Homeless Patriot

Thousands in Houston Ignore Man As He Begged For Help On Roadside

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 21:16:00 +0000

I'm dying but you don't care. Source

July 7, 2014 - More than 30,000 people in Houston, Texas ignored a fellow American as he pleaded for help on the side of the road during the Fourth of July weekend. Thomas, a 59-year old homeless man, held a sign clearly indicating that he needed help.

He stood nearly motionless in the hot sun for about nine hours each day at a busy intersection in a wealthy neighborhood. Friday through Sunday, he held out hope that somebody would care enough to help a fellow human being with small donations cash, food or water. Few gave, but many were generous with dirty looks.

What he got instead was cold indifference from thousands of uncaring Houstonians, many driving luxury vehicles on their way to celebrate America's birthday on Friday, July 4.

On Sunday, July 6, thousands passed Thomas on their way to and from church. Fewer than a dozen people helped with bags of food, bottles of water and some cash. According to Thomas, "roughly one in 2,000 drivers give anything. I've actually counted a few times."

"I timed it and counted cars," Thomas said. "An average of 30 cars stop at this red light. The signal changes about every minute, so that's about 1,800 cars an hour. That's over 14,000 over eight hours. Sometimes I'll stand here for 90 minutes without anybody giving me anything. Most people pretend to ignore me. Honestly, I think they'd deliberately ignore me even if I was on my back clutching my chest."

Many of the cars stopped with a few feet of Thomas. He said that "it's amazing how many people act like I'm invisible." He said that drivers who are alone in their car "often grab their cell phones and pretend they're on a call. I've seen some holding the phone upside down, they were in such a hurry to act busy as an excuse to not interact with me." Women," he said, "suddenly decide they need to fix their makeup." Those with a passenger in the car often begin a very animated conversation, sometimes pointing at something as if they're talking about it."

"I drive a Mercedes, dammit." Image Source

The behavior of drivers seems to correlate to car types, said Thomas, but not as one might expect. "Drivers of the most expensive cars are usually the cheapest people. I get a lot more donations from working class Black Americans driving Fords than I do from rich folks driving Mercedes."

He notes that there are exceptions. "Now and then a nice person in a Mercedes or some other high-end luxury car will give me a dollar, but put that in perspective with the blue collar person who gives a dollar." In general, he says, the more expensive the car, the less likely it is that they will help. "A lot of the rich folks ignore me, but many who do glance at me look at me like I'm a bug or something."

"A lot of wealthy people hate the poor," said Thomas. "That's no secret. And my own philosophy is that nobody owes me anything. But a lot of these people give money to charities that claim to help the poor and homeless only because it gives them a nice tax deduction. So they drive past me thinking hey, I gave to United Way, or some other organization, and I don't want to deal with this guy. And I won't be able to deduct anything I hand to him. This is a shame because much of the money they give to big charities goes to pay six-figure salaries and operational costs, not to feed people who urgently need food."

Do Americans care about other Americans? "Some do, but most don’t if you judge by my experience on the streets of Houston," Thomas said. "I mean, on the Fourth of July thousands didn't give a damn about a fellow American pleading for a little help. And I'm sure that was happening to dozens of other homeless guys around Houston."

What about religious people? "Hard to say," said Thomas, who says he is Christian. "You can't always know who is or is not Christian. But most of the cars with crosses hanging from their rear view mirrors ignore me too, especially on Sundays. I guess they figure they gave at church. I think they'd rather give to enrich the church than interact with a homeless man, as Jesus would have done. I see priests, wearing their collars, stop right next to me and act like I'm not there." Thomas notes that he gets donations from Muslims, Hindus and even from people with atheist bumper stickers. "I don't think you need to be religious to feel compassion for a fellow human being," he said.

Thomas says he barely made it through the holiday weekend. Less than 10 people each day gave him anything, most of which were only a dollar. "The occasional five dollar bill really makes a difference," he said, "and to be fair there are some wealthy folks who help. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I'll only have a few dollars but a nice person will hand me a ten or twenty from a luxury car. But that's rare. I've gotten more tens from old Chevys than from new BMWs."

"On the Fourth of July," he said, "I had more donations from non-Americans than from Americans. Poor Mexicans in pickup trucks are more likely to give me a buck than a guy in a new Porsche."

Ft. Lauderdale Joins Houston As One Of America's Most Heartless Cities

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 00:59:00 +0000

April 22, 2014 - It's official: The City of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is run by a bunch of fascist thugs who care nothing about human suffering. "Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is on the cusp of passing a new regulation that would make it illegal for anyone to store their personal things on public property," reports Think Progress. "Specifically, it would empower police to confiscate any personal possessions stored on public property, provided they have given the homeless person 24-hours notice....Last week, the City Commission gave unanimous preliminary approval to the measure, despite overwhelming opposition from local residents who testified." You can read the ordinance here.

Google Images w/caption by Rev Dan

Well, so much for listening to the People, right? And so much for caring about the most vulnerable people in their fine city. Think Progress quotes The Sun Sentinel: "The commission’s actions were backed by business leaders who said they were looking for some controls on a situation that scares away customers and makes visitors uncomfortable." In other words, the commission is run by a bunch of ice-hearted fascists.

"The measures are just the first in a series to come before the commission," reports the Sentinel. "City staff is currently drafting ordinances that would prohibit panhandling and other solicitations at intersections, that would prohibit people from sleeping on public property, and that would restrict when, where and how often groups could set up sites to feed the homeless."

All of that in spite of recent federal district court rulings that such laws are unconstitutional. The City of Houston, Texas got worldwide negative publicity last year for criminalizing the feeding of homeless people. An irony in this story is that many of the people who support such harassment of the homeless profess to be staunch supporters of the Constitution. They undoubtedly support today's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that essentially supports Michigan's ban on affirmative action because it's not unconstitutional to do so. Yet those same folks don't give a rat's butt that last August the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Michigan’s 85 year ban on panhandling, saying it's an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.

One of the issues confronting Ft. Lauderdale is public urination and defecation by homeless folks. I'd have to agree that such behavior is wrong, and should be discouraged, but what the hell is someone supposed to do when they're about to soil themselves? This, by the way, can apply to anybody, homeless or otherwise. If you're able to duck into an alley and pee on the side of a dumpster, before you wet yourself, where's the harm? Would we rather have fellow citizens running around with big wet spots on their trousers and smelling of pee - or poop?

But another issue is not so clear cut: "The commission's actions were backed by business leaders who said they were looking for some controls on a situation that scares away customers and makes visitors uncomfortable — and residents feeling the community is being overrun by homeless people," reports the Sentinel. "We're losing customers and we're losing staff as well, because it's getting out of control," said restaurateur Tim Petrillo, who's also on the board of the Downtown Development Authority.

I can address that issue from first-hand experience as a panhandler in Houston, Texas. I sometimes "fly a sign" at a busy intersection, at which two other homeless men operate. Do we scare away customers? We do not, actually. When we're not standing on a median strip (yes, homeless people need to take breaks, too), we sit in front of a convenience store whose owner is kind enough to let us do so.

But that store owner is also smart, because he realizes that we spend money in his store. We never panhandle in his store or his parking lot and we cause no trouble. Thousands of cars drive through the intersection, most of which pass by without going to his store. The panhandlers, however, are given money by some of those people. We, in turn, spending a good portion of that cash in the store on food, toilet paper, sodas, and other basics. I estimate that I spend around $300 per month in his establishment; my fellow panhandlers probably each spend an additional $600 per month, for a total of approximately $1,500. That's income that the store would never have had if there were no panhandlers working that corner. No wonder he lets us use his bathroom. We're some of his best customers. Think about that, Mr. and Ms. Fascist Idiot Business Owner.

