May 24, 2016
This House Is For The Birds
We all need to live somewhere.
Too many people in shelters and on the streets.
Started giving money to some of the homeless on the way to the Metro.
My friend's father used to say, "If they ask then they need it."
Perhaps what's needed is a little more kindness, TLC, and compassion for all G-d's loving creatures.
While it's nice to look up to aspire and climb the next rung of life, it's as important to look down and remember from where you came and where you can still go again. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 17, 2016
Exercise It Dirty
They have grabbed the banister underneath and are doing pullups.
However, the tunnels are really ick!
Often a sheltering place for the unfortunate, homeless, and sick trying to get out with their belongings from the cold or rainy weather.
And the smell of urine is not uncommon even with the CCTV cameras at either end,
Nice to workout and toughen up, but this is more than a share of morning wash up or hand sanitizer can deal with. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Exercise It Dirty
December 28, 2015
Social Inequality To Make You Sick
Oh, it's just a 2016 Rolls Royce for a mere $362,225.00
The car was unbelievably gorgeous.
But the extravagance of it compared with the regular poor, hungry and homeless people on the streets as well as the vast majority of all the other everyday middle class people is enough to make you want to puke.
Immediately after this, when we got back to the hotel, the maid was still in the room cleaning up.
I had the opportunity to see--really see--this lady--this person.
She was overly respectful, calling me sir numerous times, unnecessarily.
She was kind in finishing the room quickly and asking if their was anything else we needed.
But I also noticed that despite her labor-intensive job cleaning up other people's shit in the hotel rooms, she had a bum leg and had trouble walking and just getting around.
I thought to myself why was it that this poor lady was destined to have to clean my and other people's hotel rooms for a grueling living.
The next day, I saw some mini shampoo and conditioner containers that had fallen to the side of the tiny garbage can in the bathroom (didn't make the shot).
I looked down--I thought for a split second, that's what the hotel get's paid for to clean up and service the guests--but only for a SPLIT second.
Then I bent my own stupid ass over, and picked up the bottles and put them in the garbage where they belong.
The lady coming to clean the room doesn't drive a Rolls Royce and definitely, neither do I.
We are one under G-d, and may he bless us all in prosperity, health, and peace. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Social Inequality To Make You Sick
December 3, 2015
Unwillingness To Face Inconvenient Facts
Unwillingness To Face Inconvenient Facts
October 15, 2015
Dress It Up With Your Blanket?
Dress It Up With Your Blanket?
August 18, 2015
Doggie Psychologist
I think my dad would say that anyone taking their dog there should have their head examined!
Apparently, Cesar Millan is a fairly well-known "Dog Behaviorist" who works with especially aggressive dogs to rehabilitate them--soothing the savage beast!
There are enough people with mental problems that don't get the help they need that it seems somewhat excessive to have dogs going to the psychologist, but people are still homeless and in rags on the streets of our cities.
At Country Inn Pet Resort your dog can be "mastering the walk," be socialized, get obedience training, and even learn to swim.
Sounds nice to send your pet to a "resort," but do they really need a psychologist or do you just want to ignore your pet the same way you ignore your children? ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Doggie Psychologist
February 28, 2015
Who Will Help?
This is an awesome video that has gone viral.
A social experiment with hidden camera filming of a homeless child freezing on the streets of Manhattan...
See the people just walking on by--completely ignoring or plain unaffected by the suffering taking place literally right next to them.
Where is the compassion of the people?
Many are just rushing by, chatting away, and/or carrying fancy filled bags from nearby shopping excursions.
The bystanders walk past and practically over this boy's shivering body lying in ragged shirt, without a coat, and lying half inside a big black garbage bag on the street.
I imagined G-d looking down on this extreme callousness of his creations ignoring the suffering of this boy and being quite upset.
Perhaps, there are unfortunately so many people now homeless , hungry, and begging in the streets that our minds and hearts have simply learned to "tune it out."
The ending is really amazing...when the one person who comes over to care for the poor boy is a black homeless man--who ends up taking off his own coat and gives it to the child.
May G-d open our eyes to the pain of our brethren and grant us compassionate hearts to sincerely care one for each other. ;-)
Who Will Help?
February 9, 2015
Homeless in DC
People homeless and hungry stumble down the steets with their carts of worldy possessions or sit on the corners begging for someone to help them.
As these destitute and desperate souls look for some shelter, warmth, a place to rest, some clean clothes, medical care, or simply something to eat, they pass almost like ghosts throughtout the city.
Most people running (late) to the office, seem to barely extend a glance as they sidestep and shuffle past these people, who I remember one unsavory colleague calling them, "human waste."
But these are G-d creatures, down on their luck, and they could be any one of us!
Does the city and the people, the powerful of the nation, have the heart to help those in need? ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Homeless in DC
November 21, 2014
Homeless At Foggy Bottom
Homeless At Foggy Bottom
August 20, 2014
Bittersweet Green
The tables outside are being used by those unfortunately with no place to sleep.
When I see the homeless people under the Sweet Green awning lying on the tables wrapped in ripped clothes and blankets trying to get some much needed sleep, it is completely heart breaking.
At the same time, I wonder about the health and safety for people who come later to eat on those tables that only hours earlier were somebody's bed for the night.
Not a good situation all around...and can never understand why a wealthy society such as ours can't feed, cloth, and shelter ALL its citizens--so they don't have to sleep at Sweet Greens anymore.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Bittersweet Green
December 18, 2013
Nation's Homeless Capital
The person is in front of Starbucks, and they seem to have been provided some hot coffee to help-- a nice thing by the coffee chain.
