith activists who are
working locally and globally to promote peace and better relations. We will
periodically check-in with you to learn about your latest projects and we will
provide you with some tips for programs and events you can host using UPF films
and other resources.
Thank you for your consideration. Please email me confirming
that you will be available for the premiere and that you are interested in
joining this network.
Sincerely,
Unity Productions Foundation

Help Eliminate Diseases Caused by Bad Water: Can You Give?

April 16, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Dear Friends/Family,
   As you know, I have been working with a great group in Nicaragua, Amigos for Christ. You can read my report from last year, with a video from the team, and their testing results. They focus on clean water, health and education programs for the folks in one of the poorest regions of the 2nd poorest country in the Americas.
One of the their core programs is the elimination of diseases caused by unclean water. In areas in where we have yet to put in a clean water system, up to 50% of the children have intestinal parasites. 
So, here’s this year’s ask: 
We need to raise money to keep the anti-parasite program going. Can you help us with our attempt to raise $4864? Here’s a breakdown:
Need
 Amount
Transportation and Materials for Preventative Classes and Home Visits in Rural Communities $1,450
Collection and Processing Materials for Parasite Testing
$2,160
Additional Materials for studies
 $1,254
$4,864
I have donated $500, and got my employer, VMware to donate another $1000. But a donation of any size is welcome. Can you help?

The donation link is here: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/billrothp2p

Thank you for your consideration. Call me if you have questions.
Bill Roth
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