The blog "Wonkette" has a particularly harsh opinion of Ft. Lauderdale's pending persecution of persons without homes. Here's an excerpt:

"The not allowing people to set up sites to feed the homeless is the nicest touch of all, really. Man, Fort Lauderdale is going to be so fresh so clean after passing all these laws that will magically whisk the homeless people off to a magical land full of ponies and honey. And hey, if the ordinances don’t work, they could always bring in that sleazebag Democrat Hawaii state representative Tom Brower, who just stone cold smashes homeless people’s belongings, because this is also a super-effective and long-term way to deal with the problem of homelessness. Congrats on reaching new depths of suck, Fort Lauderdale.

The rest of the Wonkette piece is worth reading, but note that it has some rough language. But it's okay, because in this case, it's entirely appropriate.

Also See:

Fort Lauderdale's Plan to 'Criminalize' Homeless Under Fire NewsMax
Fort Lauderdale may now lead the Country In Heartlessness... OpEd News
Court Rules Michigan’s Anti-Panhandling Law Is Unconstitutional MintPress News
Court agrees New Orleans anti-begging law unconstitutional KHOU
Laws Banning Peaceful Panhandling Are Unconstitutional ACLU
Police Charged Panhandlers Under Unconstitutional Law New York Times

Even Panhandlers Need To Know Business Basics

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 03:56:00 +0000

Source: Broke-Ass Stuart

April 8, 2014 - You don't need a degree from a fancy business school to understand the basics of sales and marketing. In fact, a lot of panhandlers understand them better than a lot of CEOs understand them. Most of us know those biz basics, either by instinct or from years of being exposed to them. Think of any company, whether a local mom-and-pop diner or McDonalds, and they all want to (1) satishy customer needs, (2) project the right image, (3) pay as few taxes as possible, (4) be in the best location available, (5) use an easy-to-understand message to tell about their products and services, (6) keep their costs down, and (7) find the perfect method of operation that will stand the test of time.

One successful panhandler, a guy named Eugene, shared his street business wisdom with writer Bill Murphy, Jr. In an article at Huffington Post, Murphy nicely outlined those steps with brief but thorough explanations. As a homeless panhandler myself, I have to say that Eugene - and Murphy - got it right.

Let's look at some of Murphy's seven strategies, with my own comments based on nine months of my own panhandling:

Satisfying "a compelling customer need," writes Murphy, "is most important -- for panhandlers or any business." I'm not sure this could be called a "strategy" for panhandlers; it's just an unavoidable part of the task. And what is the need that a panhandler fills? "I suspect," writes Murphy, "it's mostly because they want to help others, but maybe for some it satisfies other deep-seated need." I must agree, and add that it can be the only reason people give to a panhandler.

It's humor, folks.

Whatever any "other deep-seated needs" might be, they must involve helping others. The only thing they get in return from the panhandler is a "thank you" and maybe a "God bless you," and maybe a grateful smile. Whatever good feeling they get comes from within themselves, but the panhandler gives them the opportunity to connect to that.

I often use humor in my panhandling signs. Currently I am using one that says, "For My BMW Fund." This makes a lot of people smile and laugh, and it's amazing how many give money just to go along with the joke. "Hope you get that Beemer," some say. One woman, in a Mercedes, gave me a $20 bill. "You made me laugh, and that's worth something," she said, "but you should really consider a Mercedes instead." Some people have actually given me $5 to have their photo taken with me.

Another strategy: "Project the right image." A white panhandler I know often makes over $80 in two hours. He has an unfair "advantage" over me, though: One leg is amputated just below the knee, he has no teeth and, frankly, he looks a bit brain damaged (he's not). The pity factor is hugely in his favor. Another panhandler friend is a black Vietnam veteran who walks with a limp, is missing a few front teeth, and looks every bit of his 64 years of age with a white beard and ripped jacket or shirt. He also pulls in around $80 within a couple of hours.

I've found the hard way how important image is for panhandling. I am 59 years old but stand 6'1" with good posture. I'm white, have good teeth and have no visible handicaps. I have noticed, however, that my own beard has helped me. When I began panhandling in July, 2013 I was clean shaven. I look 10 years younger without a beard. I have not shaved since last November 27, and the donations I get seem to have improved to the point where I now get between $20 and $30 within three hours on some days. Not great, but enough to keep me alive.

"Communicate a simple message" is another strategy listed by Murphy. I've noticed that a lot of panhandlers put way too much information on their signs (which are often illegible). Don't write your life story on a sign that most people have only seconds to view. One of my best signs says, "Please.... Thank You.... God Bless." People get it. They don't need to see a resume. Drivers know why you're standing there, and many give without even reading the sign. For those who do read it, keep it sharp and not boring.

A strategy of my own, that Murphy did not touch on, is respect. Don't act like an ass while you're asking people dig into their pockets to help you. One of my pet peeves is panhandlers who walk through lanes of cars waiting for the light to turn green. They walk right up to drivers' windows or stand in front of cars, not understanding that this is intimidating to many people. I stand at the curb and never go into traffic unless someone in the next lane over signals to me -- and even then I have waved them off with a smile if I thought it was too dangerous. It seems that a number of people size me up, see that I'm not a threat, and then roll down their window to give.

For more, read all of the "7 Effective Business Strategies From A Successful Panhandler."

Also See:
Panhandlers have many strategies....to make money Tampa Bay Times
The Unexpected Email I Received From A Panhanlder Today Kate Good
Broke-Ass Career: Panhandling Broke-Ass Stuart

Homeless Vet 'Baked To Death' In NY Jail Cell

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 20:22:00 +0000

Jerome Murdough (AP/Jason DeCrow)

March 20, 2014 - On a chilly night last month, a homeless former U.S. Marine was arrested in New York City for trespassing. Jerome Murdough, 56 years old and struggling with mental illness, was asleep in the warmth of an enclosed stairwell on the roof of public housing project in Harlem. The ultimate irony: His arrest would cause him to die the following week in an overheated Rikers Island jail cell.

Four city officials, reports AP, say that Murdough's jail cell reached at least 100 degrees, likely due to malfunctioning equipment. "The officials told The Associated Press that the 56-year-old former Marine was on anti-psychotic and anti-seizure medication, which may have made him more vulnerable to heat. He also apparently did not open a small vent in his cell, as other inmates did, to let in cool air." AP quotes one anonymous official as saying, "He basically baked to death."

Jerome Murdough (AP/Family Photo)

According to the city officials, reports Think Progress, Murdough was alone into a 6-by-10 cinderblock cell at about 10.30pm on February 14, a week after his arrest. "Because he was in the mental-observation unit, he was supposed to be checked every 15 minutes as part of suicide watch, they said. But Murdough was not discovered until four hours later, at about 2.30am on February 15. He was slumped over in his bed and already dead."

Murdough was "on several medications for his mental illness and seizures," says Think Progress. His death was caused "apparently from heat stroke and dehydration after hours of overheating in a six-by-ten cell."

"Advocates for mentally ill inmates in New York," AP reports, "say the death represents the failure of the city’s justice system on almost every level: by arresting Murdough instead of finding him help, by setting bail at a prohibitive $2,500 and by not supervising him closely in what is supposed to be a special observation unit for inmates with mental illnesses."

