As some of you know, Dr. Jerry Northington, DE-AL, is not only a veteran of the Vietnam War, but an individual who lives by the courage of his convictions against war. Jerry has marched against the war in Iraq, and has been an activist for peace, speaking at vigils and meet-ups, writing some of the most eloquent statements against the misguided war in Iraq that I've ever read.
It is through the true friendship and generosity of time and spirit that I know Jerry well. When I first learned of his candidacy for Congress in Delaware, I knew the meaning of "More and Better Dems." You see, Jerry means what he says and says what he means. He's as honest and principled a person as I've ever known, and when he takes a stand against something, it's more than words. He'll work tirelessly to effect change -- and he won't give up, no matter how difficult something might be, or how "unpopular" an idea may be.
A man of principle and reason, a courageous and truly compassionate individual: This, ladies and gentleman, is what I'd call a Fighting Dem. Why a Fighting Dem? I submit to you that Jerry Northington knows better than most what war is, and will fight to end it as our Democratic Representative AL (At Large) from the State of Delaware.
Several years ago, the agency for which I used to work faced a crisis. HUD changed the definition of homelessness to exclude people who were doubled-up with others or who were couch surfing. They also required that people’s homeless be verified, which was easy to do for people staying in shelters. But if people were sleeping outside, the new rules required that outreach teams visit homeless people in their camps before they were eligible to receive services.
Of course, the new policy cost homeless service providers a lot of scarce resources and ensured that many homeless people would not be able to receive services to help them end their homelessness.
It’ a dismal policy, but the new definition made it appear that homelessness was declining across the country.
According to the Bush "administration," the number of homeless Americans dropped about 30 percent from 2005 to 2007. The Bushies have a facially plausible explanation, but I'm dubious. Do any Kossacks have the expertise to separate the information from the propaganda?
I found this sign in the garbage on my way to work. I saw it peaking out amid other rubbish and went over to uncover it. I knew what it was because I had seen it before in the hands of its former owner while I was walking by.
Every morning I see homeless veterans on my walk to work. They stand between lanes of traffic holding signs and hoping to be seen and offered help. To see them fills me with a mix of anxiety, remorse, sadness, and embarrassment because I lack the courage to look them in the eye and speak with them.
When I saw the sign jutting out of the trash, I was drawn to it because I would finally be able to read what it said. I took the corner in my hand, shook off the surrounding refuse and unfolded and extended it up so I could read it.
Veronica Santos and Julia Parreiras from Belo Horizonte, Brazil make solar water purifiers using recycled plastic bottles and snack food bags turned inside out. The mylar bags are concentrators and the bottles are PET plastic, one side painted black to absorb more heat. They found that PET had more UV transmittance and stood up better to long term use.
Here's my own recycled solar cooker using snack food [popcorn] bags, a plastic cake box, and a dark saucepan.
Savannah College of Art and Design have been working on a homeless sleeping project, building three different models:
sleep shelter based upon a folding lawn chair
privacy screen for homeless shelter bunks
privacy tent for transitional housing bed
In human history there have always been homeless people. In some cases and in particular cultures and times in history they have been known as sages, like Confucius and many thinkers and teachers of his time in China, a similar case can be seen in India where the sadhus and sharmana or holy men are found wandering in the forests and towns. A long history of secular and holy ascetics is known from the Mediterranean and a number of saints acquired their daily bread by begging. Travelers have often found refuge in towns and cities in temples or parks. But homelessness and the homeless are generally regarded in economic terms today and tolerance of the homeless can be measured in both cultural and economic terms throughout history.
All the good ad space is gone. Buildings, signs, store fronts, the tops of taxis, the sides of buses – all taken. So I’ve got an answer. One major advertising space has not been utilized. It’s a blank canvas located in every big city – homeless people. Now, some might say "Great idea! Paint the homeless!" but that wouldn’t work. They don’t hold still long enough. Instead, I’m saying that the big name companies and corporations should instead sponsor homeless people. I say pay them to wear a sign, a jacket, a hat, etc. Pay them the same as buying a giant billboard in a major city – maybe ten grand per month.
It’s the perfect...
Among all the great gifts that Earth has bestowed upon us, what is the greatest natural resource in the United States of America?
It’s an excellent question, I think, in gauging the corporate influence over our journalism and entertainment industries, the vehicles we use to tell stories about ourselves and keep informed on what we think is important. This particular question is of the utmost, primal importance to the health of any country, no nation has ever survived when they ignored it or got it wrong.