It has been particularly freezing this last week and seeing the number of homeless people suffering is unbelievable.
Just being out for a few minutes bundled up in layers, I was still cold, so I can hardly imagine what it is like to be out on the streets, living like this for prolonged, indefinite, periods of time.
When you see others' suffering in such a pronounced way, it is hard to take life's often silly daily problems as seriously, and we shouldn't.
When I juxatopse this scene, multipled thousands or perhaps millions of times over across the nation, it is also hard to understand a nation such as ours with $17.2 trillion dollars in debt.
Where the heck did all that money go?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Nation's Homeless Capital
November 22, 2013
Listening and Blessings
1. Listen to understand:
I heard a colleague talk about the importance of listening. There wasn't really anything new about that, except he went on to say, "Listen to understand, not to refute or resolve." The more, I thought about this, the more brilliant I realized this was. How often do we either not really listen to the other person? And when we do listen at all, aren't we most of the time jumping to either refute what they are saying or resolve their issue? The key though is to listen to understand. Ask questions. Get clarifications. Only once you really listen to the other person and understand what they are saying, can you begin to address the thoughts and feeling they are expressing to you.
2. G-d Blessed You:
Usually when I see people asking for help/money on the streets, they have signs--handwritten, often on cardboard or the like--that says something about their plight. Perhaps, they are homeless, lost their job, ill or disabled, have kids to support...and they are asking for your help and mercy. At the end of the sign or if you give them some change or a few dollars, they say thanks, but also "G-d bless you" in the future tense. And this is really nice to get a blessing in return for some basic charity and kindness. However, there is one poor person begging in downtown D.C., and he says it differently. His sign asks for help and says, "G-d blessed you" in the past-present tense. First, I thought maybe this was just a grammatical mistake, but then I realized what he was saying. G-d blessed you, so please give back to others. This wasn't a thank you wish to the other person, but rather a reason that you should give to begin with. Recognize how fortunate you are (and maybe you don't even necessarily deserve it), but G-d blessed you, so have mercy and give to others.
Hope these reflections mean something to you the way they do to me, and have a good weekend everyone!
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Listening and Blessings
November 4, 2012
Heaven and Hell
It asks: "Do you want heaven or hell?"
Two incidents with some neighbors this weekend reminded me of this message:
The first--there were some boxes put out for donation to Hurricane Sandy victims, and we saw one of the neighbors actually take stuff out of the charity boxes. Was he needy too--I don't really know. But I do wonder whether he'll enjoy his new jacket, at the expense of someone perhaps homeless and who lost everything in the Superstorm.
The second--I was hauling a really big box--it was extremely heavy and I come to find out that the wheels on the dolly were flat. It was nearly impossible to move on the the bare metal. All of a sudden, a wonderful person comes over--a stranger--and says "here, let me help you!" He accompanied me, pushing with me all the way to my destination. This guy was like an angel.
Heaven or hell--we are tested everyday in our actions--some choose one, while some seem to gravitate to the other.
Finally, I can't say again how grateful I am to the neighbor who went out of his way to help me--and in a difficult situation--I hope that I can learn from him!
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Heaven and Hell
May 30, 2009
Homeless Yet Technology Bound
I could not help being amazed with the article in this weekend’s Wall Street Journal called “On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired.”
I was very struck by the seeming contradiction between near total poverty and yet being linked to one of the richest sources of information and human connection on earth.
The article is about people who are so poor and wanting that they are literally homeless—living in shelters, cars, under bridges—and yet with virtually no money for anything, they find that having a computer and an Internet connection is a necessity!
What a comment on the impact that information technology has on our lives and how it affects us every moment of every day. Three key points about the Internet and social media that stand out:
- They are no longer an option, but an answer to basic human needs.
- They provide a sense of basic equality and human dignity, as well as empowerment, even where those are otherwise lacking.
- Because they are so vital to people, they are serving to unlock great creativity and innovation by people to get connected.
Computers and the Internet connectivity we get with them is so important to us ALL that even homeless shelters are now rolling out computer stations—almost like an internet café or library. For example, NYC “has 42 computers in five of the nine shelters it operates and plans to wire the other four this year” and this is happening despite the devastating financial environment out there.
So do the homeless really use the computers? You better believe it—computer demand is so great in the shelters that users are limited to 30-minute intervals.
The homeless are finding the computers important for completing everything from housing and job applications to getting loads of inexpensive entertainment whether watching videos, listening to music or just getting the daily news.
The homeless are finding innovative ways to power their computers…some are using generators outside the tent homes, others are hooking up to their car batteries or finding a deserted area with a connection to steal away from for a brief hookup.
But the computer and the connectivity are critical for everyone whether you live in a mansion or in a shelter. Information technology provides for all our basic needs in terms unlimited information and opinion, a broad range of social entertainment, and all sorts of application services, but more importantly it confers basic humanity to all that use it. As one homeless man stated: “It’s frightening to be homeless. When I’m on here [the Internet], I’m equal to everyone else.”
And this is really a global idea, because people across the world—whether in countries that are free and those that are unfortunately still not—are finding that a simple computer and Internet connection can break down the barriers of political, social, or economic repression.
Information technology once feared as the great digital divide is becoming the great human equalizer indeed.
Homeless Yet Technology Bound