Also See:
Rikers Island Struggles With a Surge in Violence and Mental Illness NY Times
Homeless Vet ‘Bakes to Death’ in Jail: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know Heavy
Rikers prison guards cleared of inmate beating charges New York Post
Rikers Island inmates use toilet to break cinderblock cell walls in escape attempt NY Daily News

Houston Billboard and Art Exhibit Remind Us That Homeless Are Human Too

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 19:32:00 +0000

Voice of the Homeless billboard in Houston
Photo at Glasstire.com

Sept. 15, 2013 - There is a somber billboard in downtown Houston that says, “EVEN THE PIGEONS DON’T SEE ME ~ voice of the homeless.”

The purpose of the billboard, which debuted on September 5 along Interstate 45 near Velasco Street, is to raise awareness about the homeless, who are badly discriminated against by Houston's city government. The billboard, reports Paula Newton at Glasstire.com, "is a project by artist Jessica Crute in conjunction with a group show at Deborah Colton Gallery called Collective Identity."

The Deborah Colton Gallery's website notes that the Collective Identity exhibit "aims to emphasize the notion that we are all fragile human beings; whether it be through the loss of a job or the stress of transitional social and education activities, we may all be one step removed from being in a situation where we lose our sense of self and subsequently our sense of place."

"This minimalist public art installation will be juxtaposed against Houston’s urban landscape and will be seen by thousands of commuters everyday, imparting it’s message of awareness," says the Voice of the Homeless website. "Lining the Houston skyline with the words of those who are without a home, the public space billboard seeks to humanize the issue of homelessness and to create a platform through which the voice of the homeless may be heard."

Why She Gave Me Money - And Took My Photo

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 21:16:00 +0000

Homeless Patriot uses humor in
his panhandling sign in Houston
Photo credit: Kate Good

August 22, 2013 - Many thanks to the magnificent Kate Good for her heart-warming blog post about me two days ago. I encountered Kate while panhandling in Houston, Texas on a sunny Tuesday morning. The brief time we had to chat, a few seconds really as she waited for the traffic signal to change, was uplifting. Kate is a nationally recognized speaker.

Titled "The Unexpected Email I Received From A Panhanlder Today," Kate wrote this:

"Today, my view of a panhandler changed when one of them emailed me. For the first time in many years I have a morning routine that includes driving the same route each morning. At one high profile corner there have been two panhandlers who are friendly and creative with their signs. One morning I whipped through the light and saw the sign out of the corner of my eye. The gentleman was asking for money for his BMW fund. I found this to be an example of the strength of the Houston economy and if I were not late for a meeting I would have made a u-turn and snapped a picture for my Facebook status update."

Kate Good's post about me has lifted my spirits and encouraged me to continue my strategy of out-of-the-box "marketing" of myself. Panhandling for money, yes, out of a need to eat. Creating unusual signs, you bet, out of a need to market myself to potential employers. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Also See:
Even Panhandlers Need To Know Business Basics

Gimme Shelter, But Not At "Star of Hope" Houston (Updated)

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 02:52:00 +0000

July 21, 2013 - Today is my second full day in Houston, Texas. I landed at George Bush Airport (IAH) late Friday night, on a flight from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. In Chicago, I was homeless but not shelterless. In Houston, I am both homeless and without shelter.

Star of Hope, 1811 Ruiz Street, Houston TX

I phoned a nearby shelter yesterday, the Star of Hope Mission (see map). They said they had no more room last night and suggested that I stop in before 11:00 this morning, which I did. My hope was to get off the streets of downtown Houston and into their homeless shelter. That left me on the street last night.

I woke up this morning at 7:30 under some trees alongside a highway. Last night I met another homeless guy, named Jason, who was watching the bar crowds on Main Street last night. Jason worked for years as a waiter at one of Houston's best steakhouses. We conversed for hours. Jason asked if I had a place to stay. When I said no he invited me to crash at his "camp" at a secret location just outside of the downtown area. I watched him interact with other people, other homeless guys as well as bar regulars who know him, and grew to trust him.

What the hell, I thought, the guy is well known and liked on the street, not just some dude flying through town, and I sure as hell liked the idea of sleeping in a quiet, secluded place better than curling up in vestibule or behind shrubbery somewhere downtown. I won't say the exact location for fear of the local authorities sweeping it out, forcing my friend and me to find shelter elsewhere.

We each had our own padding, provided by Jason, that we placed on the ground. The night was warm and no blankets were needed. I slept like a rock, savoring the first time I was able to sleep fully horizontal after a week of sleeping in a sitting position. Jason was already gond when I got up. I rolled up my mat and eagerly set off to Star of Hope, pausing for a while on Main Street for a donut and Diet Coke.

After wolfing down the donut on Main Street, I sipped my soda while chatting up some other homeless people. I like to do that for two reasons: It's a way of gathering intelligence about whatever neighborhood you're in, and it can be downright entertaining. At 8:00 a.m. in downtown Houston, it seemed like most of the people on the street were homeless, so I had no trouble getting different bits of information.

Star of Hope is nearly a mile from Jason's camp. Located at 1811 Ruiz Street, the shelter is three and a half blocks northeast of Minute Maid Park. When I checked in at 10:55, I was asked for ID and filled out a very basic information sheet, including next of kin contact information. The man who checked me in is named Anthony. To my surprise, he just moved to Houston three months ago from Evanston, just north of Chicago, right next to my old stomping grounds of Rogers Park.

"Okay, you're in," Anthony said. "There's a church that serves free lunch up the road, a block from here. Go grab some food and be back here by two to check in and hit the showers." Since this is now my eighth day without a shower, that sounded awfully good. But I needed more than that donut, so I walked about 600 feet to a clearing beneath a highway overpass that crosses Runnels Street.

I counted around 160 people waiting for the free food being handed out by a church group from Sugar Land, a town 25 miles southwest of Houston. I got in line, one of maybe half a dozen white guys there. I sensed no attitude from my black homeless colleagues, however. The line moved quickly. We were served a plate with a baked potato, ham-and-macroni salad, Spanish rice, lettuce salad and a slice of white bread. Not exactly fine dining, but not bad either and very welcome.

I ate my meal under the cool shade of the overpass while conversing with a black man about my age. Turns out he currently resides at Star of Hope. Ah ha, I thought, a chance to gather information. What he told was a bit disturbing. In short, to sum up what he said, the Star of Hope has very restrictive rules for the "customers" who stay there. He said they wake you at 5:00 a.m., feed you breakfast, then kick you out for the day. You must return no later than 6:00 p.m. Or else. No smoking - get this - within a two block radius. You cannot use a computer in the facility. No cell phone usage. What the hell? I thought.

When I left, I detoured slightly to stop at a nearby Shell gas station. I got a water and struck up a conversation with a black guy named Matthew, late 30's, ex-con, trying to reset his life. We were talking about the weather, hot and muggy, and he told me that he starts a new job on Monday morning, July 22. I congratulated him, and then he said that he was happy about the job but the interview on Friday caused him to lose his housing. I asked what he meant.

"I was staying right over there," said Matthew, pointing directly at the large Star of Hope facility. "I came straight back there after my job interview but when I got back it was 7:30. They didn't even let past the front desk. First offense, and for being in a job interview, man. They told me to get my stuff from the lock up and leave immediately." Matthew echoed what my lunch partner told me about the tight controls and restrictions regarding cell phones, computers, in and out times, and much more. When you check in for the first time, your personal items are confiscated and locked in a secure room.