In Missouri, the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures is fighting a ballot initiative that would repeal the Stem Cell Initiative that was narrowly passed by voters in 2006. From an e-mail:
Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures defended the will of voters Wednesday by continuing to challenge a drastic proposal to repeal Missourians' access to medical research, treatments and cures that are available to other Americans. We maintained before the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District in Kansas City that the Secretary of State got it right when she described the proposed initiative as a repeal of the Missouri Stem Cell Amendment passed by voters in November 2006. Citizens have a right to know what this deceptive proposal would do: Make criminals of doctors, scientists and patients merely for seeking cures and treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer and muscular dystrophy.
Bear with me for doing some volunteer advertising here for one of my several "homes away from home," a store which provides a feast for the senses.
If you regularly visit Barnes & Noble, you've familiar with their extensive selection of books you can browse through--on some of which you can get some good deals. It's where I found Chris Rose's excellent collection of post-Katrina columns, "1 Dead In Attic."
While unfortunately I'd been unable to participate by writing a diary for the Gilda Reed diary-athon during the past couple of days because of other presssing personal stuff I've been trying to deal with, and because I'd been unaware that this was in the works, please consider the first part of this diary what I'm doing for Gilda Reed.
Last week I penned an installment of EENR focused on homelessness in America. Last night I was surfing the MSNBC website and saw a piece on how homeless people are now living in the foreclosed homes that are overwhelming our cities. In many cities like Detroit and Cleveland, the foreclosed homes are outnumbering the amount of homeless people on the streets. More below the fold....
Things are looking up dramatically for me on a personal level. This morning I was at the hospital to meet fellow Kossack GreenHills for lunch and the kidney stone that has been plaguing me passed with just a little bit of pain.
Later I got a chance to interview a fellow traveler I met while staying in the shelter. I’ve found a miserable story of an abusive corporate employer, a crying need for union protections for workers, a health care system straining under the load; a story that must be told, over and over, until we’re again citizens of this country, rather than disposable consumer wage slaves.
Its 2:30 in the morning and I am typing quite slowly due to the blood gas monitor on my left index finger. I was admitted to the University of Iowa hospital via the emergency room about twelve hours ago and I’m currently residing on a neurology floor.
I must say the shine has come off Iowa Care in the last twelve hours. I’m pretty much out of money and as I described yesterday I’m going at this on the down low, staying in the city’s homeless shelter ay 331 North Gilbert until I can secure an inexpensive place to stay.
I’ve learned one lesson this day; if you’re homeless you don’t count, you don’t count even less than any other corporate slave who has outlived their usefulness.
(UPDATE: I don't want you guys to think I am blowing my own horn - my name comes from a diary nyceve wrote about me before I created this userid to chronicle my experiences, so the One Brave Kossack was her idea :-)
UPDATE2: please don't ride to my rescue - there are two others here who are sick/hurt and in the same boat. Concentrate on changing the system.)
Up until a few years ago (about when I moved out of my parent's house) I was truly under the impression that homeless people were pretty much wastes. Addicts, losers, nobodies. Basically...they deserved it.
I know it was shallow. Well, I know now anyway. I always thought I was independent of my parents' strange belief system. That I was much more decent and rational than they were.
But over time, I realized I harbored a series of stereotypes, impressions, and ideas that I see now were not my own. I feel kind of like I woke up, screaming "What did they put inside me?!" like on the Matrix when Neo is in the car and that thing is inside him.
I guess, in summary, it's taken me a little under 2 years to fully realize that I got played. Bad. For like...20 years.
"The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time." - Willem de Kooning
Clearly, words spoken by someone who has been there unable to get ahead and in need of a hand up. Sadly, too many people who live here in NC's 8th district know this all too well. In fact, it is a bellwether District – a harbinger the rest of the nation should heed.
In so many ways, my District is like a microcosm of America. We have suburbs, farmland, small towns, a military base, as well as the big banking hub, Charlotte. We also have the highest unemployment in North Carolina with one in ten looking for work in some of our more rural areas, and an Associated Press ranking as one of the most economically devastated Districts in the nation. Our schools face challenges just like anywhere else, with the dropout rate in big cities now at a 6-year high, and the number of homeless children in our school system doubling this year even in our suburbs.
In three days I will cast my vote in the California Democratic primary, a perfunctory simple evolution I’ll be glad to accomplish in a very busy day. Unlike Kevin Drum I’m totally un-impressed with tepid tinkering to the abhorrent disaster of term limits and will vote No—when Californians propose to actually follow the outcome of an election every two years I’ll listen, Jesus. Of course every other initiative gets and un-thinking instant No, how any Californian seriously legitimizes the nuclear holocaust initiatives have inflicted upon the Golden State by voting for them is beyond me.
I am not undecided in my vote for President, and will not discuss the matter further. I am not at all unhappy in my choice, nor I am pleased; it’s been quite obvious for a very long time that this is not a liberal election, nothing of what I hold most dear to me for what I want to see happen with our people is being frankly talked about.