It was at that point that I decided to turn down Star of Hope. To be there, I realized, would be to effectively lock myself up. With no or very limited funds, I can't afford to take public transit to look for work. If I'm put out on the street everyday, I would not be able to use my computer at a wifi coffee shop as I am doing right now. My computer would let me do that if Star of Hope allowed it. In addition I make a little scratch from ad revenue on my websites. Many shelters in Chicago have rules and regulations, naturally, but most have 10:00 p.m. as the time that you must return. That's not unreasonable. Six o'clock is just insane. The ban on cell phones and computer usage is megalomaniacal.

But don't just take it from me. Read this review by a guy who stayed there in 2011. It makes Star of Hope sound like a weird cult center run by power freaks.

Update: My instincts about Star of Hope were right. In an August 6 story at Fox News Houston, Isiah Carey reported that a check with the city of Houston's Health Department revealed that "the shelter has been cited several times over the past several years. The violations range from failure to maintain a clean environment in the cooking area to failure to minimize rodents and bugs."

My First Day in Houston, TX (Is This Heaven Or Hell?)

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 18:25:00 +0000

DAY ONE, HOUSTON: 20 JULY 2013 - I did not sleep Thursday night, so by the time I arrived at Houston's George Bush Airport (IAH) at 10 p.m. Friday night I was painfully exhausted. While texting with a friend in Illinois I was (a) trying to figure out where to catch a bus, then (b) waiting for the bus, and then (c) riding the bus (full fare is $1.25).

I loathe texting conversations to begin with, and my friend was attempting an in-depth one. Despite my texting him that I was exhausted and hate texting, he kept going. I finally had to turn off my phone. Literally: I was required to by law. There is a strict rule down here against using cell phones on buses because it's feared that the sounds they make will distract the driver. The bus dropped me at the Greyhound Bus station downtown just past midnight.

Very rough neighborhoods, worse than anything in downtown Chicago as far as I can tell. It's reminiscent of the old Greyhound station in Chicago's Loop, which was closed many years ago and was a hot spot for criminal activity. In fact, the Greyhound station is just blocks from Sauer Street/McGowen Street, one of America's highest-crime neighborhoods. "The violent crime rate is 75.89 per 1,000 residents — far greater than the city average of 9.78," says CultureMap Houston. "Residents have a one in 13 annual chance of becoming a victim (compare that to a chance of one in 102 in Houston overall)." The Sauer/McGowen neighborhood is tucked in right next to Houston's central business district. Moving away from downtown, I must watch my step to avoid other danger zones.

I took advantage of the fact that my baggage made me look like a customer and napped in their waiting area. I was awakened twice by arrests being made within 10 feet of me. I felt like I was in an episode of "Cops: Houston." Even so, it was still far safer than being outside, where psychotic weirdoes were milling about with a desire to harm or kill in their eyes. I have street smarts, and I know what I saw. In all my years in Chicago I have seen that look only a handful of times, but saw it multiple times last night.

I left the Greyhound station at sunrise, around 6:30 a.m. (it's an hour later in Houston because the city is so much farther west than Chicago). I was groggy and blurry-eyed as I walked away from the station.

Houston is a weird city. I'm used to seeing a 7-Eleven or something equivalent every couple of blocks in Chicago. Not here. Downtown Houston is ugly, boring, with many homeless people begging or sleeping on the sidewalks. People here seem afraid of strangers.

As I walked along Main Street's tram tracks this morning, I chatted with a guy who was begging for quarters so he could buy a bus ticket back to Long Beach, CA. He came to Houston only three days ago, he said, because he'd heard and read that it was booming and full of opportunity. Same reason I came here, I told him. We were standing in front of a little independent food mart on Main Street. An elderly white bum sat on the sidewalk a few yard from us, pigeons milling about him.

"I don't like it here," he said, "I got beat up last night." He showed me the blue, dissolvable stitches in his right hand and wrist. He was attacked right outside of the same Greyhound Bus station in which I napped, probably while I was there. He got the stitches at a hospital somewhere nearby. "I'm three dollars short of a bus ticket back to Long Beach," he said. Moments after he said that, someone came out of the food mart and handed him three dollars.

"There's your miracle," I said. He smiled and said, "I'm outa here. Good luck, man."

Less than nine hours in Houston and I'm wondering if I didn't make a mistake in coming here. Too early to know, I suppose. It is Saturday, after all, so it shouldn't be surprising that the business district is not bustling.

It took me another hour of walking around to find a coffee shop with wifi and an outlet for my laptop. I'm at Minuti Coffee as I write this, located at 909 Texas Street. Outside of the entrance is a placard that tells anyone who's interested that this was once the site of the capitol of the Republic of Texas, when it was an independent nation. The Texas Congress met here from April 1837 until September 1839.

Time has passed since I began writing this entry; now 10:55 a.m., the city is coming alive with traffic and pedestrians. I don't want to pass judgment on Houston - and my decision to come here - too quickly. I'll trying contacting businesses during the coming weekdays to get a better feel for things.

I want sleep. And food. Since Friday noon, I've eaten four small bags of honey roasted peanuts. I don't know which I want more, though, food or sleep. Both are delicious, essential and hard to come by when you're homeless and broke. Perhaps I'll find a shady tree in a park and nap for an hour or two. I think I'll do better with that. It's easier to function with a grumbling stomach while full awake than it is to stumble around so tired that you feel - and appear - to be drunk or stoned. It's easier to find food when you're rested well enough to think clearly, and already my eyes feel heavy from writing this entry. With luck and God's mercy, I will write more tomorrow.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:36:00 +0000

January 1, 2013 - Happy New Year to everyone. May you find peace, heatlth, happiness and safety. May you find your true home. Enjoy "Homeward Bound," by Simon & Garfunkel.

Video Demonstrates Sure-Fire Tricks You Can Bet On

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 23:22:00 +0000

I am not a gambling man. In fact, I run away from poker games when money is on the table. I'm in no hurry to give my money away after being humiliating by a display of my own card playing inadequacies. HOWEVER, here are "10 bets you will never lose." That's not my promise, and it's not a guarantee. It's the title of the video below. If it's legal to gamble where you are, you might want to practice these tricks. Who knows? You might start winning cash. Just watch your back as you walk off with your pile of winnings.

Christmas In Jail (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:21:00 +0000

The Youngsters

Here's a fun novelty song by The Youngsters, a West Coast doo wop group that formed at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles in 1955.

It's called "Christmas In Jail" and was released in 1956 as the flip side of "Dreamy Eyes." More about The Youngers at ColorRadio.com. You can check out the video of Dreamy Eyes here.

"The Youngsters didn't make much of a dent in the Los Angeles R&B scene," notes Marv Goldberg, "in spite of having some half-dozen releases (under four different group names)." But man, they had a fun sound.

Video: NY Cops Brutalize Defenseless Homeless Man in Brooklyn Synagogue

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Oct. 15, 2012 - A homeless man was brutally beaten by officers of NYPD's 71st Precinct on October 8 when they assumed wrongly that he was trespassing at the Aliya (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults). The learning center is an outreach center for troubled youth in a synagogue located in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The officers assumed that the homeless man, Ehud H. Halevi, did not have permission to be on Aliya's property - even though he did.

"Two officers from the 71st precinct, one male and one female, arrived and woke the man," reports CrownHeights.info.

"Confused as to why he was being accosted by police, the man refused the officers’ attempts to escort him outside, insisting that he had permission to be there and asking that they allow him to prove it. His pleas fell on deaf ears, and they proceeded to place him under arrest."

Eventually, as you see in the video, four officers were involved in the beating and the arrest of Halevi. Once subdued (see 3:25 into the video) by the four, seven more officers run into the room, for a total of 11 cops. At about 4:05, Halevi is handcuffed and lifted from the floor to stand up. He was then led out of the room.

At this point, I'll add, the officers may have had the right to be suspicious of Halevi's claim to have permission to be on the property. However, what happened next cannot be justified. Granted, Halevi resisted arrest, but the immediate and brutal reaction by the police officers seems excessive. Shirtless, shoeless and with no visible weapon, it seems unreasonable to think that officers thought he was armed.

"When he resisted arrest," says CrownHeights.info, "the male officer flew into a rage and began to beat the defenseless man. As can be seen in the video below, the officer assumed a boxing stance and then lurched towards his victim, pummeling him from all sides."

I hope there is a full and thorough investigation of this incident and that the officers get the punishment they deserve. The video clearly shows an overreaction by the police. Think of this: If you are defending yourself in a fight, the law will punished you if you use excessive force. The police should be held to the same standard.

Illinois To Donate Surplus Clothing To Homeless

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:05:00 +0000

Oct. 13, 2012 - Illinois says it will give away $1 million worth of surplus clothing and other items to homeless people. The surplus items will be distributed to organizations that help homeless people. The AP reports today that the Illinois Department of Central Management Services will donate items that "include boots, coats, sleeping bags and other winter gear. The department is responsible for disposing of surplus state and federal property. Details of the clothing donation will be announced next week."

CONFUSING NUMBERS:
The AP report included a puzzling figure. It said that "Officials say there are more than 15,000 homeless people in Illinois. The figure is based on a 2011 federal report." AP did not name that report, and the number sounded low to Homeless Patriot, so we sniffed around a bit.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) website says that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) "identified a record 17,255 homeless students in 2011-12, a 10.7% increase from the prior year’s record."

WOW. That's confusing: AP says that its unnamed "federal report" said there are "15,000 homeless people in Illinois" but that's 2,255 fewer than CPS says there were in Chicago alone. CCH also says that, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, public schools across the state "identified 42,800 homeless students" in the 2010-11 school year. That's a whopping 27,800 more the total number of homeless in Illinois that AP reported.

Bottom Line: Information about the numbers of homeless people are (a) difficult to find, (b) probably misreported sometimes for political reasons, (c) constantly changing as people go into and out of homelessness, (d) defined differently by different entities, sometimes for political reasons.

Street Art: Goin' For Broke

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:35:00 +0000

Some nice street art spotted in Chicago on July 11, 2012 and photographed by T.H. Mannis. This was seen near 1800 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Click image to enlarge it.

Photo: Chicago, Da City Dat Works

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:16:00 +0000

A homeless man sleeps on bus stop bench in Chicago, near 1900 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Photo taken July 11, 2012 by T.H. Mannis. Graffiti added with Corel Paint Shop Pro XI.

Obama Sides With Big Tobacco to Kill Roll-Your-Own Cigarette Stores

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 01:43:00 +0000

July 7, 2012 - Operators of roll-your-own cigarette stores will be forced out of business last night at the stroke of midnight. You can thank President Obama for that, friends. You see, on July 6 he signed a federal transportation bill into law, and tucked quietly within that bill was a section that sided with Big Tobacco companies to drive the competition of small businesses into the ash tray of history. It's all about the definition of what these little businesses are - and the taxes they're required to pay as a result.

A roll-your-own-cigarette operation
Photo: News-Herald.com

"A few paragraphs added to the transportation bill changed the definition of a cigarette manufacturer," reports The Las Vegas Review-Journal, "to cover thousands of roll-your-own operations nationwide. The move, backed by major tobacco companies, is aimed at boosting tax revenues."

Low-income smokers know all too well that this means the loss of a low-cost alternative to expensive, pre-rolled cigarettes. Add to that the already obscenely high taxes on cigarettes in most cities, counties and states and the average Joe is the one who gets hit the hardest. This will not help the unemployment numbers, either: Consider the thousands of people nationwide - shop owners and the folks who work for them - who will lose their jobs because of this.

This is not the first time that the Obama Administration has attacked roll-your-own tobacco stores. In late September, 2010, a part of the Treasury Department called the "Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau" (TTB) ruled that shops with roll-your-own tobacco machines should be legally classified as cigarette manufacturers and would need to get a permit and adhere to strict government regulations. The News-Herald (Ohio) reported in 2010 that "roll-your-own machines throughout the country are being shut down. One local business was affected when its machines were shut down late last week."

"Since 2009," reports Times Free Press, "when Congress imposed different taxes on ready-made cigarettes than loose tobacco, roll-your-own stores have spread like weeds. The stores allow smokers to buy their own tobacco and rent rolling machines in the stores to make their own smokes, cutting their tax bill and cost of smoking nearly in half."

A provision in the bill that was just signed - and goes into effect at midnight - will finally force the roll-your-own stores to pay the federal "manufacturer" tax that most (if not all) of them have not paid since that September, 2010 reclassification. Most say they cannot afford the tax and it will force them to close.

Big Tobacco wins another one. The little guy and small businesses lose again.

Updated: Violent Crime Down, Poverty Up: Two Big Liberal Lies Blown To Bits

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:35:00 +0000

June 11, 2012 - The FBI said this week that violent crime in the U.S. declined for the fifth year in row. In 2011, reports Reuters, "the number of murders dropped to the lowest in more than four decades, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday."

Violent crime rates in the U.S., including murder, rape, robbery and assault, "dropped 4 percent in 2011 from the previous year, according to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report," said the report. The FBI will issue its final report in the fall.

Well, well, well. I wonder how my liberal friends are coping with this news. Those FBI stats must be making them crazy.

In fact, the FBI's statistics completely blow apart two of the biggest lies. Needless to say, nobody in left-leaning mainstream media is mentioning concealed-carry as a possible factor in the lower murder rates. That leaves it to me, I guess.

LIE NUMBER ONE:
"Allowing Concealed Carry Will Take Us Back To The Wild West"

All but one of the United States have legalized some form of "concealed carry," which allows citizens to have a firearm with them outside of their homes. Illinois is the only holdout left that does not respect its people enough to let them protect themselves against bad guys who possess illegal firearms.

Shortly before Wisconsin became the 49th state to legalize concealed carry last fall, a lot of liberals in the Badger State went into panic mode. It became legal there on November 1, 2011.

I spent five months in Wisconsin last year, July through December. That summer, one of my liberal acquaintance there said to me, "Oh my God, it's crazy," she said to me, "It's gonna be like the wild wild west! Can you imagine road rage with guns?" I laughed and pointed out that her feared scenario had not happened in the 48 states that already allowed concealed carry, and that violent crime and robbery had actually stayed the same or, more often, declined after those states legalized it. Her response was to roll her eyes and become semi-comatose in a deeper state of paranoid confusion.

In late November, about three weeks after concealed carry became legal in Wisconsin, I ran into Miss Liberal again. "Have you seen any good gun fights on the streets," I asked her, barely containing my laughter.

Her response, as before, was to roll her eyes and become semi-comatose in a deeper state of paranoid confusion. It has now been over half a year since Wisconsin allowed concealed carry, and I am not aware of any statewide increase in gun violence there. (Are you?)

The classic “blood running in the gutters” and “dead cops everywhere” hysterical pontifications of the anti-gun crowd have been proven to be nothing more than noxious and provably untrue rhetoric....When a gunfight erupts you don’t have six minutes to wait for police to arrive. You don’t have six seconds. You are lucky if you have six-tenths of a second in some cases. In order to achieve the little temporary safety you call for, we would all have to sacrifice a significant degree of personal liberty. I prefer not to live in a police state, and prefer to provide for my own safety. I also advocate that others provide for theirs, and for the safety of the general public in the process. ~ Seth Richardson, The Broadside

Although gun ownership is way up, liberals are confronted with the inconvenient fact that gun-related homicides keep going down. The fact that it is more difficult for the bad guys to victimize Americans surely has been a contributing factor in the declining crime rates nationwide.

LIE NUMBER TWO:
"Poverty Increases Violent Crime"

Liberals have long insisted that high rates of violent crime are caused by higher rates of poverty. Yet, here we are in the Great Recession, with high unemployment (over 8 percent nationally for three years, higher in many states) ... but violence crime has declined. Americans' families' wealth declined by 40 percent. This week, along with the FBI report of declining violent crime, came reports that many American families have seen their wealth all but wiped out.

"The recent recession wiped out nearly two decades of Americans’ wealth," reports The Washington Post this week, "according to government data released Monday, with middle-class families bearing the brunt of the decline. The Federal Reserve said the median net worth of families plunged by 39 percent in just three years..." That's not all. In just one recent year, the U.S. poverty rate jumped from 14.3 percent in 2009 to 15.1 percent in 2010 according to the U.S. Census. A brief post at The National Journal last week gives a nice "snapshot" of the Census data, including these highlights:

Between 2007 and 2010, the share of Americans living in poverty increased by 2.6 percent. In 2007, 12.5 percent of the U.S. population lived in poverty.
The 2010 poverty rate (15.1 percent) was the highest since 1993.
Although the rate is not the highest it’s ever been, the number of people (46.2 million) living in poverty is.

In September, 2010 the Christian Science Monitor reported about the decline of violent crime and pondered the relationship to increasing poverty.

"Poverty rate rose in 2009, but the FBI's new crime numbers show another big decline, especially in violent crime. The ties between poverty and crime may not be so obvious after all," repored CSM. "The report marks the third straight year of falling crime rates – a period that roughly overlaps with the recession. At the least, the trends show that America, for all its Hollywood violence fantasies and its occasional mass murders, remains at heart an orderly republic, where police, judicial jurisdictions, and even vigilant neighbors keep a reasonable check on society's darker inclinations – even when the society itself is strained." (My emphasis added.)

MORE POVERTY + MORE GUNS = LOWER MURDER RATE?

Liberals have been lying to you for decades about the correlation between crime and poverty. In summary, the connection ain't necessarily so. Even though, as the National Journal noted last week, there are more Americans living in poverty than ever, the FBI is telling us that the murder rate nationwide is the lowest it's been since 1968.

The Left has also lied about the effects of allowing citizens to carry guns for protection. And what happened between 1968 and 2011? The restrictive Gun Control Act of 1968, passed by Congress, "included prohibitions on mail order firearm sales, sales between residents of different states, recordkeeping on ammunition that can be used in a handgun, and prohibition of importation of firearms not considered 'sporting' by the Treasury Department (BATF)." However, state legislatures have gone the opposite direction, allowing various forms of concealed carry until, in 2012, only Illinois denies its residents full Second Amendment rights. The states, in their wisdom, knew that an armed citizenry is a safer citizenry.

Don't believe me? I'm just the messenger, folks. If you have any arguments you should contact the FBI and the Federal Reserve Bank. They've got a lot more statistics they'd love to share with you.

Of course, there are hot spots and exceptions, tragic islands of violence that some liberals will point to as "proof" that guns must be banned from everyone's hands. Chicago's violent gang problem is one such example. The gangs have long been a problem there, but 2012 has seen a sharp increase in gun-related homicide from a year ago. What the anti-gun liberals conveniently ignore, of course, is the obvious fact that the shootings are done by criminals doing criminal things with guns that are almost always stolen and/or not registered. The insane drive-by shootings that hurt so many Chicagoans are not done by law abiding citizens with their registered firearms.

Let me leave you with a quote from James H. Miller, President, Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI). In 2006, while the concealed carry debate was in full swing in Wisconsin, the WPRI issued a report titled "Concealed Carry Legislation: An Examination of the Facts." In that paper, Miller wrote a "Report From The President," in which he said, "We know that criminals will always carry firearms with or without legislation. It is the people who obey and respect our laws who will benefit from concealed carry." Indeed, Miller's words have been shown to be true.

Update/Addendum, 21 July 2012:

Wiegman

I came across an interesting (albeit less-than-comprehensive) research paper titled "Impact of Concealed Carry Weapon Laws on Crime Rates" (pdf) by Prof. Kenneth M. Wiegman for an "Introduction to Criminal Justice" course at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The paper essentially destroys anti-concealed carry argument that it will increase violent crime.

The paper, dated 7 December 2009, is only 4 1/2 pages in length (not counting the cover page and a citations page). Prof. Wiegman holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. He began his paper with this:

"Concealed carry weapon laws have been unsuccessful in significantly affecting the rates of violent crime in states where they have been enacted."

However, that is not a bad conclusion for proponents of concealed carry. That statement certainly contradicts the frantic screams of the anti-gun crowd, who have long said that concealed carry would increase crime, and here is Prof. Wiegman saying that they have not "significantly" affected the rates of violent crime - up or down. He ended his paper with this (my emphasis added):

"In conclusion, there is no significant change on crime rates when concealed carry weapon laws are passed. These studies show that by slightly changing the criteria, altering the filtering of the data used in the analysis, or using different analysis techniques, different results can be produced that indicate that the crime rates either increased or decreased after the law was implemented in comparison to what it was before. In fact, many of the studies on the effects of concealed carry weapon laws are based in part on the data Lott collected, differing only in analyzation approach and/or additional updates in data collection; all of them produced different results. If concealed carry weapon laws had a major impact on crimes, it would be easy to see the change in the rates. In reality, though, there are many factors that effect crime rates, and concealed carry weapon laws are just a minor one."

Some anti-concealed carry folks might use Wiegman's paper as ammunition (pardon the pun). However, his conclusion is neither pro nor con. If anything, it vindicates the pro-concealed carry position by saying that it does not increase violent crime.

Related:

Does poverty and unemployment increase crime? stephenfranks.co.nz
Obama Admits Plans for Gun Control ammoland.com
Progress In Right To Carry (illustrated) gunnuttery.com
Gun crime statistics by US state: latest data guardian.co.uk
When liberals lie about guns salon.com
Why are rates of violence and theft dropping in the recession? tnr.com
Too Bad for Liberals: Unemployment, Gun Ownership Up, Crime Down capitolcommentary.com
Concealed Carry Permits Are Life Savers HumanEvents.com
FBI violent-crime rates show safer nation with more gun owners WashingtonTimes.com

Is Your Home Environment Really As Clean As Possible?

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:22:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Wave Home Solutions for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you're lucky enough to have a place to call home, unlike me, you know that keeping your living space clean is important. You dust, you vacuum, you sweep and scrub, but keeping your home environment healthy and fresh is a never-ending process. Not only that, but all that scrubbing and sweeping does nothing to clean the air you breathe and the water you and your family drink.

Look, I don't own a home. Heck, I don't even rent. After all, that's why the name of this blog is "HOMELESS Patriot." Yep, I'm living temporarily in a run-down apartment that a buddy owns, no rent. There is no air filtration, and so there is always dust settling on everything. Humidity is a problem now that the sticky Chicago summer is upon us. The tap water is okay for bathing, but it tastes horrible and I always wonder what kind of chemicals and micro-organisms are it in. Ugh.

However, IF I owned the place that I'm couch surfing in these days, I would definitely turn to Wave Home Solutions for relief. Boy, that would be nice!

Wave Home Solutions has you covered for water, air, ventilation and energy consumption challenges. The WAVE home ventilation system beats dehumidifiers. It provides excellent moisture control (important for mold and fungus) as well as what they call "healthy air exchanges." Another advantage: It's done without any messy buckets of water, yucky filters or hot energy chugging motors. Remember that dehumidifiers simply recycle the same old stale air over and over, and do not actually clean the air.

WAVE Air Purifiers remove and destroy biological and chemical contaminants in your home's air by using a natural ultraviolet (UV) purification process that combines two UV rays. You are your family spend a lot of time inside, which means you could be breathing in dangerous indoor air toxins that could cause illnesses. This modern technology removes the mold, viruses, influenza, bacteria, pollen, dust mites and chemical contaminants from the air you breathe in your own home everyday.

It only requires one WAVE Ventilation to give your entire home excellent moisture control. That includes your basement, any crawl spaces, and all upper levels. Those old-fashioned, messy dehumidifiers can only affect a small, specific area, which means you need more than one to accomplish what a single WAVE system provides more effectively. A WAVE Ventilation unit removes moisture from deep within your home's structure. That can help prevent expensive home repairs. Dehumidifiers do not provide the air circulation needed to dry out the structure of your home.

The water you drink is vitally important to your health. Salt-based water softeners can't match the purification provided by the HydroCare Dual Action Water system by WAVE Home Solutions. It solves the problem of limescale, but it is very different from salt and chemical water softener systems. Water softener systems only remove the minerals that classify water as “hard,” but they replace those with sodium. (Why add sodium to you drinking water?)

In contrast, the HydroCare Dual Action Water system combines the most advanced water conditioning for elimination of limescale and the most effective purification technologies in to one system. All of this helps to provide healthier, cleaner and fresher tasting water. It's an easy solution that is effective and environmentally friendly. Water as it should be!

All of this can be achieved economically, too, because the products WAVE offers are environmentally friendly, energy saving, affordable, maintenance free with extended warranties and guaranteed to create a healthy, comfortable, energy-saving home.

Sounds worthy looking into, now, doesn't it? Click on the "Visit Sponsor's Site" button below for more info.

Obama Ignores D-Day, So Let's Watch President Reagan's Great Speech

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 20:11:00 +0000

Obama Does Not Care

June 6, 2012 - Comrade Barack Obama is in California today, ignoring observances of the Normandy Invasion (D-Day). Obama couldn't care less about the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers who fought the Nazis in World War Two. Obama cares nothing about a battle that saved civilization, in which more American men died in one afternoon than in the entire Iraq War.

"Instead of scheduling a brief event to mark the 68th anniversary of America’s brutal landing on the shores of Normandy," reports RedAlertPolitics.com, "Obama is already on his way to San Francisco, where he will hold two fundraisers before moving on to Beverly Hills to stage two more.

Obama failed to mark D-Day with either a speech or a written proclamation both last year or the year before. He did give a speech in 2009, the 65th anniversary of the event." That is shameful and inexcusable.

But don't worry. Here is how a REAL president and patriot remembered it: President Ronald Reagan's incredible speech, delivered at both a White House ceremony and at Point-du-Hoc, France on June 6, 1984.

In Italy, Thousands of Families Left Homeless by Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:17:00 +0000

Image: Reuters/Giorgio Benvenuti via www.abc.net.au

May 21, 2012 - Yesterday's 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region [map] has left at least 4,000 people homeless. The quake struck at around 4:00 a.m. local time. At least seven people are known to have died as a result of the earthquake. (Video report below.)

ABC Australia reports: "Thousands of people sheltered in cars and tent cities in north-east Italy overnight after a deadly earthquake caused massive damage to homes on Sunday, May 20. The magnitiude-6.0 quake .... reduced homes and historic buildings to rubble around the city of Ferrara."

Image: www.inquisitr.com

The shaking continues. Nerves are frayed. "Many people in the region slept in cars overnight," reports Tripoli Post, "with over 100 aftershocks coming in the 24 hours that followed Sunday's earthquake that took place early Sunday morning at 4.05, and which measured 5.9 on the Richter scale. The shocks are a reminder of the twenty nightmare seconds when the first earthquake struck."

Rhode Island Senate Approves "Homeless Bill of Rights"

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:28:00 +0000

May 3, 2012 - The State Senate of Rhode Island approved legislation that would give homeless people greater protections against discrimination. However, it still needs to pass in the Rhode Island House of Representatives to become law.

CBS News reports that the Senate voted 33-to-2 to pass a "Homeless Bill of Rights" on Wednesday. "The legislation now moves to the House," says CBS. "The bill specifically guarantees homeless people equal access to voting, housing, public buildings, public transportation, social services, employment and law enforcement.... The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless says about 4,400 people in the state experienced homelessness at some point in 2010.

Rhode Island would be the first state in the U.S. to adopt such legislation if it is approved by the state's House of Representatives, where it will go to the House Judiciary committee to be vetted for any potential constitutional problems.

WPRI.com reports that the bill includes the following rights for homeless people:

The right to be free from searches or detention
The right not to face discrimination while seeking or maintaining employment due to lack of a permanent mailing address
The right not to be criminally sanctioned for unobtrusively sleeping in a public place
The right to emergency medical care
The right to vote, register to vote and receive documentation needed to prove identity for voting
The right to protection from disclosure to law enforcement agencies
The right to confidentiality of personal records and information
The right to a reasonable expectation of privacy of personal property

Updated: How Being a Bit Pushy On Friday the 13th Got Me a Job

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:27:00 +0000

Update/Followup: This job did not last long, but I think the message in the original post is still valid. Although the employer misrepresented himself to me (in my opinion), you should not be afraid to be politely assertive.

The job did not work out. I was promised $247 per week for training. When I interviewed, everyone in the office was wearing jeans and t-shirts on a busy weekday. When I showed up for my first day of work, I was dressed in jeans and t-shirt to fit in with my new coworkers. Again, they were all in jeans and t-shirts. After a couple of hours, the boss told me I need to wear a jacket and tie. "But everyone is wearing jeans and t-shirts," I said. "Well," he said to me, "we're business casual here." Later that day, he told me I could work from home and he would send me a check for the "day and a half that you were trained." Crazy, right? Needless to say, I went home and no longer consider myself to be associated with that company. Crazy. Here's the original post, which I wrote and published before I found out that my new employer is (in my opinion) a lunatic.

Never give up!

April 13, 2012 - After a very long stint of unemployment, I was just told that I could start work tomorrow. I interviewed for the job on Wednesday. The company is a small real estate company on Chicago's North Side, easy to get to for me by bus.

I was initially told that the interview would last 30 minutes at most. However, moments after sitting down with the manager, a small crisis interrupted our conversation. One of the staff did something incorrectly and needed the boss's help. This unexpected situation might have caused many people in my position to become uncomfortable, but to be honest I enjoyed it.

The tense moments for the boss and the employee provide me with a first-hand glimpse of the company's culture. Most interviews, of course, are controlled and quiet. Not this one. For me, it was great to see how the boss, who I will call "Bob," reacted to an employee's screw up. He was gracious and kind, and helped her with patience. "That's the kind of guy I want to work with," I thought, sitting there patiently.

My patience during all of this made a good impression on Bob, and he said so. I went into the interview resolved to be myself, which I was, not pretending to be something or someone that I am not (being a fake always comes back to bite you). Many of the jobs I've had in the past help me bring related skills and knowledge to this one, so I felt confident as I sat in the hot seat.

A fascinating photo of my
right hand on a keyboard

I left their offices feeling good about the interview, but one never really knows. Perhaps, I thought, the next person he interviews might be so impressive that Bob could forget about me. There would still be a second interview to pass, I was told, and so I was on pins and needles until 5:15 this afternoon... when Bob phoned me.

By the end of the interview, he was all but saying that I was hired - but stopped short of actually offering me the job. Late this afternoon, the suspense was killing me. I would have gone crazy over the weekend not knowing. So, I decided to break one of the rules of interviewing: I phoned to ask whether I would be called in for a second interview. I left a message with the receptionist, and Bob returned my call half an hour later.

What I said to Bob was, to sum it up, was that I had several freelance writing opportunities and that I was just hoping to find out if I would get that second interview, so that I could know whether or not to take the writing gigs.

"Would you rather do the freelance stuff or this?" Bob asked.

"I'd rather work with you guys," I said, "I would do the freelance jobs only if there was nothing else for me."

"Well," he said, "as I told you, I'm sure you could do this job and your personality would fit in here." Then he dropped the bomb on me. "Can you start tomorrow at 10 a.m.?"

I thanked him profusely and said yes, then thanked him some more. I realized I was gushing like a school girl who was just asked to the prom, so I bit my lip.

"See you tomorrow," he said. Wow. That simple.

The lessons from this, I think, are this: Be yourself in an interview. Stay calm under pressure, and if the interview is interrupted you should calmly and silently observe it. Finally, don't be afraid to follow up with an email or phone call to say that you are still very interested in working for the company you interviewed with. I would say that this should be used carefully, since appearing to be pushy could blow whatever chance you might have had. However, I gauged Bob's personality to be the type that would understand my eagerness, which he did.

If you are job hunting, I wish you the best in your quest.

Helping Those In Need With the Gift of Vision, One Sight Needs Your Help

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:13:00 +0000

The gift of sight is precious indeed, but many people around the world, including right here in North America, do not have access to eye checkups or to needed glasses. OneSight has helped more than seven million people on five continents and in hundreds of communities across North America see clearly." Great cause, right? Right!

Well, a friend of mine, Tim, is an optometrist who donates his time to helping people with free eye examinations and eye wear. He will be traveling to a remote part of northwestern India in mid-April to join other eye care professionals to give people free vision care.

&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://onesight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;participantID=3356"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Make a Donation!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;

It's part of an effort by "One Sight," which is "a non-profit organization dedicated to improving vision for those in need in North America and in developing countries around the world.

PLEASE consider donating a buck or two to Tim's fundraising effort, which goes into the greater pot for One Sight's campaign. You can click the cool widget to the left here, or go directly to his donation page here: http://onesight.donordrive.com

From the One Sight website:

"Poor vision impedes a child's ability to learn in school and robs an adult of independence, mobility and quality of life. OneSight is dedicated to improving vision for those in need worldwide through outreach, research and education. Luxottica generously covers all of OneSight's administrative overhead, so your donation will directly support OneSight's vision care programs around the world and right in your own community. If you would like to support OneSight by creating your own personal fundraising campaign unrelated to any of the listed events, click here."

U.S. Homeless Rates Still Alarmingly High

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Photo by Neema Sadeghi (mediaroots.org)

March 24, 2012 - "An estimated 600,000 Americans are currently homeless, including nearly 70,000 veterans, according to the recently released The State of Homelessness in America from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. That's a small drop-off from 2009, but U.S. rates are alarmingly high: 21 homeless per 10,000 people across the country." So says a disturbing - and very interesting - article published on March 24, 2012 on The Atlantic Cities website.

With the help of his colleague Charlotta Mellander, Richard Florida took "a quick look at the factors that might be associated with the rate of homelessness across metros, including crime, weather, and economic conditions."

Florida notes that that "correlation does not imply causation" and that some factors - not taken into account by their study - "might also come into play." He goes on to say that their analysis challenges widely held but false beliefs ("myths") about homelessness.

Florida says that they "found no correlation between homelessness and the share of African-Americans in a population, while the correlation between homelessness and the percent of Hispanics was positive (.34)."

However, that is starkly contradicted by a study released this month that states, "The stark reality is that black Americans are greatly overrepresented in U.S. homelessness and poverty statistics when compared to whites." That study, from The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH), says that a number of factors "leave blacks more likely to have smaller financial reserves to fall back on in emergency situations; reside in poor, segregated, and unsafe neighborhoods that lack community resources; and experience homelessness."

Prison Stories–The Squirrel

noreply@blogger.com (T.Mannis) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:06:00 +0000

This is the first installment of "Prison Stories–The Squirrel," a series of blog posts that author Paul Lemmen describes as "what is hoped will be a long-running series of occasional articles based on my experiences in detention and eventual incarceration in a Federal prison." Paul's blog, "An Ex-Con's View," is gritty, it's dark, and yet reaffirming and hopeful. Here is an excerpt from "Prison Stories–The Squirrel:"

Newly arrived at Federal Prison Camp-Pensacola located in sunny Pensacola, Florida at a Naval Base known as Saufley Field, the former locale where all naval aviators received their basic flight training, I was assigned to a bed in what had formerly been a barracks for said aviators in training.

Twelve inmates in a room that formerly had been the assigned billet of two fledgling aviators. On the second floor (thank God not the third) I stayed there only two weeks in April of 2009 before being re-assigned to a dorm with only one floor and given a lower bunk designation due to my heart condition.

FPC-Pensacola is a minimum security work camp. All inmates are assigned to jobs ranging from menial ones like lawn care up to facilities support like librarian or electrician. All cooking, cleaning, maintaining and support functions are done by inmates. Work crews are also transported each day to NAS-Pensacola and Eglin AFB for infrastructure maintenance jobs. Most inmates earn about $.17 an hour unless they are the lucky few with friends that can get them into AmeriCorp positions where those elite inmates earn over $500 a month.

All funds earned by inmates are deposited in their inmate account and can only be spent to pay fines and restitution (a minimum per month set by the BOP), purchase telephone time, pay for emails ($.05 each) and purchase basic hygiene products, treats, stationary, stamps, etc. from the canteen.

During the first several weeks all new inmates are assigned to cleanup and raking of the compound while the camp staff determine their talents from their records and past employment in the civilian world.

The majority of inmates in a minimum security camp are non-violent offenders with a low criminal history score (meaning usually no prior felony convictions or other criminal convictions of a serious nature), or a long term inmate approaching the statutory end of sentence with good behavior while incarcerated. In my instance, I was a non-violent offender whose criminal history score (zero, the lowest possible) was due to the fact that this was my first (please God, the only) incarceration and all previous criminal prosecutions in the ten years prior to the “instant offense” were “adjudication withheld” findings, having a zero offense score.

It was during this opening phase of my stay at FPC-Pensacola that I met an inmate I’ll call “Joe”. Joe was also a “new” inmate, being newly transferred in from the medium security prison he had spent the previous 42 years in. Joe was now and old man in a wheelchair. He had only 18 more months on his sentence for cocaine possession with intent to distribute. He had spent the previous 20 years paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair following an incident where he was thrown over the railing on the second tier during a prison riot.
Read the rest of "Prison Stories-The Squirrel" at An Ex-Con's View...